Road handling issues

[Mortdd]

I have a 2013 Coachmen Encounter TZF, basically 38 feet. I can hardly keep it on the road in the wind and when a semi passes me it shoves me all over the place. I am about ready to sell it, between the handling problem and the very poor workmanship on building it I am fed up. Not to mention the lack of customer service from Coachmen.

I just completed a 5000 mile trip and was exhausted from fighting the wheel. I had a Blue OX Tiger Bar installed when I purchased it thinking it would at least help the side to side sway. It helped that a little but not near what it was advertised to do.

Have any of you had these issues and what have you done to resolve them? Thanks in advance for your responses.

[RGordon]

Henderson makes a rear good rear Tracbar that connects the rear axle to the side frame to stop the tail wagging motion. I have installed this on two Ford F53 motorhomes and it stopped all the symptons that you mentioned. Never needed any additional equipment.

[kokois1]

Installed Steer Safe on ours 3 years ago and stopped the push from 18 wheelers. I can now drive, although I don't, with one finger. Yes, it made that big of difference for us.

[MustangGT]

Rear Trac Bar system will fix most of your problem. I designed mine and had it built for $134. Installed it myself.
Eliminated 90% of wind push from weather and passing trucks. Zero maintenance.

[aerbus32]

As a fellow Cal driver, with over 100,000 RV miles under my belt, that is currently waiting for the winds to subside to reasonable levels before I continue to head west, I'm going to throw a few things out. First is, there are days when it's just too windy to drive. Second, is that, while I've certainly hit winds in Cal that slowed me down (and I do make it a point of driving certain passes such as Cajon and Tehachapi early in the day before the summer afternoon winds kick up) I'm beginning to suspect that Cal winds don't gust like, for instance, Texas winds do. Passing trucks, however, don't move our gas Class A at all usually. I'd suggest you do what I'm going to do when I get back to our home base area. Find a knowledgeable service center and talk to them about serious solutions. Ours is a 2012 37' Winnebago.

[Yellowboat_]

When I purchased my brand new RV I took it and had the front end aligned. They thought I was crazy wanting to get a brand new RV aligned. When I returned to pick up my rig they were amazed. My front end alignment was way out. They had to add wedges to the front end to get it aligned.

When your coach was built the chassis was aligned at the factory. The coach manufacturer adds a lot of weight to the chassis but they do not re-align the chassis.

I would start there.

X3

Another possibility is weight distribution. Check here for RV weight information on the FMCA forum.

After I had my rig aligned I weighed each corner of my coach. Front drivers tire, front passenger tire, driver’s side rear duals, and passenger side real duals. When I loaded my storage bays I put the light stuff over the heavy wheels and the heavy stuff over the light wheels with the goal of distributing my weight as evenly as possible.

After loading your coach, try weighing each corner once again. Add your weights to find the total weight or your rig and check your loaded weight against the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of your coach. Some coaches are nearly overloaded with just a passenger and a driver. I believe your GVWR is posted next to the driver’s seat by law. On older coaches it was hidden in the closet. If your coach is overloaded decide what can be left at home.

Next, you can go to your tire manufacturers web site and find their tables for tire pressure versus load. Use the weights from the four corners of you coach after loading all the gear you intend to carry to see what your proper tire inflation should be. An under inflated tire can make an RV very hard to control. And an over inflated tire can also make for a rough ride and control problems.

Nothing here should cost very much. I believe my alignment was around $150.00 but that was in 2006. Here in Washington State I can weigh my coach at a truck weigh station when it is closed for no cost.

If this doesn’t help then you can think about adding trac bars and a steering dampener. This step is where you start spending money.

Good luck and safe travels.

JD

[GPWayne]

The front end probably needs an alignment!

X2

First things first!

[jhilley]

My 2003 Adventurer also has a 228" wheel base and the total length is 38'. I don't have any handling problems. I haven't added any modifications. I have 19.5" wheels and carry 90# in the front and 85# in tear tires. I am going to put AirLift air bags on front and rear to correct a lean to the right. On one trip to Arizona I left North Dakota at 20 degrees below zero with tires aired up to the normal pressures. As I was descending into St. George, UT, the motor home started handling poorly. I spent the night in Mequite, NV and when I checked the pressure in the morning, the tires were 15# over normal pressure. I reduced to the normal pressures and handling returned.

[pusherpilot]

More To See wrote:
In an ideal world, the wheelbase of a gasser should be no less than about 55 percent of the overall length of the rig. For your 38 foot (456 inch) rig the wheelbase should ideally be no less than about 250 inches. If, say, your wheelbase is 228 inches (50 percent) you might expect this to be contributing to the problems you are experiencing.

I consulted the specs for the Coachmen MH. The wheelbase is 242" against a total length of 451". That yields a 53% ration. On a DP that would be a good ratio. If you look at the DP as compared to a Gasser the "house" is situated in a different place on the chassis, changing the "balance" of the coach. Gas powered MHs have the front wheels at the extreme front of the unit causing a longer overhang in the rear with the same wheelbase. DP's move the house forward on the chassis, the front wheels being actually behind the driver. In mine, the engine and trans in the rear are balanced by the fuel tank,(120 gal) water tank, (100 gal) propane tank, )43 gal) and generator in the front. The holding tanks are just to the front of the rear axle.
Someone mentioned that you had to pay a million for a good handling MH. Mine was $280k sticker price in 2004 and todays similar models are going for between $300k and $400k.
I don't know if putting all the add-ons is going to help the situation with the handling problem. As I said in my previous post, get the coach weighed and check it against the weight handling capacity of the coach.
Ron

[koda55]

I had the same problem. I moved the sway bar rods to the second hole on the front and back. I installed Firestone spring air bags front and back. I keep more air in the back so more weight is transfered to the front axle. I made my own rear trac bar for less than $100.00.

It has made a real difference in handling.

[WyoTraveler]

More To See wrote:
In an ideal world, the wheelbase of a gasser should be no less than about 55 percent of the overall length of the rig. For your 38 foot (456 inch) rig the wheelbase should ideally be no less than about 250 inches. If, say, your wheelbase is 228 inches (50 percent) you might expect this to be contributing to the problems you are experiencing.

Here you go. Right on point. Unless you want to pay $1m for a MH you have to settle for weak designs. Or better wheel base & bad floor plans. Or better wheel base and bad cheap stuff inside MH. Or buy the MH & do what is required to get better handling.

I drove a Crown tandem 10 spd for a few years. When I took my MH out for a test drive I knew it wasn't over weight or needing alignment. It needed things cheapo manufacturers aen't adding. They have to stay competitive. After mods my MH doesn't drive like a Crown but it drives very well for $110k + $2k in mods. JMHO.

[jhilley]

Also check your tire pressure. It should be chosen for the actual weight on the tire, not the max pressure on the side wall. This is a common mistake and makes the coach handle poorly.

[More_To_See]

In an ideal world, the wheelbase of a gasser should be no less than about 55 percent of the overall length of the rig. For your 38 foot (456 inch) rig the wheelbase should ideally be no less than about 250 inches. If, say, your wheelbase is 228 inches (50 percent) you might expect this to be contributing to the problems you are experiencing.

[WyoTraveler]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Wasn't there an adjustment needed for the front anti-sway bar on the Ford chassis? Something about moving the link bolts to another hole. I seem to remember one of the posters mentioned about how that improved the handling of his Ford coach.

Yes. Complete explanation on "irv2 forum". It helped my MH. No problem moving them to the second hole in rear. In the front I used longer helwig hangers.

[rgatijnet1]

Wasn't there an adjustment needed for the front anti-sway bar on the Ford chassis? Something about moving the link bolts to another hole. I seem to remember one of the posters mentioned about how that improved the handling of his Ford coach.