Hello,

I am looking for advice for anti-sway bars. I have a 1990 22' Regal on a John Deere chassis.

1990 22' Regal
460 John Deere chassis
Dan P.

You have leaf springs front and rear. You may need to replace the spring mounting hardware. Had to do that to our Breakaway and made a world of difference.

HELLO

THIS ANSWER ASSUMES YOU ARE NOT AJ FOYT AND ALSO YOU HAVE NOT DRIVEN A SEMI 250,000 MILE A YEAR FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS , IF EITHER YOU KNOW MORE THAN I


WE ARE 'NEW ' OWNERS OF A "23 FOOT " 1990 REGAL . WE PURCHASED IT LAST SPRING AND OUR MAJOR TRIP WAS DETROIT TO TO FLORIDA AND BACK . OURS WAS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AND WE HAD IT GONE OVER TO THE TUNE OF MORE THAN WE PAID FOR IT , JUST FACT . BUT JUST TELLING YOU IT IS MAINTAINED , COST NO OBJECT .

ON OUR WAY DOWN WE THOUGHT IT WANDERED ALL OVER THE PLACE , TOOK THE STAIRS OFF IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE ETC ETC . I AM IN THE AUTO BUSINESS AND HAVE DRIVEN EVERYTHING FROM JUNK CARS TO RACE CARS . WE ASKED ON THE FORUMS AND MY ENGINEERING AND RACE CAR FRIENDS ETC AND VENDORS GALORE . LOTS OF PEOPLE WANT TO SELL YOU EVERYTHING ,EVERYONE WHO HAS PURCHASED A $500 ADD ON THINKS IT IS THE SOLUTION .

BUT I KEPT WONDERING , DO THESE PEOPLE REALLY KNOW MORE ABOUT CHASSIS THAN OSHKOSH ? I DON T THINK SO .

I THINK THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURED OSHKOSH MADE THE CHASSIS AND SUSPENSION THE BEST IT COULD AND CAN BE . THUS THE ANSWER IS " LIVE WITH IT " IT IS AS GOOD AS IT IS GOING TO GET . DRIVE WITHIN ITS DESIGN

THAT IS WHAT I DECIDED TO DO .

NOW THAT SAID

FIRST THING , GET EVERYTHING BACK TO THEE ORIGINAL DESIGN . EACH AND EVERY BUSHING
, TIE ROD , BALL JOINT , BEARING , ETC MUST BE WITHIN SPEC . ZERO SLOP ANYWHERE .
SECOND HAVE OR GET GOOD TIRES
THIRD INCREASE TIRE PRESSURE TO APX 110 PSI ALL AROUND . (( OTHERS SAY 70 PSI ETC BUT THAT IS WRONG , AT THAT PRESSURE , TIRES DO NOT EVEN CARRY THE WEIGHT . ALSO THE CHASSIS TAG IS FOR A BARE CHASSIES AS DELIVERED TO THE BUILDER BARE , IS INCORRECT FOR THE COMPLETED COACH , DO NOT GO BY IT ))

FOURTH DRIVE 20 MILES SLOWER THAN EVERYONE ELSE , DRIVE LIKE YOU ARE DRIVING A GASOLINE TANKER IE 1/2 MILE AHEAD .

SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE TWO HANDS AT ALL CONSTRUCTION AREAS .

I THINK YOU WILL LEARN IT DRIVES OK FOR WHAT IT IS . A 30 YEAR OLD HIGH , WIDE , SHORT, BOX CHASSIS WHICH IS EXCELLENT WITHIN ITS DESIGN ..

I LOVE OURS AS IT IS .

FEEL FREE TO CALL JACK FINN 248 XXX 789XXXXXX3803

Well said. ...........but you don't have to YELL!

quote:

ZERO SLOP ANYWHERE

And that leads me to the next question, asking rhetorically... "after replacing all the suspension parts noted, do you think that the decades of surface rust on the control arms are allowing for any additional deflection" ? and "what about the springs and air bags"? "how about that control arm mounting shaft"?

For the P30 chassis, the general shape of the control arm matches that used on the 1 ton version of the Suburban. So things from the after market can fit. But there is more to it as well. The parts sites list "without Motorhome Chassis", so presumably Chevrolet used a higher quality steel or a thicker steel to limit deflection...

On your Oshkosh, there is probably a similar set of ideas that can be had.

"I LOVE OURS AS IT IS . "

True love is a beautiful thing!!!!
Matt

I have several friends who have newer RVs with Ford gas chassis. Several of them had complaints of excessive swaying on the road. They said they found some info on rear sway bars (ie panhard bar)

My friend Harry had a 30 ft Thor and installed a panhard bar on the rear axle. He claimed a noticable reduction in sway. Not too expensive and quite effective.

Given the age of your Oshkosh chassis they may not be readily available but one could be fabricated to fit yours. Might help

Trivia: This chassis started life as the Dodge M600, then they stopped making them. John Deere then got the rights and then decided to get out of the highway business and turned this project over to Oshkosh. Somewhere along the line John Deere changed the steering gears and started having some problems. Memory is slipping a bit.

I certainly agree with the idea of replacing the various suspension components that wear with age. But I disagree with two points.
Tire Pressure. I've had extensive talks with engineers who work for Michelin, Firestone,etc. How much weight a tire can manage for optimum results, is a known thing. To inflate tires to handle hundreds of pounds more than is on them will cause premature wear in the center of the tire and also cause handling difficulties because the foot print of the tire in contact with the pavement is much smaller.
Second.

quote:

I THINK THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURED OSHKOSH MADE THE CHASSIS AND SUSPENSION THE BEST IT COULD AND CAN BE

The assumption is that the chassis was designed for the specific purpose it is used for,and that the engineers designed it based on good engineering principles, not on cost/benefit analysis.
I was a steel engineer working with many engineering companies for over 30 years. What you get is not always what you should get. That is why there are aftermarket components much better than what was originally designed.
Lastly, in my business, I drove over 3 million miles during 3 decades without one accident. While that made me a pretty good driver, I couldn't design a front suspension for a motor home if I had to. But I could tell you what steel to use for the various components requiring steel and certain design parameters for those components.

This is Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Finn:
DRIVE 20 MILES SLOWER THAN EVERYONE ELSE...
SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE TWO HANDS...

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The speed limit is now 70 miles per hour in most areas. Add ten MPH to get your 80 mph. Most folks think that speed limit is a suggestion or are exempt from the law. So driving 20 MPH slower equates to about 60 miles per hour. Then consider: The fact that many of these rigs were built when the speed limit was 55.

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One arm drivers are headed for the church aisle, some walk down the aisle, others will be carried.

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Now with that information Jack your bride may decide to ride with you instead of taking the air bus to the destination to meet you there.

Guys,

Thanks for all the replies. I will let you know what happens. Right now my rig is in the shop getting tie rods and king pins replaced.

I bought a Barth for two reasons. Aircraft grade aluminum body and the pride of ownership that shows through in these posts.

Dan P.

quote:

Originally posted:

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The speed limit is now 70 miles per hour in most areas. Add ten MPH to get your 80 mph. Most folks think that speed limit is a suggestion or are exempt from the law.[/QUOTE]

Out here in the West/Midwest speed limit IS 75-80 MPH on freeways on interstate highways. Trucks speed limit is the same as automobiles except in California or where posted differently. Most truckers that are owner/drivers are driving 65-70 MPH, that is their sweet spot is for best mileage.

I also drive 65-70 MPH one handed and on cruise control. I keep safe distance between me and ANY vehicle ahead of me, I know my stopping capability and do not over drive it!

To each hi/her own!

I cannot find Rusty's post on fuel mileage, but I did find this.

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55 not only saved lives it saved fuel and maybe less climate change? There are many government and private studies that show speed kills.

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Speed KILLS and it was proven here in Youngstown, traffic cameras saved lives. If you are breaking the law it does not matter how you get caught. Safety is the important factor here. How many times were you breaking the law and did not get caught? Obey the law of the land.

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Many trucks have governors set to 65 miles per hour.

Back in the olden days when I was better looking and had less sense, believe it or not I did a lot of speeding, had to go to drivers school for being a multi-ticketed driver a couple of times.

Point being, now when behind the wheel in Nose, it feels plenty fast to be going 60/65 and watch the gas gauge drop! However if I am alone in the Miata it still feels like 100 is a nice safe speed!!! Would that be considered breaking the law, if no cops are around???

Going through Chicago in the fast lane if you are not doing at least 90, people behind you are flashing a finger!!

quote:

Originally posted by Duane88:
However if I am alone in the Miata it still feels like 100 is a nice safe speed!!! Would that be considered breaking the law, if no cops are around???

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The answer is YES, you are breaking the law. It would be unlucky if you were to run over a child chasing a ball if on a rural road. Then again if some one lost a tire or exhaust, or the mattress they are hauling,on the interstate you would have a contributing factor in any accident if you hit them or whatever they lost.

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Speeds that excessive belong on the track in controlled circumstances, not on the highway where you are endangering others lives and yours.

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Sorry for the thread drift Dan P. I had all the suspension parts replaced on my Gillig chassis. Everything, including airbags, shocks, and suspension bushings. I even rebuilt the power steering pump. I also run nitrogen instead of compressed air in the tires. The Gillig still will "rut track" and wander. These rectangular boxes were never built for speed. Barth is built for comfort, so enjoy the ride.

I am glad that our travels do not plan for us to go anywhere near Chicago!!!!!-----