Motorhome U-joint question

[JMetzger]

Gary, Did you give up on your 02 & the 5th wheel?

 

[AClayton]

I guess the larger tire diameter helps a bit with the final ratio - normally, in this immediate are where we plan to use the MH most, lots of steep grades, narrow roads and frequent low speed sharp curves - elevation runs from 3K-5K feet - so the somewhat lower gearing might be good for that usage - but a killer out on the major cross country freeways on the Florida trip we are planning.



We'll just have to drive slow, enjoy the passing views, and hope we don't get run over! :-laf

I may be dreaming this..... But,I think I rememmber you cruising down the coast following your buddy's V-10 powered class C..... last year maybe?Anyway,I recall you mentioning his cruising rpm was about 55mph... . which made it ideal for him and mileage,BUT less than perfect mileage for your 02' and 5th wheel ... . ie , lugging your Cummins and using a bit more fuel than usual. All of this because fuel was so expensive last year... . Anyway,you will be at your ideal fuel mileage now with your current setup.



I don't have a lot of experience with the John Deere chassis other than it was 460 powered and was a very heavy duty alternative chassis for the time period. Auto-park is most certainly a GM line and although I can see other chassis manufacturer's using something similar,I cannot gaurantee that John Deere named there unit the same or not. The John Deere chassis was the choice for the 34' plus MH's of any coach manufacturer that needed extra GVW capacity.





Alan

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

YUP Alan - good memory! :-laf



And, since we're all retired, and DRIVING because we want to see the country we pass thru, the slightly lower speed is not a big deal - might annoy fellow travelers a bit, but that's life. Actually, I usually prefer about 62 MPH driving with the 5er in tow - good speed for the power and economy band - and not so high as to interest the various highway patrol and Sheriff officers in our 55 MPH state speed limit.



Now, I have the local Les Schwab tire/alignment shop looking for replacement front shocks and steering stabilizer - figure it will help handling over the long haul coming up - MH has "4-way" shocks with helper springs - I'd like to get something similar in the Bilstein line if they have any - the helper springs seem a good feature on a MH like this...

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

OK, another related question.



How do I determine the actual chassis/capacity type on my MH?



The VIN shows it to be a GM motorhome, forward control model - braking system is in the 16K range - but no info as to how this relates or compares to other standard GM truck chassis. I am trying to locate some suspension components - shock absorbers and steering stabilizer - and find a number of vendors of that stuff, but their reference is to "P-30-37" or "G" models - obviously, it's impossible to accurately order the proper parts, unless I know the exact GM chassis platform the parts are for - I'm assuming the MH is some variant of a truck chassis in the 2-ton or so range - any help?

 

[AClayton]

You should have a driver door... . on the lower edge of the door on winnebago's is the VIN number and GVWR of the chassis... . tire info and the like. Many of your Chassis parts will come from Workhorse Chassis from now on.



www.workhorsecustomchassis.com



You should have the P-30 in the 13 or 14K GVW rating. The Bilsteins seem to be most popular upgrade w/shocks but a an aftermarket anti-sway bar from Hellwig is available that helps alot. I have not had many people complain about the 96" wide models but the wide-body's that start from 95'model year and up have serious handling issues.



Alan

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Am I the only one curious and confused about GM motorhome chassis designations amd applications?



Apparently NOT! :-laf



Here's a neat thread on the issue:



P-30 vs. P-32 Chassis - Topic Barthmobile.com



AND, an interesting post from a guy tangled in the confusion:

Greetings to all,

I'm stranded in Kingman, AZ, and can now add(Thank you for allowing me to join)my pass on dealing with P-whatevers... Threw a R front bearing on I40, coming down a hill at 60-65... also managed to tear up the spindle and hub... took it in to Great West Truck Center, and the saga now begins. They told me that parts were hard to find, because of the brand of vehicle... I stressed that THE CHASSIS was a P30, and brand did not matter... yeah, yeah, sure, sure... 4 days later, the parts due in hadn't really been ordered because they weren't out there... well, they found a spindle(used) in Nebraska, but hadn't yet ordered it. We got that ordered. I went to the local NAPA, picked up the hub/rotor for the P30(one piece) and proudly(and, perhaps a little smugly) set it down on the truck center's parts counter. They carried it back to the unit, then brought it back to let me know that the 8-bolt configuration I procured wasn't compatible with the 5-bolt configuration on my unit... (smug? roadkill. )

I spent several hours on line and phone tracking down leads into brick walls. Three answers were common:

1)Have you tried a chevy/gmc dealer?(yes X4).

2)Have you tried a junkyard?(yes-only one in book).

3)you might try Workhorse(this from the Chevy/gmc dealers... ). It gets better.

I had to fill in an online form for Workhorse, just to access their request for information site... this, of course, results in the usual "Your request has been received. You will be contacted by a representative when your request has been processed"(That means "tomorrow"). In my request, I mentioned the confusion evident over P-chassis classifications, and I listed the three responses most common(as above). The reply, this morning, was that Workforce didn't acquire the P-chassis series till 1999... had I tried contacting a chevy or GMC dealer?

I finally, after reading several forum sites dealing with THE GOSPEL on P-Chassis classification, began to ask for a P32 hub, followed a lead to CATCO, in Rosedale, Minn, who sent me to Rosedale Chevy(parts dept)(Julie-a lady who has my promise to send her flowers, chocolate, AND a six-pack).

Julie didn't have my hub, but she put me on hold and called Factory Motor Parts in Egan, Minn, and found TWO HUBS!!! She then got the closest outlet to me(Tempe,AZ), gave me their number, and wished me a happy Holidays! Tempe sent me back to Egan, who confirmed TWO hubs by serial#, and took my card and is overnight flying them to me... Yeah, I bought both of them... 'spensive at $370 each, but the future peace of mind potential is well worth it... kinda like avoiding watching a bad movie, again, because of unavoidable circumstances. So, we have had the unit in a shop for 7 days, soon to be 9, and the biggest hurdle was convincing folks that a P32 was a P30... I think... finding the parts would still have been hard, because some say there ain't no P32, and many folks don't have reliable access(or personal knowledge) to the vagaries of P-chassis classification. I thank this forum for showing me that parts houses AND dealers are not THE GOSPEL, reference books notwithstanding. Even if you know what's going on, you still have to deal with the majority that THINK they know...

I was lucky enough to have the part# off the part, and to have the forwarning to not allow dismissal. Thanks to all of you on this forum for the ongoing exchange of info and views.

FWIW, we own a 1989 Airstream 345LE motorhome with a P32 chassis(I'm pretty sure about that... ?)



mike(from silverton, CO, just not now)

In my own case, looking for proper shocks for my '88 GM-based MH, I kept running into this:

Shocks & Accessories for a Chevrolet P10 P20 P30 P37 Series Chassis Class A 1988

And calling a "tech" at the "Shock Warehouse" order desk got me the same ZILCH my Email to them did as far as to specifically WHICH of the above designations do *I* have - they had no CLUE as to the specific shocks I might need for this year/model MH chassis, and suggested I call GM or a GM dealership to find out, just like the guy up above...





ANYWAY since "Workhorse" took over the former GM P30 and related chassis lines AFTER 1988 - they have no clue or info available on on their website concerning my particular VIN - so I did an online VIN search, which DID turn up that my chassis is, indeed, classified as a P30, so I have ordered Bilstein front shocks and steering stabilizer online for my MH.



What fun - confusion and misinformation, even from GM themselves, abounds... :-laf:-laf



Bottom line SEEMS to be, that a GM class "A" chassis Winnebago MH back in the years around mine, are all likely to be classed as a P30...



Unless it might be a P32... :-laf

 

[AClayton]

Gary,



You have a P-30... . I'm positive of that!!Workhorse will not have the shocks you requested... . the only shocks they have are the factory replacements for their own P-30 model line. Workhorse kept the 'P' designation on their line as well until it was discontinued in... . 03' ???I think!!This was the period when MH's were getting larger and larger and the handling issues with the 'not so HD' front coils were becoming problematic. The P-32 is the same exact chassis except for the fact,that it had a boxed frame from the motor mounts back to just behind the rear spring hanger... . the remainder of frame for overhang is generally added by the MH manufacturer.



Anyway... . Camping World has always been my source for Bilstein shocks and even with my 'contractor' discount,the President Club Membership discount always seemed to be the better deal.



The P-12 chassis was used by Winnebago in later years before being sold to Workhorse... . still the same old step van chassis but this one had leaf springs up front and much bigger brakes.



Dash air parts such as the compressor and some hoses will still come from GM. I always got bearings and brakes and stuff like that from a truck warehouse.



Alan

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

YUP Alan, you were correct on the P30 bit - I've always in the past referred to various trucks as "1 1/2 ton, 2 ton, 2 1/2 ton", etc. , so these various "P" designations sorta throw me. Sure, I know my MH chassis is rated at 15K lbs - so is it a 7 1/2 ton, or what? Guess it doesn't make much difference when ordering parts...



2 things we learned quickly when we moved out here to the wilderness 5 years ago - be prepared to order stuff via Internet or phone and wait a week or more for delivery, if it's very far out of the common - and THEN, be prepared for pure Hell in dealing with returns and refunds if you or the shipper screw up on the item. We find it's better to ask LOTS of questions, and make every possible check to be sure what we are getting is what we really need - and that's why I've been sorta nit-picky on this...

 

[AClayton]

The P-30,to my knowledge,was designated as a 1 1/2 ton when equipped with 19. 5 wheels. The P-30 also came in a 12. 3K w/16" wheels ... . that was a 1 ton classification. Similar to our Dodges,our 3/4 tons are rated at 8800GVW... . it doesn't mean it's a 4 ton truck. I always thought that was confusing... and still do in some regards. Basically,when ordering parts..... The P-30 15K chassis should get you to the proper column of parts. I still see a lot of these on the road and the aftermarket is still flooded with many upgrades.



Very similar to the TDR,is the WIT Club!I know it sounds nerdy,but the information you can obtain at the monthly campouts and the friendship with people that share your same interests,is great!I have learned and earned a great deal of money on the East Coast by attending these monthly campouts and annual Rally's. It helps keep you motivated to use your RV regulary... most of the campouts are within a 2 hour drive away when you get involved with a local chapter... . Oregon has several chapters. I've been a member since 99' and in my very early 30's and now,at 42... . I'm still the youngest member.



Is the interior in as good of shape as the outside?If I may be so bold as to ask for some interior pics,I would love to see them... . thanks in advance!!





Alan

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Is the interior in as good of shape as the outside?If I may be so bold as to ask for some interior pics,I would love to see them... . thanks in advance!!

Sure, glad to Alan - least I can do for all your help!



Later today, perhaps.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

OK - here's some interior pics of the new jewel - pardon the few stray items laying about from minor interior cosmetic cleaning/adjusting. We had wanted a MH of this general size that (hopefully) included a dining area, as well as a seating/lounging area - but MH's in this size class (27 foot or so) that also had the walk-around rear bed that was most important to us, simply didn't have room for the other feature - so choices were either the dining setup, OR the lounging area. We preferred to sacrifice the dedicated dining area, so this is what we got - and as it turns out, with the smaller pull-out table, along with the (if needed) larger stow-away table (not shown), it meets our needs quite well.



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[Gary - K7GLD]

A few more:



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Overhead storage in bedroom ceiling

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The ceiling material is very nice, sound-deadening padded and embossed vinyl.

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This arrangement should provide adequate eating space for 2 - larger hide-away table for more...

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LOTS of medicine cabinet space - what old coots NEED lots of! :-laf



And that about covers it - we looked for several months on Ebay and Craig's list - stuff on Ebay was attractive, but just too far away to gamble a trip based upon sellers representations and a few low res Internet photos. This one was from Craig's list, came from Washington state, about 250 miles from where we live, and apparently was previously owned by no-pet, non-smokers - and no evidence of kids and their, unhhh, activity. I caught flak from a few sorehead sellers who saw my want ad on Craig's list, since I fully specified condition, size and LOW price I would pay - they laughed me off as being unrealistic in my price and expectations - LOTS of RV owners are still living in the unrealistic past, as to where the RV marked has dropped to - I knew what I wanted WAS out there - just took patience to chase it down!

 

[AClayton]

Your rig is in excellent condition inside and out! ..... and for $7,000;what a deal!!



Thanks again for the pictures... . it certainly brings back some memories of my old 88'. I am in the process of trying to find some pictures of my old one.



Are you planning on towing your wife's car behind it in the future?If so,PM me,as I am a registered Blue OX dealer and even though you live on the opposite end of ther coast,I can get you my discount and have your towing equipment sent to you direct.





Alan

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Dunno on the vehicle towing bit Alan - current plans are purely as a tow vehicle for the fishing boat - but never know what the future holds - just as I had not planned on taking us and another couple on a cross-country trip to Florida in it. But I'll sure keep your offer in mind!



Disney World, here we come! Again! :-laf:-laf