The Price is Right? 2017 Redhawk 31XL mods

DarleneW · 01-06-2020, 10:42 PM

Hello Everyone! Thanks in advance for your feedback on this subject. My husband passed in July and I am getting ready to do by myself what we were planning together. I will be heading out in a month or so to be a semi-nomad this year and want to feel good about driving our Redhawk 31XL by myself. I've seen several posts about putting on sway bars and steering stabilizers to make it drive better so I've contacted a truck and RV place here in CO to do the whole shebang - front and rear sway control bars, steering stabilizer and Sumo springs. They quoted me $6500 parts and labor. It sounded about right to me but I'd like other folks' opinions. Thank you!

pconroy · 01-06-2020, 11:09 PM

Darlene, I'm sorry that I have no idea what a proper cost would be. But I wanted to extend my condolences for your loss and my encouragement for your new journey!

**JFlightRisk** · 01-07-2020, 01:34 AM

Welcome to the Forum from Western New York State, Darlene. I'm sorry you can't travel with your husband, but I'll bet he's going to be watching out for you on your travels. I'm no help on your question, but others may chime in, and help you with that. Safe travels, and we're glad you've joined us.

Grumpy · 01-07-2020, 07:32 AM

Contact Henderson's Line-up, they have an outstanding reputation. They are in Oregon, but just tell them you are shopping for prices. At least you can compare part's pricing.

https://www.hendersonslineup.com/

RetiredOne · 01-07-2020, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarleneW

I've seen several posts about putting on sway bars and steering stabilizers to make it drive better so I've contacted a truck and RV place here in CO to do the whole shebang - front and rear sway control bars, steering stabilizer and Sumo springs. They quoted me $6500 parts and labor. It sounded about right to me but I'd like other folks' opinions. Thank you!

I can't help you on the Sumo costs, but a few others have put them on their rigs. On my Redhawk, I replaced both sway bars and the the steering stabilizer. I did the work myself. But, as a point of reference, those three parts are under $1000 in total cost, and the time/labor to install them was maybe 6 hours total.

Not sure what mechanics charge these days, but even at $125/hr, and the right tools, lift and shop (I did this laying in my driveway), I would think you could get those parts replace for a little over $2000, plus what ever the Sumos would be.

Edit: just did a quick search on the Sumos, the full set for all four corners is around $800 for the parts. I can't imagine it would take more than a day to install, so even if they charged $1000 for labor, that would be less than what was quoted.

Camper_bob · 01-09-2020, 09:17 AM

I'd like to add my condolences and my encouragement on your new adventure!

That $6500 quote is IMHO quite high for the parts/installation you listed. You're definitely going to want to shop that. Check out a couple local truck outfitters; they will probably be cheaper than a dealership anyway.

Front sway bar, steering stabilizer, and front Sumo springs are 2-hrs shop labor max. Parts would be less than $1,000. Rear sway bar is a bit more involved because of clearance and access issues, but still not a HUGE job. Like RetiredOne said, he did his on his back in his driveway.

So, I agree with RetiredOne; less than $2,000 in parts, and we'll call it 4 hrs labor just to be safe. So something like $2500 would be a much more reasonable quote for those parts installed. Some of this depends on the specific parts they install (the Safe-T-Steer steering stabilizer for example is a bit more expensive than the Roadmaster unit), but you get the idea.

I believe ETrailer.com carries all the parts, so you can get a list of the parts they intend to install and shop the prices yourself. I ordered my Sumos (just the front) and my front sway bar from Amazon. Got my Roadmaster steering stabilizer and bracket from ETrailer. The only installation issue I ran into was one of the bolts on the passenger side sway bar bracket stripped. Turns out it's a common occurrence. The fix was easy except for locating the part, but I got it done.

RetiredOne · 01-09-2020, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I ordered my Sumos (just the front) and my front sway bar from Amazon. Got my Roadmaster steering stabilizer and bracket from ETrailer.

A few questions, how tough is it to add the Sumos to our rigs? Is that a driveway project, or does it require special tools, lifts, etc? As you know, I did both sway bars and steering stabilizer laying on my back in the driveway.

Mort important, did adding the Sumos make that big of a difference in handling/ride, versus the OEM stuff? Is it worth it to take the time/money to swap them out on a new rig, or wait till more miles rack up? Keep in mine, my rig is a little shorter than yours, and rides differently.

Camper_bob · 01-09-2020, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredOne

A few questions, how tough is it to add the Sumos to our rigs? Is that a driveway project, or does it require special tools, lifts, etc? As you know, I did both sway bars and steering stabilizer laying on my back in the driveway.

Mort important, did adding the Sumos make that big of a difference in handling/ride, versus the OEM stuff? Is it worth it to take the time/money to swap them out on a new rig, or wait till more miles rack up? Keep in mine, my rig is a little shorter than yours, and rides differently.

I only did the Sumos on the front. The installation was dead simple. Remove the OEM bump stops, thread in the Sumos, done. I used the front jacks to unload the suspension some to give me plenty of room to work in there. A ratchet with a long extension is helpful here as the hole in the OEM bump stops is quite deep.

As for their efficacy, I can't really say because I upgraded the front sway bar at the same time. I can say that the mods did make a difference. As you know, the upgraded front sway bar makes a huge difference in how the rig handles, and especially because it all but eliminates the "wallows" and rocking in turns. It turns like it's on rails now, and is especially improved when there is some elevation change in the turn like in a driveway. The Front Sumos assist in that improvement I'm sure.

On the rear, it is my opinion (not from experience, just from research) that a Trac-bar system would be more effective. And that's what I intend to install some day.

You may also like: