[rafael]

I don’t think I would do it. You’re likely going to to be overloading the drive axle and drive tires. Do the math.

If you really have to, you should consider pumping the drive tires to max allowable pressure.

[Michael]

plus at a bout 11 MPH the tag goes down automatically.

[Chuck & Katrina]

Informative replys. i didn’t know about the 11MPH limit. I’ll briefly as possible explain my problem. i had the brakes replaced at a reputable local truck/coach shop. The first time out was this weekend. After about 300 miles the tag axle blew. The Michelin emergency road service people came out. Upon taking off the rim they discovered something had come loose on the brakes and grooved the inside of the rim until it blew the tire. So, a new rim and tire cannot be replaced until the breaks are repaired. The local shop said they will take care of it, but i’m trying to save them a 100 mile tow charge. And i would prefer the coach not be towed 100 miles. I’m not crazy about it being towed at all.

Other than the weight concern, if there is plenty of clearance, and we drove 50-60 mph, is there any other concern? I’m open to any experiences anyone has had.

Thanks

Meslundy

---

2000 Featherlite H3-45

2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Leesburg, FL

[Jon]

Post the name of the shop that repaired the brakes so others will be forewarned. Let that shop know they will be paying the bill.

Towing is not advised because they will tow from the front. You need a Landall low trailer. It would be cheaper to pay the mechanics to come to you.

Every one of us has gotten expensive experiences and knowledge, just after we needed them.

[Archived]

POST the shop name that worked on your bus. Staying away from truck / bus shops should be a important to all members on PC.

AL

[Bill]

Several years back I had an issue with a bad wheel bearing on the tag axle. I blew out the tire and split the tag rim in half when the bearings fused to the spindle on the tag axle outside of Tuscaloosa AL. I drove approximately 35 miles with the tax axle raised (with one tire off) to a repair shop in Tuscaloosa. I didn’t drive over 25 and had a lot of really friendly locals give me a one-finger wave on I-59/20 that morning. My tag did not drop going over 11 mph. I had a 2002 Millennium XLII.

[Archived]

Loc, your tag may have malfuncted (a very technical term) or Prevost changed the system that dropped the tag over a certain speed.

Worst case scenario is to jack the tag axle up until the wheel clears the ground on the side with the issue, chain it up and drive carefully while monitoring it to insure you are not causing damage. The ne problem I see is the two drive axle air bags on that side may not be able to get the rear corner u to ride height.

[Jim/Chris]

Just a thought can you take the brake chamber off and plug air line ,then put any tire and rim on and tag axle and drive it to shop ,I don’t think any harm if tire size is different, bag should expand to hold weight.

[AL]

I don’t understand the comment about not towing and the need for a lowboy. Yes, they tow from the front but they also remove the drive axle leaving your Prevost as any other trailer with no stress or stain on the drive train. I just got towed 40 miles and no one, including Prevost, had any concerns about this.

If it was me, and it’s not, and the service center was going to pay to have the coach towed to their location, that would be my first choice.

[Archived]

Even if towed from the front with the axles pulled, he still needs to deal with the additional weight on the drive axles and drive tires.

[Jim/Chris]

No way i would move my Bus after finding out the Shop made a mistake like that. They would have to come out to me on the side of the road and make it roadworthy again. There are too many things that could happen to make this problem worse by trying to drive it.

[Mike]

A couple weeks ago I asked the question about driving with the Tag Axle up, after having problems with a blown tire and damaged rim. It was a very similar situation to LOC (who responded to the thread). I wanted to respond to tell everyone what eventually occurred. First, I appreciate everyone’s response.

As I previously mentioned, less than 400 miles after having a service done on my 2000 Marathon, including new brakes on the tag axle and steering axle, I had a blow out on the passenger side tag axle. When the tire and rim were removed, the rim had been destroyed, which apparently blew the tire. I was at a quandary as to whether I should drive the coach 120 miles back to the shop. So, i enquired to this forum.

What I was looking for was personal experience, rather than opinions as to what I should do. After reading a few posts, I decided to call Prevost service (which is what I should have first done). I talked to 2 service representatives, and neither one had ever heard of a 11mph dropping of a tag axle. They both said, when that tag axle lever is forward, the tag axle is up and will stay up, and they would have no problem driving with it up. Although some feel there is no problem towing a 45′ coach, I have heard of too many horror stories to consider it, other than a last resort.

Long story short; I drove 120 miles at 50 mph with the passenger tag axle up with absolutely no problems. So now, those with a problem like this know from personal experience what will occur. (FYI, a person followed me with blinkers on).

meslundy

[terry]

Thanks for the update and actual tag up driving experience. I always assumed the tag lift would cancel out as some speed, we now know that’s a fairy tale. My 40 footers would immediately lift the tag wheel off the ground a couple inches, my 45’s wouldn’t clear the pavement, but I never gave it the time for the drive bags to bring the suspension up to ride height, it likely takes some time.

[Bill]

At a Prevost seminar around 25 years ago, Bill Campbell (one of the owners at the time) said in regard to 45 foot coaches that at a certain low speed tag axles that had been lifted would drop automatically.

My 97 non-slide 45 foo9t coach would lift the tag axle off the ground if I waited long enough. My current 45 foot XLII with slides will not lift the tag from the ground no matter how long I let it run at high idle.

[Mike]

Maybe driving with the tag axle up, needs some clarification. By driving with the tag axle up, I think the condition is that the tag axle lever is forward, and the wheels do not totally clear the ground, but the weight is basically off the tires.

The situation while I was driving with the tag axle up was that there was a tire on the driver side touching the ground and on the passenger side the wheel hub and brakes were at least 12″ off the ground. I was driving totally on Interstate highways, in ideal conditions, being dry, sunny, and about 65 degrees. I don’t know that I would recommend this on a bad or bumpy road.

I do now know a few things. I can’t dispute what has been said in the past, but Prevost service knew nothing about a tag axle dropping at a certain speed. If that were to occur on certain models, I’m assuming they would have asked me for more information. My tag axle did not drop at any speed, at least up to about 55 mph. I had no problem with the driver side tire. I stopped periodically to see if it was getting hot. Another thing learned: if you raise the axle and turn off the engine, allowing the air to release, of course the tag will drop. You then have to reengage the tag, wait until it goes back down, then raise it. But as long as air is on the tag, it will stay raised.

Now for what caused my problem. I purchased this 2000 Marathon a couple years ago and had no problems with it. I recently felt it needed brakes, and had those done as previously mentioned. While doing the brakes, the mechanics found that the driver side bearings were grease packed, and the passenger side was oil. They had thought about converting the passenger side to grease, but didn’t. Either they inadvertently caused some oil to leak out, or it just leaked, causing the bearings to overheat and fail. When the bearings failed, the wheel began wobbling, cutting into the rim until it dug into the tire. The service manager said they should have changed the passenger side to grease as they thought, apologized for their error, and paid for everything, including changing the passenger side bearings to grease.

Thanks again for all your comments. Again, i will say: When someone is having a problem, those that have experienced the same, or a similar problem, are the comments that are most helpful, and what i believe most are looking for. Opinions are OK sometimes, but you know what they say about opinions, everyone has one.

Thanks,

meslundy