I am looking at newer gas MH's with the straight front axles and they look a lot simpler that the IFS system that is on my P-30 chassis which cost me a small fortune to maintain. The only issue that I have noticed on these front ends is that half of the MH's that I have looked at both Ford and WH between 2006-2012 have no or very little ride height just looking at the rubber bumper to the frame gap. I think an $800 spring replacement will correct this issue. Is there any other issues with these front ends that one should be aware of? I don't notice a harsher ride over the IFS system when I test drive these newer MHs, of course they are only short rides.

Gjac wrote:I am looking at newer gas MH's with the straight front axles and they look a lot simpler that the IFS system that is on my P-30 chassis which cost me a small fortune to maintain. The only issue that I have noticed on these front ends is that half of the MH's that I have looked at both Ford and WH between 2006-2012 have no or very little ride height just looking at the rubber bumper to the frame gap. I think an $800 spring replacement will correct this issue. Is there any other issues with these front ends that one should be aware of? I don't notice a harsher ride over the IFS system when I test drive these newer MHs, of course they are only short rides.I added the four corner air bag system to the front and rear of my WH chassis. This has a compressor that is controlled on the dash to inflate or deflet the air bags from the driver's seat for the front or rear as we travel. I will pump them up to 80psi or so on windy days and lower the pressure to maybe 20 psi on calm days. On the WH W chassis there is not a solid rubber bumper. It is almost identical to a Sumo spring type of a cushion that compressors when the spring approaches the frame. Mine is now approaching 100,000 miles and has all of the original suspension components. I can adjust the ride or ride height with the air bags and have never had a problem with them bottoming out. These run less than $300 for the front or rear plus the cost of the compressor and dash control. Maybe $800 total at SD Trucks online.

rgatijnet1 wrote:Gjac wrote:I am looking at newer gas MH's with the straight front axles and they look a lot simpler that the IFS system that is on my P-30 chassis which cost me a small fortune to maintain. The only issue that I have noticed on these front ends is that half of the MH's that I have looked at both Ford and WH between 2006-2012 have no or very little ride height just looking at the rubber bumper to the frame gap. I think an $800 spring replacement will correct this issue. Is there any other issues with these front ends that one should be aware of? I don't notice a harsher ride over the IFS system when I test drive these newer MHs, of course they are only short rides.I added the four corner air bag system to the front and rear of my WH chassis. This has a compressor that is controlled on the dash to inflate or deflet the air bags from the driver's seat for the front or rear as we travel. I will pump them up to 80psi or so on windy days and lower the pressure to maybe 20 psi on calm days. On the WH W chassis there is not a solid rubber bumper. It is almost identical to a Sumo spring type of a cushion that compressors when the spring approaches the frame. Mine is now approaching 100,000 miles and has all of the original suspension components. I can adjust the ride or ride height with the air bags and have never had a problem with them bottoming out. These run less than $300 for the front or rear plus the cost of the compressor and dash control. Maybe $800 total at SD Trucks online. 100,000 miles and has all of the original suspension components. That is good to know in 100k miles on my IFS I have spent over $5000 for maintenance. I would imagine those bags help in controlling the sway also.

With the air bags you can pump them up and almost eliminate most swaying. When we are traveling in the Great Plains and it is windy, I just pump them up to 80-90 PSI and I have felt comfortable driving with gusts around 50 MPH. The downside of that is that when the air bags are pumped up, the ride does get a little harsher and I only do that on smoother interstate highways. Once we get off the highway, I can lower to air pressure and regain the smoother ride. With the W20-22-24 Workhorse chassis, it comes from the factory with front and rear square tube anti-sway bars that are attached steel to steel, so there are no rubber bushings to wear out or to get sloppy.

The front leaf springs on my coach have started going into negative arches from years of overloading by the previous owners. Last year I couldn't find a shop that would replace the springs for me so for an intermediate fix, I added the Ride Rite air bags and an on-board wireless-controlled compressor. Except for very uneven road surfaces, you'd never know there was anything wrong with the springs after I added the air bags. I can inflate them individually, so since the driver's side spring is more worn that the passenger side, I inflate it with a higher pressure and the ride height evens out nicely. There's still a significant lean with the bags deflated and as I said, on uneven road surfaces, you definitely know something's not right, but I'm sold on the airbag helper springs. This year, I've finally found a local shop that can replace the springs for me so I'll have that done before we head out on the road again, but will leave the air bags in place to assist the ride and the sway. I also have rear bags that I haven't installed yet, so I'll probably put them on at the same time as I replace the springs.

Thanks for the info Ron. My preference is the WH chassis in searching for a newer MH. I have not been able to find one with everything I want. The one that meets most of my reps that I found so far is a 2009 Monaco Monarch just north of Orlando. I had the owner take some photos and that bumper stop or Sumo type spring is resting on the frame.

Straight axle front ends | Good Sam Community

wildmanbaker
Explorer
Mar 18, 2017
"Load-Cushions", would appear to be a variation on Sumo or Tembrens, and not bump stops. This is also a WH chassis, not a Ford F53, so not all things relate to each other, but most do.
Gjac
Explorer III
Mar 18, 2017
wildmanbaker wrote:
Gjac, total, about 4 years for us. It took us about 1.5 years to get our MH fully loaded. We went from a TT to the MH, and the small amount of equipment that we had in the TT, was nothing compared to what we carry now. The jarring ride seemed to start about 1 year after purchase. I checked to try and see what could be making the jarring, I checked the distance between the bump stops and the spring, and was surprised to find it had become about 1 inch.
There seems to be a lack of understanding of this issue. I saw Monaco Monarch in Fla. that I liked and had the owner take a picture for me of the front springs and they were resting on the rubber stops. The owner thanked me took it to a spring shop for repair and after a lot of investigation came back with this response. "Hi Gary,

Well I just returned from a 108 mile round trip to Tampa Spring in Ocala where I really learned a bit about springs, “bump-stops”, ride-height, and “load-cushions”. Wayne, the Ocala store manager, who has over 25 years in the repair of truck suspensions spent over two hours calling folks and getting “expert” opinions and advice. He called Alliance RV in Wildwood. They were the Monaco Florida facility for sales and repair of Monaco’s and the employees bought out the facility from Monaco when they “reorganized”. They weren’t much help and referred Wayne to the new parent company of Monaco, REV Recreation Group. Their tech support said they thought the “Load Cushions” (what you called “bump-stops”) were pre-loaded the just touch the springs. They referred Wayne to the manufacture of the load cushions, Ultra RV Products, 1-800-417-559, and after Wayne talked to Alan there, I spoke with him as well. Alan confirmed that on Workhorse Chassis, the Load Cushion was manufactured to be fastened to the undercarriage and “pre-loaded” to just touch the top of the spring. The thought behind touching the frame is to provide a smoother ride when the wheels hit a bump, there is something immediately to help absorb the shock along with the springs." So it sounds like some think it was designed to rest on the frame.
wildmanbaker
Explorer
Mar 17, 2017
Gjac, total, about 4 years for us. It took us about 1.5 years to get our MH fully loaded. We went from a TT to the MH, and the small amount of equipment that we had in the TT, was nothing compared to what we carry now. The jarring ride seemed to start about 1 year after purchase. I checked to try and see what could be making the jarring, I checked the distance between the bump stops and the spring, and was surprised to find it had become about 1 inch.
wolfe10
Explorer
Mar 17, 2017
wa8yxm wrote:
I remember when IFS came out and the Pick Up companies bragged abut the ride

Fact is it's not the ride.. it is the handling

If you get a Solid Axle, have Trac bars put on.. Makes a big difference in how it drives..

Agree on leaf spring suspensions (i.e. gas chassis and a very, very, very few diesels).
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Mar 17, 2017
I remember when IFS came out and the Pick Up companies bragged abut the ride

Fact is it's not the ride.. it is the handling

If you get a Solid Axle, have Trac bars put on.. Makes a big difference in how it drives..
Gjac
Explorer III
Mar 17, 2017
wildmanbaker wrote:
Gjac wrote:
TropicalRV wrote:
My last MH, a 2001 Tropical 36 ft was 15 years old when I traded it. The front suspension worked just fine. Too many folks wind up their underwear in a knot over nothing.
Did you have any gap between the rubber and frame or was the rubber resting on the frame?
Ford used soft riding springs in the F53 chassis, because that is what the manufactures buying them wanted, a soft ride. New and empty, they had about 4" between the bump stops and springs, and rode great. Alas, adding things quickly causes the free board to disappear quickly. This is what causes the "jarring" ride the F53 is famous for. Replacing the bump stops with either Sumos or Tembren will cure the jarring and give an increase in ride height, back to near normal height. This also cures the lean, to the right most F53s get with time. You can also install air bags, but that cost will be about 3 times the cost of the other 2 mention. The fix for the F53 chassis is: Rear track bar, either purchased or DIY. CHF, spring help. Front track, if it does not have one. The last item should be a "steering stabilizer" if needed. This will not make it ride and drive like a DP, but it will make it more comfortable to ride in and easer to drive.
This is interesting, how many miles did it take before that 4 in gap disappeared? Was most of the disappearance in your estimation caused by adding weight to the MH or just spring wear over time?
rgatijnet1
Explorer III
Mar 17, 2017
It is true that air bags cost a little more than Sumo springs but Sumo springs are not adjustable. Having the ability to pump up the air and stabilize the coach in heavy winds is worth the extra cost to me. I had Sumo springs on one coach and they did prevent the jarring bottoming out but most of the time I want the ride to be stable when I am driving and am not too concerned about what happens when I hit a pot hole. With the air bags I can adjust the ride as the winds and the road conditions dictate. On a smooth road, the pressure is low for a nice smooth ride. On a rough road, or high winds, and the higher pressure prevents the excessive sway and bottoming out of the suspension.
wildmanbaker
Explorer
Mar 17, 2017
Gjac wrote:
TropicalRV wrote:
My last MH, a 2001 Tropical 36 ft was 15 years old when I traded it. The front suspension worked just fine. Too many folks wind up their underwear in a knot over nothing.
Did you have any gap between the rubber and frame or was the rubber resting on the frame?
Ford used soft riding springs in the F53 chassis, because that is what the manufactures buying them wanted, a soft ride. New and empty, they had about 4" between the bump stops and springs, and rode great. Alas, adding things quickly causes the free board to disappear quickly. This is what causes the "jarring" ride the F53 is famous for. Replacing the bump stops with either Sumos or Tembren will cure the jarring and give an increase in ride height, back to near normal height. This also cures the lean, to the right most F53s get with time. You can also install air bags, but that cost will be about 3 times the cost of the other 2 mention. The fix for the F53 chassis is: Rear track bar, either purchased or DIY. CHF, spring help. Front track, if it does not have one. The last item should be a "steering stabilizer" if needed. This will not make it ride and drive like a DP, but it will make it more comfortable to ride in and easer to drive.
Gjac
Explorer III
Mar 17, 2017
TropicalRV wrote:
My last MH, a 2001 Tropical 36 ft was 15 years old when I traded it. The front suspension worked just fine. Too many folks wind up their underwear in a knot over nothing.
Did you have any gap between the rubber and frame or was the rubber resting on the frame?
TropicalRV
Explorer
Mar 16, 2017
My last MH, a 2001 Tropical 36 ft was 15 years old when I traded it. The front suspension worked just fine. Too many folks wind up their underwear in a knot over nothing.