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Should I Worry About The Noise That Is Coming From The Suspension Of A Class A Motorhome?
by Bob
(Shelby Twp Mi)
I'm currently looking at purchasing a 2005 Fleetwood Terra Class A (21K Miles) wide body with the 8.1 L Work Horse Motor. I just drove it and it appeared to handle very well on the roads and Highways (65MPH), it has steer-Safe installed. Well I have never had a Class A before, and there seems to be about 1 to 2" of play in the steering wheel, as well as a lot of noise (Spring and ratchet) from the front end when turning and backing up.
It tracks well and stays straight on the road; my question is this normal out of a Class A with Steer-Safe installed???? The seller (second owner) states that it’s been like that since he bought it 2 years ago, he appears to be very honest but not a mechanic. Feedback please.......
ANSWER: Greetings Bob thanks for asking your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.
If the front end noise and steering play 0f 1" to 2" is as you have described, then in my opinion no it is not normal. Before purchasing this motorhome I would have the whole suspension system inspected by a qualified mechanic. The problem could be a simple inexpensive fix or it could end up being a major repair depending on what problems are found on the suspension system.
The fact that it tracks well going down the road has everything to do with the motorhome having the aftermarket Steer Safe® Systeminstalled on it (this is an excellent product by the way). It does not mean that the suspension does not have problems. Only a qualified mechanic can tell you that.
What any person needs to do before purchasing a used RV is perform a Used RV Inspection. You can hire a company to do the inspection for you or you can do the inspection yourself. Please visit our Used RV Inspection Page to get the guidelines on what needs to be inspected on a used RV.
Since there appears to be a known problem with the suspension you definitely need to have the suspension checked by a mechanic that specializes in suspension.
Don't forget if you find other problems with the motorhome, you need to find out how much it will cost to fix them. You also need to negotiate with the seller to adjust the selling price of the motorhome based on the problems you find.
Happy RVing
RVing Al