99 Georgie Boy Swinger - Repair questions

[RVMomOhio]

Hello all!

we are looking at purchasing our first Motor home, and are considering a 99 Georgie Boy swinger. it's Gas, not Diesel, so that has me a little worried as to the age of the gas motor (should it?).

But there are 2 main questions I really have. This unit has a "park" option in the transmission. So you put it into park like you would expect - but here is the sticky part. The current owner says that the Motorhome does not really have a 'park' in the sense that it 'parks' the unit. You have to put it into 'park' and then pull the 'yellow' parking brake in the dash, to keep it from rolling.

It does mention something about this in the spcs, but I believe those can be interpreted differently. It says to put the brake on to prevent rolling - but - I would imagine you'd put it in park which would stop the rolling if on mostly flat ground, and what I am seeing/hearing is that this model at least, a Gas model not deisel, doesn't have a 'brake' initiated when you park it. that 'park' is more like an all day thing.

so the question is- if you put it into Park, is there no protection from driving on hills etc- unless you pull the yellow brake switch on the dash?

I ask because the MH doesn't have anything like I thought - no transmission brake that will stop the unit from roling - just the Yellow brake switch, which I would assume is like an emergency brake. Then again, maybe motor homes don't have an emergency brake, just a standard one..

The only other question i have, is that the owner said the automatic leveling jacks are all broken, all of them on the vehicle. Is this generally a simple or complex fix.

any thoughts are appreciated thank you!

[RV Wizard]

Hello and We are glad to have you join us here and we look forward to reading of your adventures and experiences. I am sure you will enjoy our website and forums. Good luck, stay safe and keep us posted.
I would recommend you do a little more homework before jumping into deep water. The leveling system can be quite expensive to repair and could have some obsolete parts where a new system could be needed. What ever you decide to purchase, have a qualified technician check everything out and a mechanic should check the chassis and drivetrain; it will be money well spent.

[cjd10]

Sounds like that MH has the auto park system. No park in the transmission but instead uses a sort of braking pad system that clamps the drive shaft to keep it from moving. Do some research on "Auto Park" and you can probably find a better explanation than I can give.
Personally I would avoid anything with that type system. Had that on my 98 Georgetown and it had problems about every 18 months. I had to carry a spare switch that would need to be replaced for leaking issues. the internet refers to it as the "rotten green switch"

[edgray]

Originally Posted by RVMomOhio

Hello all!

we are looking at purchasing our first Motor home, and are considering a 99 Georgie Boy swinger. it's Gas, not Diesel, so that has me a little worried as to the age of the gas motor (should it?).

But there are 2 main questions I really have. This unit has a "park" option in the transmission. So you put it into park like you would expect - but here is the sticky part. The current owner says that the Motorhome does not really have a 'park' in the sense that it 'parks' the unit. You have to put it into 'park' and then pull the 'yellow' parking brake in the dash, to keep it from rolling.

It does mention something about this in the spcs, but I believe those can be interpreted differently. It says to put the brake on to prevent rolling - but - I would imagine you'd put it in park which would stop the rolling if on mostly flat ground, and what I am seeing/hearing is that this model at least, a Gas model not deisel, doesn't have a 'brake' initiated when you park it. that 'park' is more like an all day thing.

so the question is- if you put it into Park, is there no protection from driving on hills etc- unless you pull the yellow brake switch on the dash?

I ask because the MH doesn't have anything like I thought - no transmission brake that will stop the unit from roling - just the Yellow brake switch, which I would assume is like an emergency brake. Then again, maybe motor homes don't have an emergency brake, just a standard one..

The only other question i have, is that the owner said the automatic leveling jacks are all broken, all of them on the vehicle. Is this generally a simple or complex fix.

any thoughts are appreciated thank you!

What you are describing is found on GM and early Workhorse P32 chassis. It is the J71 Auto Apply Parking Brake (AAPB). It is a spring applied, hydraulic release brakeshoe device which clamps around the DS immediately behind the tranny, when you shift the lever into "P". The yellow knob does the same thing, and is required to be pushed in to release the AAPB. On most of them you don't have to pull the knob AND shift the lever to engage the parking brake, but you do have to push the knob to release the brake. The knob is just a switch, unlike the "real thing" on chassis equipped with air brakes.

You can learn more about this infamous system over in the Workhorse owner forum here on iRVs.

I can't help you with the jacks, but doubt you will need to replace the entire system which would be prohibitively expensive on a coach that old, IMO.

[Nick-B]

Just to add a bit more understanding of the Park position of the shift lever. On a regular car or pickup, the Park position engages a pin inside the transmission to prevent the transmission (and ultimately the wheels) from turning. This is not used in Class A motorhomes as the pin could easily be jammed or even broken from the much greater weight of the vehicle being applied against it. A small drum brake assembly is typically attached at the end of the transmission to prevent the driveshaft from turning. The older GM chassis had an "autopark" that engaged the parking brake when you place the shift lever in Park. That design that can be troublesome as mentioned whereas the Ford chassis used a more conventional parking brake pedal. The downside to the Ford design is if you place the shift lever in Park but fail to engage the parking brake pedal, the motorhome can easily roll away.