I put new Goodyears on my 1978 Newell. I put 3 golf balls in each tire. It had Centra-matics
http://centramatic.com/Home.aspx
on it when I bought it but they were kinda rusty so my theory was that the golf balls would perform similarly. Those tires are nearing their "time out" and have run smooth. (Much to the chagrin of my tire dealer friend!) I just had 8 new Michelins installed on my 1993 Newell. I had them install new valve stems with filters and put the bags of balance powder in them. It shook like crazy for the first 10 miles til the bags broke and then smoothed right out. I was a little dubious about the balance powder and still not totally "sold" but so far so good.
I recently installed six new 315s on the rear of my coach, they were not balanced and the coach runs smoothly. When I installed the 365s on the front, I had them balanced, but that was two years ago and I do not plan the balance them in the future. Alignment is another matter and all three axles should be aligned in unison, best by Newell or in consultation with Newell. All of mine were out of alignment. I increased toe-in from the owner's manual of 1/16 to 3/16 to stop over-steering. So far, so good.
I really appreciate the depth of information you guys give with your posts. I know its second nature to you guys because you've been doing it for so long. Its just all good stuff to me!
Your posts and then spending time with Richard and Rhonda was a great help to solidify a lot of information for me. There is little that can replace "on the job training" so to speak.
Tom, you mentioned you have a 90 and a 02... What's the difference between them, what do you need to keep up with on one over the other that is due to the age difference? That's a 12 year difference in coaches, is it a difference of night and day? Or could you jump in either one and not know the one you're driving?
Harry
PS. Happy Labor Day to everyone, even if you're not in labor...
harry,
my 90 now belongs to bill who is on this forum. it was a much simpler coach, but the ride and driving was very similar. i kept it up and did lots of preventative replacements and yet bill has had to fix things. that is the nature of the beast. my 02 systems are much more complicated. lots of relays, lots more airlines, compressors, water pumps, and on and on. slided throw in another complexity. i would venture to say most of us hold our breath when we put our slides in or out hoping not to have problems.
i loved both and tried my best to talk bill out of buying the 90, but that didnt work.
there is more costs in having the newer coach.
plates are more, more tires, more batteries, more complicated systems with more expensive parts, etc.
if i have slide problems i will probably buy a forklift, fly richard and jimmy in and have a slide fixing week. probably wouldnt be much more than driving to newell to have it done.
tom
I'm available anytime after Dec. 31st!!!! Then I'm free... So don't break it till then!
so you will be here on the 1st of jan?
tom
I saw this and thought it was a good question. Some responders were talking like a DP sitting idle is no big deal but that made no sense to me.
Quote:I’ve read a number of messages talking about diesel coaches that sat around too long without use. This caused tires to suffer from dry rot, seal problems, fuel problems and all kinds of maladies from lack of use.
How long does it take for this kind of problem to set in? I know of coaches that have been on a sale lot for over two years and others where the coach was seldom used. So how long is too long?
I know some who put there coaches up for the winter (3 - 5 months) and full-timers may stay in the same place for 2 to 3 months. What amount of time constitutes a problem and what can be done about it.
What do you guys think?
when you sit idle what happens to you ?
The Broncos are winning and the popcorn is wonderful...
I'm fulltime in mine and I make sure and drive it at least once a month for a hundred miles or so.