"Mr. Truck" Helps Improve Handling On Gravel Roads

"Mr. Truck" Helps Improve Handling On Gravel Roads PICKUPS Accessories 27-4-17 Kent Sundling, better known to many as "Mr. Truck", says he's driven a "few million miles" on gravel roads and considers them the most dangerous roads that exist. He has come up with a couple of ideas to make them safer. One reason pickups and vans are hard to handle on gravel roads is that their rear axles are generally narrower than their front axles. He recently tested a rear-wheel alignment system called "Correctrack" that he says helps correct this front to rear tracking problem. The Correctrack system, from Correctrack, Inc., is basically a spacer designed to go between the wheel and the hub. Sundling says the spacers are very easy to install. He tested them on a 1997 Ford F-250 4-WD crew cab diesel, which has a rear axle that's a full 3 in. narrower than the front axle. "I could immediately tell the difference," he writes. "The ruts didn't pull the truck and the washboards didn't make the back axle jump from side to side. Turning corners was also different, with less rear sliding. With a trailer on the truck, I could feel the better control with less oversteer needed to drive straight. I was surprised at how dramatic the change felt." Sundling also tested Correctrack on other pickups, and says the results were similar. After adding Correctrack to the '97 F-250, he also tested Centramatic balancers on the front wheels (www.centramatic.com). Centramatic balancers automatically balance the wheels, and can even adjust for changing conditions, like ice, mud or snow built up in the wheels. They slip easily onto the hub behind the wheel and consist of round tubes filled with ball bearings in a dampening fluid. "It's hard to keep heavy pickup, truck and trailer tires balanced, especially when they're used mostly on rough roads," Sundling says. Besides continually balancing the wheel, which makes handling easier, the manufacturer claims its Centramatic balancers reduce tire heat by 8 to 10 percent and increase tire life by as much as 50 percent. Centramatic balancers are available for pickups, straight and semi trucks, trailers of all sizes, buses, Jeeps, SUVs, and motor homes. Sundling says whether you're driving gravel roads or highways, you'll notice the difference made by automatic wheel balancers in less handling and driving fatigue. Both products are featured at his website, www.mrtruck.com, where you'll find a lot more information comparing pickups and products designed to improve pickup performance. A set of rear axle Correctrack spacers retails for about $350. You can put Centramatic wheel balancers on all your wheels for about $200. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kent Sundling, Mr. Truck, 1020 Downing Way, Denver, Colo. 80229 (ph 303 288-2082; email: kent@mrtruck.com; website: www.mrtruck.com).

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