Ford V10 Class A suspension and steering.

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Northern Traveler

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Feb 24, 2018
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I just bought a 99 Fleetwood Flair 34D on a Ford chassis. The fist thing I noticed on my 9 hour trip home is the the steering column shakes side to side as I drive over uneven surfaces. I had a quick look underneath, the steering box seems solid.  Has anyone else ever experienced this? If so what did you do to correct the issue?

Secondly. The previous owner installed air bags on each axel. He had the front set at 28psi and the rear still needs the lines plumbed in. (I will be doing this job soon) What are the benefits of running these air bags? What psi are others running? I can't say if it handles good or bad as this was my first time driving a class A Motorhome.
 
I have Airlift airsprings on the rear of my 2010 WBGO Vista 32k.  They were installed by the previous owner.  Idea is they improve sway control.
Individual results will very, depending on the particular chassis and loading of the vehicle.  You can experiment with the air pressure.  The owners manual of the airbags will give a safe operating range of pressures.
With a loaded unit, I started mine at 25 lbs and moved up by 25 lbs at fuel stops until I get some indication in the way of improved handling.  I ended at 75 lbs., 100 did not help the handling.
 
Though it probably won't answer all your questions, this may help:

http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php/28-driving-and-safety-tips/212-a-motorhome-handling-primer

A question I have, does the column shake with the whole coach, or is it shaking independently of the dash? If independent, there is a bracket that holds everything in place that may be loose, and some have a rubber "gasket" that fits there also that may be missing.
 
My 2016 is built on the 2015 Ford F53 V10 24k chassis. Is the TC5000 the appropriate bracket for this application?
 
Re the steering shaking, the first steps are to make sure everything in the front end is set up right.  Tires set to an appropriate psi for the load (scaled weight or axle rating if no scale), front wheels balanced and front end aligned. And since it's a '99, I would also want the wheel bearing checked for wobble (the alignment shop should do that anyway).

How old are the tires?  A tread that is separating from the tire body can produce a lot of shake, though it is usually noisy as well.  Motorhomes often have very old tires that still look good in the tread, but in fact are coming apart inside. 10 years old is about the max limit, and failures can occur  even at age 7 or so.
 
Thank you everyone for the advice. I will experiment with different air bag pressures. The tires on this unit were new last summer and still look new. The shaking is just the column and nothing else. I had the mh inspected today, no issue with the front end. I am going to have a look under the dash and see if I can spot anything. Worst case scenario I will pull the dashboard out for further inspection.
 
So the steering column shakes, but not the wheel itself? That almost has to an issue with the mounting of the column, not the suspension, steering gear, etc. If its a tilt & telescope type column, it could be internal to the mechanism as well.
 
Update! I know it?s been a while, but I think I have it sorted out. We pug on about 6000 miles over the summer. I ran about 50 psi in the rear air bags. Seemed to help with the sway. Having the steering moving around really is not fun on rough roads, but I was at the my wits end with this thing and the nearest RV dealer is 8 hours away from home. Finally as I was getting the rig ready for winter storage I noticed a body mount on the front bumper was broken. ( the uneven ground I was parked on allowed it to pull apart showing the Broken weld on the driver?s side.) I also found another broken weld on the passenger side, this time inside the engine compartment, but same area as the driver?s side. These are what I believe are referred to as dash board tubes. Either way these tubes support the body and the steering column. I removed the rust from the broken welds, parked on some level ground to close the gaps and using a mig welded I welded it all back together. It drives SO much better now. Thank you everyone for your advice. I can?t wait to hit the road in the spring!
 
Thanks for the feedback.  Many years ago I bought a new Pontiac coupe that had some missing bolts in the front end and it drove me (and the dealer) nuts until a tech noticed it. 
 
Northern Traveler said:
Update! I know it?s been a while, but I think I have it sorted out. We pug on about 6000 miles over the summer. I ran about 50 psi in the rear air bags. Seemed to help with the sway. Having the steering moving around really is not fun on rough roads, but I was at the my wits end with this thing and the nearest RV dealer is 8 hours away from home. Finally as I was getting the rig ready for winter storage I noticed a body mount on the front bumper was broken. ( the uneven ground I was parked on allowed it to pull apart showing the Broken weld on the driver?s side.) I also found another broken weld on the passenger side, this time inside the engine compartment, but same area as the driver?s side. These are what I believe are referred to as dash board tubes. Either way these tubes support the body and the steering column. I removed the rust from the broken welds, parked on some level ground to close the gaps and using a mig welded I welded it all back together. It drives SO much better now. Thank you everyone for your advice. I can?t wait to hit the road in the spring!
Click to expand...
If you have a F-53 Chassis the best fix for stability & handling is to change the sway bar connection to the inboard hole in the sway bar. The outer hole is factory setting by Ford because they have no idea what will be put on the chassis, flatbed, box or Motorhome. It will be far more stable & sway far less in the second (inboard hole) & will not effect the overall ride comfort. On corners & side wind gusts you will notice a considerable improvement. Since it is an older unit you may want to replace the original rubber sway mount supports with Urethane as the originals only last about 5 to 8 years before they start falling apart. I replaced front & rear for less than $80 & noticed a definite improvement in sway.
 
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