Thanks for all, now don't get me wrong, my problem is minor, yet present. I drove the coach from ST Louis Mo to my home in Central TX with a near direct cross wind gusting to 60MPH. I drove the coach 70 mph the whole way. The semi- trucks were struggling to maintain their lanes.
I had been attracted to the discussion of how well these coaches track vs. others (I had a Coachmen 32RD 1993 model in the past).
I'm thinking my tie rod ends may need to be replaced, but I will check all metioned on this thread.
Thanks to All.

After weighing the Barth, (6020 lbs front- 8940 lbs Rear) I consulted the Michelin table and it is telling me 90 psi front and 70 psi in rear which kind of suprised me. I have been running 90 front and rear. I guess I will try it but was wondering is this going to affect my already miserable MPG?
Ray

quote:

Originally posted by Ray:
After weighing the Barth, (6020 lbs front- 8940 lbs Rear) I consulted the Michelin table......
Ray

I guess you have Michelin tires, then.

Our first motorhome was SOB 28' P30 chassis 454 and what helped the handling and steering response immensely was replacing the bell cranks with Super Steer (http://www.campingworld.com/search/index.cfm?Ntt=
bell+crank&x=20&y=5&N=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=p_keyword&Nty=1&Ntpc=1).

I also installed air bags in the front coil springs, as well as air bags in the rear.

This really tightened everything up and the ride was much improved. The rear bags help the tired leaf springs and keeps the overhang from bottoming out also.

Of course all the other steering components (ball joints, etc.) and alignment need to be in good shape before you install the bell cranks or you're wasting your money.

As a side note; regarding truck "wash" blowing you out of your lane, I was told that by anticipating the burst of "wash" as a truck passes.........accelerate, yep put the accelerator down, you don't have to hit passing gear, just accelerate thru the time (a couple seconds) of the "wash" hitting your vehicle and then let off (I'm not suggesting to drag race the guy down the highway!) and resume your engine speed. I've done this and it did minimize the "wash effect" substantially.
I think the reason it works is because for those couple of seconds you are producing more torque and that helps to hold the vehicle on the straight and narrow.

I don't have a need to do this with the Barth because it's a lot heavier than a gasser and doesn't get tossed around with "wash".

Anyway, the next time you see an 18 wheeler bearing down on you at what has to be about 20mph faster than you're going it won't hurt to try it out. As always your mileage may vary.

Ray-
The rear tire pressure you questioned:

If you are going to be at less pressure than you were running before (and I'm guessing you are a lot less at 70psi) as a precaution make sure that the duals aren't going to be rubbing their sidewalls together between them. I would get under there and look between them and when doing so remember that under load and bumpy surfaces they need to flex or give quite a bit.

Good point. I will crawl under and check that.

Guess this can be a good topic to dicuss over a beer or two during this weekends Barth get together.

I'm late to read this thread, but I'll toss in the idea to verify the ride height is set to specs. Especially if it is set too high.

This is a very popular thread - so here is my input. Unless you have a wandering steering wheel with noticeable play as you move right to left you can just about eliminate tie rods, king pins and front end. What you do not see and will not see until you get under the coach are the torque rods that tie the rear suspension together to the frame. They have bushings just like the front anti sway bar and they do age significantly. They are cheap and easy to replace (if you are over a pit type service bay) and almost always give the feeling of being pushed from side to side. The sensation makes you feel like the rear end is being forced from side to side and you are correcting with the front steering. If you inspect and see worn or cracked bushings replace with polyurethane bushings ans get the 4 wheel alignment redone. The alignment will automatically be changed when these bushings are changed.

After a few thousand miles after the 50kt direct cross winds from St Louis to my home in Central Texas I am convinced my steering is quite sound. Tracking great. All the -normal- 10 to 25 mph direct crosswinds experienced locally have been quite manageable in terms of driver fatigue.
Sorry to start the thread off with a concern which apparently was more a result of very unusual circumstances: 40 to 65 mph direct cross winds for over 650 miles... I think that might wear out the best semi truck driver.

I'm now confident in the handling/tracking in cross winds. Did I mention I drove the cross wind run from St. Louis at 70 mph the whole way?... I'm certain 55-65 would have been much more prudent.

It is easy to forget that your speed is creeping up. When we were bringing the coach home across Interstate 90 I noticed my wife was falling further behind in her Rav4 after we were on the slab for a few minues. Then notced we were purring along at 75!
Now I set the cruise at 65-70, steady as a rock in all winds and weathers. Really noticed how nice a driver it is last March on I75 southbound around Valdosta. Later we heard they got 12" of rain in 24 hours! We spotted a Barth Regency goin north in that rain. About a 36-40 footer kicking up quite a rooster tail too!
Tomorrow we are off to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We are taking Rick Muise's suggestion and staying at Heritage Hills campground.
Can't wait!
Don and Patty

Ray, would you tell me the size and brand of tires you have? I have a Michelin guide and 90# seems quite high for the front. Also, although I'm not familiar with the Oshkosh chassis, frame level is very important. Many alignment shops just set the caster at what the book says and don't take into consideration the changes that even a slightly out of level frame will make to the caster setting.
Jim

quote:

Unless you have a wandering steering wheel with noticeable play as you move right to left you can just about eliminate tie rods, king pins and front end.

.

I've just discovered that that's not always the case. I had some shimmy in the coach which was diagnosed as coming from the rear. There were issues in the rear, but apparently were sympathetic vibrations set up by a worn king pin producing the shimmy in the front.

However, the coach tracked like it was on rails and braked straight, and only after a very smooth stretch of highway could I detect vibrations in the front - almost imperceptible due to the Steer-Safe damping them.

I discovered this only after the rear issues were taken care of, mostly caused by the sympathetic vibrations wearing out the motor mounts and a tire with belt damage.