[Larry & Diane]

Good job Buddy!!!

[Per]

Buddy –

A special thank you for being the official photographer of the second Prevost Know your Coach seminar! These are great pictures 😉

June

[Archived]

This video was filmed at East Tennessee Luxury Coach during the “Know Your Prevost Seminar 2” and also can be viewed in the Topic heading Video of Interests.

[Dick]

Thanks Donald, glad to do it.

[Archived]

Thanks for the photo’s Buddy…nice job

AL

[Corey]

Many thanks to John Hawkins of Miller Industries for his time and effort for showing us the correct way to tow a bus. Towing is one of our worst nightmares and watching John’s demo will give you the general knowledge to assure you are in control of the tow by understanding what equipment is necessary to prevent damage. It’s a 30 minute video, so plan accordingly.

[Brett]

Jon,

Question for you based on my understanding of the prevost towing instructions that I forwarded to you and you all posted in the articles section it appears prevost only wants the bus’s tow’d from under the front axel? I am missing something there or can you further explain your reasoning on this. I haven’t had a chance to view the towing video yet so perhaps the answer is in that. If that is the case I apoligize for asking. Thanks to you and tom for posting the video.

Bill

[Archived]

I think I understand your question Bill, but if my answer indicates I did not ask it again.

First, by towing under the front axle it should be understood that solid axle coaches are easily towed from under the front axle using the devices that cradle the axle and use it as a lifting point. IFS coaches should use wheel lifts. As an absolute last resort, if no wheel lift towing is possible it can be towed by lifting in the chassis support area at the tow loops, but it has to be properly secured so it cannot shift fore or aft or side to side.

Lifting from the front can be done except when there is damage to the front that might prevent lifting, or if the problem requiring towing is associated with the drive axle, such as a seized bearing. In that instance it cannot be towed from the front and the only option is to place the coach on a trailer. I am sure we have all seen cars and even large trucks towed from the rear. That is not an option on our coaches for a number of reasons. The most likely reason is the distance from the rear of the tow truck to the drive axle is so great it makes for a very long lever arm and unless the tow truck is of massive proportions with an extremely long wheelbase lifting from the rear would take the tow truck front wheels off the ground.

Other considerations are overloading of the tow truck axles with respect to being legal on the road, and the fact there probably is not a tow truck made with the reach required to lift from beneath the drive axle. The tag axle cannot be used to lift the rear of the bus.

Trailering a coach is going to exceed height limitations, possibly subject the underside of the coach to damage unless care is taken, and as unpleasant as that prospect is, in some cases there is no alternative.

[Peter]

Very interesting.

Will a big tow rig like that show up with all the parts and pieces to properly haul a Prevost? Or is it likely the big tow truck won’t have all the right special parts?

Any discussion as to what a the proper tow of a Prevost normally costs?

[Archived]

Jon,

I think you answered my question. But are you saying the document I received from Prevost is only for solid axel coaches? I can’t see anything referenced on that document that indicates a wheel lift is acceptable. Perhaps they sent me the wrong document. I am pretty sure I have and IFS but I’m not even 100% on that.

Bill

[AL]

yes you have IFS and wheel lift is really the only way unless someone really knows what they are doing and have no other option. IE: been in a wreck and has heavy damage to suspension…

[Archived]

We wheel lift them if we can or from the tow hooks , but lots of them we put on a landoll trailer and go over or around bridges if to tall

[Bernie]

Bill, at the seminar we saw a demonstration of both the wheel lift and frame lift. Clearly the wheel lift is ideal because it supports the coach on the coach suspension which is no different than driving it down the road.

The frame lift option as Jeff mentions requires the tow driver to fully understand what he is doing, and he must understand your allowable chassis support points and he must have the correct adapter into which the coach is cradled. John who did the demonstration is a Prevost owner and he knew what he was doing. I am not comfortable the average tow truck driver will possess the knowledge or adapters required.

Now we have the video, we can print the section of the service manual (body section) and we as owners can be proactive in insuring our coach is being lifted properly by showing both to a tow truck driver. Far too many tow truck operators will get defensive when a Prevost owner is assertive in making sure our coaches don’t get damaged, but keep in mind the tow truck driver isn’t the one who will suffer if the coach is damaged.

[Archived]

Jon, Peter, Jeff,

Thanks for clearing this up… My suggestion given this discussion and after watching the demo video last night we might want to remove or edit add to the prevost towing instructions posted in the articles section. When I had my breakdown over memorial weekend. That is what prevost sent me as the correct way to tow.. no mention of wheel lift. Tow operator was going to lift by wheels and I told him “‘no” prevost said you needed to fork lift it. as it turned out he couldn’t get his boom or himselft for that matter under the bus and I called the whole thing off as I didn’t want an $80 hose to cause $10k of damarge to the front of the bus.

[Archived]

Bill, I am sure most of the time we can be assured what Prevost tells us is accurate. However I have gotten advice or information in the past that has been totally wrong at least three times so to the extent I can I now verify to the extent possible.

The service manual section for your specific coach should be correct, however I got the sense when the section on towing an IFS coach was prepared the towing industry did not make extensive use of wheel lifts. I believe today wheel lifts are becoming common.

BTW, if there is an alternative to towing that does not compromise safety, such as a field repair that has to be the number one choice, with towing or placing on a trailer a distant second option.