Traveling on a Windy Day using the TruCenter

Running from Williams, AZ toward Pahrump, NV means you drop several thousand feet in elevation, and travel in some very open areas. Needless to say, the wind often blows in this area and today was no exception.

 In fact, we had a full cross-wind of a good 20-30 mph at times as evidenced by the flag flying straight out.

Driving a high profile rig, like our motorhome, means that crosswinds need to be considered when driving. Rick has had quite a bit of experience with these rigs, and last winter, added a TruCenter steering stabilizer system (from BlueOx company) and this was the perfect time to see how well it worked. 

The TruCenter is a pressurized steering stabilizer shown above that connects to the steering arm of the coach and keeps the wheels pointed straight ahead unless you want to make a turn. This is certainly helpful in case of a blowout, but also helps the coach track in crosswinds. 

Here is a picture of the TruCenter before installation (from the BlueOx website). Rick installed his TruCenter himself and it was not a super difficult install -- the only hard part is handling the high torque nuts on the plate that connects to the chassis. 

There are several steering stabilizer systems on the market and most help you keep the wheel straight under normal conditions. However, when the wind blows from the side, the coach will tend to drift with the wind. This is where the TruCenter is different. By pushing the button above (I installed it to the left of the driver's seat) while holding the steering wheel so the coach tracks straight, it re-centers the steering. In other words, it will hold the coach straight by compensating for the crosswind. This has worked great for us!

 Driving down the road without having to constantly hold the steering wheel to one side to compensate for a wind is so much more relaxing for the driver. Additionally, there is almost no affect from passing trucks or similar rigs.

 This was really brought home as we crossed the new bridge above Hoover Dam (Orinda took this out of the coach window). Wind gusted down the river valley and we could hear it hit the side of the coach -- but, thanks to the TruCenter, there was no problem at all. This is one of the best additions we have done to our coach and would certainly recommend it.