Shock mount:

[David Brady]

Here's what it's supposed to look like:



http://www.ridewellcorp.com/rv-ras227-steer.shtml



This is a view from the street side. Notice the wimpy

upper shock mount. Also notice the severe angle of

the shock. This is part of the problem. To get a decent

vertical dampening rate, the shock has to be set quite

stiff. The dampening force in the vertical direction is

(shock stiffness)*sin(theta), or about 0.707*(shock

stiffness). This is also the reason that Koni won't

provide a steer axle FSD for our BB's; they don't

have a valve strong enough to provide the needed

pressures.



The upper shock mount on the curb side is much

more stout as it's part of the spring perch and panhard

rod attachment.



David Brady

'02 LXi, NC



pgchd wrote:

hummm,

Being a "dutiful" forum member and currently OTR for the next 5

months, I go out at lunch and "observing safe under the bus practices"

(read did NOT crawl under, used a mirror and flashlight) I looked at

both upper and lower shock mounts, street and road side. While a

closer inspection is needed, I cannot find any "stress cracks". As a

matter of fact the road side upper mount is part of the air bag

assembly and the steel plate that has a "ribbed extrusion" to mount

the shock is about 4 feet long spanning the front and rear air bags.

It is also of considerable thickness. So I cannot see where a 7 inch

crack could form and me miss it. The "extrusion" shock mount is only

about 3-4 inches long as part of this plate / air bag assembly and

bolted in several places to the frame.

I have absolute confidence that Pete and Bumpers birds experienced

what is so written. So I am left with theorizing maybe they used

different axles and mounts on these things?????? I know no 2 are alike

and a prior post said BB used different mounts?? Or not being a heavy

equipment front end mechanic, I do not know what I am looking at!!

(probably so)

So any pictures of the issues would be extremely helpful at some point

for us other owners as I for one, don't know what I am looking at or

for. I did see the lower mounts as Dave described and the

attachments,Panrods?? etc.

What I will offer up is my 95 was one of the first off the line,

built in 12/94 for a show to debut the s60. I bought the old boy from

the 86 year old original owner back in 2005 and we had a very good

conversation about its history. I will also offer up when I recently

had an aliment done and changed out the tie rod ends a couple of

months ago, I was informed by the front end specialist I had a Dana

axle 14.6klbs. He showed my the factory sticker and it matched what

was on the internet. He allowed me to participate in the alignment

(greased palms before had usually works) and we had a lively debate as

all my blue box manuals told me I had a Rockwell front axle, and Dang

if he was correct!!!!! Glad he used the Dana specs!!!!!!!!

My reason for this post is to see if there are different axles in the

front of these year things and if the "trend" is on all or just one

particular "brand? installation type" ?????

Pete, Donna, Luckybear Chin

95 42' greater Daytona beach area and permanent hurricane evacuees

since 04 and 05 when we had to evacuate 8 times in 2 seasons, now

pack and leave BEFORE, come back later, or see the insurance company

and full time by default!!! Now you now why we bought the bird!



--- In "WanderlodgeForum%40yahoogroups.com",
Pete Masterson >

wrote:

>

> Hey, it's probably better than the "beauty mark" I acquired from a


> big rock in a stupid "round about" in the center of a narrow
street.

>

> Pete Masterson

> '95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

> El Sobrante CA

> aeonix1@...

>

>

>

> On Jun 19, 2008, at 11:04 AM, bumpersbird wrote:

>

> > Maybe your coach air and leveling system function that way
due to no

> > aux. air compressor. I dunno, just a thought. You know not
all birds

> > are the same. I'm sure your coach being all electric and mine
having

> > propane App's. could account for some of the system
diffrences. I

> > know propane doesn't apply to the systems were talking about
but an

> > all electric coach is diffrent than mine.

> >

> > I will keep an eye on my shock fix also. At this stage of my
life I

> > don't trust anybody's craftsmanship, been bitten too many
times.

> >

> > I was just in the middle of installing the mounting brackets
for the

> > extra cooling fans on the right side engine louvered door,
and I

> > scratched the you know what out of the paint :{) Mad at
myself for

> > not keeping to protocall when drilling through thin metal.

> >

> > Oh well another beauty mark.

> >

> > Kurt Horvath

> > 95 PT-42 WLWB

> > 10AC

> >

> >

> > --- In "WanderlodgeForum%40yahoogroups.com",
Pete Masterson

> > wrote:

> >>

> >> I guess the jacks toggle the dump relay when they're
activated to

> >> level the coach. I do note that if I forget to dump the
suspension

> >> before lowering the jacks that the coach doesn't settle
down as

> > much

> >> as when I dump first, wait a few moments, then deploy the
jacks.

> >> (That usually ends up leaving me way up in the air -- and
that

> > often

> >> makes the first step from the ground a real challenge.
Wife just

> > says

> >> it's good exercise for us.)

> >>

> >> Since I live some 6 to 7 hours away from CCW's facility
-- and

> >> because it kept looking like we were _almost_ done, I was
suckered

> >> into hanging around. I did have my laptop and Internet
connection,

> > so

> >> I was able to handle some of my business and keep in
touch. I was

> >> also able to search for parts when their inexperienced
service

> > writer

> >> was having problems finding some of the bits and pieces.

> >>

> >> When I first described what I wanted done over the phone
(to a now

> > no-

> >> longer-there employee), he first said, oh, they'd need
the coach

> > for

> >> 3 weeks or so...! When I said I planned to be on board,
the time

> >> estimate evaporated down to "2 or 3 days"... When I got
there, he

> > was

> >> long gone and the new service writer didn't expect me.
<sigh> I

> >> probably should have re-confirmed the appointment a few
days before

> > I

> >> drove down. I'd made the initial appointment about a
month before

> > the

> >> planned date to be sure they'd be ready for the service.

> > Everything

> >> took longer to a lot longer than I would have guessed.
Some of it

> > was

> >> due to the inexperience of some of the staff and some of
it was

> > due

> >> to unanticipated issues (such as taking 2 days to get a
computer

> > to

> >> read the DDEC codes -- with the IT guy trying different
things,

> >> getting different computers, wires, adaptors, calling the
software

> >> support folks, etc. etc.).

> >>

> >> The length of the stress crack and the shape of the torn
metal

> > causes

> >> me to believe that this was damage that was long in
coming. Had I

> >> known that it was a "known issue", I certainly would have
been

> >> checking it frequently and I may have been able to have it

> > attended

> >> to before it was so seriously compromised. I'm unhappy
with the

> >> repair performed at Henderson's in that it led me to
believe that

> > I

> >> didn't have to worry, since it was fixed. So my
inspections were

> >> misdirected when I first heard the popping sounds. (It
didn't help

> >> that it sounded like it came from the opposite side of
the coach,

> > but

> >> I now realize that was an aural distortion caused by the

> > furniture,

> >> etc. inside.)

> >>

> >> Yeah, it really hurt to have a $250 shock ruined, too.

> >>

> >> Pete Masterson

> >> '95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

> >> El Sobrante CA

> >> aeonix1@

> >>

> >>

> >>

> >> On Jun 19, 2008, at 9:12 AM, bumpersbird wrote:

> >>

> >>> Pete & PT-42 guys,

> >>>

> >>> My left front shock mount was also torn up. My BB
guru said it's a

> >>> known problem???!!!&&#@$%^&*WHAT
THE !@#$%^9)_.

> >>>

> >>> The fix, just weld it back up! What the F@#$!

> >>>

> >>> After installing new shocks a few months latter I
replaced all the

> >>> airbags. When they lifted the front end up with jacks
and the

> > front

> >>> axle was hanging with all it's weight and no air bags
attached the

> >>> shock must have just pulled everything down, ripping
the mount

> > off the

> >>> frame. Of course the new Koni was toast.

> >>>

> >>> The mechanic was under the coach and I queried him,
Hey DUDE, I

> > think

> >>> you missed something here. Well it got fixed, he was
a certified

> >>> welder, they did add some gussetts as I recall. I'll
try to get

> > some

> >>> photo's of mine as well just to compair notes. The
work on my

> > coach

> >>> was

> >>> done at Prevost Nashville.

> >>>

> >>> If this is known problem. I would say anyone with a
PT-42 95 to 97

> >>> might want to check for a potential problem.

> >>>

> >>> Dang Pete 10 days in the parking lot! I think I might
have rented

> > a

> >>> car

> >>> and gone home. I've been there to and sometimes you
think well

> > their

> >>> almost done and bang, you find something else to get
fixed.

> >>>

> >>> My coach has an air compressor although it's not
really very

> > good,

> >>> well

> >>> it's just loud. I can air up the bags befor hitting
the STOW/STORE

> >>> button. So I either air up from Aux. compressor of
from the engine

> >>> compressor before I let her down. I never had a
problem doing it

> > that

> >>> way. In my coach it doesn't matter if the jacks are
up or down

> > the air

> >>> bags will inflate or deflate on command.

> >>>

> >>> Kurt Horvath

> >>> 95 PT-42 WLWB

> >>> 10AC

> >>>

> >>>

> >>> ------------------------------------

> >>>

> >>> Yahoo! Groups Links

> >>>

> >>>

> >>>

> >>

> >

> >

> >

> > ------------------------------------

> >

> > Yahoo! Groups Links

> >

> >

> >

>

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