wjschill
Texas
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I saw a video of a test drive on a 2015 F/W Bounder, and noticed the steering wheel had quite a bit of vibration traveling down a smooth highway.
I have also heard that this is normal on the F53 frames for the class A gassers. Some even say that this vibration contributes to driver fatigue after about 4 to 5 hours on the road.
So, my question is...Is this normal for the F53's and is it really an issue?
We are still looking for a (used) class A, but for a few trips each year, I really can't justify the extra $$$'s for a diesel pusher. Not to mention, most are forty feet long, and not a great fit for state park camping.
Thanks....Skip
KillingTime
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rgatijnet1
Florida
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Joined: 06/22/2009
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There are many things that can cause a steering wheel vibration. I doubt that it is common with ALL F53 chassis RV's. Wheel out of round, wheel out of balance, loose wheel bearing, bad shock, loose/worn suspension components, alignment, loose steering box, etc.
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rk911
DuPage County
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rgatijnet1 wrote:There are many things that can cause a steering wheel vibration. I doubt that it is common with ALL F53 chassis RV's. Wheel out of round, wheel out of balance, loose wheel bearing, bad shock, loose/worn suspension components, alignment, loose steering box, etc.
+1. we’re on our second F53. no steering whl vibration on either.
Rich
Ham Radio, Sport Pilot
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2016 Itasca Suncruiser 38Q
'46 Willys CJ2A
'03 Jeep Wrangler TJ
'10 Jeep Liberty KK
& MaggieThe Wonder Beagle
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haste maker
alabama
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I have 2007 Ford chassis & have no steering wheel vibration. I have installed Centramatics on all 4 wheels. May want to look into them.
Retried Teamster
2007 Allergo
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dodge guy
Bartlett IL
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If the steering wheel is shaking it's due to a shifted belt in a tire and /or an out of balance tire or a bent wheel. My 2012 has no vibration. If they are maintained properly they will not have issues.
Wife Kim
Son Brandon 17yrs
Daughter Marissa 16yrs
Dog Bailey
12 Forest River Georgetown 350TS Hellwig sway bars, BlueOx TrueCenter stabilizer
13 Ford Explorer Roadmaster Stowmaster 5000, VIP Tow>
A bad day camping is
better than a good day at work!
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chuckftboy
Fleming Island, Florida
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I owned a coach built on an F-53 chassis. Never any vibration and handled as good as my Freightliner. Whoever is telling you they all vibrate, probably never drove one.
2019 Horizon 42Q Maxim Chassis w/tag
Cummins L-9 450 HP / Allison 3000
2006 Jeep TJ and 2011 Chevy Traverse Tows
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Chum lee
Albuquerque, NM
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wjschill wrote:I saw a video of a test drive on a 2015 F/W Bounder, and noticed the steering wheel had quite a bit of vibration traveling down a smooth highway.
I have also heard that this is normal on the F53 frames for the class A gassers. Some even say that this vibration contributes to driver fatigue after about 4 to 5 hours on the road.
So, my question is...Is this normal for the F53's and is it really an issue?
Thanks....Skip
NO! If properly weighted/adjusted/balanced/serviced/repaired your F53 will ride smooth as glass. (mine does) If you have issues,. . . . well, see above.
Chum lee
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Dutch_12078
Winters south, summers north
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Our current F53 had a slight speed sensitive steering vibration when I test drove it before buying. While checking out the tire dates, I also saw marks where a wheel weight had been lost on one wheel. When I mentioned the vibration to the seller he knocked $500 off the price. After we bought the rig, I pulled the rest of the weights and added balancing beads instead. Haven't had a steering vibration since...
Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F53 chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
Bigfoot Automatic Leveling System
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate
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naturist
Lynchburg, VA
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Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, always insisted that a vibrating steering wheel on any vehicle required immediate investigation, and if you HAD to drive it in to the shop, do so no faster than 30 mph, because some of the possible causes could result in a wheel falling off.
Besides those causes mentioned above, add ball joints about to separate and loose/broken lug nuts.
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rk911
DuPage County
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naturist wrote:Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, always insisted that a vibrating steering wheel on any vehicle required immediate investigation, and if you HAD to drive it in to the shop, do so no faster than 30 mph, because some of the possible causes could result in a wheel falling off.
Besides those causes mentioned above, add ball joints about to separate and loose/broken lug nuts.
while that might not be the case all the time it did happen to me one day in the summer of 2019. i was returning home from an errand in our '46 Willys CJ2A. each time i slowed or stopped i felt a vibration from the right front. it didn't happen while accelerating but rather than head home i went to the garage that does all my work. the service mgr is a buddy so he hopped in and we took a drive around the block to show him what was happening. as i slowed to turn back into the shop's driiveway, this happened...
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/ISEN2xfl.jpg)
the resulting force nearly tossed us out of the vehicle. we were able to hang on only because we were doing < 5mph. had i not diverted to the garage it might have happened while i was running ~40mph and i might not have been able to hang on.
oh...the problem was a broken cotter pin, likely original to the vehicle. i had them all replaced and iinspected each year.
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