Country Coach Owners Forum

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Dan, I'm not an expert here but since your coach is used and you say it had the retro, I'd suggest the following:

1. Make sure that the tires are the same both front and rear. If they are different brands, measure the ground hite of the tires both front and rear. Strange as it sounds, tires with the same numbers can be taller from different manufacturers. For example, Continentals are not the same height as Toyo's's...maybe as much as two inches higher.
2. To verify that a retro fit has been done, make sure that there is (one) ride height control in the center front, just behind the front cross axle, and two in the rear. If there are two in the front then it didn't have the retro fit.
3. If all the same tires then it's a question of how you want to
align the height. It's not too difficult to do, but you MUST have a way to raise the coach up off the ground with the tires, so that you can get under it.

You can NOT use the air bags to raise it up to get under it, cause you will be letting air out of the bags as you do adjustments..thus raising and lowering the chassis. That's a little too close for comfort for me. You must be able to put something under the tires or find a pit somewhere to use. Country Coach has a big heavy ramp that they built to take to the shows, that they use to drive up on that's maybe 12" tall and takes two men to move it. It's not necessary for the coach to be level to align it since you are aligning the front and the the rear heights, but it does work better if the front tire are level and the back two are level with each other as the alignment is done.

After all this it you still want to try I suggest the following. a.)For the front end drive the coach up on a curb, if one will work for you, and work in the gutter to do the front. Or I built ramps using 2x8 timbers and built them up until I was satisfied they were high enough. I went up three boards for about 5.5 inches. First board is long, maybe 6foot, second one is 4 feet, and third and highest one is about two feet and thus you ramp up to the top.(Build a stop block in at the end. Also a creeper helps a lot) Check the book, but I believe that the air bag has to be as near 7 inches as possible, top to bottom. There are various ways to get at that but I just used a big calipher to verify both sides. Or you can use a ruler?.Make sure both valves are working and that both are at nearly the same measurement.( I'd strongly suggest that you loosen the adjustment and lower the valve, then make the adjustment coming up. To clarify, have the valve set too low and adjust it up so the the high moves from say six inches to 7 inches. Then once set. bleed the system several time and make sure it readjust to your setting. b.) For the rear it is a bit more difficult because the Cummins oil pan and the tranny get in your way a bit, so the coach has to go up higher for you to feel safer. I tried four boards height but I felt that to be too unstable. Also you have to build up four sets to handle the two sets of duals. So, old chicken me, found a new construction e on a cul de sac that has a colvert running up to the edge of the road with the cement curb and in essences let the rear end hang off. You also can find some campgrounds that the rear of the site will let the engine hang off and you can get to the back adjustments that way, standing up. You can then get in the ditch and make your adjustment to the rears to the same high as in in the book. If retroed, the last I hear was about 7.5 inches from the center weld line on the axle to the bottom of the chassis.

One final note that I know you are aware of, but. DO NOT USE AUTO RAMP. THEY ARE JUST NOT RATED FOR THAT KIND OF WEIGHT UNLESS YOU CAN GET SOME HEAVY DUTY RACING ONES OR SOMETHING.

Good luck. It can be done cause I put the entire retro in my coach, (my choice) in my yard, except for looking for the culvert...to work on the rear valves..

Be aware it you get the front and rear to far out of alignment the drive shaft between motor and tranny will howl really loud. Last I head the angle is no more that 5.5 degrees, but I would check that with CC. Most likely if it howls, the front and rear are bad out of alignment. If you are a brave soul then you could set coach level with ride adjustments and go up to the howl point and then down to the howl point and wind up in the middle..naw...

Sorry, I guess this email is to long to be of much good, so simple thing is take it to dealer and pay them to do it while you sit back and rest...or you could put someone under the coach that you really don't like and let them try to do it...?

Ray and Rue

1999 Allure 36 Slide

Quote

I picked up my CC Allure 1998, 36' this weekend. Noticed that it

is

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(1), either riding low in the rear, or (2) riding high in the

front,

.........

1. How do I determine whether it is riding too low in the rear or > too high in the front?

2. How do I correct the problem? > Thanks. Dan Allure #30180
> CC keeps changing the ride height specs so check with them before you > adjust. They sent me the specs in Apr., '03 and they were 8 inches > front and 7 1/2 inches rear for '98/99 Allure. The front measurement > is from the bottom of the frame rail to the bottom air bag mounting > plate. The reat measurement is from the bottom of frame rail to the > horizontal weld on the center of the rear axle. jerry in NM, '00 > Magna.

From: "gerald"

(snip) > The front measurement

is from the bottom of the frame rail to the bottom air bag mounting > plate. The reat measurement is from the bottom of frame rail to the > horizontal weld on the center of the rear axle. > > Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand why the manual > emphasizes inflating tires to the proper pressure before setting

height. Not that I *don't* inflate my tires properly. But I don't

difference it makes, since the ride height measurement has nothing

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand why the manual > > emphasizes inflating tires to the proper pressure before setting > > ride height. Not that I *don't* inflate my tires properly. But I don't > > see what difference it makes, since the ride height measurement has

to do with any measurement from the *ground.*
> I'm not sure that I understand it all or any of it for that matter, > but here's what I think is the SUPPOSED issue....
Assume you have a really underinflated tire then it changes the > weight on the various air bags because it throws weight to the lower > side... (snip)