BAC Forum
General Boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: John Bagwell on November 30, 2015, 03:11:31 AM
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Is it best to have air bags full or dumped during winter storage? My coach is a 2001 Monterey with 4 air bags.
Thanks for your thoughts and comments.
John
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John,
I'm definitely not an expert on this topic but here are my thoughts FWIW:
If your coach has air and hydraulic leveling I'd dump the air and put the jacks down. If you leave the bags inflated, chances are the bags will leak down over the winter. If they don't deflate at the same rate, a torque could result on the chassis.
If you have air leveling only, I would think dumping that air would be best for the reason stated above. Only possible concern would be airing up when ambient temp is still cold (<35??) as it could (theoretically) cause a crack in the bag.
Steve
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As Steve has stated if you were to leave the air suspension aired up in time the system would leak down possibly a torque problem with the coach. I always dump my air if the coach is going to be parked in storage for any length of time. I wouldn't worry about cold causing any problem with the bags as they have been using these for ever in all types of weather. I have never heard of a truck having a bag failure caused by the cold temps and our coaches use basically the same bag.
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Just to back up Lee and Steve, I dump almost all air when parked for storage, and did so just last night. The lowered entry also helps the wife negotiate the stairs while loading and unloading. I learned my lesson when new to the coach, and watched as windshield cracks developed and spread over weeks while just sitting by the house. Turned out the windshield had been improperly mounted at the factory, but nevertheless you should park the rig balanced. One airbag's slow leak is all it takes.
I also minimized body twist by releveling my partly gravelled pad. Airbag leak or not, you don't want one axle end lower or higher than the other three together. As long as two on one side are relatively level with one another, or two across the back or the front, it is fine. In my case the front is very slightly uphill, but both axles are nevertheless level side-to-side.
Off topic a bit, it also helps roof drainage, since I've discovered my roof when level forms a small "lake" in one spot; that revealed itself a few weeks ago via a leak through a hidden solar wiring seal fault at the edge of the lake - it acted like a tub drain during an Oregon downpour while the rig was parked level at a service facility. Ideally I'd prefer a covered port here at home, but there just isn't room for support posts along the already snug confines.
Joel
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John, This is just my opinion and what I do. On my 2002 Thunder it does not have jacks that go to the ground (only to the axle's) so I place oak blocks under the chassis front and rear. I then dump the air and let the chassis sit on the blocks (level). This way all the coach weight is sitting on the blocks and the only weight on the tires is the weight of the axles. Takes a lot of stress off the tire sidewalls while in storage. On my 1998 Monterey, it had jacks that went to the ground so I just put the blocks under the leveler feet and then dumped the air. I just don't like the coach sitting months at a time with all that weight on the tire sidewalls in the same spot. I have done this for eleven years now and have never had a tire blowout or flat tire or any tire problem. Again, just my opinion. Marty
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Marty, same tires for 11 years?
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I did not read into Marty's post that he has had the same shoes on his coach for 11 years. ;)
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No!!! That was 2 coaches over 11 years. Although I do have 8 years on the current set that will be changed out in January. I take very good care of my tires, they are quite an expense. I cover them when not in use and as previously said, I take the weight off of them when stored for an extended period of time. I also keep them clean and use NO chemicals on them at all. Some say I'm pushing it but I do believe the way I take care of them helps the longevity of them. As I said before I am replacing them in January and I already have a fellow that is giving me $50.00 each for all 6 of them to use on his drop axles of his trucks. By the way, they are Michelin 275/70R 22.5's and I will be replacing them with the same. Marty
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The owner's manual of my Cessna had something in it about storing with blocks to support weight... Yes tires are expensive, and if someone finds a way to get eleven years out of a set, lots of folk will be interested. Time not miles always gets them.
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There is no way on this earth should anybody run front tires eleven years, as one who can attest to the fun of a front tire blow out on a four year old perfectly good front tire. The front end of these coaches is always over weight and testing the max loading of the tires.
The drive and tag axle tires are a different story as they do not carry anything close to the weight of the fronts.
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Who said anything about getting 11 years out of a set of tires?
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Marty - I was hoping after they read my post they would reread your post and realize you said nothing about having tires eleven years old. Guess not...
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here is the passage that got my attention:
" I have done this for eleven years now and have never had a tire blowout or flat tire or any tire problem."
You see, forking over $4K plus for tires is a "Problem" for me. Eleven years out of one set of tires would effectively half the cost of tires for me. My question was not intended to be critical but meant to discover something that would greatly extend the life of my tires.
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Sorry I miss read the 11 years part, in any case on a front end heavy coach like mine I wouldn't go over five years on the fronts. I have no problem what so ever running the drivers and the tag axle for six or seven years depending on condition. If you have a front blow out and end up in the ditch a couple of front tires would be a minor cost.
You can run your fronts just as long as you dare its your choice.
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Lee,
Might want to consider rotating the tires every so often to spread out the wear and stress. That should give you 7 year life easily.
Steve
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Lee,
Might want to consider rotating the tires every so often to spread out the wear and stress. That should give you 7 year life easily.
Steve
Not in the cards now since I replace the fronts in Utah after the big boom. We used to move steer tires back, but never drive tires up front mainly because of difference in tread.
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Ok, to clarify to the op's original question, I have, for eleven years, been putting oak blocks under my 2 coaches and dumping the air so the coach sits on the blocks and takes the weight off of the tire sidewalls. I have not been running the same tires for eleven years. I hope that clears things up. Also, in some cases you can not rotate tires front to rear and vise versa because a lot of newer coaches run a different tire size up front due to axle capacity. Marty