40' Diesel Pusher wandering on the road

Cloud Dancer wrote:
This scenario has be played out over and over. It takes a qualified driver to simply test drive it, and tell you what you need in order to either fix the problem OR get rid of the problem.
One thing is for sure, the caster adjustment is worthless if the front end does not have sufficient weight(load) to produce caster authority.
If you take a empty shopping cart that has a front caster that wobbles like crazy,....just load up the basket and it will solve the problem.
Don't take my word for it, just try a few changes that make sense. But then, this would take someone who knows which chassis features produce good directional stability.

I like the term "caster authority". Having the experience of going from +3.5 degrees to +5.5 degrees caster even though at the same weight, I still think I know the feeling.

In our couch you can feel the wind, but it is no horror story, very easy to compensate. what bothers us more is a rutted road.

This scenario has be played out over and over. It takes a qualified driver to simply test drive it, and tell you what you need in order to either fix the problem OR get rid of the problem.
One thing is for sure, the caster adjustment is worthless if the front end does not have sufficient weight(load) to produce caster authority.
If you take a empty shopping cart that has a front caster that wobbles like crazy,....just load up the basket and it will solve the problem.
Don't take my word for it, just try a few changes that make sense. But then, this would take someone who knows which chassis features produce good directional stability.

We just walked briefly along a beach while on a morning walk. So I didn't get to ask him all the questions listed here. It was just a brief encounter that surprised me to the point I wanted to hear from the experts. Thank you

OP, did he tell you what color it was? Sounds like cabin fever is setting in awful early.

When our Phaeton was new, we had a tire that was wearing strangely and it caused some vibration. At one point, we had to have it replaced and found that the wheel itself was bent. . . we believe it was like that when we bought it new. In order to compensate it had about 26 ounces of weight on it. We replaced both the wheel and the two front tires. Smooth sailing since then.

Dale

Certainly not normal, but more info would be helpful. "40' diesel pusher" is a pretty wide brush to paint with.

Weigh all four corners when loaded for travel. Most rigs handle better and track better if the front end is loaded close to the maximum axle weight. A light front end will tend to wander and be difficult to manage. This also will give you a chance to adjust your tire pressure to the manufacturer's recommendation.

Check tire footprint.

Check for plenty of positive caster.

Check for worm and sector play in steering box and
or steering linkage.

45'Haulmark super C, handles like a dream not affected by wind or passing semi's, if you haven't driven one you would be amazed at how stable they are.
Jim