RE:1992 fleetwood southwind

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budster

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Jan 27, 2006
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Hello, Ijust bought a 1992 fleetwood southwind, nice motorhome but it drives terrible. Its all over the road , sways from side to side.. What is the best fix for this problem thank you.........
 
Is this your first RV?

I know when I bought my 1992 Fleetwood Flair it seemed to me that it wondered as well but I figured it was typical for motorhomes to wonder because of their size and lack of aerodynamics. I think some track better then others but almost anybody on this site could better answer you question better then I could.
 
budster said:
Hello, Ijust bought a 1992 fleetwood southwind, nice motorhome but it drives terrible. Its all over the road , sways from side to side.. What is the best fix for this problem thank you.........

Budster:

Budster:

There are several steps to fixing your problem:

1. Weigh ypur coach and make sure the load is distributed properly and the tire pressures are adjusted for the load. Best is weighing the four corners and equalizing the axle loads as best you can. Moving heavy loads forward and balancing axles is first step to better handling. Tire pressure is next.

2. There are several aftermarket stablilzing products to help front end and rear axle sway  including Davis True Trac, Safety Plus, and Super Steer Bellcranks. I would do one of these steps at a time starting with the least expensive until you get the improvement you want.
 
Jeff gives good advice.

If your Southwind has the Chevy chassis (P30, P32, etc.), check the air bags in the front suspension - it's not unusual for them to be leaking in older rigs.  Low or no pressure in the air bags will make handling very poor. Pressure should be in the 75-90 psi range.  If your rig has a Chevy engine, it is almost surely on a chassis with air bags.  ANothe rproblem in this chassis is the steering mechanism - a component called a bell crank is poorly designed and manufacturered and gives slopy steering. Replace it with a Henderson Super Steer Bell Crank, available from Camping Wrld or direct from Henderson Line Up (http://www.hendersonslineup.com/)

Sway is a common problem in older motorhomes - the chassis weren't really up to the job of handling the big boxes on top. Anti-sway bars help and a company called IPD is the foremost supplier.  Get one or upgrade the one already there (if any).

If you have laf springs in the front rather than air bags, you will want a device called a panhard rod. I recommend the Davis Tru-Trak bar, available from Camping World or from Henderson's or direct from Eric Davis at Eric's RV (http://www.ericsrv.com/). Easy to install yourself if you can swing a wrench.

If you would post information about your rig's chassis type, length and GVWR rating, we can probably fine tune the advice for you.
 
Thank you for the advice..  the chassis is f-53  with the mor-ride set up has leaf springs in front has  a bar in the rear straight, has bistein shocks in rear old, monroe in front.. I replaced some bushings in front helped some.. Tire pressure is correct on all tires.. the lenght is 33ft.. also has stock sway bar in front... and yes this is my first motorhome....
 
the front bar is called a front stabilizer bar.. the gvw is 16000 lbs the gcw is 25000 lbs.. hope this info will help.. thanks.....
 
I had typed an extensive note telling you what I did to my 34 foot 93 Pace Arrow but somehow it didn't get posted.
Basically, I had the same problem you are having with it wandering all over the place. I bought two new Supersteer bellcranks from Camping World and a front end steering stabilizer (long shock absorber that connects the two wheel assemblies) and had CW install them.
My coach is built on the Chev P30 frame but I found out the frame itself was a 92. The new equipment helped quite a bit with the wander. I still get some due to the long overhang behind the rear axle though.

Woody
 
budster said:
Hello, Ijust bought a 1992 fleetwood southwind, nice motorhome but it drives terrible. Its all over the road , sways from side to side.. What is the best fix for this problem thank you.........

I had a 1990 P30 chassis with MORyde. At about 40000 it began to show its age and not drive as well as I would have liked.

I sought out a very good place that did big rig alignment and they were a MORyde place also.

They replaced the shocks, aligned the rig, adjusted the MORyde back end  and I remember that afternoon he worked on the bell  crank steering a long time.

I drove out and was amazed that it was like I remember the first trips out when it was new. I had that rig another 4 years and about 25000 more miles and it held very well.

So I would look at find a good place and have a complete alignment, MoRyde adjustment and see what that does for you. Then if your not happy you can look at after market add ons. But unless there is something that has damaged the frame and chassis it should be able to be fixed in near new condition. This is a very common chassis you have and it has a good reputation.

Bob
 
For the F53 I strongly recommend the Davis True Trak-Bar for the front end - it will make a substantial difference in the way your motorhome tracks down the road. 

Eric's Performance RV has a nice write-up on improvements for the F53 chassis - see http://www.ericsrv.com/ford.html
Yes, they are selling products from their own shop, but as a former F53 owner myself (1996 Southwind) I can assure you the advice they give for the F53 is quite good.

Once you have the steering tracking problem solved, if you still feel sway (which is different than wandering steering) you may wish to install a heavy duty IPD sway bar in the back. However, I would not worry about that until you try the Tru Trak first. 

I wouldn't bother with a $300 steering stabilizer (damping) device like the Safe-T-Plus or Koni damper because the Ford steer stabilizer is generally adequate for the task, but you might need to replace the original one by now.

Before doing any of this, get the front end properly aligned at a dependable truck frame shop and have the steering gear and front wheels (king pins, bearings, etc.) checked for excessive wear.
 
Thank you all for your much needed advice, I took the motorhome to reliable shop for front end alignment and steering adjustment,after test drive they said it drives like a tank.. well after alignment they took off front sway bar and drove like night and day..  They will put new one on and needed some bushings .. All n all cost just under 200.00 will pick it wed. to see for myself..... thanks again........
 
sorry took so long to reply.. the mh drove better but still is not wright. still has side to side sway and going over bumps and pot holes in the road feels like you are riding on the frame like there is know suspension,I wonder if the mor/ride rubber is know good .. Help me please this is very frustrating.....
 
>>sorry took so long to reply.. the mh drove better but still is not wright. still has side to side sway and going over bumps and pot holes in the road feels like you are riding on the frame like there is know suspension,I wonder if the mor/ride rubber is know good .. Help me please this is very frustrating.....<<

My 93 Pace rode that way until I put some more air in the airbags. I now carry 75lb. in the front and 85 in the rear. Not sure whether you said you had shocks or airbags.

Woody
 

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