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Old 04-25-2016, 02:56 PM   #1
DTS
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Intro & Q About Air Suspension '98 Intrigue

Hello folks, first post here on irv2 but I’ve been lurking for a while and have found your posts here in the CC forum very informative and helpful in making our decision to purchase an older Country Coach. My wife and I are close to sealing the deal on a 1998 CC Intrigue 40’ with slide. I’m sure I’ll have a ton of questions after we get the coach and start really digging into it, but here's something I was curious about and hopefully you guys can answer:

Can the air suspension be temporarily raised, while the coach is in motion, to increase ground clearance while negotiating a rough section of road? I’ve noticed that these vintage CC’s seem to sit fairly low to the ground. At some of my favorite back-country camp sites, there are usually quite a few motorhomes and even some big diesel pushers, so be assured I’m not thinking of taking it where no DP has gone before. But occasionally there can be some slight obstacles and uneven surfaces to get the coach into place, such as small berms along the sides of graded dirt roads, deep ruts, etc. Since the coach has air levelling, I’m guessing there is a way to temporarily lift the suspension higher than normal ride height, hopefully while the coach is moving. Any experience you guys have in that area would be appreciated.

BTW, this will be our first motorhome (we’ve been using a trailer for years), but I'm not exactly new to them or even to Country Coach. I worked for National RV for 9 years, before it imploded. That included most of the years that NRV owned CC. I was in marketing and I traveled up to the CC plant in Junction City several times to work on joint marketing projects, mostly regarding the Dynomax chassis, which we (National) were using in the Islander at the time. I've always been impressed with CC, and am looking forward to finally owning one.
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Old 04-25-2016, 04:12 PM   #2
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CC in the back country.

I think you need to ask what type of adventure you want with a MH. Maybe this could be a better choice for your adventures. Think UNIMOG! Global Expedition Vehicle Models | Global Expedition Vehicles
I know one can temporarily fool the HWH system by pulling its fuse for traveling in an emergency. Not advised for your travels.
Sounds like you would need skid plates under the drivetrain and radiator.
Mercedes has a nice 4x4 MH/van just announced, too.
I can't imagine the dust cloud behind you or the cleanup after a trip in the 'Bush'. Wheelbase on a 40 ft MH has to be a problem in some off road adventures. I refer to the turning radius.
OTOH...I have found our CC very capable of uneven roads compared to our older MH's we have owned. Minimal rock and roll on those MX railroad tracks!
You could try a spotter as used in the Crawler 4wd events. Have someone look at the terrain as you travel. Drone live feed?
Get the CC and tow the Mercedes 4x4!
Either way...would like to see a UTube video when you explore!
Bob 02 Allure 36 SRTS.
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Old 04-25-2016, 04:23 PM   #3
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Thanks ivorykitty but I think you misunderstood, or perhaps I did a poor job of explaining it. I'm not looking to "off-road" this thing. I have an Early Bronco and a Jeep for that. The only off-highway use it would see is down graded dirt roads. Believe me I don't want the tow bill to haul this thing out of a sand dune. But its very typical to dry camp out in the desert around here. On any given weekend you'll see the deserts full of all sorts of RV's including a ton of diesel pushers. This is typically only a few hundred feet off the highway. Still, there can be clearance issues even on graded dirt roads, or when transitioning off a highway to a dirt road. I can even foresee this being an issue for some typical drainage dips at paved intersections in town, or steep transitions into parking lots. So don't worry, I'm not planning to run the Baja 1000 in it. I see a button on the HWH control pad for "RAISE". I'm assuming that's to manually raise the coach above its normal ride height, for just such occasions.
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Old 04-25-2016, 04:37 PM   #4
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On my 99 allure you can raise the suspension and drive it as long as you hold the raise button in. as soon as you let the button go it will return to travel height.
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Old 04-25-2016, 04:48 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luqutus View Post
On my 99 allure you can raise the suspension and drive it as long as you hold the raise button in. as soon as you let the button go it will return to travel height.
That's what I was hoping to hear. How quickly does it raise it? And approximately how high? 2"? 4"? 6"? It seems that feature/function would be identical between a 98 Intrigue and 99 Alure. Thanks luqutus!
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Old 04-25-2016, 10:27 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DTS View Post
That's what I was hoping to hear. How quickly does it raise it? And approximately how high? 2"? 4"? 6"? It seems that feature/function would be identical between a 98 Intrigue and 99 Alure. Thanks luqutus!
Assuming that the coach has had the correct ride height set, the max rise you will see is approximately 8".

As said, you will have to keep your finger on the rise button as long as you want the coach in the "lifted" mode while you are driving.

Or while setting with the trans in neutral and parking brake set, you can raise the coach and then pull the correct fuse to the HWH system.

If you don't pull the fuse, as soon as you put it in gear, the coach will go to ride height.

No matter what method you use, speed should be limited to no more than 5MPH due to the severe angle of the driveshaft trans/rear end. This could damage the u-joints
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Old 04-25-2016, 10:28 PM   #7
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DTS
Google HWH and go to the 500 Series owners manual (I'm pretty sure that's what it will be) In part this is what it says in the "AIR DUMP AND RAISE" section:



2. Press and hold the "RAISE" or "DUMP" button as desired

to raise or lower the vehicle. The system will remain in the

"RAISE" or "DUMP" mode as long as the button is held down.

When the button is released the system will automatically turn

turn off. If the ignition is in the "ON" position the suspension will

return to travel height.

3. If desired for clearing an obstacle, the vehicle may be moved

while in the "RAISE" or "DUMP" mode for a short distance at

a slow speed. Remember the vehicle will return to travel height

when the "RAISE" or "DUMP" button is released and the leveling

system is off.


Hope this answers your inquiry and helps.....enjoy your new ride and welcome to the forum!

G
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Old 04-26-2016, 10:58 AM   #8
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Thanks guys that was exactly what I wanted to hear. dons2346 input that it will lift about 8" along with Chief G's text from the HWH manual explains everything I needed to know.


If everything goes well I'll be posting up about our new (to us) CC soon!
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Old 04-26-2016, 12:44 PM   #9
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We purchased a 1998 Country Coach Intrigue 40 ' non slide about a year ago. We really like the coach. We were fulltimers in a big 5 wheel for 5 years and now we live in a sticks and bricks in SW Florida. We travel when and where we want to mostly for family functions and love the Country Coach quality, storage, tank and carrying capacity and looks....a truly Classic .....you should love the Motorhome .
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Old 05-01-2016, 05:55 PM   #10
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Old 05-01-2016, 09:56 PM   #11
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I had to raise up our coach to clear a driveway bump about three years ago. So I just stood up and held the raise buttons till it went up all the way. Then moved slowly past the bump. It did start to go down, but had time to clear. My alternative method when my wife is with me it to have her hold the button while I move the coach.
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