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Teddy5213's avatar
Teddy5213
Explorer
Sep 14, 2016

Rough riding F53 chasis.

Really enjoy the amenities on our 2015 Holiday Rambler 36SB Vacationer but tired of the stiff suspension and loose fasteners from the ride.
I installed a Safety Steer stabilizer and it did a great job of preventing sway from passing semis and road swailes but the ride is rough and has managed to loosen the dash panel and break the windshield seal.
I've investigated several options and short of trading the Stealth in for a diesel pusher with air ride suspension I have yet to find evidence that any of the current products on the market will soften the ride.
Most of the comments reviewed deal with the air bag or foam bag systems that boast improved handling and reduced sway but do not address the handling of the shock effect of rough road, railroad tracks, and bridges found on most east coast interstates.
Has anyone find a cure to help the rough ride on the F53?
  • mikim wrote:
    Weigh your rig....tires will probably need to be inflated to 80 or 85 PSI. Anything higher will increase the ride harshness. Some info can be gleaned from this website http://www.hendersonslineup.com/.

    Had work done on our 36 Allegro Open Road and made a huge difference. Expensive, but much cheaper than a new diesel.


    most likely is(cheaper) but its still not a diesel pusher and no matter how much you spend it never will be one. The ride will be harsh no matter what .its the design of the suspention.
  • Weigh your rig....tires will probably need to be inflated to 80 or 85 PSI. Anything higher will increase the ride harshness. Some info can be gleaned from this website http://www.hendersonslineup.com/.

    Had work done on our 36 Allegro Open Road and made a huge difference. Expensive, but much cheaper than a new diesel.
  • Tire pressure, CHF, Sumo springs my 34' rides pretty good now not like air ride but much better.
  • Because of the way my coach was layed out I was overweight on the rear axle and way under weight on the front axle.I shifted all the heavy items in the storage compts forward and this helped the ride.
  • What are your actual weights and are your tires inflated per tire manufacturer's recommendation for that weight?

    Overinflated tires will give a rough ride and is pretty inexpensive to cure.

    Do NOT run under-inflated in an attempt to soften ride.
  • Teddy5213 wrote:
    Really enjoy the amenities on our 2015 Holiday Rambler 36SB Vacationer but tired of the stiff suspension and loose fasteners from the ride.
    I installed a Safety Steer stabilizer and it did a great job of preventing sway from passing semis and road swailes but the ride is rough and has managed to loosen the dash panel and break the windshield seal.
    I've investigated several options and short of trading the Stealth in for a diesel pusher with air ride suspension I have yet to find evidence that any of the current products on the market will soften the ride.
    Most of the comments reviewed deal with the air bag or foam bag systems that boast improved handling and reduced sway but do not address the handling of the shock effect of rough road, railroad tracks, and bridges found on most east coast interstates.
    Has anyone find a cure to help the rough ride on the F53?


    there is no way you can soften the ride.you can make them handle better for sure.The suspention is stiff and designed to handle the loads
    lower air pressures is about it. certain shock designs are designed to rebound at softer rates.
    US roads are bad bad bad and even my air ride independent suspention 40Ft pushers rides rough on some of these terrible road conditions
  • Effy's avatar
    Effy
    Explorer II
    Weigh your rig and set PSI on the tires accordingly. Mine was way over for the weight and rode like a brick. Set the PSI correctly and it really softened things up. As far as sway you can do the CHF in your driveway for free and that eliminates most of the body roll. Both of those options usually solve a lot of the ride quality with no expense whatsoever. After that if you still want to have it ride better, then I would look at shocks. All that said, the F53 is notoriously rough, especially with less than pristine road conditions. That chassis is used for a lot of purposes, mostly commercial. I think MH's are the only consumer application.
  • Have you tried going to koniRV.com to see if they have an adjustable shock that may help you?
    http://www.konirv.com/Adjustable.cfm
  • I think they ALL ride like a battle wagon, but there are a few things you can do without much expense. First and foremost, if you have your tires inflated to max cold pressure and don't need to according to your weight, then by all means...let some air out. Next, you can change out shocks to a softer version. I've read that Monroe makes a fairly soft shock for the big chassis. I have Bilsteins on mine and they do ride pretty hard, but they also perform very well. Koni is supposed to improve the rode/handling as well...can't vouch for that either. You can add helper spring air bags to the suspension. I did, and whereas they helped a great deal with handling....they didn't do much to soften the rode any. You can also upgrade your driver's seat to a air suspension seat...that'll make the ride easier on you, but it still bangs the heck out of the rest of the coach.

    Other than getting a diesel pusher...as you referenced, you have a great coach...but the gassers are apparently notorious for riding fairly hard.