First Drive -A Question orTwo
We just brought our '06 unit home last night...a 700 mile drive. It is on Ford E 450 chassis, and is our first experience driving something other than a truck/5er. First...The steering initially...
Forum Discussion
Seeking a little moderation here... My thoughts are...
The very "stretched" chassis, even with a decent wheelbase (and wheelbase:length ratio) seem in most cases to be more prone to handling issues
The stretched ones tend to get more front end wear. Steering parts, ball joints, even bushings. This can be because a proper weight distribution on a larger coach means 1000 or more pounds on the front axle than a shorter one (being lighter) would have.
The smaller units, up to say 25-feet (ballpark guess) seem to do better with an all-OEM suspension than bigger ones. I know that was true for us. Our "24" was more like 25 and handled well on the E350's stock wheelbase 158". But it was also a pre-1992 chassis, and those actually (go figure!) handled better than 1992 and newer.
Loading, Alignment and Tire Pressure are often overlooked.
User experience and expectations vary widely
Finally, call it Luck, Grace, Karma... there seems to also be a randomness to this. Or maybe not. Perhaps the Lucky Ones are loaded right, proper wheelbase, good alignment, proper tire pressures... all by Chance.
The very "stretched" chassis, even with a decent wheelbase (and wheelbase:length ratio) seem in most cases to be more prone to handling issues
The stretched ones tend to get more front end wear. Steering parts, ball joints, even bushings. This can be because a proper weight distribution on a larger coach means 1000 or more pounds on the front axle than a shorter one (being lighter) would have.
The smaller units, up to say 25-feet (ballpark guess) seem to do better with an all-OEM suspension than bigger ones. I know that was true for us. Our "24" was more like 25 and handled well on the E350's stock wheelbase 158". But it was also a pre-1992 chassis, and those actually (go figure!) handled better than 1992 and newer.
Loading, Alignment and Tire Pressure are often overlooked.
User experience and expectations vary widely
Finally, call it Luck, Grace, Karma... there seems to also be a randomness to this. Or maybe not. Perhaps the Lucky Ones are loaded right, proper wheelbase, good alignment, proper tire pressures... all by Chance.
