B+ motorhomes
I just bought a Trail Lite B+ 211s with 8.1 Chevy engine. This is my fifth motorhome (others range from an old 20' Vagabond, and three Winnegagos, from 19 to 32'. This vehicle is fantastic. I am...
Forum Discussion
For those of us w/ short, relatively unloaded rigs, the following came up in a thread elsewhere, but folks here are more likely to be interested amd/or have some experience w/ my concern...
Any B+ers have an experience where you noticed a full rear mounted BW tank helping or hurting ride? If it helps, is it worth the hassle of filling the BW tank before a trip only to have to visit a dump site within a day or two upon arriving at cg?
Gene in NE wrote:
We had a similar reaction to our RV when brand new. The entire coach body seemed to shudder when hitting the tar stripes in the concrete slab. It seemed like the spacing of those stripes made all the difference.
The eye opener for me was the first time I hooked up an enclosed trailer behind the RV with a motorcycle inside. All of a sudden the ride was much improved. My guess was the added weight on the hitch.
When we returned, took the RV to have it weighed. Then compared the actual weights to what the tire air pressure should be to carry that weight. Let a lot of air out of all the tires and WOW what a difference in the ride. The tires had been inflated to the maximum of 85 lbs. I dropped the rear duals (weighs 5,760 lbs) to 60 psi and the fronts (weighs 3,260) to 55 psi. Even with that deflated pressure, still averaging 12.1 miles per gallon.
burlmart wrote:
Going w/ the idea of simple things to do to improve ride on bumpy roads...
Our 9-10k rig is lightly loaded, even after having full water and gas. I am not interested in filling the waste tanks at home only to seek a dump station before a campsite at a cg, but might be willing to half fill the blackwater tank at center rear of our 22 ft rig (see sig pic).
Say I put 16 gallons in the blackwater tank (132#). This load is close to the rear hitch, so its like having a small bass boat in tow, like Gene's trailer..
Say the BW tank is 6 ft behind the rear axle and the front axle is 12 ft ahead of the rear, a lever analysis (taking force moments at front axle) shows the BW load adds (12+6)/12 x 132 = 200# to the rear axle, and so reduces the front axle load 200-132 = 70#.
I do not see a big advantage in axle load changes, but perhaps the damping and clamping effect of the 'effective bass boat' bearing down on the long rear RV overhang might really make this worth the troubles it poses.
Any B+ers have an experience where you noticed a full rear mounted BW tank helping or hurting ride? If it helps, is it worth the hassle of filling the BW tank before a trip only to have to visit a dump site within a day or two upon arriving at cg?
