Tag Axle 2008 Marquis

[Richard Muha]

Just bought a Marquis with tags.  I don’t see anything inside Coach, switch, etc. in regards to the operation of the tag wheels.  Am I missing something?

What do the tag wheels do, and as the driver, what is my part in the operation?

[Lee Welbanks]

Richard, The purpose of the tag axle is to spread out the weight load on the rear of the coach also with a coach of this length it helps to keep it from porpoising traveling down the road. In the rear engine compartment you should find a small air regulation with a pressure gauge on it to be able to adjust the air pressure load on the tag axle, the more you load the tag the more weight you shift to the front axle. My front end is really heavy so I only run about 6K on the tag, which I think is about 30 lbs on the air pressure gauge, I would have to go out and confirm that.
Not sure how you coach is setup but in my 06 PT there is a rocker switch in the left hand console labeled Tag Axle, when the switch is turn on it will lift the tag axle. If you are backing up and making really tight turns you probably should lift the tax, it puts a extreme amount of side load on the suspension with it in the drive position. On my coach if I am turning in dirt or gravel with the tag lifted it will plow really bad. I try not to make real tight turns while backing up. Also on my coach if I try and drive with the tag lifted and get over about 5 mph the alarm goes off and the tag will drop down to the drive position and the alarm will not stop until the switch is turned off.
Hope this helps a bit.

[Richard Muha]

That’s my dilemma.  No switch anywhere in drivers area that says tag.  I inquired about this when I purchased this Coach and was told “it’s automatic when you back up 5mph or less”.  Like you said, should be a switch.  My previous Dutch star had one.

[David T. Richelderfer]

When we purchased our coach in 2012, I was told our tag is mostly automatic.  Rich Marsden, the salesman helping us, is a former Beaver salesman so I assumed he knew what he was talking about.  Rich told me the tag axle automatically lifts when the coach's speed is roughly 10 mph or less.  Anyways, the tag axle down-pressure gauge and its regulator are located side-by-side in the engine compartment easily seen and accessed by lifting the compartment door.  Due to steering axle weight, I also reduced the tag down-pressure from about 35 psi to under 30 psi.  In over seven years of ownership of the coach, I have manually actuated the tag axle lift-lower toggle switch (located to the left side of the driver's seat) only a few times.  I leave it in the down position.

[Richard Muha]

I just don’t have that switch at all on the drivers side, dash or anywhere else I’ve looked.  I’ll check the engine compartment.

I stand corrected!  I just found something that says “tag lift” on the leveling controls.  See photo.

[Lee Welbanks]

Well there ya go, you have a different leveling system than my 06 PT. Have you looked in the rear engine compartment to see if you have a air pressure reg to be able to adjust the tag loading?

[Richard Muha]

Not yet.  Lousy high wind today.  Will do in morning.  I do remember seeing a gauge through.

[Richard Muha]

I looked in the engine compartment and found a gauge and adjustment knob.  Is this what your referring to?

This might sound like a dumb question, but when you activate the tag with that switch, do you just push it again after done backing/turning sharply in campground to return it?

Brand new tires, don’t want to side scuff the tags?

[Bill Lampkin]

Richard, I would caution you to only adjust the tag axle pressure while your rig is properly positioned on a truck  scale, so you can see how much weight is on the front axle. A small, 2-4 psi change on the tag gauge will have a significant effect on how much weight is distributed to the front axle. For this discussion, I refer to tag axle pressure as the pressure indicated on the gauge in the engine compartment. Don't 'wing it'!

[Lee Welbanks]

Great point Bill, I forgot to mention that part of it. I would assume that you would have to push the switch again to return to driving mode, mine has a red light and chime that goes on when the tag is lifted. Start up the coach build up the air and push the switch and see what happens, you will probably get some kind of a indicator that the tag is lifted. In your picture the pressure gauge looks almost pegged out, what is the pressure indicating on the gauge. You need to go to a scale and axle weigh your coach to see what you have.

[Richard Muha]

Engine not running and the gauge is at zero.  I won’t change a thing until I get to Tucson and scales first part on November.

You kind of have to look at the photo sideways.  Top is at left side.  Don’t know why my photos keep changing orientation.