andyshane
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Posts posted by andyshane
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I have HWH 325 series in my 05 Itasca 33V with Workhorse Chassis.
Can't get all stabilizers up. Usually it is curbside rear that stops about halfway up. All store retractions very slow.
New to this Motor Home.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I just had this problem. Someone suggested it might be low fluid level, ie the reservoir is at its lowest upon full extension. Cold temps, dirt, lack of lubrication could all be factors, too. Good luck. I hope you have a happier ending than us: I pull the leg tomorrow for repack <sigh>
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Having just upgraded to a tag-axle rig, I happily ordered a set of extra sensors from Daryl and Cheri at Lawrence Electronics Sales.
They sell TireTraker TPMS for RVs. I've had great luck with the product; and, when I called to order a new sensor after a catastrophic dolly tire failure launched one into orbit (it faithfully transmitted the loss back to the receiver as it headed off on its one-way doomed flight), Daryl wouldn't hear of me paying. I protested, saying there was no way he in any way was responsible for an arbitrary tire failure, but he held firm (for the tires' manufacturer, Carlisle, it was a different matter).
The icing on the cake: after submitting today's order, I held my breath as shipping and handling was calculated. Such is the fashion nowadays, with vendors gouging the dickens out of customers after they've already committed...
Are you ready for this? USPS standard delivery, packed and shipped, for $2.95.
Now, some two years after my initial purchase, I like my TireTraker system; but I LOVE Lawrence Electronics Sales.
Kudos to Daryl and Cheri!
Followup: I got a personal note from Daryl, in addition to my emailed receipt. It is SUNDAY. They have a customer for life.
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I had a full set of fogged windows in my 2005 Fleetwood. It seems to be epidemic among Hehr windows installed in the mid-2000s.
To me, they didn't seem effectively sealed: two square seals that eventually seperated, allowed moisture in.
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I just switched from no tag to a tag axle and drove the latter 1,000 miles.
Frankly, there is little difference between the two rigs. I found the Fleetwood Excursion to be delightfully stable, like mounted on rails. Our Patriot Thunder is similarly stable; the difference seems to be in the vertical: perhaps due in part to the heavier aft end, the Thunder gently "bobs" its head galloping down the highway.
An interesting footnote: my wife, who is a 50% driver and our preferred harbor pilot (with me marshalling from outdoors), swears that the Beaver has less body sway. Is that a function of the tag? I don't know. As evidence, she says reading without becoming nauseous, while impossible in the Fleetwood, is no problem in the Beaver.
To be fair, I've driven a Prevost, a Revolution and a variety of Monacos with tags and thought they were much more stable than the non-tags driven during the same period.
Still, if a tag comes with the bus you like, go for it. In the grand scheme of things the slightly lower gas mileage and maintenance costs pale compared to the overall price of ownership.
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We have a 2005 Beaver 2005.
The engine is a Cat 325HP. After traveling we have a dusting of soot like material on the inside of the windows and curtains. There is not a noticeable odor during traveling.
The engine exhaust does not appear to be black or heavy sooty.
Has anyone had this issue?
And does anyone have any thoughts on the cause?
I'm living this, as we speak.
First, I found that someone in the past (we bought the rig two weeks ago) had dragged the back end and caused separation of the tailpipe upstream of the muffler.
Plus, it is a little more sooty around the hatchway seams.
I've pulled the hatchways and retaped them (use aluminum air conditioning ducting tape only) after carefully degreasing them and wiping the metallic surface with denatured alcohol.
And I've repaired the exhaust. This is a PhD level exercise, I'd suggest leaving it to the pros. In fact, having the torn corrugated exhaust ducting replaced is on my to-do list, even though I've reshaped and bonded the OEM part.
Last, we're watching the dryer flapper as a possible culprit. On our rig, it is directly above the exhaust. (Also, two open screw holes from the laundry bay into the engine compartment needed to be filled. But, I don't believe that was a factor in our case, even with the exhaust leak, eg they are two tiny 1/8" openings...)
Brett came up with an excellent idea, that of maintaining positive pressure. We were prepared to put aftermarket fairings on our fans so that they can function rolling down the highway; but, in light of his observation, that might being our undoing! Thanks, Brett.
Let's keep each other advised of the outcome, maybe we can help others avoid having soot ingress...
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I didn't realize this problem is so common in cars, and I've been putting up with it for two weeks.
The switch has four speed settings; nothing happens until High is selected.
In the course of troubleshooting, I erroneously decided the switch was at fault using a multimeter, and found a replacement at the local Napa store for $20.
You can already guess: the problem persists with the new switch. That pretty much narrows the search down to the blower motor resistor; but, finding it has been a challenge.
I introduced the problem at iRV2 last night, and a fine guy immediately proposed l look atop the plenum, sent a photo.
Well, Beaver owners, there is a challenge here: our Canadian friends have wedged the connector against the underside of the dash. Then, to compound the difficulty, someone has encased my resistor pack in a huge mass of expanding foam.
Has anyone done this procedure? Any tips?
As the repair progresses, I'll post news so that future owners can be spared the spooling up I've endured...
The AC unit was made by Specific Climate Systems of Fort Worth, amazingly. Not fifteen miles away, as the crow flies. However, they have apparently gone out of business.
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We're in the first week of ownership of a 2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder.
Lots of small problems, most of the flaws in the coach are purely cosmetic.
Until today.
We were showing friends the coach, I'd pulled it out into the sunshine and opened the slideouts. In one basement, there was a puddle of water. Strange, since I'd been in the basement several times in the last week and it had been dry.
Here is the painful part: the puddle and dripping wires right above it were directly under the toilet!
I mopped up the water (about 1/4 cup) with a paper towel, and recalled which plumbing items I'd just used. There'd been just one: the kitchen sink. I blotted up the leakage and gave it a sniff: fresh water. Then, I stretched out dry towels and ran some water through the sink. Sure enough, the towels were again wet. Tracing back along the supply and drain lines with a flashlight, I saw all was dry and snug. The dry lines check progressed along the kitchen cabinet, all the way to the sliding wall section at the end of the slide. Unfastening the moving panel with the help of a friend, we looked into the cluttered area where bundles of electrical lines, the sink drain, and hot & cold water lines all form a graceful loop that plays out when the slide is extended.
My buddy dabbed his fingers in dark wet dirt in the bottom of the bay and held them aloft: "there's your problem, it's wet." Indeed, the drain line was wet, probably leaking from where black PVC was joined with white reinforced rubber tubing. We congratulated ourselves and rejoined others in our party.
Later, after he and his wife had left, I shined a light on the area. The "dirt" was hundreds of black pellets, each 3/8" long and the diameter of a Cheerio. Oh, oh... I immediately called him, told him to wash his hands and not chew his nails.
What took up lodging in that crowded space between kitchen and bath must've been a huge rodent. No signs of hair, nesting debris or extensive damage, just guano.
Now, the million dollar question is, did this visitor gnaw into the drain line in search of water? Replacing the tube will be a bugger-bear, further exploration will determine what work is needed.
I've been all over this coach with a fine-toothed comb, not a speck of insect or rodent droppings anywhere else. This one caught me by surprise.
Take a look at your enclosed spaces, see if you have visitors. Places where they might gain access to water might merit extra attention.
Update:
I'll post a photo of what I discovered in our album HERE. In short, the "rodent" I suspected was working on the Beaver assembly line.
Before bundling the fresh water, drain, and multiple electrical conduits that comprise the "loop" adjacent to our kitchen slide, he/she oriented every hose clamp so that the sharp edges pushed against the underside of our kitchen sink drain hose.
A worm-drive clamp tail was the first to completely penetrate the doomed hose, this time-bomb took 12,000 miles of vibration to activate.
It is not hard (about thirty minutes' work) to expose the loop and cut away all the zip ties holding it together. If your rig is similarly booby-trapped, the time it takes to discover this time-release failure might be worthwhile.
Now, I am removing the damaged section of hose, splicing in a replacement. You betcher bippy my plumbing will be wrapped in some type of anti-chafe cushion material.
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I can't seem to find the reference, but I recall that the cold inflation value in the manufacturer's tables for your tires is based on servicing them at 60F.
In general, colder results in lower pressure at a rate of 1PSI per 10 degrees F. Let's say your chart calls for 105PSI and you're inflating the tires when it's 40F. Theoretically, you'd want to service them to 103PSI. Of course, in real life, you can hardly see 2PSI on the gage...
To recap lots of prior discussions:
- Use the real weight as the rig is normally operated to find the right pressure, never the placard weight limit inside the rig. Those weights are the maximum for which the rig is certified, and the tires may or may correspond to those presently installed.
- Ideally, each wheel is weighed independently, since some folks load their RVs unequally. For most of us, the truck stop scales (they give you weights per axle) are good enough.
- Read the inflation chart from the tire manufacturer carefully. Some use axle-end weight, others us individual wheel weight in their charts.
- The chart values are usually optimum generally, not minimum. Even so, jump to the next higher weight, if on the border between two values.
- Some people add 5PSI in case they drive after some air has bled/leaked. No harm in that, an individual choice.
- If you've read the chart wrong and have a lower pressure than needed, the tire will run hot, ie over 120-130F. Adding air will cool the tire's running temp (can be scanned with a $20 IR temp gage). Remember, the tires running in the shade will trend cool, the sunny side ones, warm.
The 105PSI value sounds a little high for the Expedition. Higher pressure (up to the DOT sidewall maximum, which is only used to inflate towable tires) should'd hurt. It will just give you a rough ride, shrink the contact patch. Since the Expedition should carry almost exactly 2/3 of its weight on the duals, front and rear tires should be loaded about the same and thus need the same pressure. This is not true of many RVs.
- Use the real weight as the rig is normally operated to find the right pressure, never the placard weight limit inside the rig. Those weights are the maximum for which the rig is certified, and the tires may or may correspond to those presently installed.
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Those who think it is unwise to repair something that has failed, as it will fail only again are "glass half empty" people to the max.
The result certainly justifies the expense and inconvenience of the repair.
I'm not sure how the commercial guys are doing it; but, we seemed to have arrested both the creeping and fogging by insetting the seal 1/16" and then applying a ribbon of glazing sealant around the edges. This causes some additional drag on the sliders, but some finesse creating a smooth bead of caulk followed by several days' curing does the trick.
We did another window yesterday, on the kitchen table listening to music. It is perfect, crystal clear.
Yes, most of us don't have the combination of facilities, tools, skills to do this; but, for a fair percentage of owners it is an option whose direct cost is under $20 per window.
[Tools: Single edge blades, leather gloves, safety glasses, latex gloves, box cutter, heat gun, Denatured Alcohol, plasitc scraper, square tip for screwdriver, caulk, aerosol glass cleaner, an old teeshirt, pony bottle of Argon and a cheap regulator, aquarium tubing, roll of window seal, foam weatherstripping tape. Skill required is about the same as replacing a radiator hose, installing a screen door, etc.]
This and other photos are at a Google Album I've put up to give buyers additional pictures.
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I have a 2005 Excursion with the Spartan chassis, it rode well but had some pronounced sway during slow speed maneuvering over uneven pavement.
Putting Koni FSD gas shocks on in place of the OEM Bilsteins, and re-bushing the anti-away bar* made for a dramatic difference.
In addition to getting Brett's info, could you snap a photo of each side of the front axle looking outboard from the center?
* I've programmed retorquing the anti-sway bar fasteners every three months, that seems to help. They tend to loosen, under load.
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Super advice, Herman. Anyone who uses a heat gun must understand it has the capability of doing damage. Steam is probably better for those who aren't good with "the gun."
Yes, all plastic deteriorates. I cannot imagine the injection-mold subframe lasting much longer than the customary 5-8 years. Owners should consider this a safety alert. Get up close to your frames and look for signs they're coming apart. That steel cover could do some serious damage, cartwheeling through traffic. 'Best not to write our names inside them...
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Both of the Atwood subframes are on the rig. Some pointers:
- Use a heat gun gently to soften the putty when removing the old frames. Six of the screws go through bent-over tabs that must be straightened before the old frame can be removed.
- Clean the old putty away from the frame, stretch new putty tape to thin it, work the putty inward against the furnace cabinet edge, apply heat as needed.
- Insert new frame while putty is still warm, gently heat the frame to soften putty and push firmly to set the frame against the coach.
- Lightly set the screws in place, at first without engaging/bending the tabs. By warming the frame and tightening the screws in stages, the plastic frame is less likely to crack anew.
- When satisfied with frame security, check cover alignment.
- Remove tab-position screws and bend tabs snugly, re-insert screws through tabs.
- Seal the lower edge and tab elbows with silicone.
- Warm each lug in succession with a heat gun, slowly tighten a heated screw into each to "train" the lug to threads.
- Using a plastic putty knife, cut away all exposed putty.
- Mark frames with installation date, a reminder to install new frames in five years.
- Gently tighten screws with cover in place.
I found a tough plastic putty knife helpful, another that I chopped an inch off the blade to make it stronger, for scraping. Black window silicone seal is a good choice to do the waterproofing, along the bottom edge. A pick or small nail helps, to locate screw holes through putty.
- Use a heat gun gently to soften the putty when removing the old frames. Six of the screws go through bent-over tabs that must be straightened before the old frame can be removed.
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Fleetwood and others are the opposite.
Having just worked on my own slides (Excursion) and on a Revolution I was looking at buying, I cannot help but wonder if cleaning and lubrication are more important than leveling.
Owners manuals often contain very specific information about the type of lubricant, so dirt isn't attracted to the mechanism. I'm a big fan of GOOP to clean such items: solvents and degreasers travel to other places, create quite a mess. We've started using the stuff on aircraft, rather than traditional non-water cleaners.
Something every one of us regardless of skills, tools or facilities can do: simply watch retraction and extension. Do both sides move and contact at the same moment? If you stop the slide during retraction, are both ends the same distance from the coach?
Yesterday, looking at a prospective purchase, I heard a distinctive <bang> during slide retraction. 'Turns out, the steel angle to which the bottom exterior trim strip was mounted had become loose and bent. The attaching screws were contacting the coach framework, the angle was swinging downward and shoving the trim no less than 1/8" away from the exterior wall, tearing caulk and setting the stage for eventual cracking of steel and possibly fiberglass. Ugly.
Too, things that bind will often be gouged, scratched, polished in some way.
If I have any doubt about a slideout, I can compare how it extends and retracts to the other slides. Look for a consensus.
As always, be safe and read manufacturers' instructions.
After all is lubricated, a cool trick: put corn starch into a small ziplock bag, toss it into a discarded sock. Knot the sock. Now, satisfy the Ted Bundy inside by stabbing the sock/bag with the tip of a knife, use the resulting powder puff to dust seals on the slides' exterior. Trust me, dusting the interior side of your slideout seals is not a good technique. Another ziplock bag is a perfect place to store this, your messiest of tools.
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Months ago, I first noticed that the corner trim in the bathroom had a little gap, at the bottom. This is the inside corner strip behind the toilet, forward outboard.
After carefully inserting a brad or two to lock it down, it came back up.
Then, came the discovery that the trim-to-wall gap varied with slide extension!
To make a long story brief, the passenger-side slideout pushes the coach's wall slightly (about 1/16") outward upon reaching full extension!
So, today's project is to align the slide. This is not as hard as it sounds, verifying slideout alignment is something any owner, regardless of sex, creed, age or mechanical abilities can do.
The first step: go to http://www.powergearus.com/ and find the appropriate manual.
Then, I extended the slideout to an arbitrary point (about three inches) and put a rule to the edge.
Sure enough, the spacing was different between the front and back edges, but not in a way that made sense.
THEN, I put the rule under the slideout and got a surprise. The forward rail led the aft rail on extension by a slight amount. 'Turns out, that is the space between the gear teeth below, on the drive shaft. Today, I'll slip off that gear, nudge the room in a tad to make it perfectly parallel with the coach side, and reinstall the gear. The results will be listed in an addendum below.
I undid one of the two gears by releasing tension and sliding it aft, off the track. Then, KayCee gave short bursts in/out until the front and back were the exact same distance from the side of the coach. Then, the gear was slid back into place.
While the results are vastly improved, I'll bring it inboard one notch in the morning, so the room is exactly parallel to the body, on retraction. At present, the bottom contacts the side slightly after the top, exerts assymetrical pressure on the wall.
Voila! I removed a tilt-bin in the kitchen, and laid eyes on the area where the slideout presses to the wall, only to discover a large wiring bundle had migrated to be PINCHED between the two. Okay, this fails on two counts. First, repeatedly crushing 110VAC romex is baaad thing. Second, I'd say the same thing about distorting exterior walls.
So, using the technique of measured consensus with the other slides, I rigged this one to track simultaneously and to be as vertical as possible in the retracted position. It is a little bothersome that the absolute margin for adjustment is reached shortly prior to a perfectly parallel pre-tightening seal gap is achieved; but, that might be due to factory error or structural shifting. The slide is within an eight of an inch of perfection, which is within tolerances.
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This is a safety item, re the driver and passenger windows and arguably the one behind the passenger (if one is installed).
Take it from the voice of experience: three iterations down the road (fogged, versus reglazed with tint and now reglazed without tint film), I'm ashamed to say I waited so long. HUGE difference in my ability to both drive and park.
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While the manufacturers say you can go to ten years with annual inspections of the tires, I'm inclined to replace the steering tires at five years, cautiously keep the rears until ten.
You might buy a two year bonus for indoor storage if you feel brave.
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Roadmaster pledged to review their tire supplier, to consider changing sources. But, their advertising currently shows no such transition.
Your link has some breathtaking reviews, suggesting the Carlisles might live up to their terrible nickname, "China Bomb."
To Carlisle's credit, they have reimbursed us fully for our damages, and it is entirely possible that they've made adjustments to their production to rectify problems. The Catch 22 is that bannering such changes might expose the company to liability, be construed as an admission of guilt. That's why we have government regulators; the Feds are on notice that consumers using the model of tires supplied on earlier Roadmasters could be in danger.
Meanwhile, our new Karrier brand tires have accumulated a couple of thousand miles without problems. As mentioned earlier, they are also Chinese models; so, a blanket indictment of products made in China is not the answer (although I'll happily pay extra for a superior American-made tire that size, when they become available).
I might add that these dollies have to do a lot of work, it is important that the manufacturers' recommendations for alignment and other periodic maintenance be followed to a tee. Like our RVs themselves, the machinery is subject to harsher loading than a family car, requires lots of TLC.
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We dealt with sub-zero weather by disconnecting the fresh water hose after filling the tank, placed a work light in the compartment that houses the water pump. I used a worklight in the plumbing bay and damaged the black water slide valve, so make sure it is secured to prevent movement. Halogen lamps work great, but need to be located a safe distance from plastic fixtures.
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Thanks, Herman
That's a great idea for all of us. Mine have big stainless fenders, I didn't understand the significance of them, at first.
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During a safety check yesterday, I was shocked to see a hole in the side of my coach revealing my front furnace blower and circuit board. And, the rear furnace cover was hanging by two screws.
To make a long story short, I'd serviced both in the dwindling daylight the day before, carefully reattached.
What I failed to notice, was that the black plastic frames beneath each cover had become brittle and cracked. When I seated the screws, the plastic lugs beneath became were cracked and jiggled loose underway.
Owners are cautioned to check these frames periodically. This is a 7 year old rig, stored indoors!
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Mystery solved!
I was too lazy to break out the diagrams and trace the errant wire's connections, but there was indeed a pin backed out of a two-wire connector under the driver's seat.
For some reason, when it swung over and contacted the mast bolted to the floor <zap!> awning deployment.
It reminds me of the old admonishment from my days flying the Fokker F100: whenever you had the brakes fail, they might be recovered by switching Window Heat to Off
A happy and safe Thanksgiving to everyone!!
The funniest part: which direction will a driver lean, when he/she hears that awning motor activate rolling down the highway? That's correct, to the right. Full deployment would've been assured... Jeesh.
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Okay, this is one for the record books.
My wife was on a ladder tonight, outside the coach, helping to reinstall a window we'd re-glazed and tinted.
I was sitting in the driver's seat, leaned right to retrieve a cordless electric screwdriver from atop the dashboard.
There was a familiar sound; it dawned that, outside, the large awning was extending!
Indeed, some testing revealed that a person sitting in the driver's seat can extend the awning by placing all his/her weight on the right side of the seat.
This could be awkward, rolling down the highway.
Needless to say, all the electrical connectors under the driver's seat will be disconnected, reattached and secured tomorrow. We're poised to make a 400 mile Thanksgiving trip, and the last thing I'd like to leave alongside the highway en route is that big awning assembly.
Meanwhile, has anyone out there experienced this?
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I've done this a short distance with my Tundra, and it worked fine.
However, from what I'm hearing, not a good idea.
- Heavy rig, would definitely need brakes on dolly
- Some have said it wrecks front end alignment of the toad, wears out tires
- The steering wheel lock is the only protection you have against slinging the front end into oncoming traffic
- It might warrant law enforcement attention, out on the road
- Heavy rig, would definitely need brakes on dolly
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Wow, so much extra information with this thread. All of it is good; we've got great field reporters.
Reference the earlier notes:
- We've never had a problem, stowing the dolly during stopovers. But, remember that a dolly can only remain hooked up at a longer pull-thru site. Otherwise, there is some muscle and dexterity needed, rolling the thing around. That aspect, rather than setup, will deter less fit individuals from using a dolly.
- A dolly adds maintenance and storage obligations. Per manufacturer procedure, I align mine and calibrate the brakes every few thousand miles.
- Unlike 4-down towing, dolly tires don't have a big margin between load rating and actual loading in many cases. Both OEM tires (cheap Chinese Carlisles) that came on my Roadmaster 2000-1 blew, with perfect inflation, within the first few thousand miles of use. Such a blowout will destroy the dolly fender, could mar the toad.
- Accomplished dolly owners can hook up their toads without kneeling, in less than five minutes. My wife and I work as a team, starting with her driving to the base of the ramps and then allowing me to steer the car onto the dolly from alongside. I provide perfect alignment, and she can stop at the exact point based on feel and the <Clunk> of the lock seating.
- TPMS is critical, no matter which type of towing is employed. Due to higher loading, dolly tire temps will be higher, the pressure must be carefully maintained at the sidewall value (cold inflation). Our TireTraker system requires no signal boosting, I'm a big fan of the company.
We all seem to agree that if money is no object, or physical fitness is an issue, or you have no intent on using more than one toad over a long period of time, 4-down towing is probably the way to go. But, for physically fit RV'ers who'd like to change cars (either amongst a fleet, or over time), with ample storage at home, the dolly is a real asset.
- We've never had a problem, stowing the dolly during stopovers. But, remember that a dolly can only remain hooked up at a longer pull-thru site. Otherwise, there is some muscle and dexterity needed, rolling the thing around. That aspect, rather than setup, will deter less fit individuals from using a dolly.
HWH Front Left Jack Leaking Fluid
in Leveling
Posted · Report reply
This is a timely post. I'm minutes away from dealing with the same problem. Will blog what I discover.
So far, Power Gear has said to examine the jack prior to making the decision to order a seal kit. I'm not sure what to read into that, but we'll pull 'er off and do some exploration...
Update (Also in my blog):
Repairing the leg is not going to happen, I'm sorry to say. I filmed the removal, put it in the shop vice and began taking the jack apart. Upon manually extending the leg, there was a crunch as we neared full extension, I forced it into view and the ugliest gouge you've ever seen became visible.
Chances are, a bit of metal or a bolt/pin has been riding in the leg harmlessly, until I ran it to full length therefore forcing the debris into the lower seal. Or, the twist might've broken off something at the upper end of the rod and it failed immediately.
In either case, the leg is worthless. Full replacement is required.