The SuperSteer® Vision
We best serve retired or independent people who are motor home, tow car and trailer owners, ready to do some serious traveling in their RV’s.
History of SuperSteer®
& Henderson’s Line-Up
& Henderson’s Line-Up
My name is Robert Henderson. I am current President & CEO of SuperSteer® & Henderson’s Line-Up, Brake & RV Inc.
My father, Floyd Henderson founded out business forty-five years ago in 1961 as a means to provide for the needs of our family, which included eight children and his wife, Ann.
He had a vision of doing good quality work at fair prices and providing a trade for his sons. He provided alignment steering and brake work for just about any vehicle he could get in our shop. I am sure it was providential that Interstate 5 was just being built above our shop and we had one of the first on-the-car, high-speed balancers in town.
A lot of things have changed since that day in the spring so long ago in 1961. Dad can no longer work because of Parkinson’s disease. You can be sure he would still be here if he could.
Mom faithfully helped Dad run the business up to the time they sold the land, housing our shop and home, in 1977. Now she serves the man she loves taking care of his needs and her household faithfully.
The growth of SuperSteer® & Henderson’s
Henderson’s now includes our Super Steer® Manufactu-
ring & Distribution Company, and a Training Institute in addition to Henderson’s.
Yes, things have changed a lot however, the things that are important have not changed, like honesty and integrity and giving the customer peace of mind while on the road. Honesty wasn’t a policy with Dad; it was a way of life.
Treating people fairly and going the extra mile to care for our customers are things that we never will change. Dad and Mom certainly went the extra mile with me when I went through so much sin and rebellion growing up. I will be forever grateful to them for not giving up on me.
At SuperSteer® we will always strive to think the best, give the best, believe the best and expect the best from ourselves as well as our customers.
In the late 80’s our mother company, Henderson’s Line-Up, took a decided change as we literally stumbled across the most difficult and challenging opportunity we have ever been involved in. What was it? Servicing the steering and suspension and braking needs of the Recreational Vehicle Industry.
When we first started doing motor homes, a lot of them were Dodge Class-C mini motor homes. They had no anti-sway bars plus a steering gear and brake system that were very problematic. The Chevy Class A Chassis was primarily being used. This chassis has been the biggest source of opportunity for us once we got the idiosyncrasies figured out.
The beginning of SuperSteer® products
The product solutions for these vehicles put us in the manufacturing business and opened the door to our SuperSteer® aftermarket and distribution system.
Our Chevy/Workhorse P30-32 steering support assembly featured tapered roller bearing design, producing a part that we could say, “Satisfaction guaranteed and a lifetime warranty for as long as you own your coach”. This is the warranty that we have been able to put on almost every part we have produced since 1990. God has been faithful to either give us the inspiration or bring people to us who had good ideas.
One of the biggest frustrations we had to deal with was the unpredictability of the way one coach would drive compared to doing the same upgrades or changes on the same chassis on another vehicle.
There are so many variables in the wheel base length, overhang past the rear wheels, and varied weight placement of the generator, tanks, slide outs and appliances that we pulled our hair out. It was very important for us to accurately predict what the finished product would drive like before we made any corrections. We hate unmet expectations.
We realized that we had to find the “Common Denominator” of a good handling coach. We designed a systemic approach to determine what the numbers needed to be to have a good handling vehicle.
We trademarked the process and we now call it the RPA® (Road Performance Assessment).
We go through a discovery process to accurately determine what the real concern of the coach owner is and let our specially trained technicians see how the foundation of this “Home on Wheels” performs over a variety of road conditions. Weighing the coach and a very thorough inspection of all the components under the vehicle follows the road test.
It is especially important to note that the coach owner is right next to us during every phase of this process. I feel that the RPA® is perhaps the most significant contribution we have made to the alignment and suspension aftermarket profession.
The RPA® has been so successful, other dealers have begun to sign on so their operations can offer a higher level of service. You can see the first RPA® Centers listed here.
The SuperSteer® approach
I believe the most important thing we owe the customer is an accurate diagnosis followed by the education to help them choose their best options. With proper information, this allows the customer to make an informed decision regarding a service or upgrade procedure no matter how big or how small it is.
The biggest problem we see in our industry is failure to take this systemic approach in the diagnostic process. We sometimes call this the “Magic Bullet” approach. Sometimes it works but most often it does not. In every profession, some sort of system where a holistic or integrated approach needs to take place.
Synergy is created when we get the different systems to function in harmony. Our goal is to create synergism where the customer’s coach has optimum handling while providing optimum comfort.
This is not always attainable with the wrong type of suspension or wrong vehicle for the application. Sometimes it is in the customer’s best interest to tell him or her that it would not be in their best interest to use this vehicle for their plans.
Design purpose and function are crucial to achieve the desired result. This means we must take the time to invest in the relationship side of the equation and spend the customer’s money like it was our own money to do our best to give the proper recommendations.
The better we are at building the “Bridge of Trust” between our customers and each other leads to true success. This is not the result of our technical knowledge as important as that is. When we do the right thing for the right reasons we find our needs are met as well as the needs of our customers. We are not perfect and we openly admit it. Our customers are not perfect either and we can learn each day by forgiving each other.
The direction of SuperSteer®
& Henderson’s Line-Up
& Henderson’s Line-Up
Our goal is that when our time is up as stewards of His business, we will be able to make a running handoff to the future generation to run this business. This will allow them to go much further than we can or much further than they could if they had to start all over again.
SuperSteer®
Division of Henderson's Line-Up
458 Redwood Highway
Grants Pass, OR 97527
- Phone us at: 541-955-0769
- “800″ Phone: Toll-free - 888-898-3281
- Fax us at: 541-476-3851
- SuperSteer Tech Line: 541-955-0769
- SuperSteer Order Line: Toll-free - 888-898-3281
- Office Hours: (PST) 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mon-Fri; Closed Noon
to 1 p.m. If you call after hours, we'll call you back. If you’re driving & unfamiliar with the Grants Pass area, see a map here
E-mail us and tell us what you need at:
Monday - Friday 7 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Closed Noon to 1 P.M.
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