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I couldn't bear to see an empty forum, so I had to post something!
How many of you, dump all your air to get as low as possible (for easy ingress & egress) then level going up from there?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Fwiw I have both the regular Prevost level low, and an auto system as well.
I do, I love it when I have a level pad and just dump the air.
Prevost recommends it, as your coach will be stable.
Fwiw I have bothe thre
See, he's in the squeezins again!:p
Jello: You been hanging with the LA low riders too long. Can you make your bus hop de hop? Eloo Frigatho!! man.
If the site is level, I usually dump all of the air and put the bus on its belly.
Hey Warren. I keep mine low when I store, it helps when I wash the Coach.
Loc,
I think a little full disclosure is needed here. You dump the rig air so the dog can get back in the coach.
Whatcha talking about Plasticster? My post is not mispelled at all?Quote:
Originally Posted by truk4u
I think YOU been in the squeezins! And I am really pissed you didn't invite me!!! :D
Thanks everyone for the input!
Sorry to pick up on an old thread, but a couple of posts were of interest to me.
Seems that when I use the "auto level", my Liberty ends up so low to the ground that it's very difficult to connect the sewer coupling. It appears that the coach "lowers" which ever corner(s) are required to make the bus level.
Is it possible to have the coach raise the appropriate corner(s) to achieve a level state instead?
My controls only have "ride", "manual", and "auto" settings.
Any recommendations?
Can't help with the auto-level but as for the waste hose issue
When getting to a campsite I hook the waste hose and dump, first thing, then unhook it and stow it until we leave when I again hook it and dump. We have 125 gal capacity and on a weekend getaway the first indicator light won't even usually light up till the last day.
This also allows me to manually lean while draining to compinsate for the large FLAT BOTTOM holding tank and not having the hose hooked just looks neater too.
With just Deb and I it takes days to fill the holding tank, 125 gal. We also usually never hook into the campground water either, filling the fresh water before leaving home gives us at least 3 or 4 days and not running water that I'm unsure of through the bus makes me happy.
The waste hose situation is definitely a draw back if you are one that has previously used and enjoyed a sloped holder as we did. I have grown to appreciate the new procedure, not needing the holder or having to display the hose.
Even with that said of our new method we are still faced with unhooking it and clearing it because of the LOW proximity of the coupler. I have fashioned a short piece of hose that hooks to the fresh water tank drain that is also right there since we have no gray tank to flush with.
Paul,
Does your Liberty has HWH computerized leveling?
My Newell has the HWH leveling and it does the same thing, the coach is too low after it automatically levels. I have found a way around this: I level the coach, extend the slide-outs, and then I raise the coach to its highest position, then level it manually. This seems to work very well, although it is a pain to sit there waiting for the coach to reach level status.
I don't know of any way to adjust the auto level feature.
I will say that once after using the auto level feature, I started talking to my next door neighbor while the engine was still running and the auto level was on. When we finished talking, I noticed that the coach was not too low as it usually was. It was slightly higher. So maybe the solution is to let the engine run for about 15 minutes after it reaches auto level.
If you discover an adjustment, please let me know.
I wonder if a call to HWH Tech support might help here. My CC HWH system levels the coach to high. So, I dump first then auto level. When parked on a level site, I just dump and forget it. HWH's number is 800 321 3494.
The Manual or Auto leveling is all Prevost and is part of the travel ride air bags. I usuall manually level . You then can determine how low you want the rear and front to drop.
Thanks for all the tips...
In going through some of the documentation that came with the bus, I noticed on the Prevost build sheet that it was equipped with "level lo", so I'm assuming that when I auto-level the bus, it will do so at the lowest level possible.
That's great for that first step up into the bus, but a problem with the clearance needed for the sewer connection.
So, it looks like manual leveling is the answer to strike that balance between entry step height and adequate clearance for the sewer connection.
Of course, there's always that macerator connection.... hmmm....
I think that the level low is a warning system that will be displayed on the dash if you forget to raise the coach or if the coach is in the process of raising to road height.
Paul,
If you level your coach manually you can control the height below your sewer hose connection. Generally if you want to you can connect the hose and then lower the coach to make that first step lower.
I also play with the leveling system sometimes to accomplish things such as tipping it toward the sewer drain to get all the tank empty, or tipping away from the fuel fill to get a little more in the tank if the fuel is especially cheap or i want to realy push my fuel supply.
It does look like the manual leveling will be the answer for now.
I've also discovered that I slowly lose air pressure with the bus just sitting. Not sure how much pressure loss, if any, would be considered within normal limits under this situation. We usually are parked for a minimum of a week, up to a couple of months, at a time.
I also want to learn more about the location of the air tank drain valves and the frequency for this type of maintenance. I don't mind doing it, just want to do it right the first (and hopefully every) time!!
Sure wish I had been able to take in the seminars at the rally!
Thanks for the advice...
Paul,
Your present air loss comments were the topic of one of the seminars and with Bill Jensen from Prevost ready and willing to dig deep into that topic you would have gotten some good information.
Air loss is a very broad subject so when discussing it you need to be very specific. Does your air loss affect the two bus braking systems, the auxiliary air system, or do you mean the coach tilts after you have leveled it? We covered some of this in Branson and I expect because there will be new faces in Sevierville to cover it again there and maybe Pahrump.
Jon,
Sure am sorry I missed that seminar!! Seems to go out of level after being parked for a few days (front drops), so I'm starting to monitor the actual pressure loss (as displayed by the dash guages) to kind of get a feel for the amount of leakage.
No issues when driving, so I believe that the compressor(s) is supplying more air than needed to overcome such a small loss.
My aux compressor seems to come on an average of once/day, usually just after deploying the awning, but it's kind of noisy, so I'm wondering if it may also need some attention.
Anyway, sure hope you guys that were lucky enough to be in Branson took lots of good notes!
Paul,
I wouldn't worry about the Liberty aux air compressor. The one in Gary's Liberty came on during Jon's leveling system seminar and the whole coach started shaking like a dog crapping a peach seed, so I think it must be normal.
The Royale was not quite that noisy, but the Marathon compressor is located in the generator bay, so I could hear a mosquito buzz all the way over at the Krakman's coach when it was on.
Or at least I thought it was a mosquito....:D
Jdub,,, did ya'll say you could hear a skeeter farting over at Plastikboi's ??
It was prolly farting, as it could not find any tissue !! Or so I hear..
How could a skeeter get in without a code?
We have the DaVinci Code,
And now the P-Krakster Code.... Are all ya'll fixin to make a movie ?? :)
Am also sorry I missed the seminars at Branson. It's good to know that the subjects may be re-visited at the spring rallys though. I have called Bill Jensen a number of times with what I thought were pretty basic questions and he has always been very helpful and much more accessible than some other sources. Am also glad to hear Nick Hessler is still supporting us. Would hope some of us may have occasion to spend a few of our Lewbucks with his firm.
Back to the thread... Since Liberty Coach has installed auxiliary air compressors for many years I wonder if a straw poll of how many times a day these units usually run when the coach is in use would be useful info??? I realize we don't all level our coaches the same and that the Elegant Ladies use air for more functions, to say nothing of the fact many of us old aviators use the flushers more. :eek: In our case the compressor runs 2 or 3 times a day for about 5 minutes. What say youse?
I think it is a moving target Brian. It will be directly related to the age of the coach the amount of air accessories and the level of periodic maintenance.
The best way to see is to leave the bus unoccupied and check it so you can rule out accessory use. The best I ever got to was to have 90 lbs the morning after and that is with one air bag with a pin hole that I'm aware of for sure. That was a few months ago and recently it has gotten to around 65 or 70 lbs in the morning so its time to go over it again. Either the bag is getting worse or the ambient temp is a factor or something new has developed.
A few months back after really going through ours, if not using anything I got it down to cycling once a day.
Phorner if you have a dayton oiless compressor they are a little noisy.
For safety for commercial vehicles DOT requires less than 10lbs of air loss in 10 min with brakes released, or something like that.
Brian,
The answer depends on how dedicated you are to seeking and curing leaks. When I got my coach about three years ago I spent a week chasing even the slightest leak and the compressor (which is left on all the time, even when the bus is unused in the garage) might turn on once a day. Probably less.
Remember that your leveling system uses no air when the key is off. If it leaks it still should not consume air unless you are leaking past the solenoid valves. So that leaves the items such as the air floor, driver's seat, pocket doors, air lock, bed lift, generator air bags, air horns, belt tensioners (key on only I think), etc. If I were to guess the biggest leak sources will be in the steer compartment at the regulator and solenoid valves and possibly related to the pocket doors.
Phorner,
Remember, your dash gauges for brakes have no correlation with the leans and is a completely separate system. If you have an Aux gauge, that is what supplies the air to all the accessories, air bags and is maintained by the Aux compressor.
To complete Tom's correct statement, the air bags are aux air, but the total aux system can be 100% depleted of pressure and the air bags will retain their pressure, and conversely the air bags can leak down to zero pressure and the aux system can continue to hold full air pressure.
I do have a dash aux air guage. What should be the normal operating parameters for the aux compressor?
Also, I'm guessing that the power is supplied through the inverters.... but that really has no bearing regarding the pressure set points.
Speaking of which, is the max/min air pressure adjustable for the aux air compressor?
Paul, your aux compressor is adjustable, but the range I normally see on coaches is 70 psi cut in, and 100 cut out.
The compressor will determine the maximum pressure. Some coaches use something similar to a well pump pressure switch to switch the compressor on and you can adjust that as required. If you set it too high off course the compressor just won't turn off.
Thanks, Jon.
My aux compressor seems to cut out at about 90 psi, which I think is just a shade too low. I would like to bump it up closer to 100 psi.
Once I figure out were the adjustment can be made, I'll let you know how I made out.
The next rally can't happen too soon for me, I'm really looking forward to learning more about this bus, although I understand that several POG members may require some recovery time from the last one....
If they located the aux compressor on yours in the box located in the center of the coach visble from the steer compartment the 120V line to it should pass through the pump switch (gray plastic enclosure).
You can adjust the pressure when you remove the cover.
This is a good time for you to add a system pressure gauge to the unregulated auxiliary air system manifold on the floor of this compartment. I think Mango has pictures that he posted.
MIne has guage under driver(outside compartment) and it says normal pressure is 45 LBS and that is what it has, not 90 etc. However today I noticed a long run and I opened compartment and your could hear air rushing out so I cut off pump and no more sound and it is holding pressure. Do I have an adjustable pressure that I could set down to keep pump from continuing to run after reaching a level and then just letting air out???? Thanks Dan & Jo
Dan,
I lack knowledge of Vogue specifics, but I suspect all our coaches share the need for pressure regulated air and unregulated air pressure.
For example, when your coach is running, the engine air compressor is providing 120 /130 PSI air to your auxiliary air system. That includes your entire coach suspension system. That is the system into which your auxiliary electric air compressor is plumbed. While not all coaches can be leveled with the air pressure from the aux compressor a lot can and are leveled, requiring at least 100 PSI.
That pressure however is too great for some of the aux air needs such as the air floor. Those components which could include the generator air bags, the bed lift, and pocket doors. Unregulated air may be required for the door lock and the air bellows for belt tensioning. Prevost definitely requires unregulated aux air pressure for those components, and in the case of the air bellows regulates them in the engine compartment. 45 PSI is not enough for them.
If you check your system you are likely to find you have both regulated and unregulated air pressure.
As to the running pump and the escaping air that could indicate the discharge pressure line from the pump may have failed and the system has a check valve to prevent the built up air from backflowing. I had that happen on my shop air supply once.
That gauge could also be the floor slide regulated pressure, my Marathon had a gauge with that same type label. Like Jon, I'm not familiar with Vogue.
I would assume my 45 lbs is for floor slide, seat and toilet (no pocket doors) I have 2 guages on Dash for all the heavy stuff. I must have a faulty switch and the compressor is not shutting off at correct time. I just checked pressure again and it is still holding 45lbs(Of course no use of the three above units)
Jon,
Thanks so much for the great pix!! Mine looks exactly like that and I can't wait 'till daylight to adjust it!
I know, a "real guy" wouldn't show such restraint and already be out there with a flashlight and tool box close at hand....
Paul,
I really was serious about the importance of adding an unregulated auxiliary air system pressure gauge. The one you are seeing is for the low pressure items usually installed by the converter.
But before you can adequately adjust your pressure switch you first need to know the system pressures. The gauge will not only assist you in making your settings, but it will assist you in monitoring the health of the entire aux air system so you can determine if repairs are required. Hearing the compressor kick on frequently tells you you have leaks, but a guage can allow you to actually watch your pressure drop and see the rate at which it is dropping.
Seasoned POG members wait until the whole house is asleep then begin there test adjustments.
Jon,
Here's the howto you mentioned:
Attachment 1721
http://www.prevoman.com/Pages/Aux%20Gauge/Auxpg1.html
Mike
The pressure gauge makes a lot of sense and the installation looks easy enough.
Thanks for the great photos....
jc-
for sure, ambient affects mine - it'll run once every couple or three days in 80-90 degree weather, and 2 or more times a day in 20-30. i've heard others comment with the same experience. i wonder what it is that changes so much that causes this. hmmmmm.......Code:> Either the bag is getting worse or the ambient temp is a factor or something new has developed.
wmm