Camper Joe is my Hero

[Ck2hans]

Camper Joe is My Hero

Joe replaced my Norgren valves in January, there is one located way up high between the drive axle and tag axle. It seamed like Joe just dove in there for a minute or two and was done.

Fast forward to this past week. There was another new air fitting leaking way up high in the middle near the one that Joe fixed. Took me all day to squeeze myself in and out of that tight location to fix the darn leak, not to mention the scratches and bruises I got. And Joe is a couple of years older then me.

Lesson learned. Just because Joe makes it look easy it probably isn't easy.

Big respect for you Joe

Chuck

[RPSHOP]

Totally Agree!! Joe is unbelievable in more ways than one!! He makes an incredibly difficult job look easy.

[Joe Camper]

What started leaking on u Chuck??? A quarter in. black line going into the top of a brake relay?

Robert im almost in your back yard. Finished in Lufkin yesterday and headed west i just woke up in Crocket. Headed for Chicago via NM Cal Co and Ok the senic route. Be lookin at half a doz garage floors and greasy bus chassis along the way.

Bob, did a 95 Liberty 94 chassis in Kemah Texas last week. New patient. First liberty i ever worked on that did not have the special Liberty leveling that u can do all 3 corners togeather. Never knew they even built without adding that. I did Liberty number 6 in KC a year or so ago an 84 a chassis 10 years older and even it had it.

Nothin like Texas 2 lane. Intersections, driveways, hills, curves, speed limit 75. Some school zones r 55 mph!!! Gotta love Texas. They tell me there r 80mph zones ahead of me. That would scare the hell out of me if i were rolling an overweight front axle north of 15000lb like u poor souls. My steer tips the scales at 9500 lb. Manual slacks adjusted weekly couple a bull racks runnin front door... Hammer down. Life is grand

Coffees brewin the yellow motor be makin smoke first light.

[Ck2hans]

Yellow line in top of brake relay Joe.
Big respect for what you do
Chuck

[norm45]

I know you cant wait to get to california ha ha ha

[georgew]

Joe was under my bus for numerous repairs. Brake air hoses, air bag air lines, brake relays, numerous Norgen replaced, new pins on front disc brakes, brake adjustments numerous other items including Fan clutch.
Bus primary and secondary was holding at 100 lbs after a week. Joe does great work and knows a Prevost.

[Smith]

Joe worked on our bus this week and I am amazed at his skill and his approach to repairs. Like other buses, he replaced air bags, brake air hoses, air bag air lines, brake relays, Norgren valves, steering and tag axle disc brakes, belts, bushings and a fan clutch. Deliveries were slow and he patiently waited for the parts to arrive and was at the bus for 8 days.

And yes, he's on his way to California.

One other thing to mention is his his contribution of content to this website. Gil and Joe's spending the time and sharing their knowledge for us is priceless. It is awesome to be able to get direct answers to problems.

Thanks.

Trey

[RPSHOP]

We all owe Gil and Joe a huge debt of gratitude.

[Hoffman]

I can confirm Joe is in California at this moment and covered in grease from my coach. Despite being in California he's enjoying the nice desert weather and a fresh batch of cookies.

Thanks Joe for coming all this way for your customer(s). We appreciate it.
The best part for me of having Joe here, besides getting a bunch of issues fixed, is the opportunity to learn so much about my coach leading me to enjoying it much more. Thanks Joe Camper.
http://forum.prevostownersgroup.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17457&stc=1

http://forum.prevostownersgroup.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17456&stc=1


http://forum.prevostownersgroup.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17455&stc=1

[wjohnson720]

We should rename this thread the travels of Joe . . .

Anyway, Joe has been in Elkton KY since Monday. Two buses are parked side by side and Joe is almost done with the 2009 XL2 and will move on to my 1995 XL tomorrow. I am having a blast getting to know Joe. So, what have I learned so far:

1. Joe likes tacos - soft shell tacos for lunch three day in a row! Beef with cheese - add sour cream and guacamole. Also, the bacon cheeseburger with catsup, mustard, and pickles and a side of onion rings was a hit today. Finally, chocolate cookies for desert. I gave him a jar of locally grown strawberry jelly - I know he likes a good PB&J sandwich.
2. The famous 5 gallon wash bucket - it has been used so much the water in the bucket is becoming the consistency of the cleaner itself.
3. Joe works fast - amazing energy. Point a fan in his direction to keep him cool and get out of the way (been 85+ with very high humidity).
4. Very helpful - He is always willing to explain how things work and provide pointers on bus maintenance and operation.
5. Excellent work - from the hoses he makes to cleaning the parts removed he takes pride in his work.
6. Favorite engine - it has to be a CAT so his favorite color is yellow.

I think Joe will be here for most of next week. We are doing the tag axle logic kit on my bus in addition to the normal air leak repairs, hose replacement, etc. Also, overhaled Rockwell brakes and new discs on the steer axle.

The fun continues tomorrow. Stay tuned . . .

[Joe Camper]

Bill thats not the wash bucket its the "puss bucket".

Moving on, I have gotton some grief from time to time from the likes of Gill and similar types in regards to "book things" such as torque specs run out ect ect. Stuff like what the hell was in some designers head when the do what they do.

Bill here is a pilot and u guys r a huge positive influence for any mechanic not in avaition. Hangers r always a great place to work. Even though sometimes u guys r a bit much I am willing to surrender to the perfection because i know it is not all bad

That said, we r conducting an experiment. We got stuff here. So when i reinstall the front hubs im not going to use book method or a torque wrench for the hub bearings and when im done we r going to stick a dial indicator with a magnetic base on it and we will see what the clearance is. The book says .oo1 to.oo5. I like .oo1. We shall see.

I can tell u this the way they were set they were too tight we indexed them before we loosened them and thats a great baseline. ill set the inner nut 2 holes looser on the keyed lock washer. Run the outer nut tight. Bam. Thats the money move right there. Maybe 3 holes. That will give .oo1 on the dial indicator.

Ill also run the lug nuts up with my gun to within 50 ftlb. Thats my guess. We will check them with the torque wrench.

This will be fun. In fact Bill we need to let me do a few nuts on the hub studs for the drivers side rotor. 125 ft lb right? Lets see how close I can get!!! We will hit them with the torque wrench to check dont worry I wont make too much of a test pilot out of u.

What the heck is the matter with the norgren corp cant keep ahead of demand with inventory. Come on enough already.

[WinterStorm]

Joe and Bill...now there’s some conversations and knowledge exchanges I’d like to be a fly on the wall overhearing!
Great minds and the like. Can definitely see you two getting along and talking experiences.
Bill, we’re finally taking delivery of our “2021” new to us 2003 Liberty Lady Classic non-slide today from Olympia. SO much has been updated/upgraded/replaced on this coach that probably only the Allison transmission and Detroit Diesel 60 engine are what’s left/original!
Good news is now we can start to apply much of what we’ve been reading in the POG forums!
Bring on the fire hydrant - I’m thirsty to learn. :-)

[Hoffman]

Joe C is great. Very happy with my new improved suspension, etc.
But we need to teach him about email, he's still using my email for his Prevost orders so I'm getting copies of orders for all you guys. If you need a copy of anything, let me know.
The least I can do for the 'puss bucket wizard'.

[Joe Camper]

Hey Joe thats Prevo doing that i had no idea and r u saying u r still getting them??? No way LOL. Canadiens buba.

So the nuts that hold the rotor to the hub studs book says 110-130ft lb. My by hand was 135ft lb. The lash on the hub that I do and will continue to do freestyle, .001. Bill made video proof.

Next time someone pulls a dial indicator out on me will recieve a surcharge. How insulting. Have some respect.

[wjohnson720]

I will add my eye witness testimony that Joes feel matches the Rockwell service books. We did make a good video of how to tighten up the hub nuts which I will post later.

As for the book, for most of us without years of experience, it is probably a good thing to read! LOL. For Joe, he has passed the test with flying colors. If someone does get on the wrong side of Joe, he does like chocolate. That should at least soften the surcharge.

I did learn some things today:

1. A coffee pot and cookie jar is a good idea
2. Joe likes the Lucas hub oil for the wheel bearings
3. Joe recommends synthetic oil in the differential

We started the day by giving Joe a ride in a Piper Super Cub. Then we worked through the heat of the day to finish the front rotors, breaks, and shocks.

[wjohnson720]

https://youtu.be/QSCnulRW36U

Joe Camper adjusting Rockwell front axle hub.

[Gil_J]

Joe is "Da Man" He certainly knows his stuff.

[georgew]

That can't be Joe his hands are clean. Joe gets into it full grease and all:rolleyes::)

[wjohnson720]

Joe Camper removing drive axle. Necessary step if you ever need to tow the bus (of course, the tires would still be on the bust but this shows the axle removal process).

https://youtu.be/PfXYwYf5vrI

[wjohnson720]

Another Joe Camper short video removing the drive hub. I asked Joe about posting these and he was happy to share his knowledge. He sure makes it look easy . . .

https://youtu.be/05hBnDoY5iQ

[Gravedigger]

99 Marathon xlv looking for a video or advice on front inner hub seal replacement. Not sure if I am overlooking any info in the forum, but I can not seem to locate it.

[wjohnson720]

After a fantastic 10 days in Elkton, KY, Joe departed into the sunset to his next project.

The 2009 Marathon and 1995 Country coach are ready for epic travels.

The majority of the work on the 2009 were air system related (valves, airbags, fittings, etc). The brake relays were replaced, new hoses and new pads installed. It was amazing that the brake pads had little wear but the pads were cracking and falling apart from age. Also, at least one of the airbags was rattling inside. Joe cut open an airbag so we could see what it looks like.

The majority of the work on the 1995 was Rockwell brake system related with new relays, overhauled calipers, new pads, air chambers, hoses, etc. In addition, inner hub seals were replaced and shocks installed. The airbags, valves, fittings on the air system had been replaced in the recent past and were in good condition.

The most interesting tool Joe used was a audio listing device to hear air leaks in fittings. Amazing! Joe tracked a leak to the gauges on my panel. Fixed the fittings and pressure is now holding steady in my primary and secondary brake tanks. Of course, this was just one of the amazing things Joe did while he was here.

The other neat tool is the X12 for wheel studs. That has been discussed on other threads but neat to see it work first hand.

It was a blast working with Joe on both the buses. Getting your hands dirty (and perhaps the rest of you) is really the best way to learn about these buses. I am very happy with the results.

I am looking forward to Joe's return next March to install a new floor and fix some other items on the list. I wonder what Joe looks like covered in saw dust . . .

Safe travels, Joe. And thanks for all the great work.

[Hoffman]

Joe Camper: Can you let us know the name/brand of the audio air leak tool you use? You mentioned this when you were here, but I never got the name. I think it could be a useful thingie in my toolkit.
thnks

[Joe Camper]

Amprobe Joe.

Bill, I think u needed my backbone more than anything else. Thanks for the hospitality.

[Dockholiday]

I’d just like to give Joe my sincere THANKS for working me into his schedule last year (right about the time COVID was blowing up). To add to that, I’ve done a lot (no I take that back) a whole lot of learning over the past 18 months of ownership. I guess where I’m taking this is that of all the time, money, frustration, and jobs that I’ve coordinated to get my rig up to date and performing at the best level I can muster - no one came close to giving me the education and quality of workmanship that Joe did. Before Joe, I had no idea of the capabilities or even the deficiencies of what my Prevost conversion brings to the table. Also, how many shops have you visited that have signs that say ‘employees only’ - they tell you its because of insurance restrictions, but I’m saying its more about the fact that they are not proud of the work they do and they don’t want anyone to see the work arounds or shortcuts that happen more often than not! Joe is different, he relished the teaching part of his job as much as performing the work itself. Anyway, Joe says my chassis is now good for 5 years - how crazy is it that I can’t wait until that 5 years comes around again! Thank you Joe Camper, see you soon!

[mckeerw]

Amen to that!