Motorhome sway
First trip out hauling our CRV. We have a Winnebago Aspect 26a on an E450 chassis. Just got it setup for hauling the CRV with a Blue Ox tow bar and Patriot braking system. Like usual, bumps and wind g...
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What W_T said. Rear track bar keeps the chassis centered over the axle. You said "sway" which I'd say is more a rocking motion than the squirm a toad usually causes.
I looked up specs for 26A, and you have a wheelbase around 56% of the coach's length. This is actually pretty good for a Class C. Still, I'd like to know what your Front and Rear AXLE weights are, coach loaded and occupied as for travel. The shorter C's sometimes don't have enough weight on the front axle.
My friend Harvard is in fact a gentleman and a scholar. He has figured out the significance of front end alignment, specifically the inadequate caster most Fords have, and freely offers his research.
Cheapest thing you can do is weigh the coach at a truck stop CAT scale. Then adjust tire pressure (especially FRONT!!!) to what a Load-to-Pressure Chart says you should have. Will cost you $10 + what you pay for a gauge. If you don't have 1/3 or more of total weight on the front axle, it may be hard to get it to track, even at proper air pressures.
Do that and report back.
Aligning front axle to at least 5-deg caster left and 5.5-deg right, camber just a fraction positive, and toe just a pinch in, will help.
A rear track bar will help, and so will upgrading your front and rear sway bars to bigger ones like Hellwig. I like Hellwig because they have the same specs as Roadmaster at half the price.
But start with basics. Learn the weight distribution and get the front tire pressure right. Then we'll know what we're working with.
I looked up specs for 26A, and you have a wheelbase around 56% of the coach's length. This is actually pretty good for a Class C. Still, I'd like to know what your Front and Rear AXLE weights are, coach loaded and occupied as for travel. The shorter C's sometimes don't have enough weight on the front axle.
My friend Harvard is in fact a gentleman and a scholar. He has figured out the significance of front end alignment, specifically the inadequate caster most Fords have, and freely offers his research.
Cheapest thing you can do is weigh the coach at a truck stop CAT scale. Then adjust tire pressure (especially FRONT!!!) to what a Load-to-Pressure Chart says you should have. Will cost you $10 + what you pay for a gauge. If you don't have 1/3 or more of total weight on the front axle, it may be hard to get it to track, even at proper air pressures.
Do that and report back.
Aligning front axle to at least 5-deg caster left and 5.5-deg right, camber just a fraction positive, and toe just a pinch in, will help.
A rear track bar will help, and so will upgrading your front and rear sway bars to bigger ones like Hellwig. I like Hellwig because they have the same specs as Roadmaster at half the price.
But start with basics. Learn the weight distribution and get the front tire pressure right. Then we'll know what we're working with.
