Shock mount:

[pgchd]

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@yahoogroups.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@yahoogroups.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
> >
> >
> >
>