Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > MOTORHOME FORUMS > Class A Motorhome Discussions
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 01-12-2009, 04:27 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
bench's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 132
We have a 40 foot Camelot wioth air leveling. Can anyone advise me as to how to safely raise it (ie use jack stands) to lube chasis?
__________________
2009 Monaco Camelot
bench is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 01-12-2009, 04:27 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
bench's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 132
We have a 40 foot Camelot wioth air leveling. Can anyone advise me as to how to safely raise it (ie use jack stands) to lube chasis?
__________________
2009 Monaco Camelot
bench is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2009, 06:23 PM   #3
"Formerly Diplomat Don"
 
Dutch Star Don's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Moorpark, Ca.
Posts: 23,922
bench....I would make some sturdy wood ramps out of 2 x 8, 3 high. With the coach aired up and on the ramps you should have enough room to crawl or creeper underneath unless you're thick like me.
__________________
Don & Mary
2019 Newmar Dutch Star 4018 (Freightliner)
2019 Ford Raptor
Dutch Star Don is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 03:17 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 4,027
Diplomat Don: I always enjoy your posts as you are a wealth of information. However one should never crawl under an air suspension unit with the bags aired up. There are many rv'rs who have died due to an air system failure while under the unit. I think you will find that OSHA and various states have the same restriction for mechanics in shops. If driving onto boards is not high enough to clear our "mature" stomachs then another method will be needed.
__________________
Moisheh
2008 Dynasty 42' Diamond IV
1988 Bluebird PT38
2009 Silverado Toad
moisheh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 05:25 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Western WA
Posts: 1,294
I made six inch thick ramps from treated 2x12's to give me plenty of clearance. The top piece is 18" long which makes a good, safe final ramp with a small stop bumper at the end, the bottom piece is 36" long with each intermediate plank six inches shorter with tapered edges. They are heavy but I don't need to muscle them around all that often. Even if the air bags deflated unexpectedly, something which very rarely happens, I feel I have plenty of room should that occur. However, you normally only get to be squashed once.
__________________
Sold the Motorhome, joined the fully retired gang. '07 Winnebago Journey 34H, ISB-02, MH2500
Toad - '08 Ford Taurus X, Blue Ox, Aventa
US Gear UBS
FleetMan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 05:47 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Cypress, Texas USA
Posts: 8,854
A review of THIS thread might be time well spent!

Rusty
RustyJC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 07:11 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Logthumper's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Shawnee, Kansas
Posts: 388
The front suspension should be hanging free when being greased to allow the grease to get to where the highest friction is when the weight is on the suspension.

While parked here at home, before the air is released, I place premeasured blocks under each Jack Pad. The height of the blocks are so that there is just enough room to place them into position while the coach is still aired up. The area where I park the coach is level, and the blocks are level from side to side and front to back. I then release the air and let the coach settle down onto the blocks (which is only about ½”). Now all the weight is on the blocks/jacks , not on the tires, except for the axle weight, and the coach is level. This is how the coach is always parked at home. This also leaves enough room for me to get under the coach and there is no way it can get any lower.

While greasing the front suspension, I raise the front of the coach until the front tires are off the ground and place jack stands under each end of the axle. This allows grease to flow to the areas where the coach weight is when the coach is again resting on the axle.

Nothing like this is required for the rear for greasing.
__________________
Monaco Knight PDQ38,2007
RR8R Chassis, ISC330 Cummins
Logthumper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 09:41 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Sixpack98's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 1,264
Logthumper has described a resonably safe procedure. I really don't like getting under the coach even to grease. For those times when it is necessary I drop the levelers until they touch the concrete but still try to position myself away from low obstacles. It sounds like placing large blocks under the levelers might be a good idea. I don't have a clue if hydraulic levelers are less prone to failure than air levelers and my method is pretty stupid logic.
__________________
Dawn and Mark

06 HR Endeavor 40 PET
Sixpack98 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 10:59 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
quikduk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 533
I think I would follow what fleetman has suggested with the ramps. I am very carefull when under our coach and try to make every possible attempt to secure the coach from inadvertent movement while uder it.

I too had a close call when the system aired down unexpectedly. It was all my son could do to pull me out and I got pretty scratched/cut up in the process.

I always use ramps and blocks for the wheels and blocks under the Bigfoot levelers JIC. I make sure there are no wind gusts or windy conditions forcast and I make frequent exits from beneath for constant setup surveillance.

I also have family with me (outside) when I am underneath incase I need help.

Working on any vehicle, whether tractor, MH, car, Jeep etc has a certain risk to it...but so does using a shovel. My hope and goal is that the latter will not need to be used to bury me after working on the former...
__________________
1998 Gulfstream 36' Sun Voyager Bus Platinum
quikduk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 11:48 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Logthumper's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Shawnee, Kansas
Posts: 388
To clarify my earlier post.
The hydraulic levelers are not extended when resting on the blocks. There is no way they can fail.
__________________
Monaco Knight PDQ38,2007
RR8R Chassis, ISC330 Cummins
Logthumper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 02:16 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 4,027
Good post logthumper!! Just in case someone wants to apply this method to the rear jacks: Remeber that when the rear wheels are off the ground ytou do not have a park brake! Make sure you block the wheels. Don't even think of using 2x4's you need big blocks for big tires! I hate funerals, especially mine!!
__________________
Moisheh
2008 Dynasty 42' Diamond IV
1988 Bluebird PT38
2009 Silverado Toad
moisheh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 04:41 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Jocat54's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Leakey, Tx (Texas Hill Country)
Posts: 109
Am I missing something here? Our MH when all the air is bled off the air bags still has plenty of room under it (crawling of course).

John
__________________
John & Kathy & Gizmo (Maltipoo)
1999 38ft Monaco Diplomat DP
Jocat54 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 04:56 PM   #13
"Formerly Diplomat Don"
 
Dutch Star Don's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Moorpark, Ca.
Posts: 23,922
I think a few people missed the fact that bench said he has AIR LEVELING which means no jacks. I still see no issue with using the ramps. If you feel unsafe about the coach airing down, block the chassis in four spots with some large 4"x8" or 6"x10" beams.
__________________
Don & Mary
2019 Newmar Dutch Star 4018 (Freightliner)
2019 Ford Raptor
Dutch Star Don is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 05:27 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Grayson, GA
Posts: 905
I use the ramps as someone else has suggested --- I made them out of 2x12 with each shorter one staggered about 4 inches. I have put 5 layers together which raises my wheels about 10 inches. I can then work under the coach with all 4 tires solidly on something and the air suspension deflated. I don't want that thing coming down on me when I am doing my maintance. To everyone, just be safe.
__________________
Dave and Karen -- '02 Ultimate Advantage 36 C, 350 HP Cummins, Allison 3060 Tranny, 2013 Ford Edge, InvisiBrake
David K is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Country Coach Service Daytona Coach Country Coach Owners Forum 2 10-15-2008 07:37 PM
Coach Service Pusherpilot Monaco Owner's Forum 4 01-30-2008 08:44 PM
Raising TT height Hersh Travel Trailer Discussion 10 10-24-2005 07:45 PM
Coach Care RV service? tderonne Winnebago Industries Owner's Forum 2 02-15-2005 09:21 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.