Tire Pressure Gauges
I’ve read several articles over the years about the importance of tire maintenance. I’ve had my coach weighed. I carefully check the tire pressures at least once a week, more often if traveling, and I use a tire pressure monitoring system. My question: How do I verify the accuracy of the tire-pressure gauge? I own several, and they vary as much as 7 to 8 pounds. Some are trucker types, and some are digital. (By the way, the digital gauges I have owned do not work in the cold weather in Michigan.)
I’ve checked with tire shops, I’ve asked at truck stops, and I’ve talked to the people who weigh motorhomes. No one seems to know how to test a tire-pressure gauge or at least how I can test my gauges. By not having an accurate gauge, I have no way to know whether I am over- or underinflating my tires. The wrong pressures can lead to trouble, as we all know.
Iggy Konrad, F426436
Big Rapids, Michigan
Michelin and Goodyear engineers have told me — and I’ve heard the same at tire seminars at FMCA conventions — to have tire gauges verified at tire shops. Ask the tire shop to check your pressures, and then check the pressures with your own gauge or gauges — in all weather conditions. Then, use the gauge that most closely matches the pressure reading of the shop’s gauge. According to the engineers, tire-company-affiliated stores must have accurate gauges.
V-10 Solution Suggestions
In regard to the letter “V-10 Problems” (“Tech Talk,” November 2015, page 21), which described the Ford V-10 engine on a Winnebago Adventurer shutting down unexpectedly, we had a similar problem with our 2001 Damon Daybreak, which has a Workhorse chassis.
Coming home to Ontario from Alberta, each time we got gas, the coach would quit running a few miles down the road. We would coast off to the side, wait a couple of minutes, start it up, and drive until we got gas again. When we took our coach to The Hitch House near Barrie, Ontario, service manager Paul Lewis called dealers in the United States and Canada and came up with the common answer: Try the crankshaft sensor. They changed that, and we have had no problems since.
Jim & Mary Harding, F147272
Collingwood, Ontario
Thank you for this information. Perhaps it will help other owners.
Winter Storage
How much gas should be in the fuel tank when I store my motorhome?
Rich Belotti
Via email
The November 2013 issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine contains an article by Mark Quasius titled “Winterizing.” It mentions that the fuel tank should be topped off to minimize condensation and that a fuel stabilizer should be added if storing the motorhome for more than three months. The article notes that for gasoline, Sta-Bil is a popular choice. For diesel fuel, a biocide is recommended along with an antigel agent if a summer/winter fuel blend is stored in the tank in very cold temperatures. You can find the article at FMCmagazine.com; click on the “Back Issues” tab. You will need an FMCA member log-in.
Additional Storage Information
Thanks for the excellent article on tire care (November 2015, page 46). I have owned Type A motorhomes for 30 years and spent a few years in a Type C prior to that. In addition, I owned and operated a semi for about 10 years. So, I have a fair amount of experience with commercial tires. The article was one of the most comprehensive I have read pertaining to RV tires.
I agree that tire pressure is the most likely culprit when it comes to tire failure. I would recommend every owner spend a few dollars extra on a quality digital tire-pressure gauge to ensure accuracy.
The article, under the heading “Storage Tips,” stated that motorhomes should not be placed on leveling jacks. I don’t understand why the jacks cannot or should not be used to take the weight off the tires. I have “winter stored” my motorhome in this manner for 15 years, and I have recommended this method to others. Now I am concerned I may have misled them. If I drive to a park and spend three months there with the motorhome on jacks, or if I park the motorhome inside my coach house on jacks for three months during the winter, what’s the difference?
It seems to me that if the chassis manufacturer built the chassis to be “lifted” or leveled, and by design they addressed the fact that many coaches stay stationary for months at a time, then equal time in storage would be fine. I want to take the weight off the tires, but getting under the coach is dangerous, and jacks capable of lifting 30,000-plus pounds are awkward and expensive.
Michael Gwyn
Via email
In my mind, there is no difference between storing a coach on its jacks over the winter or leaving it on its jacks during a three-month vacation. The concern is not for the tires but for the suspension. Over the years, several chassis manufacturers’ reps have mentioned this to me at FMCA conventions. Their concern is that this practice will lead to suspension problems, because the tires’ weight “hanging” on the suspension components can cause the components to distort and create unusual tire wear.
I suggest that you support the tires’ weight on wood blocks, plastic adjustable blocks, or some other material for those long stays, while still using your levelers to stabilize and support the weight of your coach. Just don’t allow the suspension to hang without support. I suggest you preposition plywood, park the motorhome with the tires over the plywood, and then use the levelers to lift the coach enough to support the weight of the coach yet not high enough to lift the tires off the ground. This will take the overwhelming majority of the weight off the tires and yet not allow them to hang.