Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 13, 2025 ...

You can do it if traveling to the shop is more time consuming. The coupling at the bottom of the steering column would have to have one of the bolts removed then the steering wheel has to be unbolted from the cockpit, lifted up out of the coupling and set straight and dropped back into the coupling.

Thank you very much. I'll look that coupling over and see if I can do it.

Not sure about 90 deg. but maybe could be corrected with the drag link which is very simple.

I personally would stay far, far away from any suspension shop that can't be bothered to make sure the steering wheel is centered. Makes one wonder what else they didn't do properly.

Wouldn't that leave the center point/neutral point of the steering box off center?  90 degrees of steering wheel is ALOT.

Been too long since I have removed one. 

Could they have installed the pitman arm a tooth or is it indexed so "idiot-proof".

Given what you have found about the workmanship, I would also suggest checking your CUT ANGLES to make sure the steering box and the mechanical stops have been set properly to allow max cut angle without contacting the mechanical stops.

Been too long since I have removed one. 

Could they have installed the pitman arm a tooth or is it indexed so "idiot-proof".

Given what you have found about the workmanship, I would also suggest checking your CUT ANGLES to make sure the steering box and the mechanical stops have been set properly to allow max cut angle without contacting the mechanical stops.


Brett, I will certainly do this. I can't believe that squaring the steering wheel would not have been part of the task, but if it suggests other potential problems with the box and pitman arm, I will prioritize getting it back into the shop.
Many thanks!

Quote from: wolfe10 – June 08, 2021, 01:42:10 pm

OK, I have reached out to RedHead and forwarded them a link to this discussion.

Let's wait and get their professional input on this.

Brett

Received this response from RedHead:

Subject: RE: Sheppard M100 box in Foretravel
 
Hi Brett,

I bounced this off of our builder here and this is the input I received as follows: "If you turn the tires to the perfectly straight ahead position and disconnect the pitman arm (to eliminate any mechanical or suspension stops) and then find "true center" in the gear box by turning it full lock to one side, counting the number of full 360 degree revolutions it takes to get to the other full lock and then go back towards center exactly half of the number of turns it was to find true center. At this point, you should be able to hook up the pitman arm with the marks lining up with one another and the steering wheel should be straight ahead. If the steering wheel is still off, you would need to disconnect the steering wheel and recenter it. If the pitman arm marks don't line up with the steering gear centered and the wheel centered, something needs to be addressed with suspension/alignment and this is where I would enlist the help of a good front end/alignment shop to see where the adjustments in the suspension/alignment need to be made."

One final bit of input is that if this test is performed and determine that the wheel just needs to be recentered and everything else lines up and we have equal turns both ways etc. it will not hurt the gear to recenter the wheel. This will not cause it to run in an "off-center" position or cause uneven turns either direction.

I hope this is helpful!

Thanks,
Daniel Foster
Red Head Steering Gears

As others who have done this more recently than I suggested, start by verifying that the pitman arm is installed correctly (mark lined up with shaft).

I would also check for lock to lock, verifying that the relief plungers relieve an 1/8" or so from the mechanical stops (one person at the wheel and one underneath (with safety stands) makes this pretty easy. Have coach in travel mode for final "yup tires clear all body and suspension parts.

We have a lot of owners here on the forum who have R&R'ed their Sheppard box and had it blueprinted and new seals installed by RedHead.

So, I think you can at least get an idea of what needs to be done-- THEN decide if you/a shop needs to do it.

Ya, your choice, but I would suggest you do the "eye ball" and THEN decide who does what.

Would hate to see someone mess this up.