Roadmaster Exact Center

[john d shepherd]

I spent a good deal of time on the jeep forums reading the discussions.

I have done a lot of upgrades, including a 5 inch lift and top mount steering. The brackets roadmaster has will not work with my setup. The placement as is currently designed is in the factory location, which is without a doubt the worst location for anyone that leaves the mall parking lots or paved roads.

Bottom line, if your jeep is never off road, then this solution is good. If you go off road...wait until a bracket is developed that will work for a relocation and for the different suspension modifications many jeep owners do.

Roadmaster admitted that they have no experience in the offroad market, and didn't consider the offroad implications of their bracket design. They are actively working to remedy this, and since they are a US based manufacturer, I would expect something to happen within the next 3 months.

Personally, I am going to take measurements, and contact Roadmaster. I know they have a higher PSI in the works, and that is what I would want before I ordered. I have 37" tires, and run them at 10psi off road. This is going to take a lot of force to turn, and is already stressing my OEM power steering pump.

My grandson just gave me pictures of his 1988 Comanche with 12" lift 35 x 12.5 tires and this does have a 125 lb Exact Center, he drives 85mph on the interstate and says it drives like an SUV. He is 26 so keep that in mind. He says it is very good and it was very very bad before the installation of EC. The EC used was an early prototype and not the current single shaft tandem.

 

[redbaron]

His setup looks very similar to how I modified mine. You can see I have relocated mine above the Tie Rod, but below my trackbar. Out of frame is my drag link, which is now mounted higher, so that it is inline better.

By using that adjustment on the tie rod, I should be able to accommodate any size / length necessary.

As long as it fits in the bracket on the left, I should be good to go. Just need to get a higher PSI for my large tires.

 

[john d shepherd]

I spent a good deal of time on the jeep forums reading the discussions.

I have done a lot of upgrades, including a 5 inch lift and top mount steering. The brackets roadmaster has will not work with my setup. The placement as is currently designed is in the factory location, which is without a doubt the worst location for anyone that leaves the mall parking lots or paved roads.

Bottom line, if your jeep is never off road, then this solution is good. If you go off road...wait until a bracket is developed that will work for a relocation and for the different suspension modifications many jeep owners do.

Roadmaster admitted that they have no experience in the offroad market, and didn't consider the offroad implications of their bracket design. They are actively working to remedy this, and since they are a US based manufacturer, I would expect something to happen within the next 3 months.

Personally, I am going to take measurements, and contact Roadmaster. I know they have a higher PSI in the works, and that is what I would want before I ordered. I have 37" tires, and run them at 10psi off road. This is going to take a lot of force to turn, and is already stressing my OEM power steering pump.

 

[john d shepherd]

My grandson just gave me pictures of his 1988 Comanche with 12" lift 35 x 12.5 tires and this does have a 125 lb Exact Center, he drives 85mph on the interstate and says it drives like an SUV. He is 26 so keep that in mind. He says it is very good and it was very very bad before the installation of EC. The EC used was an early prototype and not the current single shaft tandem.

For those who want more mounts here is maybe 50 pictures, some were tests some may have been changed, some might have not been used so this is for ideas and options. EC Pics - Google Drive

His setup looks very similar to how I modified mine. You can see I have relocated mine above the Tie Rod, but below my trackbar. Out of frame is my drag link, which is now mounted higher, so that it is inline better.

By using that adjustment on the tie rod, I should be able to accommodate any size / length necessary.

As long as it fits in the bracket on the left, I should be good to go. Just need to get a higher PSI for my large tires.

View attachment 10398

Is that a stock JL stabilizer now. If it is the ends should work with EC. Roadmaster will make sure you are happy in the end. They do have a limited life time guarantee on everything they sell. They probably have 50000 products so that is saying a lot.
assortment of mounts For those who want more mounts here is maybe 50 pictures, some were tests some may have been changed, some might have not been used so this is for ideas and options.

My grandson just gave me pictures of his 1988 Comanche with 12" lift 35 x 12.5 tires and this does have a 125 lb Exact Center, he drives 85mph on the interstate and says it drives like an SUV. He is 26 so keep that in mind. He says it is very good and it was very very bad before the installation of EC. The EC used was an early prototype and not the current single shaft tandem.

 

[john d shepherd]

Ya’ll let me know when the F150 versions are available (if ever). I’d definitely pay to be able to go backwards while towing, even just a few feet, without worry of something going snap.

MapNerd
The Ford F-150. Is it 4WD?

 

[MapNerd]

MapNerd
The Ford F-150. Is it 4WD?

Yes. For me, I don’t care about the steering stability, that’s just icing. For me, it’s all about being able to back up while towing if I need to.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Yes. For me, I don’t care about the steering stability, that’s just icing. For me, it’s all about being able to back up while towing if I need to.

Backing up IS possible John. Straight line and slowly with Comms between the drivers and it’s just fine.

There is so much false fear about doing this. You’re creeping back extremely slow and, should the TOAD start to caster, simply stop. If necessary, pull forward to straighten the wheels a bit and back up some more. My wife and I use SENA wireless headsets, so constant communication is no problem.

I’ve come down plenty of steep, rocky slopes with a bunch of my 4x4’s, including my latest Raptors. Never once, was the wheel even the slightest “violent” as some would have you believe. The caster effect, in this csse, is the same force…actually more…as simply backing up on a smooth surface in a straight line.

Just yesterday, my best friend confirmed he’s done this dozens of times with him in his Class C and wife in his JEEP with zero problems.

 

[MapNerd]

Backing up IS possible John. Straight line and slowly with Comms between the drivers and it’s just fine.

There is so much false fear about doing this. You’re creeping back extremely slow and, should the TOAD start to caster, simply stop. If necessary, pull forward to straighten the wheels a bit and back up some more. My wife and I use SENA wireless headsets, so constant communication is no problem.

I’ve come down plenty of steep, rocky slopes with a bunch of my 4x4’s, including my latest Raptors. Never once, was the wheel even the slightest “violent” as some would have you believe. The caster effect, in this csse, is the same force…actually more…as simply backing up on a smooth surface in a straight line.

Just yesterday, my best friend confirmed he’s done this dozens of times with him in his Class C and wife in his JEEP with zero problems.

So, I was under the impression that this setup would eliminate the need for a spotter. The situation I am thinking of is the need to do a U-Turn on a road that is almost but not quite wide enough, forcing me to do a three- point turn.

There is a campground in FL that we frequent where there is a median in the highway, with a cutout to allow left-hand turns into the campground, but left-hand turns out of the campground are not possible because of how the cutout is angled. The result is that if you need to turn left out of the campground, you have to turn right and then either make a U-turn at an intersection or eventually turn right down a side street and take a bunch of small side roads to get headed back in the right direction.

The highway is 6-lanes, three in each direction and I’ve never had the guts to try pulling a U-turn for fear of not making it as I’ve seen other DPs much smaller than me do it, but just barely.

If I can avoid it, I just want to eliminate the possibility of getting caught in a weird intersection or turn where I miscalculated or the road is poorly designed and I have to reverse, but to do that someone has to get out and either disconnect or act as a spotter.

I recall @Neal getting caught up in something like this with a particularly acute left-hand turn once and it sounded like one of my worst nightmares.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

So, I was under the impression that this setup would eliminate the need for a spotter. The situation I am thinking of is the need to do a U-Turn on a road that is almost but not quite wide enough, forcing me to do a three- point turn.

There is a campground in FL that we frequent where there is a median in the highway, with a cutout to allow left-hand turns into the campground, but left-hand turns out of the campground are not possible because of how the cutout is angled. The result is that if you need to turn left out of the campground, you have to turn right and then either make a U-turn at an intersection or eventually turn right down a side street and take a bunch of small side roads to get headed back in the right direction.

The highway is 6-lanes, three in each direction and I’ve never had the guts to try pulling a U-turn for fear of not making it as I’ve seen other DPs much smaller than me do it, but just barely.

If I can avoid it, I just want to eliminate the possibility of getting caught in a weird intersection or turn where I miscalculated or the road is poorly designed and I have to reverse, but to do that someone has to get out and either disconnect or act as a spotter.

I recall @Neal getting caught up in something like this with a particularly acute left-hand turn once and it sounded like one of my worst nightmares.

Don’t see how that’s possible. To back up, in a 3-point turn, the wheels of the TOAD would to do a lot of (counter)steering changes as well as lock in place.

 

[MapNerd]

Don’t see how that’s possible. To back up, in a 3-point turn, the wheels of the TOAD would to do a lot of (counter)steering changes as well as lock in place.

Go watch the video at post #9. At 1:09, it shows a Class B pulling a Jeep, backing a Jeep on a curve with the wheels turned.

You usually don’t need more than about 10’ of backing room to set up for a 3-point turn.

It seems possible because Exact Center does not allow the wheels to freely turn out of sync with the motorhome. It always wants to pull the roads wheels center.