Bus scrapes in driveway

[klw5718]

Hi I have a 1985 Eagle 40', I just moved to home with a steep driveway
and my bus scrapes backing in. I have to place two 2x8 under rear
wheels for a length of four feet for the rear frame to clear. Any suggestion would be great.Thank You Kent

[Tenor]

I think you have got the best soloution, unless you have some really nice friends that pour concrete for free! 

[Kristinsgrandpa]

I assume your Eagle doesn't have airbags. If it did you could raise the coach a few inches with a little creative plumbing.

What is scraping? If it is just your tailpipe it could be moved.

Going to 24.5" tires might help (1") if yours are 22.5". Also check loaded radius of different tires to determine the tallest tires.

If you scrape only slightly, it might not take much to clear.


    Increase rear tire pressure to maximum just temporarily till you've passed that spot.

If it only scrapes backing in try pulling in and figure out how to turn around at the top/bottom where you park.

Sell the Eagle and get something with airbags.

Put casters on the frame, they make them for sticks and staples.

Ed.

[pete81eaglefanasty]

 Check to see if your torilastic suspension is adjusted to the right height.  You would be surprised to see the difference. You can put the drag wheel on the back if you have to like mentioned before it won't hurt,I put then on my EAGLE a few years ago and after the torso were adjusted I haven't dragged since. Keep the EAGLE the ride is great, you'll be GLAD that you did.

              Pete & Jean
               FANTASY

[Dreamscape]

Pete is right on! Check your ride height, it may be too low. That's one thing on my list to do to ours after I finish all of the other stuff I'm working on. I know I have scraped my exhaust a couple of times so I might need to make adjustments too. Of course it all depends on how steep is steep.
Let us know what you come up with.

Paul

[Sojourner]

Don't know what Eagle bottom clearance are but MCI-8 & 9 are 10 to 11 1/4 inch clearance.
Yes...it maybe need to get torilastic suspension is adjusted and tires pump up to 110psi.

Caution....block-up under strong body point so if adjusting torilastic bar break...it won't come down on you.

FWIW

Sojourn for Christ, Jerry

[Busted Knuckle]

I assume your Eagle doesn't have airbags. If it did you could raise the coach a few inches with a little creative plumbing.
Ed.

Ed,
That is one of the great things about the EAGLES they ride great without airbags! They never had them, and still had almost the best ride ever! Another good point is they don't settle/lower when the air goes down so it's much easier and less worriesome to work under them. Also the air pressure almost always stays up for a long time with less possibilities for air leaks! So other than the getting lighter with age there are still nice things about an EAGLE beside just having that awesome classic/classie look!
  BK 

[Gary LaBombard]

KLW5718
I am not sure if you want to go to the bother of what I will also suggest but here goes my suggestion.  Sonnie Gray, (My true converter hero) has installed air bags on his (EAGLE) as a back up and also he uses them to help level his bus if needed in a camp site.  You have to see what he has done, I have photos on my web site you can see but perhaps he has better one's as he installed them.

This can be considered for any Eagle if Sonnie did it.  I have seen sonnie raise his bus in less than a minute to any height he needs it.  This can also be a back up if your torsilastic should wear out and the cost is to prohibitive to replace for a time being.  Note in the photos the height of Sonnies bus above his drive & tag axle. 

Now this is only a suggestion but I do plan to incorporate this great idea into my bus for the thought of it to me makes a lot of sense.  When not needed and you want your bus the running height of 12-14 inches you just let out the air and leave only enough in to keep it activated and in place.  NO more back end dragging in areas you know this could happen.  The cost, Not sure, if you are handy it would be minimal.  I do recommend that you contact Sonnie for tips on installation, where to get the proper bags and how to set up the air system.

Here is some photos I have to give you an idea.  NOTE: Anyone with an Eagle wanting to make drastic changes should consult Sonnie for advise, there is no better adviser on Eagle Conversions!!

Good Luck, I hope this helps.
Gary

[Dreamscape]

Gary, I couldn't agree more, Sonnie has the knowledge, just look at his Cat install!

BK, Eagle did make a coach with air bags, Clifford (luvrbus) knows which model and what year. Maybe he'll chime in later.

Air bags would be a definite alternative to adding more redundancy, but the Eagleastic ride is very smooth without them.

Another project, come on Gary I have enough to do for ours!  I mean that in jest and you know that.

Paul

[Gary LaBombard]

Hi Paul,
You know all my suggestions are just that and surely not something anyone else has to do.  What is great about this and all of the busnut bb'd boards is that if one of us does have a serious situation that they want to share and receive feed back to consider we now have that tool to share.  I have said it a hundred times now I am sure, this is the greatest tool in our life time and the knowledge so plentiful.

I am sure your bus Paul will no longer be the eyesore you sort of indicate it is but I envy you, you can drive yours to your rallies etc.  Your new paint job will bump you up to the level you have been waiting for, but your pride as a Eagle owner just keeps taking on your personal character.  Again, I envy you.

My purpose for the air bags is a back up like (Double Framing) the undercarriage.  None of the things I do to our Eagle conversion are absolutely necessary but I enjoy over kill as you know. We'll see how much The Rustless Money Pit weighs when roadworthy, OH, OH!!

I still can't wait to do some of the pretty things you guys will all get to actually see.  And get Jerry Lieber off my back!! LOL

Kent, Good luck again on the decision you make to prevent your bus from scraping on an incline.

Gary

[rv_safetyman]

Kent, I reset my height to factory 14 inches and I do not scrape on even the bad entrances.  The 14 inches is measured at the bottom of the bus behind the from wheel and in front of the bogie.

A person can do the work themselves if you really want to do a ton of heavy work.  The front and back axles take a 1 7/8 wrench as I recall.  The bogie needs to be re-indexed and that is a really tough job.  The front and drive axles can be set by height, but the bogie requires scales to set it. 

We have sister buses and I found that my bogie axles were way out of adjustment and the bus was sitting fairly low. 

All in all, it is a job that should be done by a person who has the tools and knowledge to do the job

I have a few photos of what it takes to do the bogie on my project pages listed below.

Jim

[Songman]

I have talked about putting air bags on the Eagle as well. The ease of leveling is enough reason for me, plus the cost to do it would be a fraction of what hydraulic levelers would cost. I saw Sonnie's bus at Quartzsite but was too busy looking at the engine install to even notice the air bags. Very clean install.

[Busted Knuckle]

Gary, I couldn't agree more, Sonnie has the knowledge, just look at his Cat install!

BK, Eagle did make a coach with air bags, Clifford (luvrbus) knows which model and what year. Maybe he'll chime in later.
Air bags would be a definite alternative to adding more redundancy, but the Eagleastic ride is very smooth without them.

Another project, come on Gary I have enough to do for ours!  I mean that in jest and you know that.

Paul

Paul,
I have to admit I never new Eagle did a model with air suspension. But I do try to learn at least 1 new thing a day, every day! So now that I've learned that I can go back to bed, and wake up a yr older!

Gary, Paul, and Dale,
Let's not forget to enlighten Kent, or anyothers unfamiliar with Sonnie & his awesome kitty CAT powered EAGLE (which ought to be against the law not to know about in the 1st place LOL!), that this is not yer every day ordinary EAGLE! As Sonnie has spent who knows how much time, sweat and $ highly modifying it. He has not only installed the mentioned air bags (of which I'd forgoten about), but he has rather elegantly repowered it with an awesome detroit eating CAT, re-engineered the drive & tag axle (boogie) set up and in doing so put the drives in front and the tag back where a tag belongs (tagging along behind the drives), and if my memory serves my old mind correct he installed a rear end out of a dump truck under it! This is just a small list of extensive modifications of one of the finest EAGLEs I have ever seen or heard about! I'm not saying that the air bag set up would be a major feet, but keep in mind it wasn't a project that Sonnie just up and did to a stock EAGLE! It was done while redoing everything else, and in my opinion would take some serious research and design work to be done properly! But that is only my opinion and your mileage may vary!
FWIW   BK 

[DrivingMissLazy]

While visiting Southern Oregon Diesel a few years ago,  I observed them putting air bags on an Eagle 5. It was a lot of work but ended up looking and working very nice. I really do not remember why the owner was having the air bags installed, but it was a very nice conversion. As I recall the owner was a retired police chief from a town in the northern California area. I do not know if SOD is still doing this type work or not.

Richard

[Gary LaBombard]

BK,
Thanks for giving Kent the heads up about good ole Sonnie Gray.  I just realized Kent is a newbie to posting here but may have been a lurker for a while to get the drift of what we try to do for each other on all these bb'd's.  I have mentioned Sonnie many times but don't want to sound like I have the hots for him, I just want to someday have the knowledge and engineering ideas he has. 

Kent,
I have a web site that may interest you that has lots of photos of all the past 3 years of bus rallies we have attended and some we haven't.  I encourage anyone having a rally if they do not have a web site they can post photos on to please feel free to send them to me and I will post them as they will be seen by many now.  My site perhaps by next week will reach about (300,000 views) and has lots of information and buses to view.  While I am at it thanks to all that have frequented my website to make it as popular as it has been since January 2006.  I just receive personal satisfaction from knowing that it is enjoyed and helpful to others in our family.

Sonnie Gray has photos of his bus on my web site and I take as many photos as possible for all to see every aspect of our hobby I can to encourage others to participate such as yourself.  You may have seen my site and with apology to all who do know of it and have heard of it a 100 times now I will one more time post the address. 

Kent, try to attend some of our bus rallies which start up real, real soon now.  There is not one dumb questions asked at this bb'd and there is mega bits of information available, all you have to do is ask.

Sorry Sonnie to put you in the lime lite again but you deserve the respect for your accomplishment on your Eagle in particular.  There is not one model bus owner in our group that does not look up to what you have done against all engineering odds and the success you have had.  I Know I am always inspired and am still amazed at your bus (undercarriage / motor installation, air bag installations and the list just goes on).  One day I hope you will pull your wheels so I can get under an area that only people like you, me and Kysteve and many others have gotten involved in from the git go. I want to see all 320 SQ. Ft. of your undercarriage. Buses outside are pretty, buses underneath are beautiful!!  To me anyhow!!LOL

What a suck up eh??

Here is the website I mentioned:

http://community.webshots.com/user/converter101


Good luck Kent.

Gary