Dragging up driveway

My only concern with the casters is how much weight is actually put on them going up the driveway.

The other choice, which might be the cheapest, is to put down some boards at the lowest point so that the rear wheels will stay higher. Just a thought.

Good luck,
MM.

Casters can do a lot of damage to your coach. The frame is not meant to support a lot of the coach's weight at the end of the frame rail (or something bolted or welded to it).

My first though would be to use boards over the low spot so that you do not drag. Easier and less expensive than air bags or casters.

Would the casters hang down lower than the existing skid plate? It seems to me it wouldn't take too much for the weight on them to become considerable, particularly if you have the coach loaded. That could be a lot of force on the trailer hitch and casters and over a small contact area on the driveway.

I'd go with the supplemental air bags, assuming there's no way to alter the approach angle when you drive into the driveway so as to lessen the transition—either by regrading the driveway (probably not an inexpensive option), or by driving up it somewhat more obliquely, or something of that nature. They might also improve the ride going down the road a bit.

The other choice, which might be the cheapest, is to put down some boards at the lowest point so that the rear wheels will stay higher. Just a thought.


X2

yeah how about adjusting the slope of the driveway..

simple solution

How about backing in? That is what I have to do with my driveway. Not a big deal for me as it makes it easier to exit.

Not sure what the angles are that causes you to drag, a picture would help.

I drag and the rear wants to hit the side walk.



I found that by putting 2x4s in the gutter helped a lot. One problem with them though is was the rear wheels of the truck get on them the power wants to kick them out of the gutter. By that time though the trailer is in the driveway.



I also back in.

Look at etrailer and campingworld list them. 700 lb is not much and they do make them to bolt right on your hitch. Have put them on all my RV to prevent any damage from dragging.

On a 36' gasoline coach I used to have, it come equipped with the Firestone air lifts. I would put 90lbs of air and the rear end would lift up. I also had a pair of casters and they bolted to the frame right next to the skid plates. I bought them at an rv dealership for eighty dollars and they also worked real good.

I never did like fpr the skid plate to touch the pavement, it seemed like the whole rear end cap was tearing off. Fact I still have the casters taking up room in one of my compartments. Need to get rid of them, don't need them with the DP.

Is there a "gutter" at the entrance to the driveway ?

If so, that is probably what is really causing the problem and a heavy board of the proper width across the gutter might solve the problem. Meaning, lay the board long ways IN the gutter; don't try to build a bridge.

I can't back mine in because of this but I can go head in just until the skid bars touch and it is not sticking out far enough to be illegal.

For a small amount of drag, the board will be the cheapest and easiest to do. A couple of pieces of 2"x 12" x 2' will get you a lot of lift at the low point and are easy to manage.

We had a 2004 Fleetwood Terra that dragged and boards didn't help. I added the air bags to the rear with the optional pump and was able to inflate the bags from the dash when I got home. The added benefit was that I was able to level the coach from side to side and front to rear. Surprisingly, after the bags were installed and everything set to level, the coach road/handled much better.

Lastly, those casters you posted will be torn off the first time you try. There is a tremendous amount of force both downward and sideways when dragging the rear end. I disagree that casters do damage to the frame. I would rather have my frame roll through a rub spot than drag. With that said, it's important that when you install casters or a wheel, that you DON'T make the condition worse by extending the frame even more with the height of the casters.

My neighbor has the double drag bars, about 4' apart, on his Fleetwood Fiesta. They're the large loop type. He added a solid square tube to the inside of the drag bars that was wider than they were. On the outside of the tube he added the solid drag wheel. What's important here is the wheels only extended about a 1/4" - 1/2" lower than the drag bars.

This wheel was mounted in just the correct position to keep my tow bar from hitting the ground when traversing steep driveways. It worked great for over 9 years when I sold the coach.