Replacement Cruise Control

[DonL]

We have passed another milestone in the restoration of our 1996 HR Imperial. The grand old lady came originally with an Eco-Cruise control system. It failed so the original owner removed the actuator and drove by foot throttle for the rest of his sixteen year term of ownership. I am not that sure of foot, so I went looking for a replacement cruise system. The first company I talked to told me straight out that their system would not last on this Cummins powered Spartan Chassis because of the heavy throttle pull (about 24 lbs by fish scale).
I next contacted Cruise King LLC. They at one time built a direct replacement for the Eco-Cruise on Spartan Chassis. Their representative confirmed that it was no longer available but that another model would fit and they would supply installation instructions unique to our coach. The unit shipped the same day that I placed the order and it was delivered in less than a week.
The instructions provided were well written and illustrated. The wiring diagrams previously provided by Spartan were also of great convenience. The two places where I had questions were quickly and pleasantly resolved with a phone call to Steve at Cruise King. Though not required by Cruise King, I extended a throttle arm at the engine to use more of the available actuator range and reduce the throttle pull load to about ten pounds.
The post-installation test drive was a failure. The unit worked, but not as it should. I shot off an e-mail to Steve detailing the behavior of the system. His prompt response led me straight to the problem. I had failed to make up one of the wire junctions that was clearly called for in the installation procedure.
The second test drive was an unquestionable success. The system operates very smoothly on the highway, responding well to both control switches and to hills. And the hand throttle function is a clear bonus for engine warm up and building air pressure.
Dealing with Cruise King was a real pleasure. I highly recommend them and their cruise control product.

[walt2137]

Don congats on finding a replacement cruse control, not many folks would tackle anything that involved.

[Climbon69]

Just installed King Cruise to replace old Eco-Cruise on 1994 Gulstream DP on Spartan Chassis. Steve at King Cruise got so he recognized my voice, I called him so many times. Last call was on first trip with cruise. I couldn't go over 55 and I called him when I was getting on the freeway in Phoenix. He asked quietly, "did you calibrate it?"

I responded, "was I supposed to calibrate it?" He walked me through it on the phone as I entered the 101 freeway. It now works like a charm.

[DonL]

Congrats on your success. That Steve is worth a million, isn't he? His diagnoses are quick and correct. I can't recommend the King Cruise high enough.