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The Little Things
Every time a bunch of owners get together we seem to swap stories about things that break and what happens or happened.
This week at Oysterfest is one of those times and we have been hearing horror stories how little issues developed into some serious and expensive problems. If the owners of those experiences want to post their examples we welcome that because it reinforces what we have been talking about here in the forum and at seminars.
The key is a good pre-trip inspection, and as of yet there is no such thing as a standard procedure because all our coaches and conversions have variations. Some of the things that seem petty however have been discussed this week and there are likely many more that can be added apart from the typical fluid, light and tire checks.
We have talked about taking advantage of every time the coach is in the air, or someone can get under it to drain the air tanks to verify the protection and check valves, but add to the list of pre-trip inspections checking idler pulleys, a DOT brake check and a verification all spare belts fit. The list goes on, but those examples alone are those that had consequences far beyond the failure to check them.
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3 Replies
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Jon is so right, it is always the little things that catch you.
So I am putting things away for my trip home Monday from Oysterfest and I try to roll up my manual Zip Dee awning. It will not retract. So after trying everything I could think of, I call one of my PC buddies who is still there. He comes over and we have no luck.
Thankfully, Fred has not left yet and was watching us from across the street. He came over and quickly fixed my dilema. I had forgotten how the outside locking levers worked. I thought the down position rolled the awning out and the up position rolled the awning up. That is incorrect. The levers are down to unlock the awning so it freely rolls up or down and the levers are up to lock it in place.
I guess if I used it more than once every five years I would remember that little tidbit. So the moral to the story, is to use everything on the coach often enough to not forget how it works!
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Thanks Jon & Fred,
For showing me how to change my belts and noticing I had mismatched belts (AX73) on my three-pulley system. Also, for how to check all my pulley idlers. It’s now part of my pre-check.
I received my new belts from Prevost. All is good…
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As stated the little things are often the underlying causes of what can be expensive problems. I don’t think any of us can do a perfect pre-trip inspection or even do 100% perfect maintenance, but if we can keep updating our inspection procedure and adding to the maintenance events we might avoid nasty surprises.
Our collective experiences can help us draft a comprehensive pre-trip inspection or a detailed maintenance program. The pilots among us know the value of both good pre-trip inspections and a complete maintenance schedule. Events that put us along the side of the road are rare, but when we do end up with disabling problems there is often an underlying cause that a good inspection or maintenance schedule would have prevented.
Everything from checking the air system at every opportunity the bus is in the air, to spinning the idler pulleys, to checking tires, to prematurely replacing air bags or brake chambers is a part of preventing surprises when we travel.
It seems anal to keep inspecting things that never have problems, especially things that are never listed anywhere on any inspection procedure issued by Prevost or Commercial Driver check lists, but the things our members find can create serious problems are as important as checking the brakes or fluid levels.
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