First the equipment:2009 Winnebago 29T class C on 2008 Ford E450 with V10 Triton2007 Jeep Liberty with 4 wheel driveBlue Ox Tow Bar and Tow PlateBrake BuddyNow the problem:When driving the Winnebago or Jeep separately, they do fine. When you hook them together, it becomes a white knuckle experience. When the toad is hooked up, driving at city speeds, the steering on the RV seems stiff and doesn’t try to return to center after a turn. With the toad hooked up, driving at highway speeds, when I try to correct for a wind gust or a truck passing, the RV seems sluggish in responding then overcorrects and must be corrected back. This leads to overcorrection to the left followed by overcorrection to the right and this continues for several cycles. Then it’s back to a constant wandering between the lines. The tow bar handles are both in the locked position and there is no slippage in the bar. The alignment on the Jeep checked out OK. Also had the shocks on the RV checked – they’re OK. No oversized tires on the vehicles. Sure would like to find an INEXPENSIVE solution to this problem. Any suggestions?

That sounds way too dangerous to attempt to drive UNTIL you do get it solved. I have no insight to impart, but there's no way I'd drive a rig that acts like that.i assume you are towing the Jeep 4 down. I trust you've made sure the steering wheel isn't locking up, and that the transfer case is in neutral with the tranny in park. Might be worth a trip around the block (but not one inch farther!) with somebody riding in the Jeep while towing just to see what is going on from that end.Hope you get this one figured out before you actually have to try to drive it anywhere.

Kinda sounds like the "tail wagging the dog" scenario. Are your front tires on the Winne aired up to max? I think that's the first thing I would try.

I would look into installing a Henderson rear track bar on your Class C. This will eliminate the tail wagging the dog effect. Also sounds like an alignment issue with one of the vehicles.

Dunnlnn, You sound like me 5 years ago. I took our new rig at the time to THIS specialty shop that deals with motor homes all the time. They came up with a list and I said "Do it". Afterwards the rig with our 2006 Jeep Liberty 4x4 in tow handles perfect. It did cost us $3900, but worth every penny.- rear Roadmaster heavy duty stabilizer bar- front Roadmaster heavy duty stabilizer bar- rear Henderson trac bar- Koni-RV shocks all around- Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer bar- front wheel alignment done with rig as would be loaded on trips.I also learned recently that if the tow bar is not horizontal when hooked up, it encourages "bucking" of the tow vehicle. If your tow bar is high at the Liberty and low at the motor home, you will need to buy one of these and longer 76" safety cables, both sold by Roadmaster and other sources.

I agree with Ron, make sure that the tow bar from the toad is level with the hitch ball on the MH. Most tow bars will allow maybe 4 inch difference but level is the best.

Scary Handling Problem | Good Sam Community

135 Replies

mikebo
Explorer
May 29, 2013
I recently traded a motorhome that I felt had too short a wheelbase with a too long rear overhang. I think it's a case of the interior designers driving the design process. In order to fit the bed and bathrooms in the rear wheel location becomes dictated by the location of bath fixtures and slide locations. I know in the Jayco Melbourne I used to own the rear design was almost identical in three different models which had wheelbases from 181" to 220". The overhang behind the rear wheels was almost the same on the three models.

Mike
Mich_F
Explorer
May 29, 2013
I just read this whole thread - wow. It looks like the only issue(?) Dunnlnn didn't address, was the different tire brands on the rear axle. I wonder if changing that would have made an improvement ?
I got a new MH a couple of months ago and it too wants to wander, and that is without towing anything. I have to get it weighed, dial in the tire pressures, and possibly get a wheel alignment, although it tracks steady. I drove down the Keys a few weeks ago and the unit pulled to the right the whole time. It hadn't done that before or since, so I attributed that to the wind?
Nothing serious, but it's there (the drifting). My 24' MH on an E350 rides like it is on rails in comparison.
Harvard
Explorer
May 29, 2013
Yes, this news is a real bummer. I guess some combinations just cannot be fixed, who would have thought. Our 28 foot is on a 190 inch wheel base with a rear over hang of 115 inches (as opposed to 142 inch over hang reported by DunnInn).
j-d
Explorer II
May 29, 2013
DISAPPOINTING is the very least way to describe this. The Understatement of the Month.

I can see where a builder would overdo the RV length when trying to get away with stock wheelbase. Inexcusable, but I can see how that might happen. Our first Class C was a 24-ft on 158" and I think they should have used Ford's stock 176" version when they were adding a rear frame extension.

But what I don't get is why a builder who was already paying to have the frame stretched, would not stretch it ENOUGH. All I can imagine is trying to sync the wheel wells up with the floorplan. Being able to DRIVE the doggone thing ought to take precedence over the styling plan.

You've more than persevered. Genuinely sorry we couldn't solve it. Have a great time with your Class A! You may find it turns as tightly as the C. The E-Chassis doesn't have as much steering "cut" as the A chassis.
DunnInn
Explorer
May 29, 2013
We gave up!! Finally called it quits. Traded the RV in on a class a with a LONG wheel base. I think the whole problem has been the wheel base all along. I will say the thing that helped the most of everything we did was the heavy duty sway bars. Everything else would help a little, but no joy. In the end, just not worth the worry trying to drive the thing and the safety issues when it wouldn't respond correctly.
DunnInn
Explorer
Feb 26, 2013
He really didn't say much. He and his wife are thinking about buying an RV and are VERY interested in our results. So far, it hasn't been a very good recommendation.
j-d
Explorer II
Feb 26, 2013
Would have thought the weight, clay in this case, would have helped. This is disappointing. Would aligning it with the extra weight in front have helped? Who knows? I can see where you'd be saying ENOUGH!
Not many have a potter handy, let alone one with 500# on hand. What did your friend say about your test? It had to be precious.
DunnInn
Explorer
Feb 21, 2013
Sunday I borrowed 500 lbs of clay from a potter friend of mine and piled it between the front seats. Was going to take it for a spin, but noticed the left rear tire seemed low. Checked it and found the inside rear tire was FLAT!! So, Monday, I aired it up and took it to the tire shop. They fixed the tire and I took it for a ride that afternoon. Unfortunately, we had 35 mph wind gusts that day. Probably not the BEST test drive. This afternoon it is sunny with wind about 9mph. So, off we go. Drove it about 30 miles with the 500 lbs in it and got it weighed. Front axle was 3960 and rear 8100. Then offloaded the 500 lbs and weighed it again. Front axle 3600 and rear 7980. Have to say, it drives better without the 500 lb extra weight up front. Guess we'll just use it for a while and then decide if we're going to sell it and get something else.
DunnInn
Explorer
Feb 14, 2013
Caster after alignment is front right 5.9, front left 5.2. We're going to try adding some weight to the front and see what happens.
Harvard
Explorer
Feb 14, 2013
DunnInn wrote:
We used Longhorn Tire in Mount Vernon for the alignment. They are supposedly the best in the area. HOWEVER, they're also the ones who damaged the RV. That said, I don't think you'll EVER see that happen again. We had them set the caster way ++ because of things said on this forum. Hope this helps, and hope you enjoy your MH.

I would like to know just how +++ your caster is at, did they not give you an alignment report?