Does your DP hit the ground often (speedbumps, pulling in to gas stations)??

[wfcentral]

Hello - we have an Entegra Esteem Class C. It has awful front jacks that float 6 inches off the ground (estimated). We have to be paranoid going over any speed bumps or pulling into any gas station / campground where the ground comes to a peak for fear of the jacks in the front bottoming out. It is not possible to raise them any higher because they sit against the frame.

Our next rig will likely either be a Super C or a DP. So, I'm wondering if a DP with the ability to raise/lower the chassis airbags has issues with low clearance?

I'm guessing that the more common issue for a DP might be the MIDDLE hitting ground if they go over something that has a high peak.

[shootist]

Never had a problem. I can hold the raise button and keep my bags fully inflated until I pass the dangerous spot. I back up a really steep driveway and have to have a friend on the cell to watch the trans cooler hose fitting that sticks down, it has been within a few inches.

[Country Road]

Originally Posted by wfcentral

Hello - we have an Entegra Esteem Class C. It has awful front jacks that float 6 inches off the ground (estimated). We have to be paranoid going over any speed bumps or pulling into any gas station / campground where the ground comes to a peak for fear of the jacks in the front bottoming out. It is not possible to raise them any higher because they sit against the frame.

Our next rig will likely either be a Super C or a DP. So, I'm wondering if a DP with the ability to raise/lower the chassis airbags has issues with low clearance?

I'm guessing that the more common issue for a DP might be the MIDDLE hitting ground if they go over something that has a high peak.

No problem here but my toy hauler middle jacks used to get close.

A Super C wouldn’t be a problem at all I wouldn’t think. Others will tell us.

[153stars]

The closer to axles the better for normal transitions. Mine are close to axles , I've done some rough grass terrain never dragged them. My vanity mud has just a bit, it's higher than a lot I have seen. Frankly never been over a speed bump but some pretty big ruts with out dragging.
Some body posted a pic of a terrible ,not normal railroad crossing a DP high centered on. It scared me just thinking about it.
Thinking about it have you measured your ride height.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by 153stars

The closer to axles the better for normal transitions. Mine are close to axles , I've done some rough grass terrain never dragged them. My vanity mud has just a bit, it's higher than a lot I have seen. Frankly never been over a speed bump but some pretty big ruts with out dragging.
Some body posted a pic of a terrible ,not normal railroad crossing a DP high centered on. It scared me just thinking about it.
Thinking about it have you measured your ride height.

Ride height is not the same as ground clearance. Which do you mean?
My DP has 8" ground clearance and I've scraped the hitch one time in 13 years.
Busted my front cap when I slowly drove through a mudhole in a truck stop. Muddy water covered the deep hole and when the front wheels dropped into the hole the front air springs deflated trying to maintain ride-height = crunch.

[Forza Bill]

I drag my chrome tail pipe extension on my Forza all the time, it's pretty annoying, but have not bottomed out on the frame/axle or hitch.

[Topperace]

We have a Entegra Insignia and I learned the hard way to watch out for the tail drag. Took the MH to a Cummins service center last August and coming out of their lot, onto the main road there was a dip that I didn't think was that large, but the rear radiator mount scrapped the road, as my Wife later told me as she was following me out of the parking lot... luckily it did only minor damage to the bottom corner of the radiator mount and didn't damage the radiator ... that and the Aqua Hot exhaust pipe keeps me on my toes now...as I should have been to begin with...

[n2zon]

I tucked the AquaHot exhaust in more closely to the bottom of the rig after it got bent last year. Never even knew it happened until I saw it some time later. No part of the rest of the rig has had an interference problem so far, even when I was nervous about it.

[theroc]

Me too. Two of my DPs would sometimes scrape the hitch when leaving certain grades to level ground, e.g. parking lots, etc. I learned to recognize the types and severity of dips I had to transverse and tried to leave or transverse them at an angle or diagonally as much as possible. I became aware of this early on when leaving the lot of a repair facility and the mechanic told me to make SURE when I left the parking area to leave at a diagonal angle rather than driving straight out the driveway as he said the vast majority of DPs would scrape the rear hitch assembly if not doing so.

And raising and lowering air bags is not really the purpose of the air suspension on a coach. It's for your ride comfort and not for gaining more ground clearance at any given time.

[Rob_M]

My hitch slightly scrapes the asphalt every time I enter my driveway. Or any other bad grade transition. No worse than some class-c’s with similar overhang. Most DP’s jacks don’t hang down as low as most gasser’s I’ve noticed.

I clamped a steel caster to the bottom of my hitch so if it does drag it doesn’t gouge.

[shootist]

Originally Posted by theroc

Me too. Two of my DPs would sometimes scrape the hitch when leaving certain grades to level ground, e.g. parking lots, etc. I learned to recognize the types and severity of dips I had to transverse and tried to leave or transverse them at an angle or diagonally as much as possible. I became aware of this early on when leaving the lot of a repair facility and the mechanic told me to make SURE when I left the parking area to leave at a diagonal angle rather than driving straight out the driveway as he said the vast majority of DPs would scrape the rear hitch assembly if not doing so.

And raising and lowering air bags is not really the purpose of the air suspension on a coach. It's for your ride comfort and not for gaining more ground clearance at any given time.

Reread your HWH manual

[theroc]

Originally Posted by shootist

Reread your HWH manual

I've never had the ability to adjust the psi in the air bags to transverse a parking lot dip while in motion ...putting more air in the air bags to heighten the clearance going over a dip?? HWH? You're referring to the leveling system while stationary?

I've lowered the coach to get under a garage door but never heightened it for increased ground clearance ...and not while moving.

[153stars]

Don't you loose ground clearance on jacks if ride height is too low? OP mentions only 6" under jacks doesn't that seem low.

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Ride height is not the same as ground clearance. Which do you mean?
My DP has 8" ground clearance and I've scraped the hitch one time in 13 years.
Busted my front cap when I slowly drove through a mudhole in a truck stop. Muddy water covered the deep hole and when the front wheels dropped into the hole the front air springs deflated trying to maintain ride-height = crunch.

[153stars]

They make a wider roller for that, it's about 2.5" around that can be mounted hitch cross bar, might cause less stress.

Originally Posted by Rob_M

My hitch slightly scrapes the asphalt every time I enter my driveway. Or any other bad grade transition. No worse than some class-c’s with similar overhang. Most DP’s jacks don’t hang down as low as most gasser’s I’ve noticed.

I clamped a steel caster to the bottom of my hitch so if it does drag it doesn’t gouge.
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