Forum Discussion

Redterpos3's avatar
Redterpos3
Explorer
Jul 29, 2013

? on Lugging & A/C

On our 1st long trip, 16 nights, through the UP of Michigan, we experienced a few things that I'd like some experienced trailer people to chime in on. Our van pulled our trailer very well! I was pleased. Through PA with our ups and downs it was a bit slower, once 1/2 way into OHIO we were smooth sailing.

At times, however, we would find ourselves on a road that would cause our van/trailer to lug back and forth. I first was wondering if this was the tires, but it went away and came back based upon what roads we were on. Is this normal? And is is a case of how the road is constructed and the distances of our axles?

Also, a couple of times our A/C wouldn't come on in the evening, and only turned on in the middle of the night. This has happened only a couple of times, and other times it has worked well. The first time this happened was the very first time we turned it on. The second time was on a VERY hot day, when I was running it early in the morning, and then shut it down until later that day.
  • Another description would be rocking in rocking chair, but just shorter motions. and it would come and go.
  • wa8yxm wrote:
    As to the A/C.. had that kind of problem when this coach was new.

    Led me to make the following joke: Many RVers have a few screws loose.

    Now, which screws am I talking about? I decided to start my trouble shooting at the main power distribution panel (Breaker box) Noticed wires moved fairly easily in some of the breakers.. Grabbed the #2 Square bit and started tightening screws.. One took over two full turns before it started to offer resistance,,,, Nearly 3 full turns to tight.

    And you thought I meant the kind of screws you DON'T use a screwdriver on.


    I did have this trouble with my Winegard antennae power outlet. The button wouldn't stay on after the first day. I pulled the outlet, and firmed up the connections, and IT WORKED!! Very proud of myself!!! I'm not all that mechanical :W

    I'll check on some more connections to see if that helps!
  • Ok, maybe Lugging is not the right word. Basically on some parts of roadways we would feel a front to back motion, which would make us kind of bounce back and forth. Brakes are not on during this, and it seems to clear up as the surface of the roadway changes. Hope that helps a bit.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    I too find the word "Lug" in the context of this post makes no sense.

    As to the A/C.. had that kind of problem when this coach was new.

    Led me to make the following joke: Many RVers have a few screws loose.

    Now, which screws am I talking about? I decided to start my trouble shooting at the main power distribution panel (Breaker box) Noticed wires moved fairly easily in some of the breakers.. Grabbed the #2 Square bit and started tightening screws.. One took over two full turns before it started to offer resistance,,,, Nearly 3 full turns to tight.

    And you thought I meant the kind of screws you DON'T use a screwdriver on.
  • Lug is generally used to mean the engine is struggling at a low RPM. You need to describe better what you mean or all you will get is a bunch of wild guesses.
  • I'm not quite sure what you mean by lug back and forth. Could you describe what you were feeling more fully?
  • Sounds like your trans was "searching". Too slow for one gear. Too fast for a higher gear. Solution usually is to speed up or slow down to find a sweet spot. I have read that searching won't hurt, but it can cause a heat build up.