Dancing bus.

[chazwood]

Just got back from yet another Tennis tournament. Stayed in a pretty run down park near Birmingham Al., because we couldn't decide if we were going, and when we finally did, all the good parks were booked.  Lesson learned; If an RV Park has a hookup available the day before Memorial Day weekend.....prepare yourself for something dreadful. 

The park owner actually told me the following, when I checked in......"You will be staying in spot "four". "It's just down on the left". "Most people can't find it because they think it's a dirt  road".  Yes.... Mr. park owner...most people think a dirt road is a dirt road....in fact most people glared at us all weekend as they squeezed by with a trash bag hanging out the car window, trying to get to the dumpster. It was obvious they were thinking " knuckle heads"....What are they doing parking smack dab in the middle of the road that leads to the only dumpster in the whole park."

The bathroom (single) was in the neighboring county....I think the gas station was closer. The potty was so far down the road...... I just used the dumpster.

On the second night we came back from 12 hours of tennis, very hot and sweaty, looking forward to a shower, only to discover that someone had supposedly "vandalized the toilets". They were out of order. Yeah right. A couple of 75 yr old pranksters, no doubt. What we really had was a backed up sewage system. Clogged toilets don't inflate the linoleum floors out in the lobby with a six inch high bubble of water, ten feet in diameter.  My kids were mesmerized. It looked very strange. When you poked it with your toe, it felt exactly like a water bed mattress. It rippled and quivered like it was alive. It looked like something out of a movie. A bad movie.

Our dirt road spot was so non-level that the view out the one whole side of the bus was the ground. The heat pumps were draining straight out their fronts and we had to sit something heavy in front of the fridge just to keep it closed.

We had a great time, except that with eight people in the bus, it's always dancing. It's never still. (must have been a party bus) Every time someone takes a step it wiggles. Every time someone shifts their weight....it dances. All day . All night. I bet if I asked you how many times every member of your family turns over each night you would have no earthly idea. Ask me ....I know. It's so bad, that if I have been off the bus for hours .....and I get real still.... the whole earth wiggles.

How do I stop the earth from dancing?

Do all buses dance?


Thanks.

Chazwood.

[jjrbus]

Ah spot numer four, I've been in one like it many times. I refuse to stay at RV "resorts" so spot #4 would many times be an upgrade.
I dont know about all buses but my MCI5C will dance if given the chance. It seems to be the air bag leveling system,you may also havve some suspension problems. One option is to add a manual leveling system, not an extreamly difficult or expensive task. But important for friends driveways, yards and good ole spot #4.  Upon arrival, I can exhaust all the air and then level the bus, the less air in the system the less movement!
The cheap option is jackstands under the bus, I've seen it done (I recently posted a pic of someone doing it) but do not know how to do it.
                                                                            http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=8369.0

If you look closely you will see jackstands under bus. TBird said it is for leveling!

[tekebird]

the nature of air suspension is that it is always in a state of adjustment.  blocking the bus will keep this to a minimum and or stop it once it settles to the block level.  Be sure to block at the right spot as inappropriate blocking will lead to alot of weight where there isn't supposed to be any.

other option is a manual leveling system.....this likely requires some air source be it a compressor or the bus air system, unless your system is totally free of leaks.

I assume you don;t have a completed conversion based on your use of the bathroom and showers at the facility.

get the conversion done and you will be free of those anchors

[chazwood]

Correct me if I'm wrong......but.... even if you could establish a hard connection between the body and the suspension (to kill the airbag wiggles,) you would still get movement from the suspension itself. (Not to mention the flex of the tires)

So jacking up the body itself seems the only way to squash the wiggles.....but are there strong enough jacking points on a MC-9 body to carry the weight?

[Ncbob]

Hi Chaz,

I can't speak to all buses but I sure know mine does when "Twinkletoes" starts moving around the bus after it's been parked for a day or so and I haven't blocked it.  Sometimes all she has to do is roll over in her bunk and the wine glasses start tinkling in the cupboard.

Now, for the record, my wife is NOT overweight! But when the front leveling valve, which attempts to retain highway ride height, discovers that the air pressure is low it gives up its' mission. The rear leveling valves do pretty much the same but with no constant air supply instead of raising one side...they lower the opposite side until the bags are 'tender' and you feel every movement of all the folks on board.

I find that by putting blocking under the ends of the radius rods I'm able to stabilize the bus as the air system leaks down. The culprit here being the leveling valves just trying to do what they normally do onny on reduced air pressure. To the best of my knowledge I have leaks but not at the air bags. After all My bus is 40 years old...I sort of expect some aches and pains.

Bob

[chazwood]

So, you just block the front?

[belfert]

The wonders of torilastic suspension.  Surprisingly, my bus doesn't move when folks walk around even with seven people on board.  Lots of trips to the restroom at night when most of the occupants spent the evening drinking and those sleeping never know.

I really expected a fair bit of movement when parked as my travel trailer moved a fair bit even with the stabilizer jacks down.

[Blacksheep]

My bus has air bags as well and I have to say when I park, I dump the air in the tag axle and with the leaks I have the rest will level down to the frame. Only movement IF ANY is when someone comes on board but other than that NO movement what so ever!
BS

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Chaz,

Yea, drop the body on the axels and, What a difference....

I have the same leaks as BS and also dump my tags. In about an hour and a half, all is flat!

The presure of the tires is much firmer then the bags and the result is not much motion at all in the bus.

Nick-

[jjrbus]

Befor I changed to a manual system, I had very little air leaks. Now I have NO air leaks and my beams are not plated. My bus has sat for 5 months without leaning!!!!!! 
   Just needed to gloat a little bit

[luvrbus]

Chazwood your bus must have points strong enough for leveling jacks I see MCI's and Prevosts all the time with the Big Foot or HWH hydraulic jacks on them