Ford admits to "Generic Alignment"

carringb wrote:

Stim wrote:

To change camber the axle has to be bent or straightened to set.

Not since the 80's.

Camber and caster are set with offset bushings, which move the ball-joints, just like any other modern vehicle. The only difference is the bushing come in fixed offsets, instead of being adjustable, because adjustable bushings can move under extreme loading scenarios.

My theory on the factory offset bushings with the keyed protrusions just allow for a "tweak the toe and it is good to go" off the assembly line and nothing to do with the adjustable being able to move when torqued to the specified torque. JMO. Just maybe I will live long enough to know for sure.

Stim wrote:

To change camber the axle has to be bent or straightened to set.

Not since the 80's.

Camber and caster are set with offset bushings, which move the ball-joints, just like any other modern vehicle. The only difference is the bushing come in fixed offsets, instead of being adjustable, because adjustable bushings can move under extreme loading scenarios.

DrewE wrote:

....
For what it's worth, I think my class C (on a Ford chassis) has the factory caster setting, whatever it is, and it's not a wandering beast, nor difficult to control....

And this is where we will have to agree to disagree. I would wager that somewhere along the construction of your RV the caster got set to be +5 or greater. If you would like to prove me wrong just take a picture of the top of an upper ball joint so we can get a visual of one of your alignment sleeves.

theoldwizard1 wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:
It is not possible to align a bare unload cut-away chassis so that the alignment is good for the end product.

So how much weight does a full fresh water tank add and will it affect the alignment ?

Hopefully people are not driving long distances with full black and gray water tanks.

For water, as the saying goes, "a pint's a pound the world around" -- not exactly, but a rough rule of thumb. My water tank adds a few hundred pounds total when full, and unloads the front axle by perhaps half that since as it's located pretty far towards the back of the motorhome. That shouldn't be (and indeed is not) enough to greatly affect the handling.

I am not quite sure why it's inadvisable to drive long distances with (at least partly) full black or gray water tanks. Generally, when they're full the fresh water tank is empty and vice-versa, at least for me. The general progression when camping is that fresh water becomes darkened, so to speak, through washing and cooking and eating and associated activities, until it's time to dump the black and gray and refill the fresh.

What Ron's referring to is a lot more than merely adding or shifting water, though; it's more like adding an entire studio apartment. It would be nice if RV builders did a thorough alignment (to suitable specs for the finished vehicle) before shipping the finished motorhome, but that's not a Ford issue by any means; it's well beyond their control at that point. It would also be nice if RV builders all consistently paid attention to installing neat electrical and plumbing and HVAC systems, and to making sure everything was sealed and tightened properly, and generally to having quality workmanship. Some makes do better than others.

Ford has the largest R & D department in the world! Their customers.
When the government steps in they fix it.
They invented the phrase "Keeping it between the ditches".
To change camber the axle has to be bent or straightened to set.

ron.dittmer wrote:
It is not possible to align a bare unload cut-away chassis so that the alignment is good for the end product.

So how much weight does a full fresh water tank add and will it affect the alignment ?

Hopefully people are not driving long distances with full black and gray water tanks.

Harvard wrote:
I never thought I would live to see the day that Ford actually admitted to the "generic alignment".

Ford Generic Alignment

Thanks to handle "ruffingit" for the posting the experience.

"ruffingit" said an alignment on an E350/450 is "a couple hundred bucks". I can understand why it could be so much !


If you want an alignment on your Class C find a shop that only does suspension and alignments and has been open for at least 50 years. The head mechanic needs at least 25 years experience.

Ford even says so much in the owner's manual. That's why they include the first alignment under warranty.

The only reason I'm at all surprised to see they "admitted" this is because it seems so obvious to me that they couldn't do much otherwise for a cab and chassis or cutaway chassis or stripped chassis vehicle. What possible non-generic alignment could suffice for the various different kinds of applications that an E series chassis gets used for: RVs, shuttle busses, ambulances, box trucks, specialty work vehicles...? Even taking a single sort of vehicle, say a box truck, the required ideal alignment could well vary depending on what and how much is generally carried in the truck, and whether it will be towing a trailer, and so forth.

Bicycles are sold with generic seat height adjustments, too, for much the same reason. Refrigerators come with the shelves in generic locations (or require you to figure that out for yourself).

For what it's worth, I think my class C (on a Ford chassis) has the factory caster setting, whatever it is, and it's not a wandering beast, nor difficult to control. It is a somewhat lumbering big wide vehicle, but that's just because it's big and heavy and tall; no amount of alignment is going to make it behave like my car, nor would I expect that. But I'm not chasing it all over the road, nor is it exhausting to drive it for a some hours (unless in bad traffic or weather or other nasty conditions).

It is not possible to align a bare unload cut-away chassis so that the alignment is good for the end product. Given each motor home has it's own weight and weight distribution, also considering the changes that are often done to the wheel base. I can surely understand the use of the term "Generic Alignment". It's enough to get the chassis yard-driven without ruining the tires.

Some motor homes have excessive weight on the front axle squirting out the front tires from the center, while other rigs have the front axle too light, causing the front tires to angle-in toward the center. Ford cannot anticipate and accommodate for such extreme variation.