LXi Chassis Parrt Number List

[davidbrady]

Yes, you got it Al. The panhard rod is there for lateral location of the drive axle; the four trailing links are there for longitudinal location. In a right turn the weight of the coach pulls on the rod and in a left turn the weight pushes on the rod. On a straight smooth road with no side winds, the rod isn't doing much. On a bumpy frost heaved road the bar is doing a lot, even when going straight. These conditions lead to lots of one-wheel-bump. When one side of the axle is lifted or dropped then forces are applied directly to the panhard rod and into the coach body. This is why stick axles located via panhard rods mounted high above the axle tend to ride rough on patchy surfaces - the road upheaval is being transmitted directly from the axle into the coach frame and body via the panhard rod, bypassing the air springs. So on a straight, but bumpy, or crowned, or windy road there can be a lot of forces on the rod. Also with the bike hanging way off the back your rotational moment of inertia just got bigger so the tugging and pushing on the rod has grown even larger. Without the bar in place, I probably wouldn't drive the coach, doing so puts big stresses on components that weren't designed for it.