Tail wagging
I have a 92 p30 chassis narrow track 30 ft motorhome.It has a little bit of an oversteer problem.I think it might be contributed to a tailwagging issue.How would i know for sure before going and payin...
Forum Discussion
You've got some Hendersons LineUp (SuperSteer) products on your coach already and done a goodly amount of work on that front axle area. The rear axle has bushings in those leaf springs and the shackles. What are those like? I wish I could find...NOPE...Just found the track bar notes I'd been thinking of
Q: My coach seems to move every which way when I steer the wheel back and forth. Is there any way to make it more stable?
A: Steering problems can manifest themselves in many different ways—and in some instances, it isn’t the steering system that’s to blame. One of the most common problems we address at Henderson’s Line-Up is an issue we call “Tail Wagging the Dog”. It’s the sensation you get when the coach seems to have a mind of its own; you steer the wheel back and forth, and the rear half steers the coach. The first coach we really experienced this on was a P32 chassis; we checked the steering gear, we tried adding stiffer springs, added a leaf on each side. It wasn’t until my brother, John, discovered that the bolts on the rear leaf spring pack had moved far enough in either direction to make contact with the adjacent spring hanger bracket. That could only mean that the axle was moving from side to side—and that was causing the loose sensation in the steering. Those early coaches only had 2-inch wide leaf springs, and they would flex. Plus, they had rubber bushings that would deflect, adding to the problem. Essentially what we did to solve the issue was create our Trac Bar, which is essentially a large Panhard bar. It is mounted horizontally at one end to the frame of the coach, and the other to the axle, creating a rigid connection that stops axle side-to-side movement. The lack of a Trac Bar, or a worn out/loose factory bar are not the only causes of Tail Wagging the Dog, but they are the most common.
Why not call the Hendersons? They seem to be the macdaddys on the RV handling scene. There's also Eric Davis at EricsRV.com who developed the front track bars for solid-axle Class A's. I'm sure there are other capable shops. One I know of is Brazel. All three are in Pacific Northwest. I've spoken with Eric Davis and he's very helpful on the phone.
I noticed you mentioned "narrow track" and see Henderson has a product for that called Spacers...
More later.
Q: My coach seems to move every which way when I steer the wheel back and forth. Is there any way to make it more stable?
A: Steering problems can manifest themselves in many different ways—and in some instances, it isn’t the steering system that’s to blame. One of the most common problems we address at Henderson’s Line-Up is an issue we call “Tail Wagging the Dog”. It’s the sensation you get when the coach seems to have a mind of its own; you steer the wheel back and forth, and the rear half steers the coach. The first coach we really experienced this on was a P32 chassis; we checked the steering gear, we tried adding stiffer springs, added a leaf on each side. It wasn’t until my brother, John, discovered that the bolts on the rear leaf spring pack had moved far enough in either direction to make contact with the adjacent spring hanger bracket. That could only mean that the axle was moving from side to side—and that was causing the loose sensation in the steering. Those early coaches only had 2-inch wide leaf springs, and they would flex. Plus, they had rubber bushings that would deflect, adding to the problem. Essentially what we did to solve the issue was create our Trac Bar, which is essentially a large Panhard bar. It is mounted horizontally at one end to the frame of the coach, and the other to the axle, creating a rigid connection that stops axle side-to-side movement. The lack of a Trac Bar, or a worn out/loose factory bar are not the only causes of Tail Wagging the Dog, but they are the most common.
Why not call the Hendersons? They seem to be the macdaddys on the RV handling scene. There's also Eric Davis at EricsRV.com who developed the front track bars for solid-axle Class A's. I'm sure there are other capable shops. One I know of is Brazel. All three are in Pacific Northwest. I've spoken with Eric Davis and he's very helpful on the phone.
I noticed you mentioned "narrow track" and see Henderson has a product for that called Spacers...
More later.
