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pago cruiser · 10-03-2016, 07:23 PM

During and after our just completed trip, it is obvious that our rear is saggy. While I do have a small Moto on the hitch, the added tounge weight is about 275 lbs. Within the 300 AS rates it at.

I ran with water tanks no more than 1/2 full, and the only time the rear end was not saggy was when I cranked up the jacks during nightly stops.

Looked at the springs today, and the front section of the leaf spring is beyond totally flat. It actually is slightly convex, maybe 1/2" from axle to tip of leaf.

Has anybody replaced leafs, or replaced them with something a bit heavier to lift the rear end?

I found this site,

and they appear to have multiple options. 1 leaf, 4 leafs (which the 96LY30 has) and 10!

I'm thinking I need about 3" to bring the coach just above level, so that when loaded up she would be level again.

Which it was as simple as my 1962 Ranchero - a pair of Gabrial "High Jackers" lasted my 10 years - Crank in the air for whatever load you need. Be it a camper shell or carrying a fully loaded Craftsman tool chest and a 600 lb Moto cross country..,.

pago cruiser · 10-03-2016, 09:41 PM

Did some more checking after dinner.
Something I do not understand...

Back in March, I started post on axle weights, and I indicated that our rear was 10,160, full fluids, but no personal effects.. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f312...ht-147397.html

Adding on the Moto, call it 300 lbs located 7' behind the axle, that another 2100 lbs axle load. Call it 12,260 lbs rolling down the road...

Found another site tonight:
http://www.stengelbros.net/P-Series-...ngs_c_544.html

and they list the rear leafs at about 4000 lb each - that would be 8000 lbs combined. See below for a screen grab - although I had to cut and past to get the header rows:

These numbers cannot be correct

.

But if they were, that would indeed explain a saggy rear...

Rather a curious situation...

pago cruiser · 10-08-2016, 06:37 PM

Spoke to a gent named John at Stengel Brothers yesterday.
Asked about the disparity in listed spring capacity (3995, call it 4000 lbs) and the axle rating of 11,000, (which I am under, except for adding the Moto), he said that this is not uncommon in motorhomes.

"The axle is taken into account when the springs are selected".

No, it did not make sense to me either. Asking him to explain a bit more, he repeated the same.

I guess it makes sense if you are in the spring business, but this 61 year old engineer is still perplexed.

Anybody???

Changing tacks, I asked him if they can provide heavy duty springs. No problem. Each leaf adds about 1000 lb capacity. They have done this before, thereby upping the springs from 8000 to 10,000 lb capacity per the pair.

Sounds good, but unless someone can explain this, sure seems to me it is below what the axle is rated for. And the axle IS INDEED below the springs.

???

garypk · 10-09-2016, 06:14 PM

I'll be searching also so I'll keep up on this. I plan on major reworking this winter. I replaced the bags in the front & the jounces in the rear & it helped.

field & stream · 10-09-2016, 07:44 PM

Darn, I thought you were talking about something else.

Paul Dobbin · 10-14-2016, 06:43 PM

when we bought our 1994 Land Yacht DP in 2004 it was 10 years old and had a droopy butt too. Took it to Tampa Spring Works in Tampa FL and have had a perky rear ever since. They replaced the tired leaves after 72,000 miles.

pago cruiser · 10-16-2016, 12:26 PM

Hey Paul - do you perchance remember any of the details?
Were the original springs indeed significantly below the axle rating?
Did you add additional leafs?

Paul Dobbin · 10-18-2016, 07:17 AM

I looked at the bill and find they replaced a couple leaves and the U-Bolts.
How they tested them, I'm not sure. The cost was about $650 with 50/50 split labor and parts. They do truck springs every day and because our our coach now sits level and rides higher and better, I'm happy.
A friend who does diesel truck repair sent me there and said it is common on
heavy vehicles. Was an all new experience for me. (2004)