GM truck handling upgrades

For those of you that follow my posts, you may have noticed that I have been gone from RV.Net for a while. For reasons both personal and professional, I haven’t had the time to sit down and write anything, and for that, I apologize. The good news is that business has been picking up at Henderson’s Line-Up and SuperSteer, and we have a lot of exciting news to share. First and foremost, we are in the process of developing a new website that is much easier to navigate and will feature our own blog page, where you can come in, sign on and post questions or comments (I’ll still be posting here, too).  The new site will also feature an e-store, where you can purchase our products directly. The site is literally days away at this point, and as soon as it is up and running, I’ll be sure and let you know. We also have our new catalogs in, and a supplement that covers our product line designed specifically for trucks. These will be available for free download when the site is completed, but in the mean time you are welcome to call and ask for one, and we’ll mail one out. The new supplement has many new products in it, such as our SS 28559 tie rod for ‘01-current GM 2500 and 3500 series trucks (shown here). The stock tie rod in these applications has a tendency to bend or even break under extreme conditions, such has heavy loading, off-road driving, or both. Our new tie rod offers numerous improvements to the stock part. First and foremost, it is a full... Read more

Coach Slides Vrs. No Slide Units

Slides started showing up in the early ’90’s, but many non-slide coaches were still being purchased.  Today, it would seem that all, or certainly the vast majority of coaches sold, are slide equipped.  There are still coaches offered that do not have slides.  Many entertainer conversions are without slides.  I recently saw a new Prevost conversion that was produced by a converter called “Outlaw” that had no slides.  It wasn’t made as an entertainer’s ride, but a normal conversion with the usual interior look.     So, what would life without slides be like?  It is surprising how roomy one feels.  I went into the “Outlaw” conversion at an RV show in RiverBend, in LaBelle, Florida.  Of course it didn’t look or feel anywhere as large as the many multi-slide rigs that are so common today, but it still felt roomy.  I guess to really appreciate its interior layout you have to realize, this is the size of the RV when camped, or on the road.  The “or on the road” is the big difference here when compared to the multi-slide. All multi-slide rigs are somewhat awkward within the interior while the slides are retracted.  Some are worse than others, but generally, the more and the deeper the slides, the more cramped they are.  The full wall slide may have a slight advantage here when compared to the double same-slide.  They only have two wall points when brought inside instead of four.  There are some advantages... Read more

Tricks for a Trek

The Safari Trek motorhome is one of the most common coaches we see in our shop. Its combination of Class A livability and relatively small size make it a favorite among RVers, and the P32 chassis is a reliable platform when used within its capacity (16,000-18,000 lbs.) It’s not the greatest handling coach, but the good news is, it responds well to some positive changes. Read more  Read More →

Porpoising: What it is, and how to stop it

A guy called me up the other day and told me his Dolphin motorhome was porpoising. I told him it sounded like it was having an identity crisis! (insert rim shot here). Seriously though, porpoising is something we get quite a few calls on, and it is one of those terms that you hear about mostly with regard to RV’s. Porpoising is front to rear bounce; the front hits a bump, then the rear hits the bump, and they both bounce independently of each other, creating an oscillating motion. If the problem is severe enough, it can feel like you’re going to pull the wheels off the ground. The problem is more typical in shorter coaches (low 20-foot to low 30 foot) than long ones. You don’t have as much trouble when you head up to 37 foot and beyond, and we definitely have more problems controlling it on a short wheelbase coach. The reason is that there is more time for the bump to settle out between the front and rear wheels on a longer wheelbase coach. Read more  Read More →

Giving Your Coach a Brake

Many brake problems announce themselves in the form of squeaking, or a pedal that feels squishy or pulsates when depressed. These are obvious signs that you need to have your brakes serviced immediately-but there are some brake problems that can go unnoticed until the real damage is done. Read more  Read More →

Nitrogen Filled Tires. Is It Worth The Bother & Cost?

One of the topics that come up often in the RV community is the use of dry nitrogen in tires. That is, using compressed dry nitrogen instead of regular air.  Is there an advantage to this that warrants the cost?  I think first we have to understand why, and if, nitrogen works better than normal compressed air in an RV tire application. Normal dry air contains mainly nitrogen to begin with, in fact about 78% by volume.  The balance is around 21% oxygen and 1% argon and mixed miscellaneous gases.  Moisture, however, is usually present in this air after it has been compressed.  For that purpose, air compressors generally employ a dryer in order to reduce this.  But, in normal service station tire fill-ups, you can expect an additional product, vapor or humidity, 1 to 5%.  The later being the worst case scenario. Though we can not see them, the air is made up of molecules.  Nitrogen molecules are much larger than those of oxygen.  This, in its self, serves as a benefit when used to inflate a tire.  More on this later. Over 99% of tires in use today are tubeless. Tubeless tires expose the rim to the gases that support the tire.  Over time these gases and vapor can oxidize or rust the rim surfaces.  While such internal damage is slight given the wheel’s life span, it can produce micro metallic pieces or dust.  There is a remote possibility that this debris may eventually end up in the tire valve seat.  This could occur when air is being expelled such... Read more

Tail Wagging, Part II

  Last week’s post on “Tail Wagging the Dog” drew quite a few comments, and I wanted to take the time to clarify a few of the statements that I made with regard to coach handling. Under normal circumstances, our experiences have found that, if the rear of the coach is not responsive on lane changes, gets pushed by passing trucks or has excessive over hang, the rear track bar makes a big difference.  The way we design our rear track bar cuts down a little on the body roll as well. Read more  Read More →

Firedude’s Top 10 best projects

Firedude’s Top 10 best projects/mods and must have’s…. 1. RV Notebook. My RV Notebook software has to be one of the most valuable programs I have to date. I now have all my pertinent files pertaining to my RV all in one convenient location versus several files scattered all over my computer. It’s made life so much easier and efficient. All my maintenance items, upgrades/mods, costs, travel info and everything to do with your RV’ing all in one neat interactive program. You can learn more here. 2. Mobile Broadband. After trying many different types of Internet access including a few years with Direcway (Hughes) satellite I finally went with Mobile Broadband utilizing a usb aircard and broadband router thus giving me my own rolling WI-FI hotspot. No setup time, just turn on the computer and I’m on line. Much better speeds, all my on line banking and bill paying is now a breeze and not affected by weather. The Mobile Broadband has made life so much more simple and enjoyable. It’s mobile so if you have a laptop you can use your connection easily while traveling or away from your RV. I explain this more in my Mobile Broadband Guide. 3. Computer Work Station and cabinet addition. Being I do a lot of work on line I installed and mounted a computer desk in place of one of my recliners. The slides clear it when it comes in and everything is in place with Velcro for traveling. The desk and cabinet are secured in place for travel and pretty much a permanent fixture. I... Read more

Tail Wagging the Dog

Steering problems can manifest themselves in many different ways-and in some instances, it isn’t the steering system that’s to blame. One of the most common problems we address at Henderson’s Line-Up is an issue we call “Tail Wagging the Dog”. It’s the sensation you get when the coach seems to have a mind of its own; you steer the wheel back and forth, and the rear half steers the coach. Read more  Read More →

Steering Play Causes and Cures

Steering free play is probably the number one complaint we hear about from coach owners at our shop. Steering free play is when the steering wheel can be moved back in forth in your hands, but the vehicle is not steering-in other words, there is excessive “play” in the steering wheel. When you stop and consider how many different components are involved in the steering action on today’s motorhomes, it’s easy to understand why steering free play is such an issue. You have the steering wheel, coupler, two-three universal couplings, steering gear, sector shaft splines, the pitman arm, drag link, bell crank, tie rod ends and the tie rod end sleeves. While steering free play can be caused by one of these items, more often it is a cumulative effect, where several components contribute to the problem. We’ve seen everything from an inch or two of play in either steering direction to extreme cases where we wonder how the customer was even able to drive the coach! Read more  Read More →

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