steerable tag

[davidbrady]

George,

I've also heard of some very strange, scary, and possibly dangerous handling characteristics mostly related to the drive wheels losing traction either due to slippery surfaces or unloading by driving on unequal surfaces. Under these conditions and at speeds below 15 mph, and possibly at higher speeds if air pressure hasn't built up sufficiently, rear weight can be transferred to the Tag axle and with the self-steering unlocked, the Tag can steer the tail of the bus downhill on off camber or inclined highways. This can put the tail of the bus on the shoulder or in the oncoming lane depending upon road camber. Scary!

I'm beginning to believe that it was these characteristics that put the kibosh on the steerable tag. I'd install an override switch to be able to manually engage the locking pin.

It's interesting that MCI still uses steerable Tags while Prevost has given up on them. Prevost uses a liftable Tag with a very fast lift time and which automatically lifts when the steering wheel is turned to near full lock. To combat the problem of tail sag when the Tag is lifted, Prevost installed hydraulic cylinders that lift and support the rear of the bus when the Tag air is dumped. They call the hydraulic lifts "Stabilizators". (I'm not making this up ).