Loose steering in brand new RV with Ford chassis

[twoclaws]

Originally Posted by retireearly

There are lots of threads on this board and others concerning class C handling. At minimum it will need an alignment (with new bushings) and you may find that better sway bars, steering stabilizers, and shocks are needed. Some manufactures will do a few of these things for you (i.e. Jayco) but FR does generally does nothing. Some units will have the Ride Rite air bags but these don't impact handling much.

On this forum it’s been stated that Forest River will pay for alignment within a certain very short period of time. Besure to check this out. I have a 37 ft motor home. Felt the same as you and yes crosswinds will push you however
I paid for an alignment and this helped noticiably.
Then I had the OEM sway bars removed and replaced with more heavy duty (larger diameter) sway bars and added tracker to rear axel. A bit pricey but This really helped. This RV handles much differently and these changes I am happy with. The unit is a bit over 3 yrs old and 25 K miles. I m looking into new Billstein Shocks and possible Safe T Steer equipment. Have not and will NOT use dealership for these changes. Did my homework and found small local RV repair shops with good reputations. For the Safe T Steer told me what to buy and to find the best price and they gave me an install price

[jdkbrooks]

I have a 34ft Winnebago and had somewhat of the same problem not quite as severe. I installed a steering stabilizer (very easy 30 min) made a big difference.
GOOD LUCK SAFE TRAVELS

[jimmiejim]

Goggle E450 CASTER Lots of information

JIm

[Wolverine 1945]

It is a Coachman Freelander ??? I see the guy never reposted ???
If I were him I would pay the Ford dealer the $150,,,
and then fight the RV dealer for pay back !!!
It is a 2018,,, it must be under warranty !!!
Maybe the guy thought it would be like driving a car ???
I must wonder how many psi he has in the rear air bags,,, if he has rear air bags ???
Guess we will never know !!!
C-YA Doc !!!

[otisite2016]

We are on our third 459 with the 10 engine. To get rid of MOST of the wander we put the heavy duty steering stabilizer on them. Cost was a couple hundred( installed myself) and well worth it .Seldom has a darn thing to do with alighnment.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by otisite2016

We are on our third 459 with the 10 engine. To get rid of MOST of the wander we put the heavy duty steering stabilizer on them. Cost was a couple hundred( installed myself) and well worth it .Seldom has a darn thing to do with alighnment.

What is a 459 ???

[herewego]

RVPhd
Please let us know how things work out for you with this unit. Your experience is my worst fear as we are seriously considering moving from my fiver with the F-350 dually TV, that is mostly rock solid on the highway, to a Sunseeker 2800QS. I'm looking for easier mobility and set-ups but chasing a 30' box from lane to lane is not what I consider improvement.
Thanks.

[A32Deuce]

Originally Posted by herewego

RVPhd
Please let us know how things work out for you with this unit. Your experience is my worst fear as we are seriously considering moving from my fiver with the F-350 dually TV, that is mostly rock solid on the highway, to a Sunseeker 2800QS. I'm looking for easier mobility and set-ups but chasing a 30' box from lane to lane is not what I consider improvement.
Thanks.

I have a 2012 SunSeeker 3100SS with 86000 miles I put on. Get the correct alignment, correct tire pressures and I have the rear air bags to 90 psi. Mods to the chassis, aftermarket Bilsteins on the front so far (silver&blue), not the factory. Also the rear Trac bar to go with the factory sway bar. Future is same Bilsteins for the rear and a Bilstein steering damper. I have been as far as Arizona, Colorado, and Iowa. Massachusetts to the north and the Florida keys to the south. Back roads to interstate. The only white buckle trip was the first and I did the mods soon after. Its not a Deluxe pick up ride and its also easy enough to drive with one hand. Hope this helps.

[herewego]

A32Duece
Thanks for the info. Looks like the OP and I should plan on significant suspension mods.

[A32Deuce]

If the E450 SD chassis, it may have front and rear bars. If it does, get the front end aligned and get the Trac bar. About 20000 miles change the front shocks. If it doesn't have air bags, I would consider putting them on. Sometime this year I am changing the rear shocks and steering damper with Bilsteins.

[otisite2016]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

What is a 459 ???

Sorry E450

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by otisite2016

Sorry E450

Thanks !!!
I could not find a 459 anywhere !!!

[TheRVPhD]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

It is a Coachman Freelander ??? I see the guy never reposted ???
If I were him I would pay the Ford dealer the $150,,,
and then fight the RV dealer for pay back !!!
It is a 2018,,, it must be under warranty !!!
Maybe the guy thought it would be like driving a car ???
I must wonder how many psi he has in the rear air bags,,, if he has rear air bags ???
Guess we will never know !!!
C-YA Doc !!!

Yes, it is a Freelander 21QB.

I am a commercial pilot so I am very familiar with handling of different equipment. Not two aircraft handle the same but they fly. If this RV was an aircraft, I would have done a "barrel roll" and be upside down.

The unit wonders left and right with no crosswind. It has 2800 miles and the feeling you get is that the steering system is worn or loose. If you do not correct steering immediately, you end up in the grass (right drift) or against traffic (left drift). Driving this unit is like driving a truck with no power steering... it is a pain.

My concern is that there is no consistency in the remedies to be applied. The air pressure is as indicated. The tires are Hankook, a brand used frequently in trucks. My biggest worry is to spend money getting a stabilizer bar with no improvement. Some suggest changing the camber during the alignment but there is no consensus on how many degrees should be used.

The unit does not have air bags.

Thanks for your reply!

TheRVPhD

[TheRVPhD]

Originally Posted by herewego

RVPhd
Please let us know how things work out for you with this unit. Your experience is my worst fear as we are seriously considering moving from my fiver with the F-350 dually TV, that is mostly rock solid on the highway, to a Sunseeker 2800QS. I'm looking for easier mobility and set-ups but chasing a 30' box from lane to lane is not what I consider improvement.
Thanks.

Will keep the forum posted. I have a video of the unit drifting into oncoming traffic but Ford says that's "normal".

I guess they are treating the E350 chassis just like they handled the Ford Pinto issue. I guess some companies never learn. My plans are to get the unit to handle better and trade it for something that does not drive like a truck without power steering! It is tiring!

Thanks for your reply!

The RV PhD

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by TheRVPhD

Yes, it is a Freelander 21QB.

I am a commercial pilot so I am very familiar with handling of different equipment. Not two aircraft handle the same but they fly. If this RV was an aircraft, I would have done a "barrel roll" and be upside down.

The unit wonders left and right with no crosswind. It has 2800 miles and the feeling you get is that the steering system is worn or loose. If you do not correct steering immediately, you end up in the grass (right drift) or against traffic (left drift). Driving this unit is like driving a truck with no power steering... it is a pain.

My concern is that there is no consistency in the remedies to be applied. The air pressure is as indicated. The tires are Hankook, a brand used frequently in trucks. My biggest worry is to spend money getting a stabilizer bar with no improvement. Some suggest changing the camber during the alignment but there is no consensus on how many degrees should be used.

The unit does not have air bags.

Thanks for your reply!

TheRVPhD

I believe the lack of rear air bags could be your main problem !!!
I drove our Sunseeker home knowing nothing about the rear air bags,,,
I believe they were probably flat !!! Driving home I thought I might have to take this POS back !!! Once I put 75 or 80 psi in those rear air bags it became a different Vehicle !!!

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by TheRVPhD

Will keep the forum posted. I have a video of the unit drifting into oncoming traffic but Ford says that's "normal".

I guess they are treating the E350 chassis just like they handled the Ford Pinto issue. I guess some companies never learn. My plans are to get the unit to handle better and trade it for something that does not drive like a truck without power steering! It is tiring!

Thanks for your reply!

The RV PhD

Again maybe the E350 is not a large enough chassis for your MH ???
Maybe it should be on a E450 ???

[TheRVPhD]

Update on the Coachmen Freelander 21QB with steering issues.

I finally found a Ford dealer that does warranty work on RVs. The Service Manager drove the unit and stated that it is up to specs but that I need to center the steering wheel at a cost of $150. I approved the procedure and I am waiting for them to call me. Of course, the $150 is not covered by the warranty so I must pay for it. This is the third week that the RV is at the dealer.

[TheRVPhD]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Again maybe the E350 is not a large enough chassis for your MH ???
Maybe it should be on a E450 ???

This is basically a small RV. Overall length is 21 ft and very light.

The wife and I wanted to have a smaller unit so that we could park it at our home.

I have seen larger units (27 ft?) using this same chassis. We will probably trade it in as soon as the major issues are resolved and go up in quality.

Thanks for writing by the way!

RV PhD

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by TheRVPhD

This is basically a small RV. Overall length is 21 ft and very light.

The wife and I wanted to have a smaller unit so that we could park it at our home.

I have seen larger units (27 ft?) using this same chassis. We will probably trade it in as soon as the major issues are resolved and go up in quality.

Thanks for writing by the way!

RV PhD

Yes I see your Freelander is quite small with no slides,,, so you are probably right the E350 should be large enough,,, but I think you would benefit by having Rear Air Bags !!! We have a Sunseeker 2400TS,,, not a lot larger than yours until we open the 3 Slides,,, E450 with rear air bags !!! It handles pretty well,,, unless the wind is blowing !!! And as long as bags have the proper PSI !!!

[TheRVPhD]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Yes I see your Freelander is quite small with no slides,,, so you are probably right the E350 should be large enough,,, but I think you would benefit by having Rear Air Bags !!! We have a Sunseeker 2400TS,,, not a lot larger than yours until we open the 3 Slides,,, E450 with rear air bags !!! It handles pretty well,,, unless the wind is blowing !!! And as long as bags have the proper PSI !!!

How much are the rear airbags... we have modified the interior to suit our taste so trading it in is expensive. Any info will be appreciated!

Regards,

RV PhD