Community Forums

RandDescape · 11-09-2019, 07:17 AM

My dad and I had a good experience at Camp Newmar; the coach was ready a few hours earlier than expected; got to meet and spend a little time with Tom and Anne as well as Renee. Didn’t get to learn as much from them as I’d like because I had to sit in a corner and work the rest of my 40hr work week. But it was nice to meet in person.

Although the water is off at the campground they will add water to your coach inside the service center (during biz hours) and the dump pipes are open in the campground.

Was having a good (although cold) drive back to Maryland when about 9:45pm at highway speed on the long hills outside Pittsburgh I heard the unmistakable sound of the Equalizer jacks cycling and the warning alarm!!! Can’t really turn the head to look behind your shoulder and down at the jacks panel in that environment, so fortunately I know where the power button is by feel and pushed within 3-4 very very long seconds and that stopped the jack movement and alarm.

Got off at the next service center which was over 10miles away. Got out to inspect and 3 jacks were up; the fourth is way up and missing it’s foot!

No damage I could see to the coach, lines or toad. Felt really lucky about all of that and the rest of the drive was uneventful.

This morning I’ll do a more thorough inspection of all items than I was going to do in a full truck stop at night.

And I guess I have 1 more warranty issue to resolve before my coach-a-versary is up in early Dec.

Safe travels to all (and hopefully warm).

- Richard

superman11 · 11-14-2019, 10:53 AM

Richard, Wow. We have had the jacks initiate on its own while underway to us 4 times on our VTLE in the less than a year we have owned it. I was told that because the parking brake is not applied, they would not fully deploy - but based on your post I wonder if this is true. It certainly sounds like it deploys. Each time, I have tried to hit retract all and power the system off as soon I can do this safely.

We are currently at Camp Newmar, and this is on the list but has not yet been addressed. I will initiate an update from the tech this afternoon.

johnboy347 · 11-15-2019, 05:00 AM

My 2018 4369 jacks would start to deploy when I started up. Not good when yr under cover. Independence eventually changed a valve or something on the jacks. The have been behaving lately. Someone needs to report this to the NHISTA - there is no way jacks should be able to run like newmar has them set up. You are indeed very lucky.

RandDescape · 11-15-2019, 11:48 AM

I do not believe my jack actually deployed to the point of road contact. When I setup camp after dumping air it takes a good 10-15 seconds before the first Jack makes contact with the ground. I believe I had hit all retract and then powered the system down within 5 seconds. There was no mistaking the sound or wasted time thinking of what to do before I moved my hand to make that stop now.

I heard no contact noises either. The jack tubes do not appear bent and the threads in the shaft don’t appear to be disturbed either.

I didn’t hear or feel any change in the air suspension either. Of course what I hear when parked may not be loud enough to be heard at 65mph with the radio on - and my mind was focused on the pump sound at the time.

At this point my guess is that the screw came lose and the foot fell off and that allowed the jack to move upward a little - which triggered the alarm and pump. I’m still disappointed if that’s true but it would explain what I see.

superman11 · 11-16-2019, 03:07 AM

Thanks for the clarification.

They installed a "master solenoid" to my configuration to prevent unprovoked deployment. According to the tech, this is the preferred SOP to repair my specific error condition. Hopefully that resolves this issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandDescape

I do not believe my jack actually deployed to the point of road contact. When I setup camp after dumping air it takes a good 10-15 seconds before the first Jack makes contact with the ground. I believe I had hit all retract and then powered the system down within 5 seconds. There was no mistaking the sound or wasted time thinking of what to do before I moved my hand to make that stop now.

I heard no contact noises either. The jack tubes do not appear bent and the threads in the shaft don’t appear to be disturbed either.

I didn’t hear or feel any change in the air suspension either. Of course what I hear when parked may not be loud enough to be heard at 65mph with the radio on - and my mind was focused on the pump sound at the time.

At this point my guess is that the screw came lose and the foot fell off and that allowed the jack to move upward a little - which triggered the alarm and pump. I’m still disappointed if that’s true but it would explain what I see.

Skyskipper · 11-16-2019, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandDescape

My dad and I had a good experience at Camp Newmar; the coach was ready a few hours earlier than expected; got to meet and spend a little time with Tom and Anne as well as Renee. Didn’t get to learn as much from them as I’d like because I had to sit in a corner and work the rest of my 40hr work week. But it was nice to meet in person.

Although the water is off at the campground they will add water to your coach inside the service center (during biz hours) and the dump pipes are open in the campground.

Was having a good (although cold) drive back to Maryland when about 9:45pm at highway speed on the long hills outside Pittsburgh I heard the unmistakable sound of the Equalizer jacks cycling and the warning alarm!!! Can’t really turn the head to look behind your shoulder and down at the jacks panel in that environment, so fortunately I know where the power button is by feel and pushed within 3-4 very very long seconds and that stopped the jack movement and alarm.

Got off at the next service center which was over 10miles away. Got out to inspect and 3 jacks were up; the fourth is way up and missing it’s foot!

No damage I could see to the coach, lines or toad. Felt really lucky about all of that and the rest of the drive was uneventful.

This morning I’ll do a more thorough inspection of all items than I was going to do in a full truck stop at night.

And I guess I have 1 more warranty issue to resolve before my coach-a-versary is up in early Dec.

Safe travels to all (and hopefully warm).

- Richard

Richard my name is Mark and we just got back from Camp Newmar also and live I Maryland. What city do you live in? We have a Newmar Ventana LE.

Mark

RandDescape · 11-16-2019, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyskipper

Richard my name is Mark and we just got back from Camp Newmar also and live I Maryland. What city do you live in? We have a Newmar Ventana LE.

Mark

Were in southern Frederick county pretty much at the boarder with Montgomery county.

- Richard

Ajhyman · 11-17-2019, 02:58 PM

Just pulled in camp Newmar about hour ago. Cold wet rain should be here most the week

andyh · 11-21-2019, 01:39 PM

Anybody at the old camp?

hohenwald48 · 11-23-2019, 11:40 AM

I'm sure there's information somewhere in these 243+ pages of posts but maybe someone can simplify my search.

I know the new CN is for service work only. No problem with that.

Wondering what the current status and future plans are for the old CN FHU sites and the old CN non-FHU sites. Anybody know or heard rumors?

wishalls · 11-23-2019, 12:39 PM

CN FHU is still open. However I don’t know if the water has been shut off

ARD · 11-23-2019, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wishalls

CN FHU is still open. However I don’t know if the water has been shut off

Water is turned off at new CG, but is on at old CG.

VP Chianese · 11-24-2019, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ARD

Water is turned off at new CG, but is on at old CG.

That's because they have the Freeze-less Yard Hydrants at the old CG and they didn't do that at the new CG. Not sure why they didn't when they were spending the money that they did. They are about $140 each for the 4 ft deep Hydrant and $7-8 k more in cost should not have made that big of difference. They went with Marina Pedestals which cost about $650 each of which $50 is the water add on as they start at $425 + adds of which everything is an add. So they saved $4,500 and added the issue of repairing the broken ones every year because they will not get all of the water out before they freeze. Been in way to many marinas where these are installed. They are above ground on a fixed or floating dock so in theory you shut the water off, open the bibs on all of the pedestals, then open a bib that is set lower than all of the others, blow compressed air in the farthest one and they drain dry. Not. They have to fix several every year because the water doesn't all drain out. Major PIA.

They use to turn the water off at the overflow sites in the old CG once it got cold but they do not exist anymore. And I believe every spring they had leaks and broken pipes when they turned them back on.

The best I know from some good sources is that the old FHU CG is going to be as it has been and will be for visits to the Factory as in being there to see your coach being built and Tours or just for visits to Nappanee.

johnboy347 · 11-24-2019, 07:11 AM

old Camp Newmar non- full service sites (electric and water) have been absorbed by production and no longer exist. From what I have read somewhere on this site in thel 20 or so pages of info, the old Camp Newmar full service sites will remain. Used for people coming to Newmar for the tour, Newmar owners just passing through, Newmar owners who arrive early and cannot get into the new Camp Newmar because their service date if more than a day away. Probably other reasons too.