You are not logged in or registered. Please login or register to use the full functionality of this board...


Power in storage
#11

(12-06-2016, 10:55 AM)qcj Wrote:  Chester I don't know if this would be helpful or not but I have two 12 X12" blocks of wood that are cut to about 1' lower that complete raised height to go under the front skid rails and I also have a 3 foot long piece that is 12 X 12" to go under the rear receiver.  I have had a leak that I have been unable to locate and have had my coach come down on these pieces where the coach is completely suspended.  I don't know weather or not this would be good for long term but certainly work for me short term.
I feel that letting the air bags all the way down would not hurt if the bags do not rub the top mounting flanges.  When I had my two front bags replace by Newell they ground the flanges down where they do not rub.  The old air bags had been rubbing and was starting to wear a hole in one of the bags.  I do not let my coach all the way down.  If I am not level I level it manually.
Also when I am working under the coach I also use a 20 ton jack in addition to the wood blocks.

I currently have no devices to block the coach, and am scared to crawl under even when I do procure support devices. How did you build 12x12  block of wood? Wouldn't the shear weight of the coach compress the wood blocks? 

I saw a 20 ton jack the other day at an auto parts store for about $70 which seemed reasonable, but I have no idea where to put it...

Since storing my coach in travel mode with only 30 amp power, I have notice that it will sit down in the rear within 24 hours. Blocking might be a good idea or store in level mode but then I would have to teach the guys driving it in and out of the barn how to do that,and I am afraid they will forget to take out of level mode before trying to move it. I would really like a storage where I can drive in/out myself...

Mike & Jeannie Ginn
2000 Newell #555 - sold July 2020
2019 Leisure Travel Van FX model
Reply
#12

Mike: I can't say how others do it, but when I used wood to block it up I would put the blocks crosswise to the steel member that it would be holding up. I once put the steel lined up with the grain in the wood and it split the wood. It didn't completely collapse but I took that as a warning not to do that again. When I've blocked under the skids at the back I put a steel plate on top of the wood to prevent crushing the wood. In the end I found it easier to use jacks, though even with these when jacking on dirt a plate of 3/4" plywood reduces the jack being forced into the dirt. In the back, I jack under the skids at the rear or under the pedestals holding the front of the suspension tubes that connect to the rear axle. The reason I don't use just the skids is that point tends to force the front down as I jack up. With multiple jacks it is possible to minimize exposure to personal crushing, but I just raise the jack to the max that still clear obstructions on the way to my preferred jacking point and keep the jack under structural steel as much as possible on the way to that preferred point. Given how rare catastrophic air bag failures are when stationary and not actually doing anything to the coach, my approach is overkill, but I prefer that. I can understand others taking a different approach.

If your coach is dropping its rear in 24 hours you have a leak somewhere in the 6-pack or beyond towards the air bags. If it is dropping evenly side-to-side then something equally effecting both sides is going on. I don't have experience with tag axle suspension but I'm wondering if losing air in the tag's bags would drop the rear, and if the tag bags are interconnected side-to-side unlike the other axles when parked. Yes, you can run set it up in the level mode with the pump running, but I would not be happy unless my coach stayed level for weeks without additional air needing to be added. Again, that's just me. Others may think about it differently.

Jon Kabbe
1993 coach 337 with Civic towed
Reply
#13

I agree with Jon that if your rear end is squatting in 24 hours, you have an air leak that needs attention. Mine will hold level for a month or more. Check your air bags for wear and leakage, then head back to the six pack checking for leaks along the way in the air lines or (hopefully not) the frame mounted air ping tanks.

Michael Day
1992 Newell 43.5' #281
NewellOwner.com
Reply
#14

I do not make the blocks of wood.  My Nephew is a contractor and there are time he builds timber frame homes and that is where I get the large blocks of wood, either cypress or pine.  These pieces of wood or logs one might call them are solid and I cut them to length with a chain saw.  I would think that a 12X12 piece on end would hold as much as a 20 ton jack.  Older homes have used these as piers.  I live in an 1899 home and it has 12x12 beams resting on brick piers and it weights a whole lot more that my MH.  Any way I also use a 20 ton jack at the frame behind the front stabilizer.  I would not feel safe about using the jack alone.

I have a leak in the front right air bag and really did not know whether it was the 6 pack or somewhere else.  Steve Bare encourage me to put together an air leak isolator.  I do know that Tom and Richard and others have made one.  I would encourage anyone that is looking for leaks to build one.  After attaching this to the air pressure line coming into the 6 pack and attaching the other end to the 6 pack, then cutting off one side from the other and waiting 24 hours, I found that my leak was not the 6 pack but elsewhere.  When I did find it, it was in the worst possible place to get to.
It was leaking where the 3/8" hose attaches to the cross member tank.  I need to have arms 3' longer or need to be the size of a cat.  I am still in the process of figuring out how to go about this repair. 











           

    I forgot to post a photo of the Isolator.

Chappell and Mary
2004 Foretravel 36 foot
Reply
#15

I keep a full flat of water in my fridge - easier to stay hydrated that way.

Dehumidifiers can create more water than you may think. So, keep a close eye on the tank level.

If it is parked inside, is humidity inside the coach an issue? I'm in South Carolina so I don't know what you are up against. . . .

1987 classic #159
8V92 MUI , Allison 740
Reply
#16

(12-08-2016, 06:34 PM)kyleb Wrote:  I keep a full flat of water in my fridge - easier to stay hydrated that way.

Dehumidifiers can create more water than you may think. So, keep a close eye on the tank level.

If it is parked inside, is humidity inside the coach an issue? I'm in South Carolina so I don't know what you are up against. . . .

The owner of the storage said there are 3 Prevosts, 1 Newell, 2 Monacos, and his personal coach in the building which is each bay has their own garage door but there are no partition walls. He said it does not get down near freezing, and due to high roof, they do not have humidity issues. One of the Prevosts is a 2016, and the owner is worried about the electronics and pays extra for 50amp. So, if I determine I need it then I can pay extra for it, but if the other high end coaches don't need he extra power, then maybe I do t either.

(12-08-2016, 11:50 AM)qcj Wrote:  I do not make the blocks of wood.  My Nephew is a contractor and there are time he builds timber frame homes and that is where I get the large blocks of wood, either cypress or pine.  These pieces of wood or logs one might call them are solid and I cut them to length with a chain saw.  I would think that a 12X12 piece on end would hold as much as a 20 ton jack.  Older homes have used these as piers.  I live in an 1899 home and it has 12x12 beams resting on brick piers and it weights a whole lot more that my MH.  Any way I also use a 20 ton jack at the frame behind the front stabilizer.  I would not feel safe about using the jack alone.

I have a leak in the front right air bag and really did not know whether it was the 6 pack or somewhere else.  Steve Bare encourage me to put together an air leak isolator.  I do know that Tom and Richard and others have made one.  I would encourage anyone that is looking for leaks to build one.  After attaching this to the air pressure line coming into the 6 pack and attaching the other end to the 6 pack, then cutting off one side from the other and waiting 24 hours, I found that my leak was not the 6 pack but elsewhere.  When I did find it, it was in the worst possible place to get to.
It was leaking where the 3/8" hose attaches to the cross member tank.  I need to have arms 3' longer or need to be the size of a cat.  I am still in the process of figuring out how to go about this repair. 













I forgot to post a photo of the Isolator.

Thanks for the pictures, worth a thousand words :-)

Mike & Jeannie Ginn
2000 Newell #555 - sold July 2020
2019 Leisure Travel Van FX model
Reply
#17

I talked to Mike Ellis with Newell today regarding long-term storage (6 months) when power is not available. He advised that it is best to deflate all of the air bags at the beginning and they would not be damaged. He advised against letting the bags deflate over time and against using jacks or blocks under the front and rear skids for fear twisting the frame over a long period. I am sure there are different opinions on this subject.

2001 Newell #579
tow a Honda Odyssey
fun car: 1935 Mercedes 500K replica
Reply
#18

(12-12-2016, 03:00 PM)Chester Stone Wrote:  I talked to Mike Ellis with Newell today regarding long-term storage (6 months) when power is not available.  He advised that it is best to deflate all of the air bags at the beginning and they would not be damaged.  He advised against letting the bags deflate over time and against using jacks or blocks under the front and rear skids for fear twisting the frame over a long period.  I am sure there are different  opinions on this subject.

I think what Mike said is correct.  The only time I use blocks is when I am working under the coach as I am doing now.  But I do feel that if the blocks are all the same height I do not see what difference it makes.  Two weeks is as long as I have ever left the coach on blocks.  But if I was to leave the coach for several months, I would certainly let all the air out of the bags because some of the bags will lose air faster than others.  That might cause twisting the frame.
I did some research, a 12X12 Timber post will support 139,048 lbs.

Chappell and Mary
2004 Foretravel 36 foot
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)