Country Coach solid front axel

[mike_brez]

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a 1999 CC Allure. Can any other CC owners give me your options on the solid front axel. I'm a little nervous about the handling. After owning this wandering P30 the ride/handling is the first thing on my list. I haven't been able to drive it yet but we will the first week of April.

[RayChez]

John S. wrote:

RayChez wrote:

wny_pat wrote:
8 straight hours of driving a P-30 is enough to cure anyone from enjoying driving one, while 8 straight hours in my Foretravel (no air) is a piece of cake. I'll bet 8 hours of driving the Country Coach is too!

Eight straight hours of driving is hard, does not matter whether you are driving a Prevost, Newell or a Foretravel. Lets be realistic!

I drive 8 hours all the time and many times it is 10 to 12. It is no different than what I do on a work day by working 10 plus hours. I do take a break every 3 hours in the beginning and every two hours after 6 but I will say that my Foretravel drives great and I love my solid axle up front. In fact many of my provost buddies drive longer than i do but they seem to want too. I can cross country in a bit over 4 days and that is not pushing but it is long hours in the seat. The Foretravel makes that possible and I have driven Country Coach units and they are very similar.

John, don't get me wrong. I have also driven lots of hours behind the wheel on my Cadillac Deville and on my coach. But I was younger then. Now at the age of 71 I would be a fool to try and push myself like that. Whether you have a Foretravel, Prevost, Newell or the cheaper coaches. It is the hours behind the wheel that takes a toll on a older person. I also have the solid axle with four big air bags and it rides beautiful. Tires wear even and it is a very comfortable coach. But you have to be a little cerebral as to whether driving that many hours is a good practice. I do not think so. That is why they have laws to prevent truck drivers or even locomotive engineers where I used to work from driving too many hours and getting in a accident.

I never said anything that I did not like solid front axles. I really like the Country Coaches, Foretravel and a lot others. So why the subject of Foretravel was even brought into the picture is beyond me.

[John_S_]

RayChez wrote:

wny_pat wrote:
8 straight hours of driving a P-30 is enough to cure anyone from enjoying driving one, while 8 straight hours in my Foretravel (no air) is a piece of cake. I'll bet 8 hours of driving the Country Coach is too!

Eight straight hours of driving is hard, does not matter whether you are driving a Prevost, Newell or a Foretravel. Lets be realistic!

I drive 8 hours all the time and many times it is 10 to 12. It is no different than what I do on a work day by working 10 plus hours. I do take a break every 3 hours in the beginning and every two hours after 6 but I will say that my Foretravel drives great and I love my solid axle up front. In fact many of my provost buddies drive longer than i do but they seem to want too. I can cross country in a bit over 4 days and that is not pushing but it is long hours in the seat. The Foretravel makes that possible and I have driven Country Coach units and they are very similar.

[sailor_lou]

wolfe10 wrote:
All air bag suspensions on solid axles already have a Panhard rod.

Think of air bags as a marshmallow-- they have zero side to side movement control. They only support weight. So they HAVE to be located fore and aft and side to side.

Once again, right on the money with an excellent analogy.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

[RayChez]

Sully2 wrote:
"As far as fibers sticking out, that will not happen on a CC because CC did not use filon for wall construction. Filon is used on cheaper coaches and you can have fibers raise up and get mini cracks in it."

Absolutely 100% correct!

I don't know, but fibers were sticking out about quarter inch all on the passenger side, rear half of the coach.

And the other Country Coach that was for sale at the FMCA and if any members attended that rally they probably saw it. It was right next to the Freightliner chassis display. That one had all kinds of hair line cracks all over the side sheets. Filon or no filon it had it.

This was just something to look out for when Mr Brez goes out to inspect the coach he is interested on.

[wolfe10]

All air bag suspensions on solid axles already have a Panhard rod.

Think of air bags as a marshmallow-- they have zero side to side movement control. They only support weight. So they HAVE to be located fore and aft and side to side.

[Gjac]

Sully2 wrote:

RayChez wrote:
Check the fiberglass real close. I have seen many with the fibers sticking out, also hairline cracks on the fiberglass. Other then that it is a diesel pusher which is hands down better then any gas coach. The handling will be like day and night in difference. The air ride is amazing and you will never go back to a gas coach.

But check it real close once they get past ten years. I don't care if it is a Prevost. A coach is only as good as the previous owner on how he/she maintain it. Lot of good used coaches, but there are also some dogs out there.

We are talking Country Coach Ray...not COACHMAN!,,,,geeze

I worked on many composite structures at Sikorsky A/C over the years. One test we used to do was to leave these structures outside for many years to see what happened to the surfaces. These were all woven fiber glass, Kevlar and graphite with various epoxy resins and not painted or the paint had worn off with time. You could see and feel the fibers where the resin eroded away after 10 years. We also tested in a hot wet chamber to see the effect of temp and humidity. Based on these tests the mechanical properties had to be lowered. Having said all that I don't think that Mike will have and thing to worry about as long as the MH was painted and protected over the years with wax. Surface cracking is another story. Until MH Mfg's start making the sidewalls and roof from prepreg (woven matl's that are preimpregnated with resin) surface cracking will continue to be a problem.

[mike_brez]

I know what Filon is I have had two of them and will never have another. I have a Henderson super steer rear trac bar on my current Moho your Damon is gas I take im not sure if it would help on a DP? Come to think of it I have a Ford super duty pickup with 4.5inches of lift and 35 inch tires on a solid front axel and drives and handles pretty darn good for what it is. Just was not to sure about this on a Moho. Guess I will see on the 6th when we take her out. Hope there is a bunch of 18 wheelers flying by.

[wa8yxm]

I remember when they first came out with IFS (independet front suspension) for pickups.

The solid front axle (like the solid rear axle) allows the body to move slightly right and left over the axle. this leads to Wag, and a very white knuckle drive on SOME motor homes.

There is, however, a cure for this, and what's more it is one of the more rare cures in the world of handling as it is 100% not 50, not 75, not 99 but 100% effetive.

It has two names.. A Trac Bar or Pan Hard bar

Standard on McPherson Strut suspension systems this bar locks the frame over the axle like you would not believe.. The common wisdom is the rear bar makes the most difference but I put on a front bar,,, Here is the short story.

Jan-2-2006, Left Detroit for Las Vegas pulling a 1992 Chevy Lumina APV.. Upon arrival in Vegas it was a pleasure to park the MH and drive the APV.

Returned to Detroit, had Davis True Trac (Track bar) put on front, and Blue Ox True Center steering stablizer.

Thanksgiving... Headed again to Vegas.. Did all the driving myself this time. (had co-driver the first trip) Towed same Lumina APV.. Man was that car hard to drive when I got to Vegas...

Same car, Same motor home,, Same me driving, The only change was the Trac bar and the True Center.

[Sully2]

"As far as fibers sticking out, that will not happen on a CC because CC did not use filon for wall construction. Filon is used on cheaper coaches and you can have fibers raise up and get mini cracks in it."

Absolutely 100% correct!

[RayChez]

dons2346 wrote:

mike brez wrote:
........... 2002 was the first year for total body paint and clear coat. The clear coat will only stick to paint faithfully. 2000 and 2001 coaches suffered from the clear coat peeling on the radius where the roof curves to over lap the walls.

So I am guessing the 99 Allure I intend to look at will just have fiberglass gel coated walls?

Not totally true. The '02s that are of the tan or cream color are not painted. Only the graphics are painted on and then the entire coach is clear coated. It should be noted that any year is subject to clear coat peeling on the roof radius, not just the early ones.

There was a guy some years ago, about '03 or '04, that was taking CC to court for false advertizing about the "full body paint" issue. His coach was the tan gel coat with clear coat over it. Country Coach was saying that they consider clear coat to be paint. I have no idea what happened.

As far as fibers sticking out, that will not happen on a CC because CC did not use filon for wall construction. Filon is used on cheaper coaches and you can have fibers raise up and get mini cracks in it.

Sorry Don to disagree with you, but I was interested on a Country Coach they had on display at TT in Las Vegas. I believe it was a 2006 and while looking it over the fibers sticking out was so obvious I called it to the attention of the sale person. He told me CC could fix that at their place of business in Oregon. But the fibers were ugly and I just walked away from something like that. I also saw another Alure that was for sale at the FMCA rally this year at Indio, and it had the hairline cracks all over the side walls. I would not be posting this if I had not seen it myself.

[dons2346]

mike brez wrote:
........... 2002 was the first year for total body paint and clear coat. The clear coat will only stick to paint faithfully. 2000 and 2001 coaches suffered from the clear coat peeling on the radius where the roof curves to over lap the walls.

So I am guessing the 99 Allure I intend to look at will just have fiberglass gel coated walls?

Not totally true. The '02s that are of the tan or cream color are not painted. Only the graphics are painted on and then the entire coach is clear coated. It should be noted that any year is subject to clear coat peeling on the roof radius, not just the early ones.

There was a guy some years ago, about '03 or '04, that was taking CC to court for false advertizing about the "full body paint" issue. His coach was the tan gel coat with clear coat over it. Country Coach was saying that they consider clear coat to be paint. I have no idea what happened.

As far as fibers sticking out, that will not happen on a CC because CC did not use filon for wall construction. Filon is used on cheaper coaches and you can have fibers raise up and get mini cracks in it.

[mike_brez]

RayChez wrote:
Check the fiberglass real close. I have seen many with the fibers sticking out, also hairline cracks on the fiberglass. Other then that it is a diesel pusher which is hands down better then any gas coach. The handling will be like day and night in difference. The air ride is amazing and you will never go back to a gas coach.

But check it real close once they get past ten years. I don't care if it is a Prevost. A coach is only as good as the previous owner on how he/she maintain it. Lot of good used coaches, but there are also some dogs out there.

Thanks Ray I will check that good. I think this guy took real good care of it and was kind of anal on its looks. He is the original owner with all service records. The one decent day he could of showed it to us he didn't want to because it was dirty and didn't have a chance to wash it. I think I read something about the window seals creeping.

[Sully2]

RayChez wrote:
Check the fiberglass real close. I have seen many with the fibers sticking out, also hairline cracks on the fiberglass. Other then that it is a diesel pusher which is hands down better then any gas coach. The handling will be like day and night in difference. The air ride is amazing and you will never go back to a gas coach.

But check it real close once they get past ten years. I don't care if it is a Prevost. A coach is only as good as the previous owner on how he/she maintain it. Lot of good used coaches, but there are also some dogs out there.

We are talking Country Coach Ray...not COACHMAN!,,,,geeze

[RayChez]

Check the fiberglass real close. I have seen many with the fibers sticking out, also hairline cracks on the fiberglass. Other then that it is a diesel pusher which is hands down better then any gas coach. The handling will be like day and night in difference. The air ride is amazing and you will never go back to a gas coach.

But check it real close once they get past ten years. I don't care if it is a Prevost. A coach is only as good as the previous owner on how he/she maintain it. Lot of good used coaches, but there are also some dogs out there.