Some RVers are always looking for ways to improve the ride and handling of their motorhomes, all the while trying to find the least expensive way to do so. One “cheap fix” we see at our Henderson’s Line-Up shop, and at RV rallies where we do free chassis inspections, is the front anti-roll bar links on the Ford F-53 chassis attached to the rear hole of the sway bar.

Owners do this “free” handling upgrade in the hopes it stiffens up (called “pre-load”) the sway bar and helps mediate unwanted coach body roll. What this cheap fix really does is pre-load the bar too much, and it reduces the range in movement of the bar. This setup more often than not results in breaking the link(s), rendering the sway bar useless.

The best position for the sway bar to do its job most effectively is for the arms to be parallel to the chassis -- not pointing skyward as shown in the Cheap Handling Fix photo above. Eric Beck, a 27-year Master Technician at Henderson’s Line Up, says that “Just changing the angle doesn’t make them work better. It usually does just the opposite so please be safe out there!