when to raise tag axle?

[jbrhodes76]

I have been rising my tag when I'm on flat ground making a 90 degree turn. Is it ok to raise tag while in turning motion or am I supposed to come to a complete stop first and then raise tag? This could be a problem by breaking the flow of traffic however I don't want to cause damage to my bus. Any advice?

[Gil_J]

Raising the tag, or not, can be like discussing the merits of a political candidate.

Ideally, the tag will be unloaded during all low speed extreme turns. The reality is there's probably little value when compared to hassle for any turn not performed during parking or multi point turns. In these situations you should consider unloading the tag. The one caveat is unloading the tag will reduce the rear ground clearance of the coach. There will be situations where ground clearance is critical. I unload my tag when parking into a camp site or parking space after making sure ground clearance is not an issue. As soon as I begin to straighten the steering wheel I load the tag.

There is tremendous side force on the tag tires and hubs when making a slow extreme turn. This is probably not good on the tire's sidewall or hub. It also results in tire tread scuffing and a slight increase in turn radius.

So, unload when making slow speed extreme turns. This would not include normal right turns at an intersection.

[dale farley]

One time, I raised my tag while making a 90 degree turn off a street into a parking lot without thinking about the dip as I went into the lot. I really scraped the trailer hitch because the dip was more than I expected and the bus was lower since the tag was raised. Be cautious when entering parking lots with dips.

[TheGadgetGuru]

Coming soon to The Gadget Guru, the answer to the burning question: If and when you should lift the tag axle.

So, stay tuned!

[Joe Camper]

A quite unnessessary accessory.

As u worry about side force and scuffing on a tag in a turn how about all those other undesirable factors transfered to the drive axle like 35000lb+ on 1 axle just for 1 example.

I say u will age those tag tires out long before u wear them out weather u raise the tag or not. Isn't there enough other things to concentrate on behind the wheel without having to dig for that switch.

Lift axles serve a way more useful purpose on trucks when they r loaded and then empty back and forth on a regular basis.

I never used mine the switch was in a real rediculas place. It never caused any adverse result I could gauge.

Be safe.

[Joe Camper]

20170512_092403.jpg

Here is a gauge on one of the drive axle bags tag down.

20170512_091317.jpg

Here is where the pressure gets to after u lift the tag. Clowdy picture, gauge needle pointed straight down that reads 120 psi if it were calibrated that high, and that's with 4 bags on the job.

[Gil_J]

Joe,

Great data point.

[Joe Camper]

The bus I tested in the pictures was an H3-40 no slides. Not even a heavy bus.

So in conclusion, when your tag is up whatever pressure u r seeing on your dash air gauge, that's the pressure in the drive bags.

Unnessessary accessory is a bit harsh I apologize.

Even if the tires will age out first....

If u use your bus alot and have become very comfortable and proficient behind the wheel, u put plenty of miles on it and u have trained your left hand to know where the switch is, and u use it on most tighter corners..... sure u will get to age out on the tires with more tread no doubt about that.

If u don't use the bus alot the switch is in a tough spot and distracting from real driving. Or u can snooker yourself like Dale posted.

Be careful that's all.

Also if u don't exercise that tag lift those norgren controlling it all, in the event u do use it after long periods of not, it could go bad, or get stuck,or leak afterwards and give u a lean.

If there is any one axle in the universe I would want for a heavy load a prevo drive axle would be right up there at the top IMHO.

[Gil_J]

Just a couple of tidbits.

At some point (2013 or earlier) Prevost's X-3 chassis was factory equipped with an automatic feature that reduces the load on the tag axle by 70%. This is done without any indication given to the driver it's being done. The driver can also fully unload the tag manually. I'm not sure why the manual full unload feature is still available. Maybe, it just hasn't been deleted yet.

There was a time when Prevost had an optional system that automatically lifted the tag. I believe that may have been in the mid 90s. I'm pretty sure parts for this system are had to find. So, many, if not most, have removed this feature.

[Donnie Myers]

I have to side with Joe on this issue. Tag down normal driving.