Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Topic: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage (Read 1690 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #25 – August 21, 2022, 07:33:25 am

Peter, block your wheels on the downhill side to be sure.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #26 – August 21, 2022, 07:50:15 am

Think I would find a level spot,make some wooden ramps for the front,the back very low and the front super hi is not the best circumstane.Anyone nearby with a front end loader,have leveled around our house with mine.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #27 – August 21, 2022, 09:32:15 am

Quote from: dicksop – August 21, 2022, 03:46:13 am

Thanks for the reassurance. I hope the rear brake cans can hold the weight at a slight angle. At 32000 lbs it all makes me nervous...

So if you have concerns I would reccomend seeking a steeper slope and park there and set the parking brake (releasing air and setting spring brakes) could also park the opposite direction and check it also. You get 100% of your spring brake effectiveness the moment the air is released (parking brake set). Regardless of what your service brake pressure is at. Also understand that you only have spring brakes on your rear brake cans. By parking on the steeper slope with you in the drivers seat you can apply service brakes if it starts to creep. Can also put into drive then back to neutral to actually cause it to creep then see that it stops. Reverse can also be used to then back to neutral
Scott

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #28 – August 21, 2022, 10:08:16 am

If he is somewhat level now with one end fully extended and one end depressed a steeper slope
Will make a not too good situation worse.Will not take much to get the windshield out of whack.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #29 – August 21, 2022, 10:23:11 am

I have a sloping driveway near the street and in gear the the park brake won't hold and as soon
as I take it out of gear the park brake stops the coach. It never hurts to put the chocks behind the
wheels, you can never be to safe.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #30 – August 21, 2022, 10:31:33 am

Two is one and one is none.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #31 – August 21, 2022, 10:38:59 am

Unfortunately I do not have the option of moving to another site. I have all 4 wheels chocked in front to prevent moving forward. I will post some pics in a bit. Another thing, would not the fact the rear tires of the coach are resting on the wheel wells help prevent it from moving?

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #32 – August 21, 2022, 10:52:03 am

Next time you are at a light sitting and waiting... put the Parking brake on with it in drive... It should not move and when it doesnt ..walla you know its good when you leak down.

With the motor pushing on the brake it will hold very well.. if now a little service might be warranted.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #33 – August 21, 2022, 11:02:07 am

Quote from: dicksop – August 21, 2022, 10:38:59 am

Unfortunately I do not have the option of moving to another site. I have all 4 wheels chocked in front to prevent moving forward. I will post some pics in a bit. Another thing, would not the fact the rear tires of the coach are resting on the wheel wells help prevent it from moving?

You are safe at this point don't worry. I have parked on much steeper slopes and the brakes held fine.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #34 – August 21, 2022, 11:45:03 am

Maybe I am abit paranoid!

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #35 – August 21, 2022, 12:05:33 pm

Looks fine/safe.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #36 – August 21, 2022, 12:05:54 pm

In most jobs requiring driving a large vehicle, you would be disciplined if you don't chock the tires.

The engine has a lot to do with whether the parking brake will keep the vehicle stationary if in gear. I have to shift to neutral going down our driveway as the high torque at idle of the Detroit overpowers the service brakes when they are cold.

Drive 30 mph and apply the parking brake. This tells you how effective it is. Never trust it on any kind of incline. The parking brake is much less effective if the disks are cold.

Easy storage of the chocks is in the entry step on a GV. Lots of room to store two large rubber chocks with a rope between them. Good to put one chock in front of the wheel and one behind. Impossible to leave the chock behind that way.

Pierce

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #37 – August 21, 2022, 12:59:25 pm

Quote from: dicksop – August 21, 2022, 03:46:13 am

Thanks for the reassurance. I hope the rear brake cans can hold the weight at a slight angle. At 32000 lbs it all makes me nervous...

We always chock the wheels on both sides with a couple of these: https://www.harborfreight.com/rubber-wheel-chock-with-eyebolt-69828.html

Cheap insurance and peace of mind.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #38 – August 21, 2022, 01:25:30 pm

Joe
Exactly the chocks I have. I have four, one on the downhill side of the each steer tires and one on the downhill side of the each outside drive tires. I also put two paving bricks in front of the inside drive tires

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #39 – August 22, 2022, 01:52:17 am

So more questions and advice!
My HWH did it's thing and checked the system every 30 minutes or so. It would start dumping air and did this about 3 times in the last day. Then it dumped air and the compressor came on and ran about 10 minutes and shut off. Looking at the panel I discovered the air button and the excess slope buttons were on. ( and no yellow lights) After reading my manual it stated that if I wanted to get into sleep mode I would have to shut it off and then back on, which I did. The air light is now on and the excess slope light is off. Is my air system still checking the system?

? Or am I going to loose air (which my system does over time) until I am completely out of level?? ON THe SLOPE I DESCRIBED AT the BEGINNING OF THIS POST??? Too late at night to start the big engine and disturb my neighbours...
Advice would be great.....

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #40 – August 22, 2022, 07:07:20 am

Do you have a residential fridge? If you do, I think you are overthinking this. I'd just shut the HWH off and not worry about it.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #41 – August 22, 2022, 07:46:54 am

Quote from: dicksop – August 22, 2022, 01:52:17 am

So more questions and advice!
My HWH did it's thing and checked the system every 30 minutes or so. It would start dumping air and did this about 3 times in the last day. Then it dumped air and the compressor came on and ran about 10 minutes and shut off. Looking at the panel I discovered the air button and the excess slope buttons were on. ( and no yellow lights) After reading my manual it stated that if I wanted to get into sleep mode I would have to shut it off and then back on, which I did. The air light is now on and the excess slope light is off. Is my air system still checking the system?? Or am I going to loose air (which my system does over time) until I am completely out of level?? ON THe SLOPE I DESCRIBED AT the BEGINNING OF THIS POST??? Too late at night to start the big engine and disturb my neighbours...
Advice would be great.....

When mine did that I needed a new brain or silver box

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #42 – August 22, 2022, 09:08:13 am

Quote from: dicksop – August 22, 2022, 01:52:17 am

1. My HWH did it's thing and checked the system every 30 minutes or so.
2. It would start dumping air and did this about 3 times in the last day.
3. Then it dumped air and the compressor came on and ran about 10 minutes and shut off.
4. Looking at the panel I discovered the air button and the excess slope buttons were on.
Advice would be great.

Here's my armchair analysis FWIW...

In Reply #22 you said you were able to achieve level in your steeply sloped parking spot (no yellow lights showing) with the rear end of the coach lowered all the way down, and the front raised to the max height. Then after a couple days your auto level system went through the steps listed above.

The auto level program operates in two modes. First, it tries to lower the high end (or side) to put out any yellow lights. If that doesn't work, then it tries to raise the low end (or side) to put out the yellow lights. It runs the HWH aux compressor to supply the pressure required to inflate the bags to raise the low end.

Your front air bags must be slowly losing air pressure, probably leaking back through the front 6-pack manifold valves. This allows the front of your coach to slowly drop down from the fully extended position.

It sounds (to me) like your system operated normally until it reached the 3rd step listed above. It must have woke up and saw a yellow light at the front end (because it had started to drop). It tried to release air from the rear bags to get back to level. Perhaps this worked for a while, until the rear bags were totally empty. At that point, it switched to trying to raise the front of the coach by running the aux compressor. When this did not work, it gave up and turned on the excess slope light. If the aux compressor cannot (for whatever reason) generate enough pressure to raise the front of the coach back up to max extension, then there is nothing more the system can do. Turning it off and back on won't accomplish anything - it will simply repeat the same program steps and end up back where the excess slope light is on.

I think your aux air compressor is the problem. Until it is restored to proper operation, the only simple way to get your coach back to level will be to start the engine, let system air pressure build back up, then level the coach manually and leave the auto level function turned off. You may need to do this every few days at some regular interval as required.

Or, as a temporary solution, you could use your "safety stands" to hold the front suspension up in the fully extended position. You DO have safety stands, right?

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #43 – August 22, 2022, 09:18:14 am

Make some ramps out of 4 by material,compute how many inches you have to raise the front and
Make that your height..

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #44 – August 22, 2022, 09:32:24 am

Here is how I determined how high my ramps had to be for my sloped driveway.
I hooked a string around the rear on the rear dual (on the ground) and pulled it tight up to the vertical midpoint of the front wheel, with a string level on the string. Raise or lower the string until the level bubble is centrally located.
The string height from the ground, when below the vertical line of the center of the front wheel, is the height you would need to get perfectly level with ramps.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #45 – August 22, 2022, 12:05:21 pm

I unfortunately do not have my many safety stands with me for this trip. (Dumb..) I was going to go out and buy two 2x10 or 2x12 boards and re Center the front tires on them...just enough height so the air bags would not max out for leveling
My mind is over thinking stuff but if I put 2 of these boards on top of each other,screwed together (double thickness) made one shorter than the other (sort of a ramp) would that do? Or is one enough? What about laying these in the angled driveway? They will not slip right? And can I just put the chick on the front of the board(not pavement) that I will make long enough to put the chock on?

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #46 – August 22, 2022, 12:37:54 pm

Nitehawk said the same thing I said in above posts,we cannot tell you how much the slope is,YOU
Have to measure.Get a level that clips on a string.They do make treated 4x12 wood.Tie the string
At ground level at the back of the coach,run the string to the front and have someone hold it,put
The level on the string and move the string up and down until level,measure the gap from the front
String to the ground and build the ramps that hi.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #47 – August 22, 2022, 12:59:49 pm

Dave, my way I am using the tires for determining ramp height, altho both methods will work.

Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #48 – August 22, 2022, 02:16:06 pm

Even better to check the slope is Johnson Level & Tool 750 Pitch & Slope Locator, Orange, 1 Level - Constructio...

The best are the free apps for iOS or Droids: 11 Best Inclinometer Apps for Android & iOS | Free apps for Android and iOS

Pierce

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Re: Air brakes at 0 lbs in storage

Reply #49 – October 02, 2022, 06:22:54 pm

I carry four wheel chocks and if I am not on level ground I chock the wheels just to be sure.

Does not hurt.

In Texas the law says you have to have chocks on board. I purchased mine at northern tools. They are common and not hard to find. Amazon even has them. I paid about $9 each.

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