F53 death wobble?

The curved bar is an anti-sway bar. It is probably a factory installation.
A steering stabilizer would look like a shock absorber, attached between the axle and the tie-rod. I don't see the tie rod in the pic, so I can't tell if there is a stabilizer or not.

Dave,

There should be a shimmy dampener attached to the center of the tie rod and axle (shock laying on its side). It is a Ford OEM item for 1988 to 1997 F53 chassis. It looks like yours is missing. The two items that will cause the death wobble are shimmy dampener and dynamic tire balance. It can some times be patched with a pan hard bar (Davis Tru Trac). But the real problem are tires and dampener.
The curved bar in your picture is a sway bar and is OEM.

Richard
95 Bounder
F53

nehuge,
Your front end is bone stock. Yep, that top bar in the pic is the anti-sway bar. The tie rod on that modle is behind the axle and, in our '99 Bounder with the F-53 chassis, there was no steering stabilizer. It didn't need one. The front end, while seriously under loaded, was always stable and had no "death wobble" what so ever. I personnaly don't know anyone with an F-53 chassis that's ever experienced the dreaded Death wobble on their coach, or any motor home for that matter.
It doesn't mean it doesn't happen, it just means I've never experienced it, or know anyone that has. 99.9% of the time, the death wobble is normally assosiated with certain model four wheel drive vehicles. I've built 7 different Jeep wranglers and still, have never had that death wobble. And I installed every kind of lift there was/is. I've put on multiple sizes and types of tires and NO death wobble.

So, are you experiencing any form of steering wheel shake? If so, at what speed and, what kind of conditions were/are provoking it, rough road, pot holes, concrete seams, rain grooves on the freeway?
Scott

FIRE UP wrote:
nehuge,
Your front end is bone stock. Yep, that top bar in the pic is the anti-sway bar. The tie rod on that modle is behind the axle and, in our '99 Bounder with the F-53 chassis, there was no steering stabilizer. It didn't need one. The front end, while seriously under loaded, was always stable and had no "death wobble" what so ever. I personnaly don't know anyone with an F-53 chassis that's ever experienced the dreaded Death wobble on their coach, or any motor home for that matter.
It doesn't mean it doesn't happen, it just means I've never experienced it, or know anyone that has. 99.9% of the time, the death wobble is normally assosiated with certain model four wheel drive vehicles. I've built 7 different Jeep wranglers and still, have never had that death wobble. And I installed every kind of lift there was/is. I've put on multiple sizes and types of tires and NO death wobble.

So, are you experiencing any form of steering wheel shake? If so, at what speed and, what kind of conditions were/are provoking it, rough road, pot holes, concrete seams, rain grooves on the freeway?
Scott

But Scott, your 99 F53 is a totally different chassis than the OPs 94. Death wobble on the older 460 F53s is well documented. Ford stopped installing the dampener on the new V10 F53s.

Richard

What is this death wobble?...been driving mine foe 5 years and 25k miles. The moho is a plank going down the road.

It's an 11-ton, slab-sided, square ended box truck and about as aerodynamic as an iron cowshed. It drives like one.

Is it worth $5 or $6K to get a 5% improvement, or spend the money on gas and CG fees and live with it. I know what my choice is.

Some correct and some "does not apply" answers.

"Death Wobble" on an Ford F53 chassis was caused by side to side harmonic motion between the chassis and axle as those LONG leaf springs and shackles flexed side to side.

On later model chassis, Ford installed a track bar (aka panhard rod). Aftermarket track bars are also available for older chassis-- the Davis Tru-trac is an example. It attaches to the chassis on one side of the front and to the front axle on the other side. It allows full vertical movement, but significantly reduces side to side movement between axle and chassis.

Death wobble most often occurred with crossing things like RR tracks at a diagonal to the direction of travel. This induced flexing of the springs which could continue to get progressively worse as the springs flexed left/right/left.... The cure (other than adding a track bar which is the correct answer) is to slow down until you are back under control. THEN buy a track bar.

I never experienced the dreaded "Death Wobble" with my 1991 F53. Never even heard of it until today.

wolfe10 wrote:
Some correct and some "does not apply" answers.

"Death Wobble" on an Ford F53 chassis was caused by side to side harmonic motion between the chassis and axle as those LONG leaf springs and shackles flexed side to side.

On later model chassis, Ford installed a track bar (aka panhard rod). Aftermarket track bars are also available for older chassis-- the Davis Tru-trac is an example. It attaches to the chassis on one side of the front and to the front axle on the other side. It allows full vertical movement, but significantly reduces side to side movement between axle and chassis.

Death wobble most often occurred with crossing things like RR tracks at a diagonal to the direction of travel. This induced flexing of the springs which could continue to get progressively worse as the springs flexed left/right/left.... The cure (other than adding a track bar which is the correct answer) is to slow down until you are back under control. THEN buy a track bar.

I suggest your assessment is incorrect. If you assessment of the problem is correct, how come the newer V10 F53 chassis don't exhibit the "Death Wobble", when it has the same long leaf mono spring and shackles. Workhorse "W" chassis also has long leaf mono springs with out "Death Wobble". "Death Wobble" is initiated by the tires whipping from side to side dynamically and not the axle moving harmonically in the frame. "Death Wobble" has been experienced on vehicles with unequal "A" arms and coil springs. From my early years of working in an alignment shop, I can assure you those long leaf springs are not the primary cause of "Death Wobble".

Richard

Richard,
Well Sir, as usual, I learn something every day, even at my age. Like stated, not only did I never experience it, but I had friends who had older F-53 chassis and they never mentioned anything about it. We traveled many-a-mile together under good and bad road conditions. We often commented on how bad certain sections of road were at times. Oh well, live and learn.
Scott