Any sightseer owners?

[cptmdnt]

I have a 2005 sightseer 35N, have had a few problems,and I am considering trading up or doing some upgrading on this one. I am looking for some advice from anyone who owns or knows anything about these rigs. I am new to rving, and can use all the info I can get.
Thanks

 

[cptmdnt]

I have a 2005 sightseer 35N, have had a few problems,and I am considering trading up or doing some upgrading on this one. I am looking for some advice from anyone who owns or knows anything about these rigs. I am new to rving, and can use all the info I can get.
Thanks

 

[rick_od]

I have a 2003 Sightseer 30B. What information are you looking for???

 

[Y-Guy]

I'm probably not of great help as a new Sightseer owner, but ask away you may find from non-sightseer owners here too. Welcome aboard!

 

[cptmdnt]

Hi Guys, Thanks for responding.First I had a porpoising problem. The coach would bounce from end to end, 4 new gas shocks cured that problem after much arguing with the dealer. The only other complaints I have are: 1 the coach sways from side to side and 2 It just seems to ride hard, the only thing I have to compare it to, is my experience in a minnie winnie 29 classc that I owned previously, which rode beautifully. I have the 20700lb workhorse chassis, I've been told that the heavier chassis would not sway and that putting larger wheels and tires on it would improve the ride. Are these common problems with these coaches? I know that the shock problem is.

 

[Y-Guy]

I'm wondering if the Steer Safe or Super Steer Rear Stabilizer Bar might be a less expensive way to go? You may want to post on the Workhorse forum too.

 

[KirbyRVA]

Agree with Y Guy that you may want to inquire on the Workhorse forum since the problems you describe are more related to the chassis than the box that Winne built.

Related to the harsh ride, if you have not already done so, suggest you load your rig for travel (including fuel and fresh water), weigh the rig, then adjust tire pressures using the tire manufacturer's load/inflation charts. If you are using max/near max tire inflation, that will transmit every bump and dimple in the road. Based on your actual loaded weight, you could perhaps safely lower pressure some, which may improve the ride. Individual wheel weights are best if you can find scales that will let you do that.

 

[JD Allen]

I have a 2005 Sightseer 29R on a 2006 Ford F53 Chassis. I have no handling problems with my chassis. The chassis did come it some kind of steering stabilizer shock mechanism but I can't say if it is a Steer Safe or some other brand. My Sightseer tows my boat and car trailer with no handling problems with either the motor home or the trailer.

Good luck. I hope you can work out your problems.

 

[Gary the Wombat]

My 26P rides great with the stock Bilstein shocks. Suggest you check tire pressure is in accordance with your weight. Other than that, maybe a heavier sway bar might help with side to side sway.

It's not going to handle the same as your old Minnie Winnie, plus towing a toad will have some effect--does it really bother you so much, or do you think you can just get used to the different ride?

Our Sightseer is our first RV, so we don't have anything to compare to, so all above is just my thoughts--I wish you well and good luck with your rig.

 

[cptmdnt]

Thank You all for the information. I will check the tire pressure and I'll do some research on sway bars. As far as towing is concerned, the coach doesn't seem to drive any differently with or without the jeep behind it. I don't even know it's behind me. Thanks again.

 

[Outbumn]

Happy New Year,

We had a 2004 Sightseer 35N. We traded it for a Suncruiser. We had the same problems. Put new shock on the front that got rid of the bounce, but made it ride hard. Was always sawing at the wheel while driving, but after installing a Henderson rear trac-bar was able to steer with 1 hand.

We felt the Sightseer was a Good value. This was our first Rv also. But we decided to trade up early instead for investing a lot of money into it that we would not see a return on.

 

[Clay L]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by cptmdnt:
I have a 2005 sightseer 35N, have had a few problems, and I am considering trading up or doing some upgrading on this one. I am looking for some advice from anyone who owns or knows anything about these rigs. I am new to rving, and can use all the info I can get.
Thanks </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

My 2004 35N has never porpoised but did roll pretty badly at low speeds if the front wheels hit uneven pavement or ruts until I replaced the 2 inch front stabilizer bar with a 2.5 inch.
The 2.5 inch bar became standard in late 2004 or early 2005 so yours should have it, but you might want to check it.

The 35N has been a good unit for us. It has more external storage (126 cubic feet) and CCC (2800 lbs with two people onboard) than any other 35/36 foot gasser model in 2004. The more expensive models were heavier and had basement air which reduced the external storage and or CCC.
We were originally going to buy an Adventurer, Brave or Chieftain but couldn't get the storage and CCC combination we wanted in anything else.

Now we would like to have more CCC but have decided we like the Sightseer so much that for the present we are not going to get a diesel pusher.

 

[cptmdnt]

Outbumn: I have been considering the same thing. I don't really want to sink any money into this coach. I had been looking into the Journey and the Adventurer. Is the Suncruiser the same as the Adventurer? How do you like your Suncruiser? I felt that the Sightseer was a good value also, but I have to say I am a little disappointed. Our first RV was a Minnie Winnie 29. I was very pleased with it, but we wanted more space. We had it less than a year and traded up to the Sightseer, maybe I expected too much from an entry level Class A.

 

[FrontRangeRVer]

We liked our 2005 Sightseer 30B, but we like our 2006 Voyage 35A much better (including the basement air, which is much better located)

The Sightseer is a good value for an entry level motorhome.

 

[rick_od]

My '03 Sightseer is my first RV. So I have nothing to compare it too. I have had it less than a year. I did not have it weighed right away. It is on a P-32 18,000# chassis. I filled the Michelin XRV's as if the fornt axle had 6,000# on it and the rear axle had 12,000# on it. I would routinly set the cruise control for 65mph. The previous owner had the origional Bilstiens and steering stabilizer changed to a 3T's aftermarket setup (I don't know if this makes it better or worse). I found it to ride a little hard in the front end and it tends to wander around in my lane. Since having it weighed, I have lowered the tire pressures and the ride is not as hard. I have also installed a DIY rear trac bar which has helped. The next thing I want to do is replace the factory bell crank with a SuperSteer bell crank and replace the factory front spring / airbag arrangement with a set of SuperSteer springs. That way I could have the front end aligned and not have to worry about anything. I have also noticed that lowering the cruise speed to 60-62 has made a big difference in ride quality and mpg's. I just bought a Safe-T-Plus on Ebay for $85 that I have not received yet. My longterm wish list includes Koni FSD's for the front. The Bilstiens on the rear seem to be working fine.

 

[charlie78]

We have a 2003 Sightseera 30 B
and love it . We have had it 6 months and have had verry little problems. I had a 28 ft class C before and this rides a lot better. I have not done anything about the shocks but after reading this foarm I might in the future. The only time I notice any rear sway was on a small two lane rd thst leads us to our subdivision . The rear tire got on the side a little bit and I had a hard time and motion getting it back to the center of my lane. On main roads pulling the toad its a breese. We looked for over two years at entery level class A and me and the wife always came back to the Sightseer. It just seemed the best bang for the buck . With mine beeing only 31 ft total length maybe I dont have the over hang the the 35 ft ones have and maybe that is the difference. I have a Ford f53 chassie and 23,000 miles on it . It had 18,000 miles on it when we bought it in July . We did not need all the extras that moving up the line gets you . But some day we will move up the winnie line. But for now just me the wife and the 8 lbs Poodle the real boss we are having a ball traveling in it . Hope this ansers all your questions.