[Jim]

I suspect we all can debate how and when to drain the various air tanks, and to a certain extent it is going to be influenced by how we use the coach and who converted the coach. If we have slides and have to use the aux compressor for lengthy periods to keep the slide seals inflated out wet tank is not going to show much moisture, but the potential for the accessory tank to get water in it increases.

As an owner you decide how and when you will drain and check your tanks. Try to keep in mind why you are doing this and how this is beneficial. My reason is to me important. I drain them in sequence and check each tank for moisture or moisture and oil. That tells me the condition of my compressor and dryer. If I get moisture or oil or both I know I have to consider servicing the dryer or being alert for a potential end of life situation with the compressor.

But by draining them in sequence I am also verify all the safety devices buikt into my air system are functioning, and that a catastrophic loss of air in part of the system will not deplete the air in the remained of the system. Total air loss can greatly compromise safety so to me I want the comfort of knowing the system is functioning.

With the system totally drained I also have a good check of alarms and the air system fill sequence being able to note the working alarms, pressure building, and finally the accessory system not receiving any air until the brake systems have been satisfied.

[Jim]

Get it as close to the ratio as you can Davy and add your SCA to check with strips. Get it serviced as soon as you can, you’ll be fine.

[Jim]

I own a Liberty, so therefore I have my people take care of things.

Problem is I am my own people.

[Jim]

Yes the tank is vented, but as I have ran several service calls out on the freeway to help a stranded trucker who ran out of fuel, I have used the air from my air tank on the service truck to put air in the tank to prime the truck and get it started’ their tanks are vented also and they are small. don’t pretend to understand it just know it got many a truck off the highway

Darrell

[Jim]

During the twilight of my working life I worked directly for the chief risk officer of a large, regional bank ($60 billion in assets). Part of my job was to compile the Operational and Fraud Loss report for senior/executive management of the board of directors. The data came from every unit of the bank and holding company.

While we experienced our share of fraud and account compromises, I did note that we rarely if ever had an instance of a customer losing money as a result of a fraudulent Automated Clearing House (ACH) withdrawal; it appears to me that the charges for our fuel purchases are deducted from our checking accounts using the ACH system.

Anyone who you write a check to (or sees your check) or anyone who automatically deposits money into your checking or savings account has ALL the information necessary to use the ACH system to fraudulently deduct money from your account.

BUT … BUT … BUT not just anyone has the ability to use the ACH system. The system can only be accessed through a bank and the bank is responsible for performing due diligence on customers who want to use the system … integrity, honesty, business type, financial capacity, etc. The initiating bank also has some financial risk in the event of fraud use the ACH system.

From the National Automated Clearing House Association website: With the increasing movement toward an electronic, interconnected and mobile infrastructure, it’s critical that electronic payments work safely and efficiently for all users. The ACH Network enables just that: by using batch processing and a store-and-forward system, it moves $43 trillion and 25 billion electronic financial transactions each year. For more than 40 years, NACHA has been the steward of the ACH Network, employing a collaborative, self-regulatory model to facilitate the expansion and diversification of electronic payments on the ACH Network.

$120 billion a day. 70 million transactions a day. Only Joe Biden can describe how big of a deal the ACH system is.

Many banks today offer a service to send you a text message every time certain kinds of transactions hit your accounts. Implementing those features can help you be more aware of what’s going on with your accounts, help protect you from fraud, and put your mind at ease in using these financial tools.

We’re more at risk for having our prized brass fuel filler caps stolen at the fuel island than we are of having unauthorized money taken from us because we’re using the PC fuel discount card.

[Jim]

How many miles on your coach.

[Jim]

If enough people have this problem(including truckers) and you find an attorney to make a class action suit. Some a class action attorneys will take the case on a contingency basis.

[Jim]

Great input. Thanks. Jon’s last question is really what I’m concerned about. Never thought about a steel on aluminum reaction problem. I want to do this right.

[Jim]

Total coach weights are a little predictable. Art’s weight is well within the range of what might be inspected for a 40 footer, with 45,000 to 46,000 not unreasonable for a 45 foot XL coach, and just under 55,000 for a 45 footer with 2 slides. Less if it is a non-slide XLII coach.

What makes for the wide range of tire pressures is how the converter arranged the bays. If the generator and batteries are up front on a 40 footer the front axle has a lot of weight and obviously pressures can be expected to be high. If the weight was concentrated toward the rear, the steer axle gets lighter and it is the drive that gets the weight.

When the 45 foot coaches are considered (motorhome chassis) with the greater rear overhang, weight shifts rearward and if the front bays do not have heavy weight from items like batteries or the generator, despite the heavier chassis weight, the steer axle is potentially quite light. Putting weight in the front bays will add to the steer axle weight, but with the engine hanging quite a ways back from the rear axles weight in the front also is carried in part by the rear axles. It would not be unreasonable to see some drive axles at their weight limits.

All of the locations of weight on a coach decide tire pressures and what might be weights, and therefore tire pressures for a Royale, might not be close to what could be the correct ones for a Marathon and neither would likely be the same as those of a Liberty for example.

As slides were added and the extra weight of slides impacted the various axle weights and gross weight Prevost shifted to 365 tires and beefed up suspension limits. But before the switch to 365 tires some conversions had 315 tires at the limit for pressures as a result of the weight on the steer axle. I can recall a number of owners running as much as 130 PSI in the steer axle and switching over to 365 tires to get the pressures down and the ride softer.

Heat is the enemy in all things relating to our coaches, whether it is engine temps, differential temps, transmission temps and heat from a dragging brake. But tires that are under inflated are heat generators and in the case of a tire running at a pressure 20 PSI lower than required, the tire industry treats those as tires that should be removed from service until the tire can be inspected and okayed to return to service. The heat from an under inflated tire shows up inside the tire as a dark band going around the tire on the inner liner. That dark ring is the sign of heat damage. We tend to be very concerned with tires and their pressures because a tire failure can greatly affect our safety. That is one reason why products like Pressure Pro, and good pre trip tire inspections are very important.

[Jim]

To me the problem with one tank for grey and black, even though you have a grey water bypass is you can’t always release the grey water.

Some times you might need to be a little discrete when dumping water on the ground such as in the dark.

I know you are asking about an H3 bay weight capacity but on my 40′ XL CC I had 8 8D batteries in the same bay as the holding tanks. Batteries on the curb side and the holding tanks took up the rest of the bay all the way to the street side.

8 8D X 168 lbs =1,344

169 gallons of fresh water at 8 lbs per gallon = 1352

[Jim]

Thanks everybody. It is, as suggested, the dash A/C controller. One less thing I don’t know! 10,965 more to go….

[Jim]

Thanks Jon, that’s a start.

Looking forward to the October maintenance session. So many questions, so little time!

[Jim]

Call Brian Stanton at American Fleet in Missouri. They are a huge Detroit Diesel repair and rebuild shop. Tell him the Prevost Community sent you to him.

[Jim]

Hey Les, I was at the seminar last year and trust me, They’ll get more!

Harry

[Jim]

Thanks everyone, we love our 1996 Liberty but finding parts to upgrade the girl can be a challenge but I have always found helpful tips and information on the forum . thank you all for steering me in the right direction.

Darrell