The Toad and Rear Sway Bar

[kentdavido]

Originally Posted by tamdle

Kentavido,



Each one of the RVers in this forum has a different opinion based on their feel and pride for their own coach. Their driving situation may be different with yours completely. Depending on the distance that you will drive, your load, your tire pressure, the road condition, the weather, etc. You can not find enough data compiled to decide on how your coach should be unless you do an extended trip. Many of the RVers only use their coach on the weekend and may be driving couple hundred miles to their destination and back, they would have different advice compare to whom who drove thousand of miles trip that spread out many days or months which they would experience various road condition as well as weather in each different region.



I just did a 4000 miles trip for the duration of couple months. I did go through all type of weathers from hot to cool, dry to rain, calm to windy, and different road condition from smooth to under repair, even with some gravels, from the Texas plain country to the rocky mountain, from flat to as much as 7% and 8% grade in both of uphill and downhill, you name it and most likely I could tell you that I did go through it. That is when I did really appreciate for my decision of upgrade my chassis suspension before I took the trip. My next long trip will be the estimated 14,000 miles spread out 5 to 6 months in 2018 when I go toward the west, then head back to the east, then head north to Alaska, then going back straight down to the southwest, and I am confident and know that my suspension upgrade will be able to assist me on every mile just like it did support me on my last trip.



If you do not plan to take any long trip immediately, try it out on your own, see how it feel, then adjust or upgrade it accordingly. You will need your towing apparatus anyway, go ahead and have it done, then test drive it to see how it does for you. If it works out without having to upgrade, then more power to you, and more money in your pocket, if not, then you have your straight and correct answer based on your driving condition, your load, your coach, etc. and you will not go wrong.



Good luck and hope that you would have a lot of fun. Cheer!

I appreciated everything you exchanged with me. I was just checking other peoples thoughts. I felt like I was getting anxious about taking this out on the road before I even tried. I think what makes me crazy is I just wish forest river would've offset some of these issues, even for an up charge. I admire you and the journeys you have taken and appreciate all of your help. Thank you so much and stay in touch. You're doing the first connections on everything Friday so I'll let you know. We're excited.

[tamdle]

Originally Posted by kentdavido

I appreciated everything you exchanged with me. I was just checking other peoples thoughts. I felt like I was getting anxious about taking this out on the road before I even tried. I think what makes me crazy is I just wish forest river would've offset some of these issues, even for an up charge. I admire you and the journeys you have taken and appreciate all of your help. Thank you so much and stay in touch. You're doing the first connections on everything Friday so I'll let you know. We're excited.

I understand the feeling, I was not just said so, but because I was at the same stage as you were back in Feb of this year. What I shared with you was how I felt and came to the decision for a long run. Hope that it would help you as other in this forum help me with many other issues in the past.

You were also right too if FR would offer some of the upgrades for an upcharge, but come to think of it, that would be a custom order on a brand new model freshly built at the factory, that upcharge may be very stiff for us anyway. When I bought my RV new in July 2016 for the 2016 model, I did negotiate some that did help me a little to go toward my upgrade. I thought that was a great deal for me, therefore I did not hesitate to go ahead and get all of the upgrade done so all of those are behind me now.

I am excited for you too. Have a great time!

[sherman12]

Every August I have to take my rig in to my local shop for a NYS Safety Inspection. Last August they had a beautiful brand new Tiffin Allegro sitting in their lot. I asked Doug the manager of the shop why that beautiful $170,000 + motor home was there. He told me the owner heard how badly the Ford F53 gas chassis rigs handle so he brought it there direct from taking ownership of it. The shop was going to put beefier sway bars on, heavier shocks, steering stabilizer and a bunch of other things. Price, over $4000! Like I said, they aren't made to drive like a BMW and if you keep that premise in mind most folks will be happy doing the Cheap Handling and a steering stabilizer, unless they have money to burn.

[sherman12]

Forgot to mention, I don't think Forest River or any other manufacturer, gas or diesel, want to bother with chassis set-ups, whether they be Ford or Freightliner etc. Other wise you would not have the Cheap Handling Fix so common. Just like many RV dealers will only work on anything on your RV from the wheels up so to speak. Anything to do with chassis, go to a commercial truck center.