Handling issues towing Grand Cherokee with a 24B

jim7489 · 02-04-2020, 06:11 PM

First time flat towing my Jeep with my 2020 24B Entegra. All went well hooking it up and it towed fairly easy and braked well for a 5K Toad.
The only slight issue was with the handling as it wandered a bit going down the road. A good friend and well experienced RV'er that was with me mentioned the Tiger Trak, trak bar by Blue Ox solved this issue on his 30ft Class C which he said was much worse on his unit.
Anyone do any add on's for this kind of problem ??

Thanks
Jim

EA37TS · 02-04-2020, 06:49 PM

My question is what is wandering? Is it the toad being towed or is it the coach wandering? Need to answer that first before you can identify causes and solutions.

jim7489 · 02-04-2020, 06:58 PM

The coach seems to be wandering.

EA37TS · 02-04-2020, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim7489

The coach seems to be wandering.

In that case the track bar may help. Many folks have added them to motor homes

Camper_bob · 02-05-2020, 08:59 AM

Just out of curiosity, does it handle okay without the toad?

Also, what year is your JGC? Some years suffered from "death wobble" due to the power steering not being powered while in tow. An additional wiring harness could be required for that situation.

Many of us have upgraded various suspension components on our coaches to mitigate handling issues. I personally upgraded the front sway bar (you may want to upgrade the rear if it doesn't come with the upgrade already, not sure about the Entegras on that; install a Hellwig), put in a true steering stabilizer as opposed to the damper that comes on the coach (Saf-T-Steer, Roadmaster Reflex, etc), and I installed SUMO bump stop replacements up front. These have drastically improved the handling of my rig.

The two additional items I intend to accomplish this year are to get a front-end alignment to adjust caster above 5.5 and install rear track bar system. The alignment tends to be a problem on longer rigs than yours, but may still be helpful. The rear track bar should help the rear of the coach in a similar way the front sway bar helps the front of the coach by controlling body roll.

The front sway bar alone made a huge difference. One of the biggest benefits of what I did on the front end in addition to handling improvements was that it significantly reduced body roll, which got to be a bit of a problem when turning with an elevation change (think a driveway with a big hump).

Once I have an alignment completed and the rear track bar installed, I will have done everything I can to improve the handling of the rig. And I fully expect the mods to net significant benefits; WELL worth the time and effort.

RetiredOne · 02-05-2020, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

Many of us have upgraded various suspension components on our coaches to mitigate handling issues. I personally upgraded the front sway bar (you may want to upgrade the rear if it doesn't come with the upgrade already, not sure about the Entegras on that; install a Hellwig), put in a true steering stabilizer as opposed to the damper that comes on the coach (Saf-T-Steer, Roadmaster Reflex, etc), and I installed SUMO bump stop replacements up front. These have drastically improved the handling of my rig.

As a 24B owner, I absolutely agree with this. My rig was a wobbling mess until I replaced front and rear sway bars and steering stabilizer. I couldn't imagine towing something with that original suspension. Still need to adjust the helper springs and maybe Sumos, too..

Question to the OP, does your rig still have the stock suspension parts?

jim7489 · 02-07-2020, 09:35 AM

My issue comes with towing my Jeep GC. I get the 'tail wagging' feel in the wheel and have to constantly adjust. The RV is new and it handles great so far without the toad. Maybe some front end enhancements would make it greater but that's for a latter date. One issue at a time.
I'm pretty sure I need a Trak bar so shopped on Blue Ox for a Tiger Trak but they have nothing for a 2017 or newer. Got that from Etrailer and a few installers. i did find a Super Steer Trak bar, for of course more money, and having that installed on Monday. Will test it out next week.
Thanks for all the help...
Jim

Harvard · 02-07-2020, 12:41 PM

Adding + caster increases the stability of the front end. The toad is just another input to challenge the front end stability.

jim7489 · 02-07-2020, 02:32 PM

you mean adjusting the caster ?

Harvard · 02-07-2020, 03:07 PM

Some E350/E450 have handling issues, some do not, the following may explain the difference:

Ford ships all E350/E450 cut aways with identical fixed, non adjustable
caster/camber sleeves, "one size fits all". You can recognize the Ford collars because they are keyed and cannot be rotated. They are marked "F8UA-AA 0+.25" on the passenger side and "E97A-CA +0-0" on the drivers side.

The RV builder almost never changes the Ford sleeves, as a result:

If the final RV build is nose down one degree then the runtime caster will be about +3.5 degrees. These units can have a real wandering problem.

If the final RV build is nose level then the runtime caster will be about +4.5 degrees. These units are probably indifferent.

If the final RV build is nose up one degree then the runtime caster will be about +5.5 degrees. These units are probably just fine.

So, some RVs have a problem with wandering at highway speeds and some do not have a problem.

POPULAR MECHANICS MAY 1973:
START QUOTE:
If too little caster exists, the car will wander and weave,
thus necessitating constant corrections in steering.
END QUOTE:

jim7489 · 02-10-2020, 08:21 PM

Well I put a Supersteer Trak bar on my 24B and it did help quite a bit as far as the 'tail waggin'. We did test drive it on a windy day though and the wind did push us around a bit. We will get another chance in a few weeks when we go on a 100 mile trip.
One thing I know though is that you are towing 5K lbs behind a 26 ft Motorhome and no matter what you do you will always feel it and have to compensate for it as you travel down the road.

Johnynorthland · 02-22-2020, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim7489

First time flat towing my Jeep with my 2020 24B Entegra. All went well hooking it up and it towed fairly easy and braked well for a 5K Toad.
The only slight issue was with the handling as it wandered a bit going down the road. A good friend and well experienced RV'er that was with me mentioned the Tiger Trak, trak bar by Blue Ox solved this issue on his 30ft Class C which he said was much worse on his unit.
Anyone do any add on's for this kind of problem ??

Thanks
Jim

I had the Super Steer track bar installed in my class C, WOW !, what a difference when towing. Out of all the suspension upgrades I did this was by far the most effective with immediate results!

Weatherman1 · 02-23-2020, 08:59 AM

Check the jeeps alignment by driving on a level surface with hands off the steering wheel to see if tracks in a straight line, for starters!

spark of insanity · 02-23-2020, 10:16 AM

I add a sway bar in addition to the other stuff I add on to the hitch. The only sway I feel is when it gets windy so we slow it down a bit. I have a 2018 JGC and love it. But we use it for the TT. You are using it as a tow. So I have no clue. I do not want a motorhome. I like the freedom of having two separate entities. Good luck.

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