Ifs

Hey, rfoster, I was not born yesterday....any time I am in a tight situation I always raise the tag.....but I am also curious how much difference that makes. Will have to drive a circle on a dirt lot one day and see.

And yes, that was a nice article.

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Originally Posted by Jon Wehrenberg

Whoa.....don't leap to conclusions about not having any maintenance issues.

The IFS has parts. Lots of parts. It may be built tough, but because it has moving parts it can be expected to have more maintenance issues than a solid axle that has the simplicity of an anvil.

Unless the seat of your pants has the sensitivity of a race car driver or aerobatic pilot it is probable you will not be able to feel any difference between the two axles, but there may be times when a tighter turn radius may prevent you from blocking a highway. But despite that I would not walk away from a straight axle coach if I liked it.

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Thanks Jon. That's more what I was looking for. So the bottom line seems to be that IFS has a tighter turning radius but no detectable difference in ride or handling. Also, there are more maintenance and possibly alignment issues. As for coach selection, it seems like your comment about it being a non-issue is about right.
Hugh

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Originally Posted by Jim_Scoggins

I had a Bluebird with IFS and an older one without. Current coach does not. The IFS coach I had was a pain in the ass--alignment. Since my current coach is a 40 the IFS is a non issue regarding the turning radius. IFS would neither a deal breaker or maker for me.

For the way I use a coach solid axle is fine with me. Less moving parts, the better.

I don't think I can tell the difference in terms of the ride.

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Jim's got it right here. Having driven solid axle coaches, independent suspension coaches and IFS coaches, you can't tell the difference. There is a slight turning radius difference in independent suspension coaches. The better idea here is to plan ahead if possible to avoid situations where that difference matters. Not too long ago in TN I witnessed a POG member heading for a Sewage Treatment Plant to turn around instead of having to venture into the unknown and have to actually learn how to back up his camper with a Toad attached. The old guy said that he had some experience with Sewage Treatment Plants, but no one wanted to know much more than that. It was more fun going off-road in the camper than sit around in a Sewage Treatment Plant anyway.

Yeah, but the old guy just motored around the sewage plant to return to the road all without unhooking, while the other two were actually the ones heading down a gravel road where they could practice their unhooking techniques.

Go back to severing your fingers.

Aha! We have an admission! 'Tis a much better thing to have wood in a camper than to hang around Sewage Treatment Plants. A guy has to wonder about the elderly who hang around such places. IFS or not.

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Two good looking old guys. Especially the senior in black. Bragging about his SS and Medicare benefits.

Ah, one forgets ever so quickly. Indeed this was yet another moment of attempting to explain the workings of a camper to an elderly gentlman in his dotage.

Sure is a nice CC in the background!;)

Anybody talking to you? Go back to sleep.