'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo
Leeann wrote:
Nope, Griff, you're correct. My husband built an AC panel and a 12VDC panel for our rig because the original converter/charger didn't have that, either. And he likes more control over that stuff anyway.
Nope, Griff, you're correct. My husband built an AC panel and a 12VDC panel for our rig because the original converter/charger didn't have that, either. And he likes more control over that stuff anyway.
Nope, Leeann, that was TreeSeeker not me. But thanks for assuming it was me.
BTW, I'm slowly building up an intel folder on your set-up.
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A
TreeSeeker wrote:
Griff, what would be the reason to go larger than a 30 amp unit when our rigs are only setup for a 30 amp connection?
Griff, what would be the reason to go larger than a 30 amp unit when our rigs are only setup for a 30 amp connection?
10 per cent rule -- you always eventually need 10 percent more than what you have. Applies to personal finances, motor vehicles, entertainment systems, computers, garages, et cetera, ad nauseam. (Applies per stall to garages -- three stall garages need to be 30 percent larger than they actually are.)
I need to rearrange junk, disable the Wii-U so I can use the TV as a monitor, set up and configure the mini, and start transferring everything to the mini. (Wife is saying, "hurrah," because it means I can offload the files I've been stashing on her system.)
Check shocks first. Check springs second.
After 40 years, things are bound to sag and not work as well. (I could make a related comment about being married for 40+ years ... but I'm afraid wife might see it and sleeping with one eye open is soooo difficult.)
If those things check out okay, then -- and only then -- consider air bags. (Fix what's wrong first ... )
Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
Final note on wheels/tires/rims, for those with singles instead of duallies on the rear. (Eric?)
Consider the possibility a previous owner swapped out the duallies for singles. Entirely possible when you consider the cost of two truck tires versus four.
Final note on wheels/tires/rims, for those with singles instead of duallies on the rear. (Eric?)
Consider the possibility a previous owner swapped out the duallies for singles. Entirely possible when you consider the cost of two truck tires versus four.
You are right Griff, my Dodge has only 2 reartires :-) I have changed the rims from 16.5 to 16 zoll and bought tires for light trucks with letter C at the end of the size indication ("c" for commercial or cargo).
They have 2 load capacity indices, 1 when using as single tires and the 2. for dual tires.
'79 Dodge Sportsman 5.9 LA 360 TEC Campmate
RvFNG76 wrote:
The springs i can see are almost perfectly flat on level ground there is a spring shop near me but after half the **** I've had to fix because of the PO I'm kinda leery about going the route of having them rebuilt on the other hand new springs are $350 a piece versus $300 for the spring kit.
The springs i can see are almost perfectly flat on level ground there is a spring shop near me but after half the **** I've had to fix because of the PO I'm kinda leery about going the route of having them rebuilt on the other hand new springs are $350 a piece versus $300 for the spring kit.
We did a rear spring repair on a Ford Class C chassis where we added what was called a "repair leaf" to each side. It's an arched "piece-a-spring" steel. Sold by Width and Thickness. here's a pic that doesn't show if they had Center Holes (for the new Center Bolts shown in the linked picture.
![[image]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31plKASpjEL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg)
On ours, we left the main leaf installed on the coach after dropping the axle. Took only the remaining leaves out, and attached the Repair Leaf on top of that partial pack and re-assembled. Night and Day difference. Eliminated Sag, Eliminated most of Sway.
Our biggest challenge was that our leaves did NOT have the Center Holes. They came from a spring shop which claimed their "Iron Worker" machine (that can punch those holes and shear the ends to length) wasn't working. We cut to length with a torch (but I think a bi-metal hacksaw blade would work. Then we went to a specialty tool shop and bought a single bit that was rated to drill spring steel. We barely made the two holes (one for each side, through the repair leaf) before that bit was reduced to junk. But I notice the picture I linked shows Center Bolt Holes.
It's recommended to use NEW U-Bolts, which we did, and they weren't cheap. Fifteen years ago, the project cost around $150. I'd do it again, but I'd try to get the center bolt holes done by somebody equipped to do it.
If God's Your Co-Pilot Move Over, jd
2003 Jayco Escapade 31A on 2002 Ford E450 V10 4R100 218" WB
RvFNG76 wrote:
The springs i can see are almost perfectly flat on level ground there is a spring shop near me but after half the **** ive had to fix because of the PO im kinda leery about going the route of having them rebuilt on the other hand new springs are $350 a piece versus $300 for the spring kit.
The springs i can see are almost perfectly flat on level ground there is a spring shop near me but after half the **** ive had to fix because of the PO im kinda leery about going the route of having them rebuilt on the other hand new springs are $350 a piece versus $300 for the spring kit.
Everybody -- Do NOT use a torch on motor vehicle springs unless you have the knowledge, experience, and equipment to re-harden/temper them. (I don't.) People in the 60s sometimes did that to lower their hotrods and many "ate the pavement" when the springs failed catastrophically.
If you have to cut or drill them, go very, very slow and use lots of cutting oil/grease/wax. (I use CRC TrueTap Wax Stick ... I can sometimes use HSS cutters in operations that would normally require carbide or diamond cutters.) Horizontal bandsaws work best on spring steel but you can use bimetal or carbide hacksaw blades if you're patient and take your time.
A friend swaps out the pulleys for very low RPM on his drill press whenever he needs to drill spring steel. He also backs the drill bit out after a second or two of drilling and hits the steel and bit with compressed air to cool things. (It takes him four to six times as long to drill spring steel.)
To me, air bags seem like a Red Green repair. If, however, you choose to go the air bag route, make sure you get heavy duty bags made for medium duty trucks. Most readily available air bags are made for light duty trucks and will not last in a motorhome.
I hadn't thought about helper/repair leafs, mostly because they have a tinge of Red Green quick-repair/shortcut.
Early in my life, I often tried quick-fix shortcuts in spite of contrary advice from more knowledgeable people. It invariably resulted in a waste of time and money, quickly leading to a need to redo the repair ... over and over again. Now, I lean heavily towards "do it right or don't do it at all."
A lot of what everyone deals with in older motorhomes are undoing previous owners' quick fixes and temporary repairs.
Bottom line is I'd get new springs. A distant second choice is having the original springs re-arc'ed.