robert5158@att.net Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 Six years ago I added a Blue Ox True Center steering device to my 36 foot 2003 HR Endeavor; which still seems to be working fine !! I've been following discussions about Sheppard/TRW steering boxes recently; got under the coach, and found I have a Sheppard . We haven't taken any long trips in a while, so I'm relying on memory, but do recall after a 6-7 hour day of driving, I wasn't a particularly fun person to spend the evening with........Sitting, engine off, I'd say my steering wheel has about 1 1/2 inches of play before resistance felt, which I understand is within specs. for a Sheppard, but before True Center would kick in ? I'm thinking about a TRW changeover. Guess my question is this; Does anyone feel the True Center, or Safe-T Plus would have a dampening effect on the steering play wander associated withSheppard box ? Appreciate any comments/suggestions. Bob 2003 Holiday Rambler, Endeavor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 In 2013 I had the Blue-Ox TruCenter installed back when the Sheppard box was still on the coach and in my opinion it made no difference in steering improvement. However the TruCenter did help greatly with roads that were crowned or leaned excessively towards the shoulder. I never used it in windy conditions as the winds that I had always encountered were more of the gusty type winds versus the consistent crosswinds which the TruCenter would help overcome. I had the Sheppard Steering Box replaced with the TRW Steering Box in 2017 by Barry at Josam's in Orlando. The TruCenter was removed when the TRW Steering Box was installed and frankly I haven't missed it at all. I Also run Tyron Bands on the steer tires so I don't feel that either the Safe-T-Plus or the TruCenter would add anything to the safety of my coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Nodine Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 12 hours ago, robert5158@att.net said: Six years ago I added a Blue Ox True Center steering device to my 36 foot 2003 HR Endeavor; which still seems to be working fine !! I've been following discussions about Sheppard/TRW steering boxes recently; got under the coach, and found I have a Sheppard . We haven't taken any long trips in a while, so I'm relying on memory, but do recall after a 6-7 hour day of driving, I wasn't a particularly fun person to spend the evening with........Sitting, engine off, I'd say my steering wheel has about 1 1/2 inches of play before resistance felt, which I understand is within specs. for a Sheppard, but before True Center would kick in ? I'm thinking about a TRW changeover. Guess my question is this; Does anyone feel the True Center, or Safe-T Plus would have a dampening effect on the steering play wander associated withSheppard box ? Appreciate any comments/suggestions. Bob 2003 Holiday Rambler, Endeavor Steering stabilizers like the True Center are not correcting any problems with the steering and can actually cause a problem. They can be helpful in the event of a front tire blowout. If you have 1-1/2 inches of dead motion in your steering then time spent at highway speed is very tiring and leads to fatigue. I would highly recommend that you swap the Sheppard for a TRW. If you install the front Watts link and the rear crossbars after the TRW you will think you are driving a different coach. We had a True Center for years and had it repaired twice. It finally started causing handling issues and I removed it. It now rests in the scrap metal pile at the county recycle center. We have the TRW, front and rear Watts links, and the rear crossbars. I no longer worry about crosswinds or road construction and have to force myself to keep the speed down. You can learn more about the Watts links and crossbars at www.monacowatts.com . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivylog Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 With the true center engaged your slop is all in the Sheppard as it’s keeping the tie rod from moving. I had that muck slop in the new to me 08 Navigator and after 3 hours I crawled under and adjusted it to less than 1/2”. Previous owner installed a Safe-T-Plus which after 4K miles I removed as I found it made driving tiring compared to the 88K miles on the same chassis. I made an adjustable mount so I can adjust it on the fly to compensate for cross winds. I would start with a TRW keeping the true center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlelsner Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 (edited) FYI all (if you don't already know) Blue OX True Center steering device has been discontinued! They are still selling until stock is gone only the bracket assemblies. I had to call them this afternoon as I could not find anything on their web pages about the true center,steering. I was told that they have discontinued products that are not for towing! Their phone number is "1-800-228-9289" if you care to verify this information. Edited July 9, 2020 by dlelsner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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