Changes you have made to your Meridian or Journey??

[D Lindy]

I've got Michelin 275x80R 22.5 XAZ3's all the way around on my MH. With the weights I have, Front 11840 gross and rear 20920 gross I'm right in the middle of the inflation chart for these tires and weight Front 95psi. and rear 90psi. I guess I don't know what you mean by "My front tires are to light and the rear are marginal". The only REAL issue I have is not the tires but the rear axle, it's gross is 20000 and I'm at 20920 and that's only loaded for a weekend. Can't imagine what the rear axle gross will be when we go full time, and checking with the axle mfg. they rate my axle at 19000, so go figure.

[SCVJeff]

Added a third swx to the bath to separately control the vent lid and fan rather than have to reach 7+' in the air.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by D Lindy

I've got Michelin 275x80R 22.5 XAZ3's all the way around on my MH. With the weights I have, Front 11840 gross and rear 20920 gross I'm right in the middle of the inflation chart for these tires and weight Front 95psi. and rear 90psi. I guess I don't know what you mean by "My front tires are to light and the rear are marginal". The only REAL issue I have is not the tires but the rear axle, it's gross is 20000 and I'm at 20920 and that's only loaded for a weekend. Can't imagine what the rear axle gross will be when we go full time, and checking with the axle mfg. they rate my axle at 19000, so go figure.

Different tire. Different load spec.

I don't know what is going on with the rear axle. This has been brought up in other threads. I have not read of any coach breakdown caused by a failed rear axle or rear end.

As for the front axle, because it is the "I" beam type Freightliner does not recommend steer tires. Steer/all position tires are fine. This is why I am having a bit of trouble pinning the correct tire down. There are so many to sift through and so many variables.

Keep watching me. I'll figure it out.

And the changes keep coming!

Rick Y

[dengraham]

Hey Jeff,
That is a great idea. Any trouble pulling the wires??

[D Lindy]

Rick Ya I know my tires are different then yours, I was just giving you the inof on how my tires match up to the weight per axle of my unit so it might help you decide what tire you wanted. Being as we have the same unit (40U) but 1 year thought it might help.

[Jupiter]

Originally Posted by SCVJeff

Added a third swx to the bath to separately control the vent lid and fan rather than have to reach 7+' in the air.
Attachment 91877

Now that's a great idea and clean looking modification, Jeff. Can you elaborate on how you rewired to isolate the fan and hood? If I can't pull wires to mine I'm thinking about a pull switch on the unit instead of the rocker switch.

cheers,
Joopy

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by SCVJeff

Added a third swx to the bath to separately control the vent lid and fan rather than have to reach 7+' in the air.
Attachment 91877

Nice touch, Jeff. I should consider doing the same. Replaced the front vent with the upgrade kit. The remote makes things easier.

Rick Y

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by D Lindy

Rick Ya I know my tires are different then yours, I was just giving you the inof on how my tires match up to the weight per axle of my unit so it might help you decide what tire you wanted. Being as we have the same unit (40U) but 1 year thought it might help.

Sorry for missing your point. Your tires are "steer": Tire Selector | Michelin RV Tires.

As I understand it these are not recommended for my coach.
do you have IFS? Mine is "I" beam.

We probable should not go too deep into this topic. When the change is made it will be a change, but these details are probably off topic. PM me and we can reason this out. Thanks.

Rick Y

[SCVJeff]

Originally Posted by dengraham

Hey Jeff,
That is a great idea. Any trouble pulling the wires??

Define "trouble"..
On the 34H I took the 14" Harbor Freight fiberglass fish stick system and was able to c a r e f u l l y beat a path through the foam ceiling until it came out in the ceiling slot where all the rest of the ceiling cable falls out above the TV. Even with gloves on my right palm is still really sore from pounding this 1/8" rod..

Wiring the wall to the swx was not a problem, again aided by the fish kit. I pulled only one one wire; the ground return for the motor that still loops through the master switch as well as the lid swx. So when the lid is closed, the fan turns off.

My 1st mod when this coach was new was to upgrade the kitchen fan to a remote mounted on the wall for the shorter sex. She likes this mod too..

[zman-az]

Originally Posted by SCVJeff

Define "trouble"..
On the 34H I took the 14" Harbor Freight fiberglass fish stick system and was able to c a r e f u l l y beat a path through the foam ceiling until it came out in the ceiling slot where all the rest of the ceiling cable falls out above the TV. Even with gloves on my right palm is still really sore from pounding this 1/8" rod..

Next time try a piece of copper. Heat it with a torch and melt the foam away to make your channel.

[jerichorick]

I was at Henderson's in Grants Pass, OR to get the chassis lubed. They noticed how much my coach rocked as I drove through the dirt parking lot, across from the shop, to unhitch. They suggested I put this system on the coach: http://www.supersteerparts.com/produ...rol-units.html

I didn't realize how much rocking could be eliminated from the air suspension. I thought that going very slow through dips and pot holes in parking lots, etc, to keep things in the cupboards was the only way to do it. I opted for this upgrade. What a difference, all around, in the feel of the coach. Immediately I noticed the difference. When I went back into the dirt lot to hook back up the lurching was greatly reduced. On the highway the feel of the coach is less choppy (for lack of a better description) than before the upgrade.

One consistent thing I have noticed about the folks at Henderson's is a warm, friendly and knowledgeable relationship with their clientele and among each other. In my case, when I walked through the door Don recognized me and thrust his hand out in a warm greeting. I had only been there once before several months earlier. Some folks new to the shop came in behind me and his greeting was no less reserved, less the handshake.

Back to the motion stabilizers. I know someone out there has a better grip on this product but I'll do my best to tell you what it does.

When the air springs are full and adjusted properly the coach is carried on them, along with the other suspension components, and they give some as the road rumbles under when traveling. The shocks take up a good portion of the bouncing. When we get into a radical, short distance dip, at a slow speed or are hit with a heavy gust of wind the coach can do some strange dancing. When the SS motion control valves are installed they release air and transfer it to the opposite air springs to lift the sagging side and drop the lifting side. This causes the coach to stay more level and it reduces the lurching motion we often feel and our stuff stays in place better.

This is one of those upgrades that is worth the bucks. To me, adding control stability to the drive is adding safety. This upgrade does just that.

Happy trails.

Rick Y

[Gary CA]

Very good work by SCVJEFF Jeff, he has helped me in the past. Also, Jerichorick is right on the money with modification done by Henderson's, I had that control valves added up in Grants Pass several years ago. For my ongoing Meridian projects I give a friend $1000 a year to sand and repaint sections at a time as the factory paint degrades. What a poor quality paint job!Having great service with the Freightliner and CAT. Safe miles to all.

[1ciderdog]

Rick Y, I'm happy to hear that. I added them to my Journey several years ago and it sure seemed to help - hopefully they still do and I do agree Henderson's is great, staff is great and they stand behind the repairs they do. I once had an issue with a repair they did and they spent several hours making sure I was happy and no additional charges. The labor rate might be a tad high for Grants Pass area but there is satisfaction in knowing they will fix (repair) it correctly and stand behind the work. Yep, Great place to leave a few or more dollars.

[D Lindy]

Rick; Super Steer had 9 different models of the Motion Control units. Which model did they install on your unit, because mine would be the same. Sounds like a very inexpensive fix for excess rocking. PM me with the model #'s Dana

[RickO]

I love to tinker and "improve" things. When I was getting ready to sell my rig I created a FaceBook page documenting all of the features/improvements with photos. If anyone's interested they are here https://www.facebook.com/itasca.ellipse/photos

My Ellipse was the sister ship to the Journey.

rick

[jerichorick]

I am still getting ready for my next big $ change. I am not happy with my front tires and will make my final selection in a few weeks. Will be going back to Henderson's to have them changed.

[SCVJeff]

Am in the process of changing out those anemic 921 ceiling lights in the bedroom with LED. These fixtures are not conducive to bright LED's, so I bought a couple of RV LED (ex Starlight) flat LED arrays, stripped out all the regulators on the back and mounted them on a 921 plug. The dimmer has been replaced with one built for the LED's (no flicker), and has an IR remote. At least twice the brightness of the crummy 921 bulbs and just slick looking.

[Pusherman]

Originally Posted by D Lindy

Rick; Super Steer had 9 different models of the Motion Control units. Which model did they install on your unit, because mine would be the same. Sounds like a very inexpensive fix for excess rocking. PM me with the model #'s Dana

Dana,

The units are specified by the diameter of the airline going into the air bags. They are most likely different from front vs rear. Also GVWR.

I put them on my coach, and they act like sway bars. Keeps the unit more stable in the turns, and also minimizes the classic 'Wal Mart Wobble' when crossing into a lot with a slight culvert, or navigating those pot holes in a parking lot. They work.

[jerichorick]

Well folks. This has been a journey (not a Journey). After working with a fine lady who did her best to fix me up with Michelin ZXA3+ tires I ended up with Continental HS3 tires in the H load range. This is a 295/75 tire but Continental shows it as meeting the same spec as the ZXA3+ in their comparison chart.

What happened is simple. The Michelin tire in the H load range will not be available for 6+ months. The Conie's are available but $15 more per tire.

I will head down to Henderson's to have them put on late next week or early the week after. After all of my digging into this subject, and making my choice as a informed consumer, I never thought availability would be an issue. Besides that I never even considered Continental tires.

So this is my latest upgrade. New front tires.

Rick Y

[dengraham]

Rick,
Thanks for the update. Sorry for your disappointment but let us know what you think of the ride with the new shoes. They are a good company. I didn't know they made them that big. Keep us posted.
>> Dennis