Things you didn't know about your Palazzo thread...

[Peterrrr]

Originally Posted by ChallengerRN

As Berlin says---your coach has air brakes--when parked the air locks only the rear tires--- without air the transmission in park will lock only rear wheels.

Russell

Actually with air brakes, the rear wheel parking brake is normally a spring actuated brake. The spring is compressed when air is added and uncompressed with the removal of air. So when you apply the parking brake the air is removed causing the spring to expand and apply the brakes. When you go to drive, and release the parking brake then air compresses the spring releasing the brake.

The air brakes for the services brakes for all wheels is applied to an S-CAM actuator which applies a drum brake.

Some Allison MH transmissions normally do not have a Park or Park Brake selector position and are left in Neutral when parking. Thus, the addition of alarms to ensure the application of the Parking Brake, and the need to chock the rear wheels if the parking brake is not going to be applied or the engine will be left running with the driver seat being left unattended.

[savoybrown]

Since you brought it up Peterrrr, I have a question about chocks. Actually I have 2 questions for you.

I recently traded up from a gas to a diesel. In my previous life, I never used chocks, as I felt more than secure putting the coach in park. Now with just the rear air spring brakes, I understand the need to chock a rear wheel as a fail safe. What type of chock do you use? I have been looking at buying a set of the plastic heavy duty ones that they sell at CW. Are they as safe as the wooden ones?

And secondly, and more importantly, why so many rrrr's?

[MisterT]

never used any

[Peterrrr]

Originally Posted by savoybrown

Since you brought it up Peterrrr, I have a question about chocks. Actually I have 2 questions for you.

I recently traded up from a gas to a diesel. In my previous life, I never used chocks, as I felt more than secure putting the coach in park. Now with just the rear air spring brakes, I understand the need to chock a rear wheel as a fail safe. What type of chock do you use? I have been looking at buying a set of the plastic heavy duty ones that they sell at CW. Are they as safe as the wooden ones?

And secondly, and more importantly, why so many rrrr's?

On your gas coach when you put the tranny in Park, there was a park pawl in the transmission, that would lock the tranny. In the Allison 2000 Series transmissions only the 2200 has a park pawl. I very seldom chock my wheels, but when I do, I use large plastic ones. I do believe I got them at CW. Not sure I would call them heavy duty though.

Now the important question. I have never been able to be the first at any site to create a username. Just keep adding the "r" s until the system says the name is ok.

[savoybrown]

That's awesome...

[RVRandy]

Originally Posted by ChallengerRN

My guess is that maintenance people were on level ground. I see nothing wrong there. I've done it myself. Once coach is up --jack stands should be place under for safety.

Now at a camp ground??? Would seem prudent to me to never see air under the rear wheels !! Nothing holding that coach there but the jacks. Scares me !!! I'd for sure sleep in an uphill bed before I would ever have a rear wheel off the ground!! Front wheels--they don't matter as they don't have brakes that set up anyway or a transmission holding them.

As to the air bags popping or banging --air the coach up before releasing the jacks. That should help on the banging issues.

Russell

Its rare for me to be on uneven ground where the rears are raised off of the ground, usually the fronts, but I have had it happen occasionally. First, I would never extend my slides without the coach being 100% properly leveled on the jacks, even if it means the rear wheels must be raised. That will almost ensure you will eventually have slide out track/gear problems. I carry (4) 3' pieces of 4x4 in the outside bay to put under the rears if the gap is extreme. The rear tires may not actually sit on these, but it fills the gap in the highly unlikely event that a hydraulic line to the jacks leaked down or broke, so the drop would be minimal. You can also stack these under one jack and use the manual controls if you want to raise just one wheel off the ground to check for nails, etc. This way you don't extend the jack to an extreme length, which is when they are at their weakest.

I know it may seem otherwise, but you are not in danger of rolling away with the rears in the air. You have thousands of pounds of weight on the jacks (they are designed to hold it) and it is impossible for them to roll. If you are on an area so steep the jacks may slide (which would be extreme) or covered in solid ice, move to a different spot. Sometimes it a matter of moving a few feet to find flatter ground.

Always release the air to the suspension and let it settle completely before you activate the jacks. Takes about 60 seconds to be completely empty. The banging you hear on air up is usually caused by people raising the jacks first, then releasing the suspension air. When you do it this way the suspension is extended and raising the chassis via the jacks causes the suspension to stay extended even though the air bags shrink when pressure is removed. This means the air bags will not be perfectly aligned when you go to air them up again, they bang when they pop back into place. Airing the suspension down before jacking lets the suspension settle and push the air bags to the empty position, aligned with the chassis.

[ChallengerRN]

Everyone to his own. No way will anyone EVER see air under my rear tires and me expecting 4 -1 1/2 " rods keeping me there!! That to me is just stress that I won't apply to my coach.

But that being said I've scene some crazy stuff in campgrounds and I guess at the end of the day they survive and went home.

Russell

[JamesWillard]

Thanks for the jacks discussion. I wasn't so worried about the coach moving, with the rear wheels off the ground; but rather worried about damage to the suspension. Sounds like it is OK. Of course, wheels off the ground is pretty rare, except for occasional maintenance.

[savoybrown]

Posted on another thread, but for those with a 2014 33.3 that may not have seen it, the Schwintek controller for the front overhead bunk is located behind the up/down switch, on the passenger side over head cabinet behind a false wall.

[savoybrown]

Just found out today, that after trying to track down refrigerator locks thru my dealer, that I already had one! I noticed that there was a hole between the freezer and the fridge doors that had threading in it. Don't know why it finally clicked, but I remembered there was a long bolt with a black knob at one end in my Thor bag of manuals and misc "stuff". Put it in the hole, made a few turns, and presto, I have a fridge lock!!

Can hardly wait for the next revelation to hit...

[Millennial]

Originally Posted by savoybrown

Just found out today, that after trying to track down refrigerator locks thru my dealer, that I already had one! I noticed that there was a hole between the freezer and the fridge doors that had threading in it. Don't know why it finally clicked, but I remembered there was a long bolt with a black knob at one end in my Thor bag of manuals and misc "stuff". Put it in the hole, made a few turns, and presto, I have a fridge lock!!

Can hardly wait for the next revelation to hit...

Glad you finally found it mine was in the freezer when I purchased mine. There is a much better door holder than that Thor made for the 2016 Palazzo. It works much better and doesn't cost very much. I and others have wrote about it here on the mods thread and a few other threads. Hope you get more revelations to share

[savoybrown]

Yah, you're right. That does look like it would work quite a bit better.

Another one I had recently was not so much of a revelation, but more of a brain fart. After reading SO many slide out issues, it seems like I've been doing nothing but preventive maintenance on the slides. The fart part is when I discovered that the rollers don't actually roll on the floor, but are attached to the floor! Let the chuckling commence...

[JamesWillard]

2013 Palazzo 33.3

I occasionally spray silicone lube on the exposed slideout gear tracks that I can see from the outside.

Is there MORE I can do lubricate or clean to help my slide mechanisms?

[jones47172]

Originally Posted by JamesWillard

2013 Palazzo 33.3

I occasionally spray silicone lube on the exposed slideout gear tracks that I can see from the outside.

Is there MORE I can do lubricate or clean to help my slide mechanisms?

Here is a link to a video Schwintek has for lubricating slides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KbVRFMo1Rg