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11-25-2020, 02:20 PM
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#21
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Excelsior
Posts: 175
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I have done both on my 2018 F-53 chassis. I first beefed up my front and rear sway bars with great success in reducing sway. But I was still getting “tail wag” when going by semi’s and buffeting cross winds. The stronger sway bars helped but it was still there. A full year later I installed a rear track bar. Note, Ford already installed a front track bar at the factory. The rear track bar nearly eliminated the tail wag. While sway bars and track bars do cross over in reducing sway the track bar really reduced the tail wag. I drove about 10,000 miles on the sway bar fix before adding the track bar, then another 11,000 miles on both. So glad I did both.
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11-25-2020, 02:29 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 652
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My 2016 Alante 26AY has a short wheel base and long non-progressive leaf springs, this allows the axle to 'shift' laterally when being 'pushed' by trucks or uneven lanes, causing the 'tail-wag-the-dog' of seesawing the wheel to keep it in the lane. This is a well know issue especially with the Ford F53 chassis. I installed a track bar myself and it provided a great improvement by stopping the axle from moving laterally at all, thus almost eliminating the tail-wag, while not restricting the vertical axle movement at all as a motorhome suspension does not move much compared to say a 4X4. Trac bars, or Pan hard bars have been around for many years and are proven to reduce lateral movement of a floating axle. A trac bar does not help with body roll as much as your anti-sway bars and sumo-springs if so equipped.
__________________
2016 Alante 26AY
Roadmaster Braking, BlueOX Tow Bar.
Kelderman Air Ride, Safe-T-Steer, Supersteer Trak Bar rear w/ Sumo Springs.
400 AH LiFePo4 house batt w/750 watts solar 40A charger & 2500 watt whole house Inverter.
2021 Ford Ranger 4X4 Toad
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11-25-2020, 04:00 PM
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#23
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: BETHEL
Posts: 33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Racerguy
If you're trying to keep an axle centered under a vehicle probably the best way is with Watt's linkage. The first one that came up in a quick google search is https://www.monacowatts.com/
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That is genius!
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11-25-2020, 04:02 PM
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#24
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Excelsior
Posts: 175
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Jesse S have you installed Sumo Springs on your rig? I am contemplating adding them to my Alante. What are your thoughts? I am sure I can install the front myself but probably not the rear.
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11-25-2020, 04:59 PM
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#25
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 652
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Racerguy
If you're trying to keep an axle centered under a vehicle probably the best way is with Watt's linkage. The first one that came up in a quick google search is https://www.monacowatts.com/
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A good Trac bar does basically the same thing, it just connects to one frame rail and a differential mounted bracket, i do like it, however none of the ones listed will fit on a F53 chassis, and those seem to be very susceptible to the problem.
__________________
2016 Alante 26AY
Roadmaster Braking, BlueOX Tow Bar.
Kelderman Air Ride, Safe-T-Steer, Supersteer Trak Bar rear w/ Sumo Springs.
400 AH LiFePo4 house batt w/750 watts solar 40A charger & 2500 watt whole house Inverter.
2021 Ford Ranger 4X4 Toad
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11-25-2020, 05:50 PM
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#26
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Terrace
Posts: 2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JesseS
A good Trac bar does basically the same thing, it just connects to one frame rail and a differential mounted bracket, i do like it, however none of the ones listed will fit on a F53 chassis, and those seem to be very susceptible to the problem.
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It does basically the same thing except that the track bar swings in an arc and the Watts linkage doesn't.
I've never looked for anything like this so I don't know what the aftermarket has for fit. I have worked on quite a few Ford Crown Vics with the Watts linkage so that's how I know about them.
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11-26-2020, 09:35 AM
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#27
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Clinton
Posts: 7
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Been there, done that with Hellwig, works great! Cut my sway by at least one half.
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08-16-2022, 04:07 PM
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#28
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 469
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(I'm not sure if this thread is still active, but if not I'll start a new one.)
Both Redshift and Camper_Bob make compelling arguments to me. Man, I'm so confused! Bear with me -- physics and mechanics aren't part of my brain's wiring (though I truly wish they were.)
We have a '22 Jayco Precept 31UL, on which I've driven a scant 1000 miles -- most of which on the stock suspension. Our first trip home -- 145 miles from the dealer -- was on an extremely windy day, 25 mph sustained, higher gusts, all the way from Maine into New Hampshire. It was a frightful experience.
We had a truck/RV service center install a Safe-T Plus Supersteer front stabilizer and 4 new Koni FSB shocks, followed by an alignment, but we've been close to home quarters ever since, so haven't had the chance for much road testing, apart from adjusting the steering stabilizer after the alignment.
Today, I drove it back to Maine for some warranty work. Given that this rig is 33 feet long and nearly 13 feet tall, I can't expect it to shrug off wind forces and effects from gusts and passing trucks, I've been very happy with the improvements we've made to date. It tracks much better on straightaways and on highway curves.
That said, I wonder if further improvement is achievable, with the addition of a rear Trac bar and/or a rear sway bar? I noticed today that, for the most part, passing trucks were no longer an issue, and I could drive (cautiously) one-handed. However, there were a few occasions when I was pushed a bit laterally by a truck as well as a gust (it was windy, though less so than before.)
Would either a Trac or sway bar (or both, though I hesitate to do the belts-and-suspenders treatment) help? If so, we are happy to consider anything that leads to optimal handling, and equally happy to save the several hundreds of dollars by not doing anything.
Many thanks for your helpful responses.
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