have been trying to do some research on class c motor homes i have a few articles that talk about the front end of the E350 chassis was wondering if any one has has had any problem with the front end suspension
When I had my 2009 PW Van E350 , It wandered all over the road. There was a recall on the steering and after the camber etc was properly set, it drove very well.
Judging by how often you read posts on this forum about suspension/steering issues with Ford-based class C's, it seems that there are indeed quite a number of persons that have had problems. I know of one person who posts a lot here that had to spend thousands of dollars on his Ford-based C to correct issues. Perhaps he will put up a reply here and detail what he had to do.....
First, it seems most RV builders don't align the front end once they outfit the chassis with the coach body. This means that a brand new RV is improperly aligned. Correcting this usually requires the services of a medium/heavy duty truck shop, and probably installation of offset upper balljoint bushings.
Second, wear in the front end lets the toe angle go "out" and that leads to wandering.
Third, E350 did not come with a rear sway bar till very recently. E450 did, but usually the OEM bars (including front!) were not adequate for the top-heavy RV application.
Fourth, most C coaches seem to be loaded tail-heavy. Ford wants at least 32% of loaded weight on the front axle.
Fifth, owners often carry too much tire air pressure. Too much front tire pressure lets the vehicle "dart" away from center.
Sixth, swaying causes the Ford Twin-I-Beam setup to "steer" so sway is to be avoided/controlled.
What would I do?
1. Get it weighed, at least Front, Rear, and Total. Shift weight forward as needed.
2. Adjust tire pressures to handle the load per the scaled weight.
3. Check alignment with coach loaded for travel. Important: Set CASTER to the high side of the adjustment range, not Neutral as the charts show. Replace damaged/worn parts and install offset bushins if needed.
4. Upgrade Sway Bar(s). On an E350 I'd add a Hellwig rear bar first, and SDTruckSprings often has the best price. Upgrade front too, if budget allows, and especially if you have the front bar with the ends tucked into bushings in the half axles. Replace both and the coach won't rock much on the campsite in addition to driving much better on the road.
5. Add a rear Track Bar. These are helpful in general, but they help specifically if a towed vehicle adds to wandering issues.
6. Add a Steering Stabilizer.
Ron Dittmer had all this done on his Phoenix Cruiser when new.
What I've done is Alignment, Tire Pressure, Hellwig Sway Bars and Blue Ox Track Bar. It's what I'll call "OK" but I think I want to revisit alignment with bushings that give more Positive Caster.
NOTE: Once you get loading right and have it aligned, NONE of the above mods affect alignment. They can be done one at a time or all at once.
Comment: We weren't disturbed by Swaying, although I'm sure it Did sway. Our issues have been with Wandering, and Sway contributes to Wander as I mentioned above.
God Bless, jd
2003 Jayco Escapade 31A on 2002 Ford E450 V10 4R100
Or try to get one on a Chevy chassis they drive much better a much softer ride and better handleing.And you wont have to invest a lot of money to to get it to drive right.They got it right but the didn't get a large market share. there are a lot more fords out there.they also have the same gvwr as the E350 fords despite what is said about them just check it out.
2006 TIOGA 26Q CHEVY 6.0 VORTEC Recycled El Monte RV Rental
One of these days Ford will finally get rid of the swing axle suspension they have used for years. It has wild bump steer and crazy camber change on compression which is of no help for stability in an RV. I'm sure that is the root of most of folks issues and it has to be fine tuned out for RVs. My Ford while it has less body roll than my Sprinter, it is upset much more by crosswinds even with a lower profile.
I have a 30ft. Class C on a E350 chasis. No handling or swaying issues with no modifications or additions to the chasis. I think people assume that a motorhome is going to drive like a car, it's not going to happen folks!
Offline
.jpg)
