Is yawing or tail wagging normal for Class A mortorhomes? How much?

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Gregg

Gregg

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OK, just returned from my maiden trip with a Class A.  It is a gas 35 footer.  Drove like a dream except when a semi was passing going the same way down the highway.  They seemed to try and suck me into their lane which obviously made it rather stressful.  From what I have read, this is called Yawing or Tail Wagging.  First let me say that I purposely loaded the unit down with fresh water which is in the rear.  Could this additional weight contribute to this condition or is this somewhat normal for the size of these things.  New tires and suspension tight.  When going down the road normally, it was straight and true.  I could even feel it when small pickup trucks passed but obviously at a much smaller degree.  If this helps, I was traveling between 60 and 65 which felt very stable otherwise.  My particular unit does not have a steering stabilizer from the OEM.  Chassis is a 2004 Ford F53 V10.  Since I am a novice at driving an RV, is this something we all deal learn to live with or is there something I can do to minimize it?  Do not want to throw money at something that is normal.  Thanks in advance.
 
I have a 32 foot class A and it drives straight as an arrow when trucks pass it at 60 mph. I don't know what could be causing your problem but I have owned three class As and never had a problem with any of them.
 
That is 100% normal for gas motorhome over 34 feet since the wheel base is kind of short due to a lack of strenght in the F53 chassis; I have a 38 footer mounted on the same F53 and I do have to be alert for upcoming 53 footers passing me; the best solution is to make sure that you don't get surprised by any 53 footer passing you; check your mirrors often and when you see one coming, just move over to the solid line on your right, the trucker will see that and he'll probably move over to the left hand solid line and you won't feel anything since you'll have about 5 feet between your coach and the upcoming 53 footer !
Your best friends when driving a class A or a diesel pusher are the truckers ! Make sure you respect them and they will respect you as well.
 
SeilerBird said:
I have a 32 foot class A and it drives straight as an arrow when trucks pass it at 60 mph. I don't know what could be causing your problem but I have owned three class As and never had a problem with any of them.
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A 32 footer is a short ass class A compared to some 35-38 footers ! The FORD F53 chassis was made for your size and not for 34' + !
A 32 footer has a 208" wheelbase and a 35 footer has a 228" and mu 38 footer has a 242" wheelbase... where do you think the rear end rides ? On my 38 footer I have over 10 feet behind the rear axle... so that's why it swings ! With your small 32 footer, my guess is that you only have about 5 feet behind the rear axle...no comparaison at all !
 
Motor vehicles make a wake just like a power power boat. A bow wave and a stern wave. if a truck is passing, first it pushes you away with the bow wave, which you correct for. Then you're on the back side of the bow wave and it pull you in, while you are still correcting for the push away. Then it pushes away again and then the buffeting starts. If you are aware of the sequence of events it is easier to deal with. Every vehicle feels it, some worse than others, this is why some people are terrified of passing trucks on the highway they just don't understand. The pull toward the truck is generally in the area of the tractors rear wheels between the tractor cab and the trailer nose. It's just fluid dynamics.

Bill
 
The first time it happened to me was driving home from the dealer after taking delivery. We're in the center lane passing a trailer truck, while being passed by a bus. We got bounced around in every direction! I had experienced this before with 15 passenger vans, but not to this extent.

I'm so used to it now that I don't even notice. If a truck comes up behind me that I didn't notice in the mirror, I unconsciously make the steering correction.
 
legrandnormand said:
A 32 footer is a short ass class A compared to some 35-38 footers ! The FORD F53 chassis was made for your size and not for 34' + !
A 32 footer has a 208" wheelbase and a 35 footer has a 228" and mu 38 footer has a 242" wheelbase... where do you think the rear end rides ? On my 38 footer I have over 10 feet behind the rear axle... so that's why it swings ! With your small 32 footer, my guess is that you only have about 5 feet behind the rear axle...no comparaison at all !
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My first class A was a 39 foot DP and it had no sway. And I don't recall that we were comparing our RVs. I missed that part of the conversation. I was addressing the original poster.
 
I have a 37' class A and had the same problem. I weighed my coach and adjusted the tire pressures to the mfg weight/psi tables and did not add any extra psi (it seems to be common knowledge to add 10 psi extra). I haven't had any problems since. Sometimes I don't know a truck is passing me until I see him in my window.
 
For SeilerBird, it is quite different driving any diesel pusher compared to driving any class A gas motorhome!
The rear end of a pusher is quite heavier and quite shorter compared to an equal lenght gas motorhome and the air suspension as a lot to do with the handling of the coach.
 
legrandnormand said:
and also a short ass behind the rear wheels !
Click to expand...
No it does not. You really need to learn some manners and you need to curb the offensive language. The point being I have had three different configurations of class As and none swayed since they had solid suspension and the proper shocks and tires.
 
I also had 2 different motorhome; my first was a 1993 34 footer DP mounted on a Spartan chassis and that rig was untouchable on the road; it had a short rear end (a..) ! ;)
My second is this 2010 38 footer gas motorhome mounted on a F53 FORD chassis that has a long rear end (? 10 feet a..) and that is the problem; I do have the right shocks, the right air pressure, I even added Firestone Air Ride to all 4 corners, but it is still unstable with side winds and passing 53 footers.
 
Gregg, have you had your coach weighed?  Too light on the front end would aggravate your situation.  A full load of water behind the rear axle would lighten the front end.

My 1st rv was a big Lance camper on a F250 truck (not a dually).  The semi's would blow me all over the road.....and gusty side winds too.

My 2nd rv was a 1999 34 ft Class A on a F53.  The semi's would suck then push me, but not as bad as the Lance camper.  I put on a Safe-T-Plus and Bilstein shocks & that helped quite a bit but didn't eliminate the issue.

Now I have 39' 11" coach on Workhorse chassis and I don't feel the trucks at all.  But my wheel base is 268" (Winnebago extended the frame 20").  So my wheel base is the same as a rear engine diesel pusher.  I have Koni FSD shocks and they would probably help your situation.  I also kept the Safe-T-Plus and put it on this rig.

Big beefy aftermarket torsion bars front & rear would probably eliminate the problem if you want to spend the $$.

Good luck,
Bill
 
All coachs are different. I had a 27ft Itasca on a p30 years ago and it was the same way. Not quite as bad as my class Cs were but you needed to pay attention. My 30ft Challenger was as stable as could be, trucks never bothered it much passing in either direction. My buddy has a Storm on the same chassis my Challenger is on and his is moved around by passing trucks. I rode with him to the track last Saturday and a truck passed us coming the other way, I forgot about that push. Moved us quite a bit.
 
I have a 30' Winnebago on a Workhorse P32 chassis and the trucks and buses have their way with us on the road...push, pull...I'm used to it, so it doesn't bother me...MUCH...
 
Did not weigh it yet.  It really seemed that the 53 footers just sucked in right about the time they were parallel with me but maybe it was more pushing the rear of my unit and if the front was a little light compounded the problem.  Rather intimidating if they sneak up on you.  I read a post that Gary had suggested to add a Davis TruTrac to someone before adding the Safe T Plus.  Again, did not want to throw money at something that was somewhat normal with little ROI.  Based on the comments, it sounds pretty normal for our size units.  Trouble is, going on another trip but this time pulling a dual axle trailer with a couple of bikes.  Will have to try one of the suggestions of moving over a bit plus just a small amount of water and see what happens.  Could be a long trip until I get used to it.
 
legrandnormand said:
Duner, that 268" wheelbase really helps the handling of your rig ! ;)
Click to expand...

Ya, the only disadvantage is that it takes a 1/4 acre to make a u-turn.  But she handles beautifully. 
 
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