jleamont
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Posts posted by jleamont
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I have been thinking about this lately, our coach is parked for the winter against the side of the garage on its pad and the battery access is not accessable (up against the wall), it is plugged in so the Coach batteries are being charged, but I have to admit I am loosing sleep over if it will start this weekend when I pull it out. Worse case I will have to use the transfer switch and start the engine with the Coach batteries or jump it at the starter. Next year I am going to put a charger on the Chassis battery bank that will maintain them also, too much stress worring about it.
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How well do these work vs. Propane? if I switch ours out I will have no use for the 60 gallon propane tank I have under the coach, I could really cut down on weight if that was out of the compartment, plus gain more storage.
Thanks
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Update: the tire installer in Lancaster PA that installed the tires is going to give me full credit for the ones they installed that were the wrong size and load range. I just have to pay the difference for what tire I choose, they will pick up the mounting and balancing also, seems fair.
The brake drums in question are made by Webb and the model is Vortex, I was looking at the model with the cross ventilation option. Standard vortex http://www.webbwheel.com/pdfs/literature/VortexFlyerOEM.pdf. "Cool Running option" Vortex http://www.truckpro.com/Content/Resources/vortexflyer-crt.pdf
So far everyone is trying to talk me out of these, "these are overkill in an RV application" they were designed for excessive stopping, correct me if I am wrong but don't we frequently stop traveling through towns...and how often do we stand on the pedal when someone tries to beat you out of an intersection?
Pricing is $50.00 more per drum, based off of the mileage I travel per year the aggressive shoe and these drums I should get 10 years out of them.
Any thoughts...overkill?
Thanks
Joe
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I agree, No real advantages, also the axle hubs and bearings are different due to the load displacement on the axle hubs with the singles. I just went throught this at work with changing a tractor over to singles. A regular dual wheel combo has one wheel riding to the inside of the hub center and the other wheel is on the outside of the hub center which displaces the weight evenly over both bearings and across the hub. The single wheel places the load all to the outer bearing, this is the reason for the special hubs and bearings to handle the weight imbalance, most trucks when this option is ordered also changes the axle tube strength for additional support. The main concern I have is once you have a flat you have to stop and stay there until help arrives, there is no "limping it" to a safe place without destroying a wheel.
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Well, I called the dealer, they apparently did not install the tires they took the coach to a local truck tire facility and they made the mistake. I asked for the reciept from the dealer, next I am going to reach out to them to see what they will do to make this right. I will let you know once I speak to them. I am not sure how hard I should push this concern, this could have been a big problem had one blown out on the highway and I am sure their Insurance carrier would not be happy with a miss like this.
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Bennie, I am going through the same concern as you, I called Cummins for My 2002 ISL I was told to use Fleetgard ES Compleat.
Funny story...the aftermarket cross over does not meet the pH or alkalinity standards set by Cummins, in fact I could not find one that met the Cummins requirements in all areas... so I just bought the stuff at our local Cummins engine dealer, I plan on changing it out in two weeks. For a couple of dollars savings it just is not worth the risk of damaging such an expensive engine.
Good luck
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Thanks Brett, scary the dealer would have missed this and created this problem.
I am glad I caught it now rather than one of the steer tires failing due to overloading. I am comparing the FMCA pricing vs our national Michelin account to see which has the best price...waiting on a phone call back, then I am going to order them in and swap them out once I pull the cover off in two weeks. I am not one to knowingly operate any vehicle that way, "to much riding on the tires"!!
Thanks
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last time we stayed at Pine Mountain RV park, very well groomed, the bathrooms looked like a four seasons NY hotel, very nice and clean.
The down side was the Pool, it is a shallow Kiddie pool, you have to use the hotel pool across the street and while it was nice the hotel guests were out of control with no staff supervision.
Our friends recently stayed at Anchor Down RV resort, they loved it.
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While doing some research yesterday on brakes and drums to install on our coach we purchased last year at a dealer I discovered that the dealer installed tires that are too light of a weight rating on our coach prior to us purchasing it and the wrong size.
The coach calls for a 295/80R22.5 in all positions with a H rating on the steer axle, (14600lbs steer axle, 23000 drive axle) The dealer installed 295/75R22.5 with a G rating (Firestone FS591 rated at 6175lbs each), when you do the math I am 2250lbs short on the steer axle (by rating, actually overloaded by 1200lbs).
So I did the next thing....I had it weighed. fully loaded steer axle is 13550 Drive is 20800 lbs while I can run the G rated on the drive axle I need to do something about the steer tires.This all started when I became suspicious that the wrong brakes were installed by the previous owner since the coach does a poor attempt at stopping then the brakes are applied. After speaking to Monaco, Bendix and Webb companies I am going to install Transit bus brakes with vented louvered drums, and replace the steer tires with the Michelin XZA2.
Do you think I should install the correct tire size on the steer or match the drives the current tires are 1" lower and .4" narrower that what is the correct size for the coach. Michelin does not feel it will be noticeable while driving. Once it is time to change the drive tires out I will put the correct size back on.
Anyone have any experience with the Louvered severe duty brake drums?
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Good luck with the new coach. We have a 02 HR Imperial, love the quality of the construction....much better designes and workmanship from our Coachman we traded last year for this on.
Joe
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I would consider looking for an aftermarket company that makes a delete system to remove all of it for good. They are out there for light duty diesel and I had a customer tell me he just had it all bypassed on a Cummins in a Peterbilt, not sure of the quality but he reported a spike in fuel economy and power. The Def tank and DPF all appear to be in tact but the tank is empty and the DPF has a pipe welded through the center. As much as I feel doing the right thing is the best way to handle problems like this will beat you down.
good luck I hope they get to the root cause and this problem goes away.
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Source came from Navistar corporate and our rep with his tail between his legs. In 2012 I HAD to purchase 1100 power units for our fleet, they average 15,000 miles between breakdowns and NONE have made it to 200,000 miles before something catastrophic happened.
We purchased an additional 900 power units in 2013 the results were worse. Unfortunately with a large national fleet we have to "spread out the wealth" so I am told.....fortunately with the amount of purchasing power we get good support from them but we are all frustrated with the constant breakdowns and unreliability of their product.
Good luck with that engine, if you ever experience any problems feel free to lean this way, I would be happy to make a phone call for you and see if someone would be willing to help share the cost at their corporate level for you to get you back on the road.
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This is and always be a sore subject...most law enforcement do not know their own laws and will issue citations based off of their own interpretations. I strongly recommend seeking the information from the states official web site like Brett stated above. I recomend print it out and keep it with you...that doesnt mean argue with the law enforcement official asking for your license, sometimes you can have a discussion with them and maybe it will help.
One thing to keep in mind you can accidentally turn any RV into a "commercial vehicle" by federal terms by accident and not be aware of it just by simply using it for profit gain. rlbarkleyii nailed it with his friend who found this out the hard way with the trailer used for a craft show..."profit gain" will get you every time. you would have to prove it is not a business to a judge.
I had a friend have this happen to him with a horse trailer, they were headed back from a show after winning an award and some cash.... got stopped, cited, went to court and lost, license wasn't commercial, no medical card, no fuel tax sticker, no DOT numbers on the side of the coach and his regulator license was suspended for "operating a commercial vehicle with out proper licensing". The judge told him any profit gain or intent for profit gain landed him in all of this trouble, what a wake up call that was!
I have seen this get people into trouble pulling a travel trailer behind a company vehicle, even though the guy ownes his own plumbing business and left the door magnets on the truck, the truck GVW at 9900lbs and the trailer at 7000GVW totaled 16900 lbs (greated than 10000 = "Commercial Vehicle" NON CDL). Now comes the fines, no medical card, and no DOT numbers on the truck...oh yea federal law now...no alcohol is allowed to be transported in a CVM cab, OOPS the case of beer you just bought for camping just added another fine to the pile, I really stacks up quick.
Not knowing the law doesn't usually give you a break when you are standing in front of a judge, sometimes they will be forgiving but why risk it, if you are really not sure ask a lawyer to look into it, after all we just want to travel with as little or no headaches as possible.
Good luck and be safe.
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CarlAda, heres my two cents, they all have their pros and cons, some have more cons than pros, heres a few to look out for; Maxxforce powered (all) and CAT powered (2007-2008 engines, the last ones before throwing in the towel). You can check the internet to see all of the class action law suits on the last batch of CAT on highway products and the Maxxforce line up. International Navistar reciently put Cummins back into their trucks as an option to save them selves from a horrible end. In my career I deal with these problem children each and every day. Not to say that a Cummins or Detroit product will not give you a headache but some are known to be worse than others.
Good luck with your shopping, we just moved into our 1st DP in May from a Gas Class C, just wish we did it sooner.
Joe
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here is a photo of the filter in question;
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Brett and Tom well put. I always enjoy reading your responses.
Tom, what MPG are you averaging? My coach is similar just two years older non EGR engine) I assume yours has EGR?
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joyceroy, it does have what is called a clock spring under the steering wheel, thay are known to go bad, the hardest part is getting the steering wheel off. It looks like this (photo) usually are under $200.00
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You should use a float charger whether left in the coach or not.
Thank you for the advice.
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Thanks Bill for the heads up, I looked under ours prior to install and my condensor is in the rear next to the compressor, in fact it has its own fan, that and its size were the purchasing decision. I guess before you make a purchase like this one should look over the unit to make sure you have all angles covered prior to committing to the purchase. I attached a photo of the finished product.
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I understand, I have one of those bosses also
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I screened in the side wall access cover on the inside with door screen and GE clear silicone to keep it in place so no bugs would get in. I left the roof vent functional (already screened) I figured air could enter thru the side wall access and any heat could escape out of the roof vent. The compressor sits about 5" in from the wall access and there is a fan on the motor to circulate air. The under side of the fridge didnt seal to the floor, celing or sides like the RV unit did so I spray foamed the openings to seal off any air flow from outside, I did the same with a 3" deep spray foam wall just beyond the wall opening to the interior and trimmed the gap off with wood trim that I stained to match the interior wood.
I figured the spray foam would hold tight and its fairly easy to remove in the event the unit has to come out (just messy). I wanted to keep the coach ready in the event an RV refridgerator would be installed another time. Mounting the unit was easy since the rear access is wide open when my exterior cover is removed, all of the mechanical components are right in you face with the cover off (just like the RV unit was). When the foam dried I turned on all of the roof fans and closed the windows and ran a paper towel around the unit just to make sure it was sealed. I made a door lock that I copied from Fleetwood, this is the photo I took at rhe RV show. the upper and lower doors slide over and under the knob and you simply turn it to hold the doors closed in the event something hits them on the inside it will act as an additional lock over the magnetic gasket. Before you leave you just have to remember to turn the knob in the vertical position.
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This brings up a good topic; the Imperial we bought this year has 6V wet cell batteries and I was wondering for winter storage what is the preferred method? Keep in mind the Coach will sit from November to April under cover.
1, remove the batteries, bring them in to the garage and keep them on a trickle charge.
2, keep the coach plugged in so the charger keeps them on a "floating charge".
Our old class C had one 12v AGM coach battery I would bring it in and trickle charge it since the charger in the coach was not very technically advanced.
Any recommendations to help make these last?
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Update; I replaced ours with a GE 15.5 Cu.ft. I only had to trim 1/4 of an inch off of the top of the opening (mostly for the upper door hindge clearance). Its a no frills unit no electronics refrigerator.
I figured keep it simple and it should last longer, more space than the Norcold 1210. The hardest part was getting the old unit out of the coach, I removed one of the side windows, with three friends we passed the old unit out and the new one back it (doors off of course). I have 2.5" on each side of open space so I insulated along side and trimmed off the interior and removed the exterior cover and screened it on the inside to keep bugs out.
Incorrect Tire Weight Rating On Steer Tires
in Tires
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Rich, thank you for the words of wisdom. My wife and I discussed this last night, there is just too much riding on those tires to try and save a few bucks. We have not had this coach out west yet coming down those mountains like our old coach did on a few trips, I strongly feel this one would not stop if I needed it to, we are going with the best of the best, once I pull it out this weekend I am going to make a list of what I need and make it happen.
Thank you again!
Joe