[Larry & Diane]

You know Karl, we’ll be faced with that too in the hopefully far distant future.

One thing that keeps ringing in my head from what Jon said, put all repairs on YOUR timetable. Any kind of failure on the road should be avoided if at all possible. I know that not everything can be planned or prevented.

You will get another 12 yrs. out of the new ones so spending $3,900 now is cheaper and sometime in the future.

Good luck,

Mark

[Jerry]

Cheap if you have a brake can fail on the road !!!

[Archived]

In the context of if you call for service Peter is correct. However there are several types of failures with the brake system downstream from the relay valves that may not be show stoppers. This is where each person has to make a decision based on his understanding of the coach and tolerance for issues.

If an emergency brake or service brake diaphragm or air hose fails the line has to be plugged and if it is the emergency brake the brake chamber has to be caged. You lose some braking effectiveness, but you are OK for limited travel to a service location. The repair or replacement is possibly less than an hour, and the service call if you do not do your on work on the road is also less than an hour. The cost of risking not replacing aging chambers is an unplanned problem and your loss of bargaining power to get service or replacement chambers or hoses.

If you are comfortable doing your own repairs it may not be a big deal to you. You just have to understand you will not get to pick where or when you are going to be laying under the coach, or waiting for service.

The reason I even mention a roadside brake issue is because even if you do practice preventive maintenance as Peter sugests you are not immunized against unexpected issues. Your risk of a problem diminishes greatly however, and the chance you are going to b taken advantage of if you do have a problem is slight if you understand a brake system problem does not require a tow truck or flat bed and a temporary fix will allow you to get safely to a repair station. I would never want to see a member with a brake issue feel compelled to get a tow or trailer.

[Richard]

How much are all the brake chambers without labor?

[Corey]

I just got cost from Prevost for all 6 chambers for my XL. $1,4750 Labor additiona.l Would probably be similar for an H
. Am heading up to Jeff at ETLC on the beginning of a three month journy.

[Mike]

Karl, I will check Jeff’s invoice when I get home Mon. Geo.

[Ted]

Karl, here is a perspective on cost to help you decide on a deal.

Summer of 2014 (aged 20 years), I did my own labor to install all new brake chambers except the tag lift.

Parts were purchased from Ryder Fleet Products dot com and the manufacturer was Haldex.

Steer: from Ryder, part number V19 SC30 $35.60 x 2 vs Prevost part 64-1253 $2504 x 2. These are type 30 chambers.

Drive: from Ryder, part number V19 GC3036 $129.35 x 2 vs Prevost part 64-1181 $2119 x 2. These are type 3036 chambers, i.e. Service brake 30, parking brake 36.

Tag: from Ryder, part number V19 LC3030P $104.92 x 2 vs Prevost part 64-1038 $651 x 2. The Ryder part is a chamber 3030 whereas the Prevost part is a 1624.

Caveats: 1)The part numbers are for my vintage. 2) The tag chamber is larger than OEM and makes a bigger contribution to stopping power. Although there have been no problems such as rubbing on anything, fitment, or locking up a wheel, I’m not suggesting this for anyone else.

[Gerard]

Karl has a set of chambers that are the much more expensive variance. Even with checking on multiple options for getting the chambers they are still in the high price range. I charge 4.5 hours labor for doing the 6 chambers. Brake chambers are one of the things that there is no way to know when one will fail. Although we do not typically see a chamber rust out and blow apart in the motorhome side of things. They still fail in differant ways.

[David]

Karl has Knorr Bremse brake chambers and they are very expensive. Brakes such as on older coaches that user the more common brake chambers are going to be far less expensive.

I know some are going to make the decision about replacing brake chambers due to cost, but if you do, make sure you have a plan for dealing with the issue on the road if one fails. Otherwise you are in trouble.

[Archived]

I like when I start a good conversation! I was slow to respond because we just flew in from Costa Rica today.

Like Jeff said, the brake parts are expensive, and I understand that Prevost suggested the tag axle parts to be upgraded in 2005. That axle is approximately $1100 PER SIDE, plus labor.

Jon, as usual, gives an insightful view of the situation. I wouldn’t know a brake chamber if it bit me. As such, I’m unlikely to do a roadside repair. I would have liked to go over this at the seminar….maybe an idea for the future.

Money isn’t the only point, but it is a point. The cost is double what I was expecting and I need a new CAC also. Just weighing my options…..

[Corey]

Karl I don’t get it you spend thousand of dollars on upgrades on TV ‘S and such but not brake cans , and your family travels in the bus with you , spend the money at Jeff’s and get it done !!!!!!!!

[Bill]

Others may disagree but in my pecking order of things that will put me in a world of hurt I place air bags as a higher priority than brake chambers. (I am not suggesting these are the only componentrs to consider when doing preventive maintenance, but these are good examples of the following.)

That may seem illogical but I know if an air bag leaks it is annoying up until the point at which the compressor cannot keep up with the leak, and then the bus is going to end up with 75 PSI for the braking system, and no way possible to keep the coach from dropping to its lowest point after a while. That to me makes the coach a candidate for a ride on a flat bed trailer or a field replacement of the air bag assuming you can get one, and then find someone to replace it along side of the highway.

On the other hand while I really don’t want to have less braking capability than I have now, I can afford to lose one of my emergency brakes or one of my service brakes and have the ability to carefully drive to a service location. If the failure is on the emergency brake at one wheel the brake can be caged (the spring will be retracted with a bolt provided) and I will still have 100% of my service brakes, just one less emergency or parking brake. If the problem is on the service brake side of my braking system I can cap the air supply to the leaking brake and proceed carefully having 1/6 less braking capability on my service brakes.

But I know Karl has relatively new air bags, but original brake chambers and based on the age of his coach I believe he is due. If we choose to run certain components to failure rather than replacement for preventive purposes we all just have to make an educated decision as to how much risk we will tolerate, and how we will deal with the problem when it occurs.

Prevost has called for replacement of brake chambers at one year or 100,000 miles on older style of brake chambers (such as the front chambers on the Knorr brakes) but I do not know if they still call for that. They do not call for any scheduled air bag replacement.

---

2005 XL Thompson Coach

Rarely tow anything behind us.

Sold: 1993 Liberty that we loved for 12 years.

[Jim/Chris]

http://www.rangerbrake.net/homepage/RB2015.pdf. Try Ranger Brake-Tennessee

Try Fleetpride and here in Indio California

[Archived]

Try these business. Prices are bette than Prevost, especially for Type 36 for lifting the tag.

Fleetpride

Ranger Brake located in Tennesse

Franlklin Truck Parts

Several years ago, I was told brake chamber specs were standardized, so matter where you buy them, they are the same.

[Jonathan]

Karl, looked at Jeff’s invoice from 12/3/15. I think your chambers are the same. $2652 parts and labor. Geo.