Where to get front end alignment

Hendersons Line Up in Grants Pass OR, keeps a list of shops they've worked with and will align the way we're talking.

The "long" Class C's, if they have the appropriately stretched Long Wheelbase, will wear the front end faster than a short RV. This is because the wheelbase allows front axle loading to approach maximum. That in turn means more wear, but it needs a heavy front end not to wander. Too short, wanders and may overload the rear.

Take-off front axles and brakes from shops that convert E-Series to 4x4, are economical replacements, and the brakes will probably be an upgrade.

Kammes Auto & Truck Repair Inc
501 Army Trail Rd, Bloomingdale, IL 60108
(630) 668-2240
https://goo.gl/maps/NUZmuLyadkF2

Truck Alignment Specialists
3711 W Lake St, Melrose Park, IL 60160
(708) 338-2070

https://goo.gl/maps/HAggx2S9cmG2

I picked Truck Alignment and they did a great job. Cost about $350 to adjust everything this spring. Change your tires first, if you intend to do that work soon anyway.

Without all Tech stuff, (that you didn't ask for), I took my E450 to a local Ford Truck Shop, rather than a Ford Car dealer.

That twin I beam was a terrible design that Ford kept using.
I knew a guy that worked at a tire store years ago and doing an alignment meant bending the I beams. They figured out that it was cheaper to install new front coil springs which brought back the alignment. (old ones would sag)
I managed a small fleet of 350's in the late 70's. By 12,000 miles the radius arm bushings were shot too.
Swapping tires side to side might help, I have seen that work too.

2WheelJB wrote:
Thanks to all for the replies to my post.

The motorhome went 40,000 miles on it's original set of tires. When they were replaced, more due to age than wear, the front treads showed no abnormal wear that could have been the result of a misaligned front end.

I put a couple thousand miles on the new tires without incident. However, our recent weekend trip of less than 200 miles had the vehicle pulling slightly, but consistently, to the left. The front tires are both inflated to manufacturer's specs - 65 pounds. And applying the front brakes has no effect -- it is not due to brake application.

Any further thoughts?

Jon

Did you replace them with cheap tires? You might try swapping the two front tires and see if the problem follows the tire.

Assuming it pulls to the left when in the right hand lane (ie on the right hand side of the road crown) then it is possible the RH +caster is set to far positive when compared to the LH caster. The split should only be about +0.2 to account for the road crown. For example: RH +3.6 and LH +3.1 might be a potential cause of pulling to the left.

Thanks to all for the replies to my post.

The motorhome went 40,000 miles on it's original set of tires. When they were replaced, more due to age than wear, the front treads showed no abnormal wear that could have been the result of a misaligned front end.

I put a couple thousand miles on the new tires without incident. However, our recent weekend trip of less than 200 miles had the vehicle pulling slightly, but consistently, to the left. The front tires are both inflated to manufacturer's specs - 65 pounds. And applying the front brakes has no effect -- it is not due to brake application.

Any further thoughts?

Jon

pauldub wrote:
I think the place Ron Dittmer likes is Champion Frame & Allign in Elgin. Send him a PM if he doesn't reply to your thread.

This is interesting, here is a snippet from an email I received from a E350 VAN owner in this same area:

QUOTE:
I had this truck at Champion Frame Align (http://www.championframe.com/) and they did not want to go down this route, just frustrating. Finally found a shop that acknowledges the problem and willing to help
END QUOTE

He "finally found" D Wells Automotive Service, 7365 W Grand Avenue Gurnee, IL who gave him his caster wants.....

ON EDIT: Sorry, the D Wells alignment rack is only large enough for VANs

I think the place Ron Dittmer likes is Champion Frame & Allign in Elgin. Send him a PM if he doesn't reply to your thread.

Does the pull change when you apply the brakes? If so, you almost certainly have a brake that's dragging, probably due to a caliper that's corroded/stuck or a brake hose that's old and internally clogged somewhat. A steady side wind can also feel very much like a misalignment, though of course it would change direction when you turned around.

All that being said, there's certainly the possibility of needing alignment; I don't want to discount that at all, but merely observe that pulling to one side can sometimes have other causes as well, causes that have once or twice fooled me for a bit.