Towing with RV

I bought a Class C Ford E350 motorhome to tow with to the track It does a nice job, but am looking to do some upgrades to the factory stuff to help it drive better. I've been looking at larger front and rear sway bars, steering stabilizer shock and rear track bar. It currently has factory front and rear sway bars and a steering stabilizer on it. Any of you guys that tow with an rv and have done any upgrade which upgrade has helped the most? I would like to try and eliminate the feel you have thru the steering wheel of the Ford I beam suspension. Also try and help eliminate some of the sway when getting passed on the highway. I do have a weight distribution hitch with sway control. It tows nicely and even this weekend wasn't too bad considering I had a crosswind while towing.

Air bags all 4 corners. The life span is 4 to 6 years. Handles so much better.

#1: Rancho 9000 adjustible shocks so you can dial them in to your liking.
#2 biggest rear sway bar you can get.

I found air bags good at carrying a load, but they can contribute to the boat in the waves feel.

While I don't know I would assume your rated towing capacity is about 5,000 pounds.

Most race rigs weigh more than that.

If that is the case you might want to look at reinforcing the rear frame of the coach and perhaps upgrading the brakes on the coach and trailer if possible.

My particular RV is rated at 7,000. I'm prob right there at that weight limit. The previous owner swapped out the factory hitch for a heavier one, along with beefed up the rear frame and what not. The rv stops just as well as my 2500 ram did pulling the trailer, just trying to get it drive more like a dodge and less like a ford.

You might want to check the toe. A little extra toe in can really straighten them out. Or if it is toed out, it will never go straight. How many miles on it?

Its a 2020 with 6,500 miles.

Oh, that's way to new for me to know anything about...

Is yours a 2wd or 4wd..if you have the tires on the front I think you have.. they tend to wander around
take a pic of the front tires

Its 2wd. It has Michelin tires on it. The photo isn't my RV, but is one just like it. I'm at work at the moment and can't take a pic of it.

Those tires are hard as rocks.. make sure they are not solloped

4 Bilsteins, then 4 air bags,then see if you feel the need for anything else.

BUTTTT oGO ... gotta have LOTS of frame meat for the hitch

I never pulled with a motor home. I looked at several, and finally went with a pop up truck bed camper, in my dodge diesel, to pull my 28 foot race car trailer. I will have to second the air bags, it really helped my truck drive nice with the load I carry. Car and trailer is 12,000 lbs, and the camper is right at 2,000 lbs Sway bar hitch if you don't have one helps as well. Mine has a anti sway bar with it as well.

My motorhome is only a 25 footer so I added the best hitch offered and bought a “Trailer Toad”. It makes hauling an enclosed trailer so much safer. I started out with a 23 foot one with a Chevy 400 engine and it towed my open trailer great. They I bought a 27 foot one with a 460 Ford engine and it was a PIG. Then I found the 25 foot one 2001 with a fuel injected big block Chevy and this thing is a powerhouse. Man it tows my loaded 26 foot trailer great.

Following this topic as I have an '08 E450, ad hope to tow my open aluminum car hauler.



Can you describe what it is you are feeling with this? My brother has an E450 chassis that is much newer than mine (2019?), and he has no complaints, and does not feel it has any peculiar habits. Mine doesn't seem right, but it's the first twin I beam truck I've had, so I don't know what is normal and what is not.

I've only driven the rv from the dealership home and than from home to the track and back so I'm still learning. But just driving the rv either with or without a trailer when you hit a bump in the road you feel it in the steering wheel (almost like there's not steering damper). I think this is just natural due to Ford's front suspension. I've always driven Dodge trucks so they have a much better more comfortable feel to me. A buddy of mine has a 01 Ford E350 and he upgraded the steering damper and front shocks to Bilstein and said the shocks made a world of difference. Being a 01 it may of still had the original shocks so that maybe why such and improvement. Seems RV manufactures just take the chassis from Ford and add the RV body and don't really upgrade the suspension for the extra weight. From an RV site it seems the most popular upgrades are:

Assure tire pressures are per manufacture for how the RV is loaded
Front end alignment
Heavy Duty Front Sway Bar
Heavy Duty Rear Sway Bar
Heavy Duty RV Shocks
Aftermarket Steering dampner
Rear Trac Bar

Being my RV is a 2020 with only 6500 miles I wouldn't think the shocks and steering damper would be worn out yet. I already have a front and rear sway bar (although they are about 2/3 the size of the heavy duty aftermarket ones) I'm thinking of adding a Rear Trac Bar and going from there. Most of the way to the track is a normal 2 lane road but speed limits are 50-55mph. When trucks (even pickups) come the opposite direction I can really feel the air move me around. It's not white knuckle or anything, but more than I think it should be.

When I bought my B1500 high top van it had 142k on it. Still had original shocks. Replaced them almost immediately with some Monroe gas shocks on sale from Rockauto. It drove better, but still had an issue maintaining a lane on the interstate if an 18 wheeler passed or with a moderate side wind. Once I could afford the Bilsteins I put them on and it made a night and day difference. Little to no sway anymore, and can maintain a lane driving with one hand and actually relax and enjoy the ride. It isn't about shocks being worn out on a 2020. It is about better parts being available that are more suited to the job. Don't take my word for it though. Check out some of the RV forums and the reviews those that have installed Bilsteins give them.

Air bags are generally not an issue with that as far as I am aware.. They don't even have to be mounted in direct contact with the frame. A crossmember could be made to go between the rails on top, with the bottom bag pad placed directly over the axle. I've had them on 3 different vehicles now, and the ability to level the load with the air bags makes things a lot more stable and safe.

Dodge puts real springs in everything they make, that's why they handle so well.

Ford builds their RV chassis for old people that want a smooth ride. My F53 Class A is the same thing: soft springs, no road feel, mediocre handling. I actually had to put an extra rear leaf on the double-slide side of the machine because it was sagging.

Stiffer front springs are the only cure in your case and in mine. I've decided to live with mine the way it is and just gloat in the fact that a Ford will never match a Dodge in the handling department.

Keep in mind, your RV is light for what you are asking it to do. They are more ideal for towing a Smart car or fiberglass boat, not 5000 plus pounds of car hauler, race car, and tools. No hitch upgrade will fix this either. They Factory rate the hitch for a reason (brakes, transmission, frame, cooling and weight) and match it to DOT expectations.

Could be worse: you could have bought one of them wimpy Blunder Motors RVs. Lol, they don't even make a Class "A" anymore because of how lousy they were.

2017 E450 based here. Somewhat larger than yours. I flat tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee. When I first got it I found it to be almost undrivable with or without the jeep on the back.
For some reason the Rv dealer thought the tire pressure should be 50 psi. Since these big class C rigs approach max weight when loaded with all your stuff the pressure on the door sticker works way better. To get it closer requires a four corner weigh. Next was alignment. Ford aligns the bare chassis so it can be driven. The RV manufacturer does NOT realign it when they are done adding all their weight and neither does the dealer.
When you get it the alignment is way off and it wanders all over the place. I took it to a well respected truck tire and alignment shop and when they were done it was like night and day. Mostly it was toed out bad from the dealer.. It is now driveable without white knuckles, even one handed. It still pushes and pulls a little when trucks pass but nothing like it was. I still might put Sumo springs on it and/or a rear track bar. The Sumo springs are supposed to calm down the side to side roll and the track bar is supposed to reduce the push and pull from passing trucks.

If I was you I would work on tire pressure and alignment before you buy any expensive parts that may or my not help.

Good luck.

Everyone will have varying opinions on these chassis I guess.

While I've never had the opportunity to drive an old M chassis, I have driven the GM P-chassis and Ford F53 chassis. Too bad, as from what I understand, the M was a well engineered chassis, and owned much of the '60s/'70s RV market.

The F53, with a solid beam front axle, has been called a LOT of things over the years. But I have NEVER heard anyone call it softly sprung or smooth riding. It's a conestoga wagon compared to a more modern independent designs. As for needing an extra leaf on one side, the chassis manufacturer has no way of know how evenly (or unevenly) the upfitter will load the thing. If your coach builder put an excess of weight on one side without compensating for it, then I'd say your issue is with them, not Ford.

GM closed all of it's medium duty operations as a cost saving measure. At the time of it's sale, it was a very popular chassis in the market place. The P chassis business was sold to Workhorse, who continued to build it (even improving it with a wider front track) for many years. That was eventually bought by Navistar IIRC, and they eventually closed it down, possibly with the demise of the GM big block. With no 8.1L power, and no gas engine of their own, there would not have been much choice. We had two in the family, with zero issues with either. If they have an Achilles heal, it's that stupid self-applying drum park brake on the back of the transmission. Workhorse pretty quickly made the move to an Allison trans behind the 8.1L, eliminating the troublesome park brake.

If getting out of the RV chassis busy in a sign the design was bad, I'm not sure where that leaves the Dodge M series, as they didn't make it past the Carter era. Or the Deere chassis for that matter.

I have an 05 F450 28' Class C with a V10 and it pulls my 24' enclosed great unless it's a windy day. Came home yesterday from the outer banks of NC and it was white knuckle all the way. Most days though not a problem at all.. It takes a while to get used to the feeling of towing the box behind you but with what you have it's a good setup. I would suggest to get rid of the Michelin tires though. That are the worst tires for any motorhome period. Every time I have used them the tread comes off like a darn recap. I have changed brand new Michelins every time I buy a motorhome with them on there. Just my opinion but be warned ..

What brand have you switched too that you like?

Part of the problem might be a Ford pulling Mopars to the track.....

What, is the world coming to?

We got a Ford towing a Mopar and a Mopar towing a Ford, I guess we have things a little mixed up. Atleast the Mopar is in a box so you can't see that it has a Ford towing it haha.

You picked your car up nicely, it looks good going down the track.

General makes a great tire that will handle the weight. I have Firestone Trans Force on my rig right now and can't say enough good things about them.

I was towing with this beast....

Thanks finally got it working good. Hey I have no room to talk I towed to the races for years with a damn Chevy.....

Towing with my motorhome was one of the best moves I ever made. I take my house with me every time I go. My wife likes the comfort and when you walk in the door you are home. . Most times I will spend the night at the track or a local camp ground because it pretty far for us to travel to get to a track now. It don't matter what your tow vehicle is powered by as long as you have Mopar stickers on your Trailer. LOL

My RV and I have a love/hate relationship. The only thing I work on more than the racecar is the motorhome...lol.

I would check out irv and I'm sure there is a facebook group specific for your motorhome. The Monaco facebook group and irv have been lifesavers for me.

Walking around the pits and seeing what folks are towing and knowing what they are rated makes me cringe.

My wife is GVWR expert after shopping RV's for about a year and she points them out to me now.

ProTip - Always add the AquaPure to the clean Water Tank and always filter the water going in with one of those campco filters.

I bet she has a fit when she see me towing with my LOL