Front End Alignment
Taking my rig to a truck shop on Wednesday to get an alignment. It doesn't pull to either side, but the steering is a little more loose than I would like and I also want to see if there's any help th...
Forum Discussion
holstein13 wrote:10forty2 wrote:Thanks for the update. Your comment about the leaf springs has me alarmed. How much does this coach weigh? Perhaps you need to get it weighed as soon as possible. Under normal loading conditions, I wouldn't think your springs would ever go bad.
Update**
Really nice folks at the truck shop....Beck's Frame and Alignment. Got me right in on time and started evaluating the front end. After checking everything, they came and got me to show me the excessive play in the king pins....they will have to be replaced before an alignment can be done. Also, the front leaf springs are sprung, so they need replacing as well to get the coach sitting level side to side. I'm waiting on a call back for an estimate of the repairs....doesn't sound cheap, but at least they gave me peace of mind that there were no safety considerations at this point, so I can still take my trip in a couple of weeks. The coach drives ok, but you have to drive it... you can't just sit back and "one-finger" it. Kinda tires you out after a few hundred miles. I guess I have a winter project in store...maybe Santa can drop off the money to have it all done... LOL!
But if you have to replace the springs anyway, I'd seriously consider a Kelderman Air Bag system. They come with air bags and new front springs. It will make your ride smoother (but won't help sway).
The coach is rated as 20,500lbs. I had it weighed fully loaded like I travel, with about 40 gallons of fresh water on board about three weeks ago and was showing 20,560lbs total. I was under on front axle and over by about 100lbs on rear axle. I have shifted weight around and am reducing the amount of water I travel with to get safely under the overall GVW rating.
Of note, the truck shop said it was nothing to be alarmed about, but after 16 years and 81K+ miles the OEM springs had had all they wanted and were starting to show the wear and tear. I'll check into the air bags, but I seriously doubt that I'll go that route since it is a 16 year old coach and I'll likely be considering an upgrade in 3-5 years anyway.
