High sided

Folks:

I know this subject was touched on a while ago but I just do not have the energy or time to research back.....my 2551 is about 1/2" higher on the left side due to the spring spacer that PC put in to counter the weight of the slide.  Was it not decided by Kermit that the spacer is in fact not needed becasue the E-450 is sprung heavy enough that the extra weight does not effect anything and the spacer should be removed?    Thanks

I can shed no light on this question, but it prompted me to ask further about the issue.  I have owned a very low miles 2006 PC 2551 with slide on a E-350 chassis for a year or so.  I don't routinely measure the ground clearances and other things on my unit, but it has never appeared to be leaning. My questions are twofold: do the older units have spacers or did this start when the slide out became heavier with the fridge being part of it and is the purpose of the spacer to level the unit when the slide is in or only when it is out and has the lever effect pushing down harder on that side?

Jerry

JC:

The extra leaf/spacer was to counter the 1000 plus lbs of extra weight that the refrig, sofa and slide places on that side.  In a private message a forum user infomed me that he did take his spacer out at the recomendation of Kermit who gave the situation a little more thought and while the spacer did/does make sense it most likely is just not needed considering the 11 leaf set up the E-450.  The E-350 may have needed some help but that chassis is not used on the 2551's anymore so moot point I guess.  thanks

In regards to "Level", it is a technical concern when the rig is being driven, not when parked.  So you want to be examining a "Lean" when the slideout is retracted.

A lean can easily be introduced or removed depending on how much fresh water or sewage is in the tanks.  A full 38-46 gallon PC fresh water tank (compared to empty) can add well over 300 pounds, half the weight of a slide out.  And the fresh tank is most often place against a side wall.  The larger waste tank holds 35 gallons and I recall it most often favors the driver/rear.

I would examine a rig as it would be driven with the slide out pulled in, waste tanks dumped, and fresh tank filled, just as most people do when moving on to their next destination.

R.D.:

Thanks for the comments.  My rig was measured at time of front alighnment on a dead level slab with water tank full, slide in, holding tanks empty and me sitting in the drivers seat like the coach was going down the road, the tech immediately observed the diference from side to side and measured the distance from the floor to the bottom saddle and it was basically the exact measurment of the extra leaf/spacer on the left side.  I have never measured or observed if that left side settles when the slide goes out nor do I really care since I have jacks to level.   Thanks

This is a fascinating topic.  By my rough calculation, if you're only off by 1/2 inch in a width of about 8 feet (96 inches), we're talking about a 1/2 percent grade.  This is well within the comfort level for camping, the operating level of RV fridges, and probably hard for the average person to even notice if he/she wasn't specifically looking for it.  Since leaf spring  spacers on one side are only jacking up one corner, does this tend to have any torquing effect on the chassis, however minute it might be?  I assume that there are not also coil spring spacers on the left front, but maybe there are??  I guess I'm asking what bad effect results from disregarding a difference as small as 1/2 inch whether it's caused by adding a spacer or not adding one?  Also, wouldn't you have to measure the side clearances in a variety of situations and loads to determine the full range of the problem?  In other words, if your motto is if it ain't broke, don't fix it, is being off level this much "broke"?   
 
Jerry

This is the thread that I started last year concerning the "lean" on our 2011 PC 2350 without a slide.  I had the reverse issue in that adding a spacer corrected the lean-
Roni

http://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php/topic,510.0.html

Folks:

1/2"'ish sure does not sound like much to me but you can see it if you really look closely,  especially if the water tank (right side) is full and the holding tank on the left is empty.  The coach goes down the road perfectly (especially with new sway bars, shocks, and stabilizer) but the front end guy did say that the slight tilt would/could influence the front end alighnment.  In a private message to me a poster who did remove his spacer stated that he developed a problem with the slide operation immediately after removal  of the spacer so perhaps 1/2 does have influence??.  I think I wil leave as is to be honest