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Category : Miscellaneous
“Time and steering play”
Time. And miles. One of the most simple, yet overlooked facts is than rarely do things “go out overnight.” We’ve seen over and over during our Road Performance Assessments that simple wear and tear (and time on the road!) have been the main causes of “play in the steering” and other such ailments. Most of the time, the decline in road performance is so gradual that driver’s grow used to the problem and simply don’t realize an issue even exists.
Recently, at the Beaver Coach Rally in Harrisburg, Oregon (at River Bend Resort) Robert of Hendersons Line Up performed a visual inspection on a gentleman’s coach. After hearing a “clunking” noise, however, the rear joint on the drag link was so loose it was clunking in the steering arm. The customer wasn’t even aware of any issue and simply asked for the inspection after our seminar. The driver decided it would be a good idea to “get things checked out.” To everyone’s suprise, the rear joint on the drag link took two good turns before the stud on the drag link was fully seated. “If we wouldn’t have found it and fixed it, the whole drag link and steering arms would have eventually had to be replaced.”
“Like Thomas Edison said, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” At the Redmond FMCA rally, we found nuts loose that hold down the steering wheel, a steering box itself loose on the frame, and play in the steering tilt column assembly. Loose bell-crank arms, loose bell-cranks and loose Safety-Plus steering control attachment bolts were also found. All these coach owners were unaware of their motor-coach’s problems!
“It goes to show that things rarely go out overnight,” says Robert. “Like the writer of Ecclesiastes says, ‘Time and Chance’ happen to us all. Likewise, “Time and Steering Play can happen to us all–as well!” These recent lessons have reinforced the value of a good inspection on anyone’s coach. This is one of the most important parts of the Road Performance Assessment and, at a future time, we’ll discuss the RPA in depth. Stay turned!
FMCA Rally at Redmond, OR
A huge “thank you” to each of you who helped make the FMCA Annual Rally (in Redmond, OR) such a huge success! We enjoyed the beautiful weather, making new friends and re-uniting with so many of you! We enjoyed hearing your stories of how various SuperSteer products have helped you over the years, as well as the service you’ve received at the Hendersons Line Up shop. Infact, your testimonies can be heard by clicking under the “about” tab…then simply click on “testimonials.” We look forward to seeing you next year! Or come to Grants Pass, Oregon and visit our shop….please call in advance and let us know you’re coming!
SuperSteer Product Videos Posted!
Want to know how SuperSteer products can improve your truck or coach’s driving and handling performance? Then you’ll be pleasantly surprised, as we’ve posted new SuperSteer product videos!
Enjoy as John Henderson shares about products developed to help you with better handling and performance of your coach or truck. John specifically talks about SuperSteer’s Motion Control Units, the SS100 Bell Crank, the SuperSteer Trim Unit, the SuperSteer Trac Bar, the P3032 Bell Crank, SuperSteer’s Coil Springs, SuperTrac Wheel Spacers, and SuperSteer’s Heavy Duty Tie Rods. These videos (and more!) can be viewed under the “products” tab at HendersonsLineUp.com.
Reduced Resistance = Improved Fuel Economy
The travel season is upon us, and once again, fuel prices have begun to climb. Though the cost of fuel has been fluctuating over the past couple of years, one thing you can count on is that it will rise when the flowers begin to bloom. And as you watch the numbers at the pump begin to climb, you may wonder what you can do to increase fuel economy and cut down on travel costs.
You’ve probably seen many articles that have been written about saving fuel, but they typically only touch on things most of us already know, like reducing highway speed and keeping your tires inflated to the right pressure. But there are many other things that can be done to improve fuel economy, and all of them have to do with reducing resistance, in one way or another.
Tire inflation pressure is indeed important, but so is the type of tire that you use on your coach. A tire that is wider than necessary typically produces a better ride, but it can also increase rolling resistance. A narrower, heavy-duty tire will ride rougher than its wide, cushy counterpart, so you’ll have to ask yourself if you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of comfort for improved fuel economy. I should note here that a larger diameter tire won’t hurt fuel economy and may even help it, because a larger diameter tire turns fewer revolutions to cover the same distance, and engine rpm is lowered as a result.
Alignment is also extremely important. Incorrect alignment can cause a lot of resistance, requiring more throttle input to maintain a given speed. “Toe in” is the most critical setting of them all. Simply put, “toe in” means the front of the tires are “pigeon toed”. Obviously, too much toe will also cause your tires to wear more quickly.
It’s a good idea to have the alignment checked even when the coach is new, because the factory runs them through the alignment procedure pretty fast. And, when the coach is loaded for travel, especially an independent front suspension (IFS) coach, the alignment changes as the load changes. The only exception is self-leveling, air suspension coaches, where correct ride height is constantly maintained.
Straight axle coaches don’t change as much, but it’s still a good idea to check the alignment when loaded. One of the things we always recommend to our customers is that they ask the alignment shop, “When was the last time your equipment was calibrated?” At Henderson’s Line-Up, we measure our alignment jobs in hundredths of an inch. This is important, because if the toe in is just 1/8-inch off spec, that is equal to 28 feet of side scrub per mile—a lot of resistance and tire wear.
Some toe in is necessary when the vehicle is in the static (parked) position, because as the vehicle travels down the road the front wheels will open up, and actually be pointing straight (zero toe in). This happens because most motorhomes have what is known as a “positive scrub radius” on the front axle. On the P32 Chevy/Workhorse chassis, we’ve found that the front alignment needs to be toed in a full ¼ inch at the static setting. The typical alignment shop would think that’s nuts, but we experimented with it, and that’s how much they require to stay at zero toe-in in the dynamic (moving) position. Static settings are important, but I’m more concerned with what the vehicle is doing as it drives down the road.
A lot of RVers don’t know is that the rear axle, or axles, can also be out of alignment—and if that’s the case, this problem can increase resistance and tire wear, reduce fuel economy and cause handling issues. The axle may be askew or not installed properly from the factory—the end result being rear wheel steering.
Have you ever been following a vehicle that looks like it’s going down the road a little sideways? We call that “dog tracking.” The driver keeps the wheel turned to compensate for it, and creates scrub. At the same time, aerodynamic efficiency is reduced, because more surface area is exposed to wind resistance.
Dog tracking isn’t particularly common; I’d say we have to do a rear wheel alignment on one out of 20 coaches, and most of the time they’re off by just a little bit. We perform what is called “thrust angle alignment”, where we put gauges on all four wheels, and set the front wheels in relation to the rear axle. How much affect rear axle misalignment has on the coach depends on the wheelbase; for example, if the rear axle is off by 1/8-inch, the difference in angle will be magnified more over 200 inches than 100 inches, for example.
Trailers can also be affected by incorrect axle alignment. When align a trailer, we line up the axles to the hitch point, whether that’s the hitch ball (travel trailer) or king pin (fifth wheel). That way, the trailer tracks better, and there’s no scrub—so now you’re saving fuel and the trailer tires will last longer.
Now while we’ve been talking about resistance with regard to alignment, there are other factors that increase resistance and adversely affect fuel economy. For example, improving the airflow into and out of the engine is reducing resistance, and usually results in some fuel economy improvement.
There is no “magic bullet” for improving fuel economy in your rig—but a combination of the correct tires and inflation pressure, front/rear alignment, driving style and engine enhancements can add up to substantial savings each year.
Welcome to our all-new website and blog
Well, the big day has finally arrived. For years, we pondered a new website–one that was user-friendly, easy to navigate and informative, with an online store where our customers could purchase our SuperSteer products or any other fine products we sell. Needless to say, it was easier said than done–but we finally got our wish.
There are many great features about the site that we would like to tell you about. First, the online store. When you click on Products, it will take you directly to the store, which is categorized depending on whether you drive an RV or own a truck. If you are looking for something specific, or can’t see what you’re looking for, simply go to the search bar and type it in. This section of the site is still a work in progress to some degree, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for, please feel free to call us and we’ll be glad to help you.
Our service menu covers all the services we provide our customers at Henderson’s Line-Up, so if you have any questions about what we can do, please check this section out.
Education is a section we’re quite proud of. It contains many articles we’ve written on a variety of subjects that our customers ask us about. Simply click on the title, and it will take you to a detailed article on the subject at hand. Under RV shows, you’ll find a schedule of all the places we’ll be this summer, so you can catch up with us at any one of the many rallys that we attend each year. As many of you know, we provide complete sales and installation services at many of the events we attend, so be sure and call us to schedule an appointment if you would like us to work on your coach, truck or trailer.
The “Latest News” window on the home page is where you’ll quickly find anything newsworthy with regard to Henderson’s Line-Up or SuperSteer. It could be new product updates, events, special deals, etc.–so be sure to check it out anytime you visit our site.
Last but not least, there’s this new blog. We’ll be posting technical articles, information on new products, news about particular chassis problems, etc. We’ll begin categorizing them so you can find the subject you’re looking for, and you’ll be able to post your replies and questions. Our intention is to keep this blog a dynamic part of the site–something that helps our customers and grows because of them. Please check back regularly to see what’s new–eventually we’ll have an RSS feed that you can subscribe to get Henderson’s Line-Up and SuperSteer news immediately.
Thank you for visiting our site. If you have any comments or questions, please let us know. We are looking forward to serving you.
