Training Wheels?

[flick4411]

Ok, the driveway issue is my biggest worry. I am going to try to reduce the problem by pumping up the air shocks tomorrow. But I need a better solution. Went to the Richmond RV show (mostly was all TTs and huge Class A's, very few Class Cs). I met this guy who works for an RV repair/supply place. He had a catalog and showed me some "training" (my term not his) wheels to put on the back in lieu of the "v" bars under the hitch. I'm wondering if any of you have these anti-skid rollers/wheels on the back of your RV or trailers? Do they actually work? It's gonna be about $400-$500 installed to get these things put on--is this a legit solution????? I don't know why this seems like a such a simple solution, but will it really work??? when I googled around, I found a number of forum discussions/threads where people had added them to quit bottoming out over speed bumps, but most were Class As--way longer than my rig. What's ya'll 2 cents worth of advice/thoughts??? Thanks!!!!

[Forestgal]

Li, do you have the ability to video you backing in or out of the driveway and then showing it to someone so they can see what the problem is? Don't know what kind of phone you've got, but if yours can do video I'd do that and then go from there.

I've seen rigs with those wheels before. My thought is that it would help the dragging by giving more glide than drag -- if you know what I mean.

Good luck!

Laura

[flick4411]

Li, do you have the ability to video you backing in or out of the driveway and then showing it to someone so they can see what the problem is? Don't know what kind of phone you've got, but if yours can do video I'd do that and then go from there.

I've seen rigs with those wheels before. My thought is that it would help the dragging by giving more glide than drag -- if you know what I mean.

Good luck!

Laura

Thanks Laura...I dont have any video capability...I have a very simple phone!!! But I described the problem to the guy at the RV show; he ended up completing the story saying I was bouncing on the V bars of the hitch. So he did understand. I guess I'll decide after I go see them on Monday...I am going to try to get them to reduce the price....and tell them I'll give them a great endorsement if this is the solution. I don't know what else to do...I'm so frustrated at not being able to just drive Foo Foo out whenever I want. And these 70n degree days we have had the last two days are really pulling on my travel need...

[Acadianmom]

Have you tried backing into your drive? Does it bottom out doing that? I have seen the wheels on RV's before but don't remember if it was trailers or motorhomes. Just wondering what that would do to your frame doing that regularly. My longest motorhome was 27' and I had to watch driveways with dips and steep driveways or I would drag.

Martha

[kdmac]

I just spent ten minutes writing my suggestions on the driveway issue, I hit "submit" and it disappeared. that has happened before and I know for certain nothing was out of the norm, it just didn't submit. Anyway, here is my "farmers" fix for the bottoming out in the driveway problem...Of course without a photos showing Foo Foo in the "said" crisis point, it's hard to know if this is even feasible...But, insteadof spending $500 you could purchase a 2x12" plank and lay it in the "low" spot and slowly drive out over it. If the low spot is really sever then two of those planks bracketed together with a "U" bracket should do the trick. I know that is a hassle each time you want to go in and out of your own driveway. You shouldn't drag anywhere else because you can "visually size up" the entrances into gas stations, grocery stores, etc. and pass them by for a safer entrance elsewhere. BTW, going extremely slow over these kind of places makes a difference than if you do it too quick...physics, ya know.
I have found beautiful campsites on back roads that I want into so I fill the ditch or burm with fallen timber and other safe solid tire-friendly things.

There are so many single RVing women that some of the RV salesman love nothing better than to part you from your money....I personally don't see the need for you since it is just your own driveway that causes the problem...you can possibly remedy that more inexpensively.

Another little word, if I may. Don't let anyone drivers push you when pulling in and out of touchy places...go very slow and the heck with them..many of them have RV's themselves and they "get it".

[Echo]

It does depend on how steep the drive and the dip your trying to get over. Here in UT the ? gutters ? are deep and the roads/driveways are sloped for rain runoff. There's more than a few places here that could cause a problem. The drive into this park would have caused my bumper to drag and scrape if I had not seen it in time and gotten a really good angle on pulling in. Didn't help either that I had a flat tire on the TT which made it a little lower on the right side.

The planks would work but then in case you found someplace that is sloped/deep you might have to carry them with you.

Maybe getting into the position you use to get into your driveway and then hop out and take a pic would help us to visualize the problem too. It would only take you a minute to take the picture.

[longdog2]

The wheels are usually used on class A's where the overhang behind the back wheels is really long. Doesn't seem like you should have that long of an overhang. I would also worry about needing this kind of assist every time you go in and out of the drive. It would appear to be very hard on your frame. Is there any way you can approach at more of an angle. That usually helps with dragging.

[Birdie]

Li, Karen (Retiredhappy) has a similar problem but the wheels were out of the question for some reason. I am sure she will come on and explain why they couldn't be used.

[flick4411]

thanks everyone for your inputs and thoughts.

Couple of things to elaborate on here: We tried the plank idea already. With the overhang on the back end, it didn't work. Between the crowning of the road and the deep gutter, combined with the angle of the driveway, the planking wasn't enough.

Going in forward or backwards creates the same issue. Isn't better one way or the other. Not only do we drag in the driveway but also at the top of the road crown.

And lastly, there's not enough width to the driveway to come in at an angle; we've tried that too! It's really a pain in the ^$$--literally and figuratively!

I'm gonna go see the guys who made the recommendation and see what they say. My dad had made the same recommendation when I first brought Foo Foo home and dragged.

I will try to get pics, but everytime I've tried, the pics just don't tell the picture. We are going to inflate the air shocks tomorrow and test whether that helps. Thank God for my neighbor, Sterling, or I'd be totally on my own. He's a semi-truck driver so he understands a lot about driving long vehicles, backing them up and turning them. He's been a real help. We'll see what he and his air compressor can do tomorrow. I plan on measuring the height of the back end before and after inflating the shocks. I don't need much...about 2" will be sufficient...cross fingers everyone!

[Forestgal]

Well, if all else fails, maybe a few bags of quickset concrete "accidentally" deposited in the gutter would solve the problem ...

[flick4411]

Hi all...

So you wanted pictures, and here they are. We did put air in the air shocks--up to the max limit, and the back end did raise up. But not enough to avoid bumping the crowning in the road, but I didn't bump on the driveway. The more I research the wheels the more i think it's the way to go. Instead of digging into the asphalt, they will roll up and keep the back up. It's only about 2 inches that's needed, so as long as the wheels will roll and not dig in, I should be in good shape. For now, I backed her down and have parked her in the street...I have to leave about 0730 tomorrow to get up to the dealership by 0830. I can back out so long as my neighbor is there to help guide me out, but I didn't want to try this alone...not when we keep tapping the generator exhaust. I am way more concerned about the ginny than the V bars of the hitch. My neighbor put a BIG orange cone behind the rig so no one runs into her. These pictures will hopefully show you how it looks when I'm trying to get backed out. I didn't take one of the actual scraping....but I think these show the problem in the making!

[retiredhappy]

Li, my Gulfstream has the long overhang and doesn't have the lift at the end that some of the C's have. I have factory installed drag bars under the back end and i drag on most driveways life at gas stations if I can't get enough of an angle. I was going to install the wheels but I called the factory first. They told me it would negate my warranty if I did. The reason is that it "could" lift the back end enough to twist the frame of the rig. I have a friend's driveway that I can't get into because of her curb. I tried using some leveling blocks so I was going up more of a ramp - didn't work. If the front end goes up to a certain degree, the back end is going to go down. Fact of life. Before I spent any money on the wheels I would contact the factory. If I ever buy another rig that has a long overhang I will buy one of them that goes up at the rear end.

[flick4411]

Thanks Karen...hadn't even thought of that. I'll ask the dealership tomorrow while I'm there for the warranty work...see what they say... It's hard to tell from the pics, but there is an uplift on the back end...but not enough to help with this stoopid driveway! thanks again, Karen!

[mitch5252]

..

Okay, here are some dumb questions (SHUT UP, Vickie...)

What does a long overhang have to do with scraping on the rear?
(I'm guessing it's because the "box" is just that much longer?)

Karen, you scrape a lot when you go in sloped driveways?
Sometimes I do, and when I hear that sound, I just about die...
What damage am I doing?

I have two "V" shaped metal bars - one on each side at the rear.
Are those the scraper things you're talking about?
If I hit those bad enough, aren't they just gonna go through the floor???
(or maybe they're on the metal frame???)

..

[flick4411]

Mitch, these aren't dumb questions...

I'm not sure if I can 'splain it right, but without the wheels closer to the back, there is more of an angle to manage. The higher the angle, the sooner you contact the back end. It's like geometry, which I nearly failed in HS!

On the subject of the V bars: On my rig, they are hanging off the hitch under the rig not the actual rig. And according to "my advisors," these are doing exactly what they are supposed to do by keeping me from truly bottoming out on the undercarriage or tanks. The V bars are really there on the hitch assembly in case a toad causes the rig to bottom out. But for me, they are working to do the same thing without a toad.

That scraping sound is what causes me to cringe EVERY time I go in and out of the driveway. I really have no other choice as the rig is just too big to leave on the street continuously. And now that I know that I'm also scraping the ginny exhaust just a teensy bit, my heart stops more. Adjusting the pressure in the air shocks helped me get out of the driveway, but I still scraped at the top of the street crown. No winning on this. I'm sure you're all getting tired of this subject. So if the dealership doesn't tell me the warranty would be effected, I'm gonna shell out the money and get the wheels. I need to be able to get out of the driveway without my neighbor being there to help...