I posted earlier how James Stallings noticed that the ball joint on the front of the drag link was torn. This is something that obviously needs attention sooner rather than later, so I immediately bought replacements for both ends of the drag link at FOT. As is typical in ball joints, they are not interchangeable because one is left hand threaded and the other is right hand threaded. I figured if one was going, the other couldn't be far behind. The drag link ball joints are quite beefy and quite a bit more expensive then the tie rod ends. Motorcade price was about $125 or so each. I am sure they would be much less through a truck supply if you were able to take one in with you and match it up. As I wasn't tooled up for this job and having had my fill of laying on the cold ground under the coach recently, I planned to have FOT install them and re-center the steering wheel afterwards.
As we had the coach aligned at FOT by Wayne in November, I wasn't happy that this problem went unnoticed, especially since I specifically asked that the ball joints be checked as part of the alignment procedure (just in case this wasn't automatic, which I feel it should of course be!). I will add that, although the tracking was much better after the alignment, I wasn't completely sold that it was handling up to potential. As it turned out, FOT did not have time to install the drag link for we had to leave the area.
As we were finishing up at Xtreme, I asked James Stallings and Greg, who was in James' office at the time, where they would take their coach if they needed an alignment or some front end work. They both said in unison, "Hayden Haskins". I had heard this before from a local diesel mechanic. To cut to the chase, I made an appointment to have the ball joints changed and a front end alignment at Hayden's shop which is called Big Truck Alignment. We got there late in the afternoon, and Hayden immediately felt the front tires and said there was excessive Toe-in. He then took the coach for a test drive with us in it, and he commented that it tracked well but he said he felt it could be better.
He and his sons immediately started working on the coach knowing that it wouldn't be finished until the next morning before lunch. They took both front wheels off and put the ball joints on the drag link. Part of Hayden's process for improving the handling and ride is truing the tires by shaving all the high points with something that I can only describe as a tire lathe. He maintains that no tire as it comes from the manufacturer is truly round. When he had the tire and wheel mounted on a spindle and spun them, I could see that this was true of these tires at least. It was an interesting process to watch! The amount of material removed from each tire wasn't much, especially considering that these tires almost always age out before they wear out.
They put the wheels back on the coach and put it down on the ground so we could be level for the night. When we first pulled in, he immediately hooked us up to some 30 amp power.
The next morning, it started in on the alignment part of the process. When they measured the toe-in, it was at about 3/16 of an inch. They proceeded to change it to 1/16 of an inch. Hayden works with his two sons in a shop which is quite primitive in comparison to Wayne's rack with a pit and computer assisted laser alignment tool, but this is one case where skill and diligence trumps equipment. After they were done setting the toe-in, we hopped in the coach and Hayden drove it again to check the tracking (look ma, no hands!) centering of the steering wheel. When we got back, he pulled up on the ramps and gave directions to one of his sons to turn the drag link to center the wheel. All this without lasers or any high tech equipment. I admit I was a bit apprehensive about trusting our coach to this "good ol' boy" type of business, but after my initial 50 something mile drive down to Livingston to get the coach weighed, I am pretty well sold. Tracking semed spot on and needed much less correcting to keep our rig centered in the lane. Time will tell if I still feel that way in a few thousand miles, but my feeling right now is that it was well worth it.
Don
Don
Experts in their craft.
Great that next generations are involved, learning the business!
Don,
I used Hayden about a year ago and was very pleased. Experience is a hard thing to trump, even with the latest equip.
I had a Jeep Cherokee wearing the front tires (still under warranty at the time). I took it it to 2 dealers with no improvement. I found a similar shop to Haydens with a guy who had done aligments for 40 years. I never needed to rotate the tires again.
Long ago my local sears store had a truck tire center that had a tire trueing machine.
I had a Chevy customer have me true his new caprice tires prior to delivery. The drive back in the same car I took over after trueing was like it was on pillows.
Hayden trued my frt. tires while doing aligmment, but locally I dont know of anyone who trues tires.
Planning wish list to NAC
What the cost for truing?
Bookmarking it.
Thank you Don.
I don't have the invoice in front of me at the moment, but I am pretty sure that that part of it was $70. I did need to insist on using a torque wrench for the lug nuts, but they had no problem with that. There was no charge for re-torquing the Lug-nuts.
Don
Don,
Was there no room to get the truing machine under the front of the coach so the tires could be trued on the coach? Then even any slight out of round in hub can be corrected.
Brett,
With that particular machine, there would not have been room unless the front of the coach was lifted a couple of feet.
Don
I had flat spotted my left rear tag when the brake locked up. Took over to Haydens and they trued up the tire, did a great job. $25.00 to true the tire.
Thanks Don
Don, do you have the contact information for this shop?
Here is a picture of the invoice header... And a picture of the work order. I think the address of the shop is different, but the phone number should work.
Don
Don, has anyone checked the front bearing play in your coach? I'm wondering if this would be a worthwhile thing to do. A while back someone posted a link to Timken's precision adjustment technique for big truck wheel bearings, I've been thinking about doing this as I know none of the alignments I've had done involved jacking up the front of the coach to check em.
Sounds like you found a good shop there.
Chuck, nobody has done any formal procedure to determine bearing free play. I have tugged at it while on jack stands and didn't feel any noticeable free play, but given the weight and size of these beasts, not sure that means much. I was impressed at how freely the wheels spin. Not much drag at all from the pads...
Don
Don,
Nice write up and info. Thanks for posting all the details.
Rick D.
As this is my first MH, and the first pusher I have ever driven, figuring out when handling is "good enough" is difficult with out a reference. My gut tells me (or those coach voices, lol) that there may be room for handling improvement.
I am contemplating going to a professional to educate me and to fix what needs fix'n.
Thanks for the info.
I want to second Don's recommendation of Big Truck Alignment in Huntington, Texas (near Lufkin). I had new drag link ball joints installed, an alignment and steer tires trued. Our 95 U-300 was handling well before but now it is great. Just drove it 1,200 miles and it was a pleasure.
jor
I am glad your experience with Big Truck was as positive as mine. Pity that the mothership didn't come through for us with flying colors on this procedure... Alignment aside, it is hard to even find a tire shop that acknowledges tire truing as an advantageous process... Though some major shop, I don't remember who offered what they called "tire matching" that sounded liked it was basically the same thing. I haven't heard that term in a long time.
Don
If you are in Florida, Josam is highly regarded for front end work. I had my tie rod and drag link ends replaced + alignment. Huge difference in tracking. They do a lot of work for Country Coach and Blue Bird also. In fact they took one look at my coach and said " you have a Foretravel with a Country Coach front end". Yup, I have one of the few 2001 units with i.f.s and the design is almost identical to CC as they both used Ridewell built Dana/Kirkstall modules. Didn't bother Josam as they have seen them all. You can overnight in their lot but its in a busy urban setting.
Just got a quote from Josam for all 8 air bags, new tierod and drag link ends, set steering box stops, and alignment $2500 plus tax. They are very good I Use them to all the suspension work on our heavy trucks.
Bruce,does that price include the air bags.
Yes it does, the bags are 120.00 ea plus freight.
Thanks Bruce, I am finishing up my air leak project, next is new shocks and new tire's and then to Josams for the other project.