Towing (long) January 29, 2012, 12:09:57 am Yahoo Message Number: 128132We are having some trouble with our 2005 23.5 chasse pulling our Forester Subaru. Camping World just finished installing our Roadmaster bar and air break system. When we do not pull the Subaru we have no trouble. But when we hitch up the car and drive over 55 mph, the front end likes to sway from left to right - it's like there is a strong wind blowing us in both directions. We really have to be mindful of holding the steering wheel. We also just put new tires all the way around. We went with a Michelin LT225/75R16E1 115R XPS Rib a 10 ply tire. We have a set of air bags on the rear end made by Firestone, Rid-Rite Part #2061. The airbags were installed in 2006 when we were just driving the rig with no car. We are thinking that the air bags might have something to do with this odd driving sensation. The action shows itself at 56 mph and above. The rig is empty with no water in the tanks or supplies in the rig as we are living in Ariz. for the winter and always empty it out when we arrive in October. We do store the rig with a full tank of gas. Discount Tire said that when they took off the old tires they say no tire wear indicating that the wheels were out of alignment. A suspension place suggested that before we bring the rig in that we should test the air bags with different air pressures, and put some cargo weight in the rig, and possibly some water in the tanks for weight, then take it out on the freeway .... with the car attached. Sounds like the least expensive first test. Camping World wanted to sell us all kinds of devices for under the rig even before they started rigging the RV up with the Roadmaster towing equipment ... like new Bilstein Shocks, Super Steer Rear Track Bar, Swaybar for the E350, Safe T Plus (for Steering Control). Must think we have money bags under our eyes.... We would be better off not even towing to save thousands of dollars for extra equipment to make the rig safe to drive with a car. Our other rig was a E450 and the length was 30'. We had no trouble pulling the Subaru with that engine. Thanks for any thoughts on this. Beth
Re: Towing (long) Reply #1 – January 29, 2012, 10:21:38 am Yahoo Message Number: 128141I tow a Subaru Forester behind my 08 MB using a Roadmaster Tow Bar and Blue Ox tow plate. I have had no problems with sway unless I forget and let it drift above 70, when a bit of sway can start, depending very much on the road surface. What I DO notice is the effect of another vehicle passing me. My prior Toad was a Toyota Yaris. It had a low side profile as compared to the Forester. When I went to the Forester this past June, I immediately noticed that a vehicle passing me would first push the Forester to the right, causing a slight pull to the left. As the passing vehicle progressed to a point in from=nt of the rear axle, the pull would reverse. It is almost as dependable as a warning that I am being passed as my mirrors, but is not difficult to manage - a slight pull that reverses, versus no pull. My setup is pretty much stock. I do not have an air suspension system.Good luck finding the solution. When you do, be sure to share it.Ken F in NM
Re: Towing (long) Reply #2 – January 29, 2012, 10:47:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 128143"When we do not pull the Subaru we have no trouble. But when we hitch up the car and drive over 55 mph, the front end likes to sway from left to right" Beth, what you describe definitely isn't normal. I'd suggest finding a good alignment shop and having the wheel alignment thoroughly checked out. Despite the tire dealer saying that there was no sign of abnormal wear, alignment/suspension problems are the most likely reason for the kind of misbehavior you describe. The rear suspension air bags add another possible source of trouble. The Ford chassis and Lazy Daze coach are designed for good balance and good handling as delivered (as most owners can attest), and air bags don't increase cargo carrying capacity, so I'm wondering why you had them installed back in 2006. I can't say for certain whether the air bags are the cause of the problem, because I don't know of any other LDs that have been modified this way, but they are certainly nonstandard, which makes them suspect. Again, a good suspension shop can probably tell you more.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Towing (long) Reply #3 – January 29, 2012, 10:57:36 am Yahoo Message Number: 128144"We have a set of air bags on the rear end made by Firestone, Rid-Rite Part #2061. The airbags were installed in 2006 when we were just driving the rig with no car. We are thinking that the air bags might have something to do with this odd driving sensation."BethAny idea why there are air bags on a 23.5' E450? The rear axle has more than enough spring capacity for almost anything you may carry unless you are exceeding the rear axle's weight capacity. One member here carries a 250 Vespa on the rear of his 23.5' LD and did not need to add air bags.Removing the air bags are the first thing I would do. Then check all the base-plate and tow bar hardware for proper torque. I would remove the towbar, from the LD's bumper hitch, and then attach it to the Subaru and try moving the towbar side to side, seeing if there is a lot of loosness or slop. The looseness should be fairly limited, too much will let the car wander side to side. We tow a 4000lb Jeep behind our 2003 23.5' FL. Early in our towing experience, the Jeep would push, pull and wander a bit, especially on poor roads. Shimming the tow bar, where it is inserted into the under-bumper hitch, remove much of the looseness and made the Jeep just about 'invisible' when towing on level ground. I will try to get a couple photos, of what I did, posted on my Flickr site today.Larry
Re: Towing (long) Reply #4 – January 29, 2012, 03:01:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128154I have a 95 RB 22 on a chevy 454 and pull my Honda accord 4 door with no problem at 70..............sounds like u got too much stuff on your 23.5...I'd ditch the air bags and enjoy the ride! Regards, Hank 95 22 RB
Re: Towing (long) Reply #5 – January 29, 2012, 10:09:09 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128165Wonderful suggestions, and thank you ... for your wonderful suggestions. We will try to access the photos of the ... 'shimming' suggestion for the tow bar under the bumper hitch ... The air bags were added when we went from a larger RV to the 23.5 as we noticed a harder ride
Re: Towing (long) Reply #6 – January 29, 2012, 10:38:19 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128167"The air bags were added when we went from a larger RV to the 23.5 as we noticed a harder ride in the smaller rig." Just a shot in the dark here... if you inflated your tires to the 80-psi maximum molded on the tires, you'd be likely to experience a rough ride, especially if the coach is lightly loaded. To get the best ride, you need to have the coach weighed at a truckstop, then adjust the tire pressures to whatever the tire manufacturer recommends for that model of tire carrying that weight. (All tires on an axle should be at the same pressure.) You may find you get a better ride after doing this, if it allows you to reduce your pressures. Also, if you opted for Bilstein shocks on the 23.5-footer, they tend to impart a harsher ride. You could replace them with something a little softer. I agree with Larry, though--I'd get rid of those air bags. They really don't belong there.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Towing (long) Reply #7 – January 29, 2012, 11:10:21 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128168"We have a set of air bags on the rear end made by Firestone, Rid-Rite Part #2061"Beth, You have received some excellent responses here and I am going to bet on the air bags as well. I tow a 32' 5th wheel and I have the airbags on my truck. I installed them because of a Shudder I was getting when taking off from a stop. The truck was sagging in the rear and changing the geometry of the drive shaft. Others had been installing air bags and having success with the shudder problem. Though this introduced another problem. What I did notice was that if installed too much air, like 40+ pounds or so, I would experience steering problems. It took me a while to fine tune it but I settled in on 20 pounds to get some lift and still steer correctly. And as Andy mentioned, tire pressure had a part in the equation too. For your coach, like others have said, you don't really need them and if you really must keep them for non towing conditions, just try deflating them to the minimum pressure (5 psi I think) and go for a towing run and see how it goes.What bag pressure are you running when you experience the "wander"Ramon
(No subject) Reply #8 – January 29, 2012, 01:15:12 am Yahoo Message Number: 128133Melinda, Thank you for sharing your experience on your decision to buy an LD.Gerard__
(No subject) Reply #9 – January 29, 2012, 01:30:41 am Yahoo Message Number: 128135My message to Gerard was sent privately. If I had wanted it posted on the list, I would have done so. Guess one has to stipulate it is a private message. Also, will all the new people please erase the excess messages when replying. Just copy and paste the portion you are responding to. Thank you.Melinda
Re: Reply #10 – January 29, 2012, 02:52:26 am Yahoo Message Number: 128136My apologies to Melinda, Andy, and anyone else I might have offended. I had not noticed the email was from Melinda to me rather than the Group. Nor, had I noticed an email from Andy to me and not the Group, until I just went back through the emails. This is the first time that I joined a Yahoo group, and I am learning about Yahoo group protocol as I go. This is also the first time that I have used Yahoo email. I use it only for this Group. I would prefer to use my customary email service, but Yahoo didn't seem to like that.I will try to be more attentive and do better going forward.Gerard__
Re: Reply #11 – January 29, 2012, 06:48:29 am Yahoo Message Number: 128137yes, I have noticed that with this group also. when one replies to a message, it posts it
(No subject) Reply #12 – January 29, 2012, 08:00:02 am Yahoo Message Number: 128138Yes, it does. As far as I know, that's the way all Yahoo Groups are set up. If you want to send a private email to someone, you have to send it to their email address, not the Group's email address. If you read the posts at the Group's website rather than sending and reading via email, I believe there is a way to send someone a private message.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.com
Re: Reply #13 – January 29, 2012, 09:17:43 am Yahoo Message Number: 128139When I want to reply to someone privately that has written on the Yahoo group, I "reply" then in the "To" line, I erase the "lifewith..." and retype in the person's personal email address. Their email address is shown on their message. Hope this helps.Linda and John Presently in Quartzsite__ From: Linda & Earl Hylton elh3946@...> To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 6:59 AM Subject: [LD] Re:Yes, it does. As far as I know, that's the way all Yahoo Groups are set up. Recent Activity: * New Members 5 * New Files 1Visit Your GroupSwitch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use .[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Yahoo email Reply #14 – January 29, 2012, 10:20:16 am Yahoo Message Number: 128140Quote When I want to reply to someone privately that has written on the Yahoo group, I "reply" then in the "To" line, I erase the "lifewith..." and retype in the person's personal email address. Their email address is shown on their message. Hope this helps.Linda and John Presently in Quartzsite Something must have changed with Yahoo. Now all you see is "offline" or "send message". If you choose "send message" then the message is there for all to see unless you change the email address as Linda mentions above, but most of the time, you don't have or known the email address. You used to be able to hit "reply" and if the poster had set up his/her preferences accordingly, you could select his/her private email from the drop down and send a private message.Chris
Re: Reply #15 – January 29, 2012, 10:28:33 am Yahoo Message Number: 128142The easiest way (for me) to send a private reply is to first check the Visit Your Group down near the bottom of the message, then open the message in Yahoo Groups. Click on reply and you will get a choice of where the reply should go. Click on the senders address and away you go. No retyping required, and no typo's.Dick
Re: Yahoo email Reply #16 – January 29, 2012, 11:27:32 am Yahoo Message Number: 128145Hmmmm Using my mail program on my SOB ( :-) Mac ) my choices at the bottom of the email are Reply to sender Reply to group Reply via web post Start a new topic and Messages in this topic.Here is a cut and paste. I hope it showsEdReply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic Messages in this topic ( RECENT ACTIVITY: New Members 5 New Files 1 Visit Your Group Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest ' Unsubscribe ' Terms of Use[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Yahoo email Reply #17 – January 29, 2012, 11:31:44 am Yahoo Message Number: 128147that is what I have noticed, either the "reply to group" or "reply to sender" options. Depending upon what I want to say and who I want to say it to determines on which one I choose.http://timehasshownme.com
Re: Yahoo email Reply #18 – January 29, 2012, 12:13:33 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128148Quote that is what I have noticed, either the "reply to group" or "reply to sender" options. Depending upon what I want to say and who I want to say it to determines on which one I choose. QuoteAre you reading messages via email or on the Website? Chris
Re: Yahoo email Reply #19 – January 29, 2012, 02:54:09 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128153I have a regular computer and my yahoo groups' emails always have the same options at the bottom of the email as Ed has. And if I am on digest version on a yahoo group, I have pretty much the same options. Denise ~~~~
Re: Reply #20 – January 29, 2012, 03:07:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128155Yes Bullhead, just hitting reply will send your post back to the group automatically. Unless you are replying to someone who wrote to you privately. Then the only way it will go to the group is if you forward the email to the group. Gerard, since you are new to the yahoo groups, it's no surprise that you didn't notice that. Don't worry, you will catch on quickly.If I write someone privately, I try to write 'private'
Topic: Towing (long) (Read 3 times)
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Topic: Towing (long) (Read 3 times)
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