Forum Discussion

down_home's avatar
down_home
Explorer II
Jun 25, 2016

Caster wedge and improving handling in wind and ba roads

I've been considering a Steer Safe.
We have a straight axle, on our Freightliner chassis, Revolution.
I rad a bit about Hendersons' and increasing caster which is great idea on many vehicles for stability and tracking.
Our little black car has 10degrees caster where most come close to zero to "improve mpg."
Hendersons say they use a steel caster wedge.
Has anyone has this done to their coach and how was improvement in handling and was there any increase in tire wear?
Also did you use the "Steer Safe" or is there brand with different approaches. the plated steel coil springs are a concern as far as corossion etc and staying in place???
Finally costs? I always want an idea on wht I'm getting into before making a lot of phone calls and driving half way across country.
Class A
  • wolfe10's avatar
    wolfe10
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2016
    Caster shims are very common-- any shop that does OTR truck alignment/front end work will have them.

    Agree, caster in the 4.5 left and 5.0 right would be where I would aim.
  • fcooper's avatar
    fcooper
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2016
    I don't see the year model of your Freightliner chassis, but here's what I've experienced with my straight axle Freightliner (2000 model year).

    Sloppy steering: Had front end checked all components good. Had front end aligned. Still had some sloppy steering. With a helper, checked the "slop" in the steering gear box. After a minor adjustment to eliminate most of the free play, the steering was much better but still experienced rut tracking where the tire follows the ruts in the road. Many Freightliner owners have had to adjust the steering gear box. The adjustment is on the side of the gear box, and there is a hole in the frame member allowing access to the adjustment. If you do this, be careful to leave a little free play to avoid rapid wear of the gear box.

    Installed Steer Safe: Rut tracking eliminated. No other benefit experienced (but no blow outs and controlling a blow out is Steer Safe major claim). The DW helps drive, and she noticed the elimination of the rut tracking and the more precise steering.

    I bought the Steer Safe used from a follow rv owner, and it's been on my motorhome for several years. I see no corrosion on the springs.

    The motorhome is much easier to drive now.

    I have no experience with the caster wedge, but a good truck alignment shop should be able to install and set caster. The steer safe is easy to install so you can do that yourself.

    Fred

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