F 53 alignment & steer safe

two travelers wrote:
Bringing in our Winnebago on F53 chassis for aligment. Some where I read that caster/camber needs to be set different from Ford specs, is that right?
Have a Steer safe do they go bad? Does not seem to be doing its job.

I took my motorhome in for a all wheel alignment and the shop said the front was just off a tad but the back axel was way off, after the fix it drove straight down the road after that, only cost $170.00.

Make sure they do both the front and back alignment..

Camber is not adjustable without bending the axle-- and is seldom a problem.

Setting caster (shims) toward the high end of spec helps with tracking.

Agree, same for toe-in-- toward high end of spec.

crawford wrote:
Ford built the truck frame and suspension why should any place change specs?

First off the F53 is NOT a truck frame. It is built for motor home application. The equivalent frame for trucks is a F59.

There are various sources for the F53 front end specifications, but the latest specs seems to be toe-in of 0.06 deg toe in, plus/minus 0.25 degree.

Plus or minus 0.25 degrees would allow for some toe-out or too much toe-in. Thus the Family of F53 Ford owners have found that a strong toe-in setting (0.14 degrees or 5/32") is the best for handling and tire wear. Now you know.

Richard

crawford wrote:
Ford built the truck frame and suspension why should any place change specs? Adding extra better shocks and better heaver sway bars front and read but that will not change it.

Because Ford built it as a universal chassis. For everything from a small 10k lb bread truck to a 40 foot 24k lb MH. So you can see how these things need to be adjusted to an as needed use. More caster will make it track straight down the road. Toe in is the only thing the needs to be adheard to.

I have the steer safe on mine. I used to think it helped with the tracking after hearing so many complaints about poor handling on both the F-53's and older P-30 chassis. I always drove mine with one hand just like my car even when trucks passed me. Several years ago I had a front end failure in Ohio and after they fixed the front end I drove home from Ohio to CT with out the steer safe. I noticed no difference in handling or tracking.

Ford built the truck frame and suspension why should any place change specs? Adding extra better shocks and better heaver sway bars front and read but that will not change it.

My experience with motorhomes with straight axles in front is having the toe-in set to the max value (5/32" on F53s) will provide the straightest tracking and resistance to being blown around by passing trucks. However, this will come at the expense of outer edge tire wear on the front tires. Most of us will "age out" our tires long before the tread is worn to the point of needing replacement so I'm cool with the trade-off. Squirrelly handling on a straight axle vehicle is often caused by loose front end components (tie rod ends and kingpins) allowing the toe in to go to zero or a negative value. 5/32" is not a lot of wear distributed across four parts. In this age of sealed front end parts, a lot of the oil changers just are not familiar enough with "legacy" vehicles to even know where to find the fittings to put grease in so it doesn't get done. Good case for changing your own oil and greasing your own front end so you know it's done right. Grease the front end every oil change and it is VERY unlikely anything will ever wear out. The stuff is pretty tough.

two travelers wrote:
Bringing in our Winnebago on F53 chassis for aligmnent. Some where I read that caster/camber needs to be set different from Ford specs, is that right?
Have a Steer safe do they go bad? Does not seem to be doing its job.

So, . . . . . why is it you think you need an alignment?

Some issues might be: irregular front tire wear, vibration, shuddering, pulling/tracking left/right, wandering, overload, worn tires, worn suspension components, shocks, recent accident damage, etc.. You mention none of those other than you have "Steer Safe."

Year, model, mileage, photos of the front tire(s) would be helpful if you expect a meaningful response in this format.

Chum lee

The biggest issue most people have with F53 chassis is body roll. Koni oir Bilstein shocks, the biggest rear roll bar you can buy and poly bushing front and rear.

I am pretty sure that the F53 has a solid front axle so typical caster/chamber doe not apply.

I would leave it up to the people who do the alignment and your self, not the forum.

Just google "how to trouble shooting safe steer"

Several videos on how it works. Anything can go bad.