First class A, tippy feel when driving

This is a good thread. I juts purchased and brought home out first class A. 2012 Forest River Georgetown 350TS on a 2011 F53 chassis. I was reading all about the handling and ride quality of these MH’s. So the first thing I was going to do was the CHF. But when we did our walk though and inspection there was a front sway bar, 4 shocks and bump stops in the basement storage. Come to find out the previous owner installed front and rear Hellwig sway bars, front and rear Sumo springs, Koni shocks and a Blue Ox True Center steering stabilizer! As well as 6 2 year old Michelin’s. So much for upgrading the suspension on my part! LOL

Well the ride home was a handful! The thing was all over the road! It was wandering back and forth, no amount of adjusting the True Center helped. So the only thing left was to check the alignment, which I have read that on these when they are toed out they will do that. So my measurements showed I had 3/8” toe out. I set it to 3/16 toe in. Still need to take it for a ride, but hoping that it takes care of the wander. I’m thinking maybe the previous owner tried everything he could to fix the issue and got tires and traded it in on a DP (at least thats what the dealer said, I do believe him though). Otherwise it rides OK.

Improvements that many have done and made positive reviews about:
Front and rear heavy duty anti-sway bars made by Roadmaster
Summo Springs
Roadmaster or other steering stabilizer

Also, make sure front end is aligned. Adjust tire pressure according to tire manufacturer table (after getting vehicle weighed).

We took the camper our this weekend.

I did the CHF on the front only and less than a mile from the house we hit a bump, and the camper acted like I had a flat tire..... obviously got the pucker effect.
I pulled off the road, and all tires were fine....got the pressure gauge out and all tire pressure was fine.... looked at the front sway bar all looked fine, so we decided to move on...it took me about 15 to 20 minutes to get the worry out of my head, but it eventually did.... I have no idea what that made the camper feel that way.

NOW onto the good.....I drove the camper down some of the most windy up and down back country roads thru Amish country, and the CHF made a absolute noticeable difference.
The next time out I am going to do it to the rear end, and see if that makes much of a difference.

As others have said, some of what you are experiencing is simply the geometry of where you are now sitting compared to where you were sitting in your truck. The higher you are on that "pole" (great visual, BTW), the more your body is going to sway back and forth. Driving habits can help reduce the speed of the sway, but there is nothing that can change the physics.

I drove class C's for 25 years; big difference in "feel" when I moved to my class A. Took a trip or two to get fully comfortable. Now, I love the high seating/great visibility, and don't really notice the sway.

That said, there are a few things that you should do. First and foremost is a 4-corner weigh and tire pressure adjustment. My last class C was a white knuckle drive; I fought it for years, thinking it was just the way it was. Then, finally, I weighed it and lowered the tire pressure according to actual weights. Day & night difference. I kick myself for not doing it years earlier. My A, when purchased, had brand new tires set at 95psi F&R. The tag next to the driver seat specified 90psi F, 80psi R. The rig was a bit squirrelly. A 4 corner weigh allowed a reduction to 80psi F&R, and made a noticeable difference in handling. Second, if your rig is on a Ford chassis (mine is the Workhorse), then the CHF is touted as a huge improvement that costs nothing but a bit of time.

We have a 40 ft Class A. Several years towing 5th wheel trailers. Getting underway in the Class A was an experience. I remembered a tip from a heavy equipment operator who told me to NOT LOOK RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. I remembered that tip and now look at least a couple football fields ahead. The beeping from the lane warning beeping is almost nonexistent.

A lot of people will suggest changing your shock. Don't bother. A while back I bought a used Ford V10 Class A. Only had 30k miles. I didn't like the ride, so I installed the best Monroe RV shocks available. My mechanic said that the old ones looked fine. They were. I noticed absolutely no difference in the ride or sway. Your vehicle is large with a basic simple suspension similar to vehicles of 60 years ago. Better just get used to it.

knied1 wrote:
Dale
Did you end up doing the rear or just the front?
If you did both ...... did you do the front take a test drive then do the rear. And If so did you notice a difference in doing the rear as well?


Thanks

Dale,

Did you do both front and back or just the front?
Did you do both at the same time?
If not...... did you notice much of a difference by doing the rear one as well?


Thanks

There are already Bilstein shocks on it.

Did the front at a COE campground on a Saturday (gives you an idea how easy it is). Made the three hour mile drive home Sunday and changed the rear that afternoon in the driveway. Can't recall driving the coach immediately after doing the rear for a before and after performance check. 2012 was a long time ago, at least to me.

knied1 wrote:
I have had campers for several years.
Starting with a bumper pull, and working my way up thru 5th wheels.


I now have upgraded to a Class A, and am wondering if there is anything I can do to reduce the tippy feel when driving down the road.

It wasn't so awful that I was afraid of the machine, but I was uncomfortable...... I do understand that there will be some movement, but I`m just looking to make the drive a little more comfortable.

I have a 2005 Damon Daybrake 33' lg. My father Recently passed away, and I got the camper from my mother. it only has 34,000 miles on it, and the tires are in brand new condition.



Thank you,

YOu could probably improve things with heavy sway bars, heavy shocks and the like, for a few grand, but most likely you'll just get used to it and it'll soon be forgotten.
I'd probably put a set of new Bilstein shocks on it though and just for druthers.