I know we have talked about this and some have built spacers to avoid this on the frame stops but I have one more question. When I dump or auto level, it will set the rear tires on the upper wheel well shroud. I don't understand how that would be normal for FT to build it that way. Do I have an issue with something else? Ride height is correct at 8.5 inches in travel mode. I just don't want to damage my new panels I placed to repair the previous owners damage again.
Thanks
In my opinion, based on my reading here on this Forum and what my coach does, I would say you are seeing "normal" behavior by your coach.
Me neither. Just seems like a dumb design. The three that I have had all did the same thing.
jor
What is above the wheels is a thin piece of plastic, above that foam, above that the plywood floor. There is also some square metal tube frame below the floor and the foam fills the cavities between the tubes. There is no tubing where the tires touch the plastic. Although the tires touch the plastic when the air springs are fully deflated the weight of the coach is supported by the stops on the suspension. No need to be concerned about the tires touching the plastic.
When Foretravel got rid of the hydraulic jack system, they engineered the coach to sit on the tires. Jacks take the rocking out of the coach as you use it. The coach sitting on the tires replaces this feature. Normal and supposed to be that way. All 4 corners will come down.
I try to park with the front on the high side of the area I am parking. Then lower the front to touch tires then hit auto level. Makes it easier to get in and out the door.
On extra unlevel surfaces slanted to one side in the front the force from one side tire hitting the floor from underneath and applying the force for an extended period can twist the body shell and move the windshield out of the molding creating a gap causing wind noise.
The 99's and up I understand have a small circle welded on the suspension to eliminate the contact.
Mine twists and I have had to have the tension strips removed several times and the windshields moved back into the moldings
My x Foretravel Line mechanic mentioned he has tied coaches down to floor hooks and hydraulically twisted coaches back to true many times
Not sure if they are the same circles you are referencing, but our 1997 has small circles welded to the frame near the place where I place the safety blocks.
"My x Foretravel Line mechanic mentioned he has tied coaches down to floor hooks and hydraulically twisted coaches back to true many times ".
Oh terrific,, how do we know if our coach needs that ?
Ok. Super info and now I know what is happening and that it really is a flaw in the design as far as I'm concerned. I will use it accordingly
Thanks again, I was worried
My former U295 had a lot of wheel wheel damage - rubbed completely through - because the previous own didn't wait for the air compressor pop-off before releasing the parking brake and putting it in gear. Personally, I will never release the brake until I hear it while I'm outside of the coach.
When the air pressure alarm shuts off, there is NOT enough air to raise it to ride height.
A Freightliner shop in Phoenix released the park brake and moved my U295 the moment the air pressure alert shut off and jammed the driveshaft into the transmission housing and broke the P3 gearset. As you can probably imagine, that cost me a LOT.
The oem Koni red top shocks required a half turn adjustment to compensate for its internal wear every 25k Miles and a rebuild at 100k. Bilsteins were softer to start with. The body roll caused the wheel wheel damage. The outer area is more worn than the inner. Body roll.
I twisted many grand villas and unihomes off road enough to break the glass and/or pop the windshield's out of the molding.
Especially like the manual leveling on the early unihomes. Could make those coaches do tricks.
I used to leave a coach on my lot in the back row slanted to one side.
Customers used to poke their beady little heads in our office to tell us that our coach was having troubles.
Really? Well let's go look at it...........trap sprung.
The PO replaced with gold Koni's before I bought it?
Thank him if you haven't already.
Just sayin'.
Trent
My Koni FSD's are fairly soft dampening in rolling rough roads at speed. Anyone else noticed this. The Texas road today into Terlingua was full of rolling bumps. Could have use a little more low speed compression dampening
After reading this topic I modified our parking pad to almost dead level using horse stall mats cut to various sizes.
Thinking that using the coach to hold the tire covers on vs rolling around on the ground would be awesome.
Parked, placed the tire covers on and dumped the air.
Ours doesn't quite sit on the tires, covers are snug but movable, you could work them off.
Normal for a 93? according to what I read here, no.
Modified by one of the PO's? maybe.
Factory custom? no way to know.
Just another FYI to seemingly similar coaches.