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Topic: Wood safety block? (Read 639 times) previous topic - next topic

Wood safety block?

I want to park statically below normal ride height with airbags deflated but not have the wheels and tires supporting the weight of the coach.  Anyone see a problem with using cut 4"x4" wooden blocks for safety blocks?
Thanks, Mike
Mike Brady
'97 U320 SE. #5137
'13 Honda Fit
Willow Springs, MO

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #1 –
Some members use wood safety blocks successfully.  Others worry about the possibility of the wood splitting, and prefer metal safety blocks.  If you are not actually working under the coach, but only want to keep the tires from touching the tops of the wheel well when you lower it, then wood might be OK.  You don't really need 4" high blocks - you only need to add about 1/2" to the existing hard metal stops to keep the tires from touching.  You could use something like a large steel socket temporarily placed over each hard stop to accomplish this.  8 steel sockets might cost more than wood, but would also be safer.
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Surely, no age has been more fraught with insecurity than our own present time."

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #2 –
"but not have the wheels and tires supporting the weight of the coach"

Is this what you really want to do?

best, paul
1999 U320 40' 1200 watts on roof. 12cf AC/DC Cold plate fridge/freezer. VMS 240 CL Honda Element

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #3 –
Paul,

I wondered about that, too...  At first I was going to ask the OP if he was planning on removing the wheels and tires for some reason.  Then I decided what he was really asking was how to keep the tires from touching the tops of the wheel well.  But I could be completely wrong - wouldn't be the first time.
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Surely, no age has been more fraught with insecurity than our own present time."

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #4 –
Yeah, I wondered, too.

But there is always that thingy, "The stupidest question is the one not asked" that I didn't want to be guilty of...

best, paul
1999 U320 40' 1200 watts on roof. 12cf AC/DC Cold plate fridge/freezer. VMS 240 CL Honda Element

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #5 –
I use wood blocks all the time. Just orientate so the grain is not going up/down (like you set a log when trying to split firewood).
1998 U270 34'

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #6 –
I prefer wood also, use a good grade of 4 X 6 oriented so the six inch dimension runs along the frame rail.  I've always had a kind of intuitive feeling that the 2x2 steel tubing is more likely to slip than the wood blocks.  I can also assure you that the coach drives really weird when a block is left in place accidentally.
"Not so  long ago we were a nation of risk takers, riding five million pounds of  thrust straight into space."  Joe Gresh
Chuck Pearson
1996 U295
2018 Can Am X3 TurboRS

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #7 –
I can understand the confusion with my statement.  What I meant to say is to not have the weight of the coach supported by the tires making contact with the top of the wheel well, but rather have the weight on the blocks placed between the support beams.
Mike
Mike Brady
'97 U320 SE. #5137
'13 Honda Fit
Willow Springs, MO

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #8 –
Mike,
If you have the original size tires, yes they touch but with very little load on the coach floor.
If you look at the suspension hard stops you will see the coach is sitting on them, and supporting the weight, not the the coach floor.
Look at the tire where it contacts the ground and notice the the large footprint due to the coach weight on that corner. Then look at the footprint at the top where the tire
 touches the floor.
On mine it was only the center of the tread touching, the shoulders were not touching due to the large amount of weight supported by the hard stops.
There is very little difference between the height at the center and shoulder of the tire but if you look close I think you will see it.
There are old coaches that have been leviling down onto the tire
for a long time without problems.
As long as you don't change tire size that tire touch is the way it was designed. If you change tire size, anything larger (even only a 1/10th of an inch will increase the load on the floor and maybe then would be a great g
ood to add a small amount to the hard stops to reduce that load back to or less than the original load on the floor.
JD
John Duld
1995 U320C SE 40'

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #9 –
Foretravel will tell you that it's designed to sit on the tires when the bags are deflated-- no worries
Current coach 1996 U320 40'
Previous coach, 1990 36' U280

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #10 –
Ok, well thanks.  I leave my coach alone in the barn for two weeks at a time, and like to lower till the tires are about 1/2 inch or so from the wheel wells, and invariably they continue to settle.
Mike
Mike Brady
'97 U320 SE. #5137
'13 Honda Fit
Willow Springs, MO

Re: Wood safety block?

Reply #11 –
Mike,
As I mentioned before when you level and a tire touches I don't think that is anything to worry about, however for long term storage you may consider dumping the coach then leveling from there and then check all suspension hard stops to see which ones are bottomed out and which ones are off the stops. You could shim any with a clearance with a hard wood wedge so that over time as those airbags leak down the coach won't sit in a twisted position long term.
It may be worthwhile if you parking site is far from level.
JD
John Duld
1995 U320C SE 40'