Cheap Handling Fix - CHF

[Dave55]

One of the best things you can to improve the handling is the Cheap handling fix on your sway bars. Takes only about 30 minutes and no parts are required. Do it on both front and rear sway bars. Greatly reduces sway in all conditions.

[HJ Rosch]

Not familiar with the CHF you are talking about, what does it entail?

[Vicr]

Somehow we went from the manual operation of the slideout to Cheap Handling Fix. Anyway to answer HJ's question the CHF is an adjustment done to the sway bars to increase the amount of torsion on them to reduce sway. If you Google it there are many Youtube videos on it.

[HJ Rosch]

Sorry this got stuck in my Slide Out post. I should have separated my questions and comments. I have viewed several of the sway bar fixes and will check my unit to see if it has the second set of holes in the sway bars and then try the fix if they are there. I am scheduled to have the additional rear sway bar added at their facility the third week of June, $1100.00 installed. I can still cancel if the fix is a great as they say it is.

[Dave55]

On my 2016 Precept UL31, there is a factory front & rear sway bars. Only the front has the extra holes for the adjustment. The factory ford rear sway bat is mounted in front of the axle and a much heavy one is mounted behind the axle. This is the way is was delivered from Jayco. It could be part of the J Ride+ package. Maybe the altante doesn't have this.See attached pics of both rear sway bars. Hope this helps.

[HJ Rosch]

I think that's right, the Precept has the extra and heavier rear sway bars - called the J-Ride Plus. I have been under my Alante and I only have one front and one rear sway bar but I haven't looked for the "extra" holes on either. I get it back from the dealer next week and will crawl under and take a look. Thanks!

[hawkster]

Dave55, I guess that shows us jayco made a mid year change or something. My 2016 31ul with j ride plus (marketing gimmick) has holes to do the CHF front and rear. My coach was built late 2015.

[Dave55]

Interesting. The F53 chassis was built in August 2015 and the coach was built in Oct 2015.

[edfgrf]

The rear chf mod is in front of the differential.

[Mustang429]

I added Air Lift air bags to the rear and has helped greatly. I have run these on many off my Ford chassis and am very pleased with the results, About $800.00 in parts including the onboard compressor.

[HJ Rosch]

I did the rear sway bar CHF on my 2018 Alante 31V yesterday in my driveway. Pretty easy, took about an hour. Did a 20 mile test ride and felt a significant difference. See before and after pics, very little geometry change. Then I took a look at the front sway bar and determined that the geometry change would be radical, see pic. Some posts indicate they were able to purchase longer links to keep everything better aligned. The existing link is 11" and to fit directly into the back hole it would need to be 13". Is this a Ford part? I have the part number from one of the rear links and I will start searching where they come from. Anyone know where I might find them?

[Dave55]

As a review, on my 2016 precept 31ul we did the chf on the front. My heavy truck specialist did the work since they were installing the rear track bar. We did not change the linkage. Front axle was weighed at 5600 lbs. See the picture.

[HJ Rosch]

OK, I have a steering stabilizer arriving next week and plan to install it next weekend. So as long as I am under the front of my MH I will move the links to the back hole and check it out. I just had my MH weighed and am just over 5,000 on the front axle too and about 11,000 on the rear so am still under individual axle limits and my total weight of 18,000.

[Dave55]

Good luck. Let us know h out w you like it.

[hawkster]

Used the stock links for front CHF. Over 10k miles no problems.

[Dave55]

My fingers are too big for this small keypad[emoji13]so sorry.

Originally Posted by Dave55

Good luck. Let us know h out w you like it.

[HJ Rosch]

OK, I finished the suspension project. Did the CHF for the rear sway bar last weekend and the front today along with adding the Roadmaster steering stabilizer. About 30 minutes to re-position the sway bar links, a bit over an hour for the stabilizer. After a couple of test drives and slight adjustments on the stabilizer all seems to be working well. It really seems to tip and sway a lot less and the steering is nice and firm in the straight position. Only drove about 30 miles, heading on a 2,000 mile trip on the 19th so should be a great test. I am going to cancel my appointment for a new rear sway bar until I see if I really need it after this CHF. Thanks to everyone responding to my earlier posts and helping me along. The pics show the front sway link in the original position (I have removed the bolt) and the new position. Also a pic of the steering stabilizer.

[gowestwardho]

Sorry that the attached pictures aren't so great but this was the best I could get in the short time I had the other day. I'm trying to "match up" pictures from others of how and where they made the change for the CHF, but am having difficulty spotting on my 2017 (with larger chassis and wheels) where it all is located. So if anyone with a similar year/model/chassis and 22.5 tires can provide an answer for the Cheap Handling Fix on both the front and the rear, I'd love some insight. (and if you have pics specific to how you did it to your late model '17 that'd be great)

[stsmith69]

So I took possession of our new 2018 Alante 31R about a month ago, on the drive home I did NOT like the ride, sawing the wheel, and felt it swaying all over the place. Came here, saw the posts about the CHF and watched various youtube vids about it. Did the CHF fix on the front and WOW, you guys were not joking HUGE improvement on sway, sawing, and overall control. I could not believe something so simple would improve the drivability of the RV. The fix was pretty simple as most posts state, took me about 45 mins to do with a rachet and wrench. I don't understand why they don't do this fix at the factory. Improves safety quite a bit if you ask me.....

[stsmith69]

Originally Posted by gowestwardho

Sorry that the attached pictures aren't so great but this was the best I could get in the short time I had the other day. I'm trying to "match up" pictures from others of how and where they made the change for the CHF, but am having difficulty spotting on my 2017 (with larger chassis and wheels) where it all is located. So if anyone with a similar year/model/chassis and 22.5 tires can provide an answer for the Cheap Handling Fix on both the front and the rear, I'd love some insight. (and if you have pics specific to how you did it to your late model '17 that'd be great)

I think there is a difference with the larger wheels/chassis. My parents just bought a new 2018 Precept and after I did the CHF on my Alante, I crawled up under their rig and took a look. They have the larger wheels, and I noticed the linkage on the sway bar is different (much thicker) and it didn't have two holes on the sway bars, just the one. So it looks to me that the front end is already buffed up. Your first photo looks exactly like my parent's setup, the two large bolts and linkage going to the sway bar is the same, and the bar does not have an extra set of holes. Based on your setup (and my parents), I think you already have a more stable ride than what comes with the smaller wheel configuration. My father went from an Alante that was setup like mine to the Precept with the larger wheels and he said the handling was much better. Based on that, I think you are probably as good as it gets unless you start replacing parts or doing addons..