RV Handling Problems. PA Trips. Bye Bye Camper.

If you are having RV handling problems:

"The first thing to investigate during any preemptive troubleshooting foray into ride and handling problems centers on weight distribution.
Face it, RVs in general and motorhomes specifically are not created symmetrically nor is the weight equally placed on the chassis.

In fact, John Anderson, Founder of the Recreational Vehicle Safety Education Foundation once stated that, "Of all the RVs we've weighed (over 10,000 RVs in the first seven years); we've never come across one that was loaded equally on both sides."

As for all other steering, handling or sway issues, always begin by ensuring your rig is set up with the correct front end alignment at factory specs before adding equipment and components.

Also, according to Kevin Healy, owner of an RV specialty shop, East County Alignment & Brake, always have the stock springs tested and evaluated prior to slapping on replacement parts.
Granted, aftermarket products will indeed improve drivability, but having the correct spring rate is vital to knowing which combination of aftermarket products will do the most good.

Since it could be a substantial investment to rectify all ride and handling ills, the smart RVer will seek the biggest bang for the buck.

No talk of front end remedies omits the name Bilstein.
Simply put, if your coach is not already equipped with Bilstein shocks, get some.

This upgrade is the most common aftermarket replacement component in use today. For the larger diesel pusher rigs, it's not uncommon to find four Bilsteins added to the rear end also. " 
More at: http://www.rvdoctor.com/2004/11/improving-motorhome-ride-steering-and.html
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Passport America will now 'Trip Route', and you can include directions to their parks too, if you wish.
http://www.passport-america.com/Campgrounds/TripRouting.aspx
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Today:

Ray had to go to stay with his ailing father-in-law, which was really a good thing, as I was so busy helping Nigel, that I wouldn't have been much help to Ray.

We didn't have all the vertical parts of the skirting washed, and as long as my son-in-law has all the long horizontal mounting parts, he can start on that, until I can get there with the skirting.  That will all fit in my van, which I can take another weekend.

Nigel took the truck camper off the truck again, as he hadn't got it quite straight in the dark.  We were too tired, and it was too dark, to mess with it last night. 
Also he had forgotten to take off part of the Drop 'N Lock gooseneck hitch, which is of no use to him in England.   I should have washed the Okie red mud off it, before taking the picture!
That had to be done with the camper off the truck to get at it.  Nigel really needed to use my air ratchet, but the darned thing wouldn't work, so he had to remove all these long winded bolts with a regular ratchet.  I remember who used the air ratchet last year, and I guess they put it up without oiling it.

After a bit of lunch, a cuppa tea, and a shower, they loaded up their stuff, and the long mounting parts of the skirting, and headed to my daughter's lake house at Somerville, TX.

This is the last time I will see the truck and camper.

Pamala and Nigel will be back here on Wednesday in a rented car, after they have left the rig to be shipped at the docks in Galveston, TX.  Then they want to use the rented car to take themselves to the airport to fly back to England on Thursday.

I was supposed to go to the lake house for dinner in my van, but after all the tool "gofering", I just couldn't face doing 200 miles by myself, today.