I did the "Cheap Handling Fix"!

[tommy_salmon]

I recently did the "Cheap Handling Fix" on my 2013 Winnebago Vista 35F. I am impressed and much happier with the handling so far! Now to get the rig weighed and tire pressure adjusted accordingly! Thanks to all who post here, I am learning a lot!

[OldF__t]

whem2fish wrote:
IRV2.com under ford

I posted the link halfway down on page 3.

[PastorCharlie]

These fix improvements remind me of my BIL. He purchased a water filter and installed it on his kitchen faucet. He, his wife and their son all noticed the difference of the water taste. All three agreed that it improved the taste of the water and there was not that "city water" taste anymore which they disliked.

They drank the water throughout the day and commented on the improvement quality of the water.

That night my BIL got up around 2:00 AM to go to the bathroom and decided he would get him another glass of the "new improved water." Once in the kitchen he noticed that the filter was dripping water around a seal. He got his tools out and proceeded to repair the leak. It required that he remove the filter and disassemble it. When he had it taken apart he discovered that there was no filter in the unit.

[whem2fish]

IRV2.com under ford

[john_b1]

mowermech wrote:

cpmath wrote:
But if you do that you're throwing off the front wheel alignment big time.

What do the sway bar links or the sway bars have to do with wheel alignment?
I am ready to do this on my 2002 F53, as soon as the weather allows me to crawl under it. I bought the adjustable links for the rear sway bar; they keep the bar from hitting the differential nose. About $100 for the pair from Amazon. Helwig, IIRC.
There are many posts on a different forum that describe this fix.

X 2

[cjoseph]

I have read the entire topic on the other board. I know, I'm a loser. But I am buying an F53 chassis MH so I'm interested.

Throughout the entire thread, no one has experienced any failure of any components as a result of "the fix". A few (maybe only one, I forget) have reported no improvement. Most have reported at least some improvement. Many of the users of the fix have logged many miles with their rigs since doing the fix. What I found most interesting was that many have said that the fix has made drastic improvement.

Look around that forum and you will find a "cheap handling fix poll" with interesting results.

I wont hesitate to do the fix if my rig has sway/handling issues.

[zman-az]

mowermech wrote:
If you strongly doubt the efficacy of the "Cheap Fix", you are, of course, free to ignore it.

Have you read this whole thread, even my earlier comments? I never said it did not work, I have adjustable swaybars on my rock buggy and very familiar with how they work. All I am saying is I don't think Ford ever intended the inner hole to be for making adjustments. People where questioning why Ford never used the inner hole in the first place and I am just noting my observations.

ClassAGeek wrote:
Moving the links to the inner holes probably puts less load on the bar. The range of movement appears to be reduced as the tie rods move from perpendicular to a more obtuse angle.

Ever have a nut you can't get loose with a socket wrench so you put a big bar on it to get more leverage. Sway bar works the same way. It takes alot more torque with a smaller handled wrench than a longer one. That is why the relocation to the inner hole on the sway bar works. The range of movement is the same between the axel and the frame and that is the two points the sway bar is connected to.

[ClassAGeek]

mowermech wrote:

zman-az wrote:
... I now highly doubt that this second hole on the front swaybar was made for an "adjustable" sway bar...

If you go to another RV forum, you will find an extensive discussion of the "Cheap Handling Fix" for the F53 chassis, with statements from many people who have done it...

I don't think anyone is suggesting this modification is difficult to perform or that it doesn't work. As mentioned here and in the others threads listed: "The torsion bar could break under higher loads."

I thought about this for while. I don't think this assertion is quite right. Moving the links to the inner holes probably puts less load on the bar. The range of movement appears to be reduced as the tie rods move from perpendicular to a more obtuse angle. In this new configuration, the bar is simply not asked to move as much. Less torsion bar movement equals less perpendicular force on the torsion bar which equals less load. Mechanical engineers: This proof is for you 🙂

BUT! Under large amounts of sway, the tie road gets pulled in line with the sway bar end. The good news: the amount of bending pressure on the torsion bar will now stay more or less constant. The bad news: there is no elasticity left in the system. Push or pull hard enough, and one of the welded connectors holding the bushing / tie rod will have to snap.

In summary: This 'cheap fix' results in less sway. Unfortunately it also makes the system less elastic which can cause problems in the 'extreme' case. The definition of 'extreme' is beyond my knowledge of physics.

[OldF__t]

Well I didn't see anything in the rules about posting links to other forums so if you have a lot of spare reading time here it is:
Cheap Handling Fix

[mowermech]

zman-az wrote:
So I got under the RV today and had a look around. I noticed the rear swaybar also has 2 mounting holes like the front. Unlike the front, the second hole is used with a bracket that wraps around the swaybar link in the outer hole and tied into the swaybar inner hole. My guess is this was the plan for the front but for some reason Ford did not think it was necessary. I now highly doubt that this second hole on the front swaybar was made for an "adjustable" sway bar. My RV is a 2011 Vista 26P.

If you go to another RV forum, you will find an extensive discussion of the "Cheap Handling Fix" for the F53 chassis, with statements from many people who have done it. I won't mention the name of the forum here, you can google F53 cheap handling fix and find it, or PM me and I will send it to you.
Taking care of the brackets on the rear links is very simple, just reverse them, and reinstall with the link on the rear hole and the bracket bolted to the front hole. No problem.
If you strongly doubt the efficacy of the "Cheap Fix", you are, of course, free to ignore it.

[zman-az]

So I got under the RV today and had a look around. I noticed the rear swaybar also has 2 mounting holes like the front. Unlike the front, the second hole is used with a bracket that wraps around the swaybar link in the outer hole and tied into the swaybar inner hole. My guess is this was the plan for the front but for some reason Ford did not think it was necessary. I now highly doubt that this second hole on the front swaybar was made for an "adjustable" sway bar. My RV is a 2011 Vista 26P.

[mowermech]

zman-az wrote:
The way this mod works is the swaybar has a second set of holes on it closer to the axel in the new F53 chasis. This location creates less leverage so the swaybar is stiffer. The only problem is that the sway bar links and sway bar itself is no longer at the proper angles so some of the stiffness is still lost.

My only problem with this mod is that the links are no longer set at a 90* angle and the bar is not parallel to the frame. I have no idea why Ford put in the second mounting hole. Is this an option to stiffen up the suspention? If so is there longer links to get the bar back closer to a 90* angle and parallel with the frame? Maybe the sway bar is used on another style chassis and the second hole is required. Unfortunately I don't have the answers to this. Do we have a insider on here from Ford that can tell us more?

I do know that there is a company out there that make the longer links to replace the factory links when doing this mod however I don't recall who it is.

Go to Amazon, search for Hellwig 7962 adjustable links. They should be about $100 for the pair.

[RV-1_2n-FUN]

Found these pics on 1st pagehttp://forums.trailerlife.com/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26872024/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

Scroll down if it works....

[ClassAGeek]

Good description. Longer links would be better. I would consider buying them if available.

[zman-az]

The way this mod works is the swaybar has a second set of holes on it closer to the axel in the new F53 chasis. This location creates less leverage so the swaybar is stiffer. The only problem is that the sway bar links and sway bar itself is no longer at the proper angles so some of the stiffness is still lost.

My only problem with this mod is that the links are no longer set at a 90* angle and the bar is not parallel to the frame. I have no idea why Ford put in the second mounting hole. Is this an option to stiffen up the suspention? If so is there longer links to get the bar back closer to a 90* angle and parallel with the frame? Maybe the sway bar is used on another style chassis and the second hole is required. Unfortunately I don't have the answers to this. Do we have a insider on here from Ford that can tell us more?

I do know that there is a company out there that make the longer links to replace the factory links when doing this mod however I don't recall who it is.

[chloe_s_ranch]

Yes. Why wouldn't the RV manufactures do this fix at the factory? Are there any disadvantages to this?