10 foot door?

Is there any way to get a 2552 in a garage with only a 10' door?

Hi parkgt,

We have a 10 foot door in a brick house with a second floor above as shown so making the door taller was not realistic.  The finished opening when considering the 3/4" rubber-flap weather strip thingy is 9' 11-1/4".  Our PC-2350 built on a 2007-E350 chassis, was built to the advertised spec of 9'-10".  This is with the rig emptied out and NO fresh or waste water, but with a full tank of gasoline.  The rig sits lower in the rear once fully loaded and ready to leave on a trip.

Back in 2007 before we picked it up from the factory, I had all kinds of nightmares on what to do if the rig was built out of spec on the high side.  These ideas of lowering the rig came to mind.
1) Take air out of the tires.
2) Keep a full tank of fresh water inside.  My FW tank is against the rear wall for maximum effect.
3) Remove a section of the garage door weather-strip and wood frame for the a/c unit to clear, then mount a floor brush to keep birds out and heat in.
4) Remove a pair of rear leaf springs, then add rear air bags to adjust it back to the right height once the rig is outside.

When we got our new rig home that day in June 2007, I was greatly relieved that all was well.

Model 2552 will be 10'-1" if built to spec.  I see this as being 2" too tall.  #4 may be your best option.  Fortunately model 2552 has some extra rear axle load margin so I think it could afford to give up a pair of leaf springs and be done.  I would first try that to lower the over-all height, then add rear air bags later if needed.  Weighing the rig during a trip will determine much.

Of coarse my advise on removing a pair of rear leaf springs on model 2552 is unproven.....only theoretical.


Now about the front end.  I am including this primarily for 2100, 2350, and 2351 owners but it "might" also apply on models 2551 and 2552.  Click on the link below to see what I did with our front coil springs to soften the ride up front which also lowered the front by 1-1/4".
https://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?topic=4168.0

Going to be rough.  Any room to have the header raised and add a panel to your garage door?

Hi parkgt,

We have a 10 foot door in a brick house with a second floor above as shown so making the door taller was not realistic.  The finished opening when considering the 3/4" rubber-flap weather strip thingy is 9' 11-1/4".  Our PC-2350 built on a 2007-E350 chassis, was built to the advertised spec of 9'-10".  This is with the rig emptied out and NO fresh or waste water, but with a full tank of gasoline.  The rig sits lower in the rear once fully loaded and ready to leave on a trip.

Back in 2007 before we picked it up from the factory, I had all kinds of nightmares on what to do if the rig was built out of spec on the high side.  These ideas of lowering the rig came to mind.
1) Take air out of the tires.
2) Keep a full tank of fresh water inside.  My FW tank is against the rear wall for maximum effect.
3) Remove a section of the garage door weather-strip and wood frame for the a/c unit to clear, then mount a floor brush to keep birds out and heat in.
4) Remove a pair of rear leaf springs, then add rear air bags to adjust it back to the right height once the rig is outside.
When we got our new rig home that day in June 2007, I was greatly relieved that all was well.

Model 2552 will be 10'-1" if built to spec.  I see this as being 2" too tall.  #4 may be your best option.  Fortunately model 2552 has some extra rear axle load margin so I think it could afford to give up a pair of leaf springs and be done.  I would first try that to lower the over-all height, then add rear air bags later if needed.  Weighing the rig during a trip will determine much.

Of coarse my advise on removing a pair of rear leaf springs on model 2552 is unproven.....only theoretical.

Now about the front end.  I am including this primarily for 2100, 2350, and 2351 owners but it "might" also apply on models 2551 and 2552.  Click on the link below to see what I did with our front coil springs to soften the ride up front which also lowered the front by 1-1/4".
https://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?topic=4168.0

Thanks for the ideas.

Going to be rough.  Any room to have the header raised and add a panel to your garage door?

Unfortunately I don't think that is an option.

I see that you don't actually own a PC as yet. You could order one without the A/C or remove it and avoid places where you need one, or live with out it. It wasn't that long ago where we all used a fan to stay cool (and a cocktail!) 
As boonie-dockers, the AC is usually not an option for us anyway. And they are too noisy to sleep under, too.
JMHO
Dougn

I see that you don't actually own a PC as yet. You could order one without the A/C or remove it and avoid places where you need one, or live with out it. It wasn't that long ago where we all used a fan to stay cool (and a cocktail!) 
As boonie-dockers, the AC is usually not an option for us anyway. And they are too noisy to sleep under, too.
JMHO
Dougn

I had wondered if there were any A/C units that were lower profile than what came standard on the 2551 or 2552s.

Quote from: 2 Lucky on April 20, 2021, 08:01:07 pm

I see that you don't actually own a PC as yet. You could order one without the A/C or remove it and avoid places where you need one, or live with out it. It wasn't that long ago where we all used a fan to stay cool (and a cocktail!) 
As boonie-dockers, the AC is usually not an option for us anyway. And they are too noisy to sleep under, too.
JMHO
Dougn

I had wondered if there were any A/C units that were lower profile than what came standard on the 2551 or 2552s.

A quick google shows the Houghton AC at 230mm/~9 in.    My dometic is 352MM or ~14 inches and my clearance is ~10'2" by tape measure to ground. In the sun. After beers.    Measure three times.

If you are THAT close there is 5 inches off for a couple grand extra.   

Liquid Springs maybe?   Enable a couple inches off??

I replaced the front coils and lost two inches. Maybe consider that for a second or third option, otherwise the houghton AC looks to be the winnah. 

If it comes to that last inch, remove air from the tires and then be SURE to re-inflate when indoors. And thats only if the inner door braces dont extend down below the top plate level. At this final gasp, you might be able to mount the door tracks 1+ inches higher to gain the needed space. Cheaper than liquid springs and remodeling the house structure. Good Luck!   

2 Lucky said it well.

I did think back at the time that if all was a bust, to replace the a/c unit with a second Fantastic fan or equivalent.  One thing certain.....the motorhome was going inside the garage one way or another.

A quick google shows the Houghton AC at 230mm/~9 in.    My dometic is 352MM or ~14 inches and my clearance is ~10'2" by tape measure to ground. In the sun. After beers.    Measure three times.

If you are THAT close there is 5 inches off for a couple grand extra.   

Liquid Springs maybe?   Enable a couple inches off??

I replaced the front coils and lost two inches. Maybe consider that for a second or third option, otherwise the houghton AC looks to be the winnah. 

If it comes to that last inch, remove air from the tires and then be SURE to re-inflate when indoors. And thats only if the inner door braces dont extend down below the top plate level. At this final gasp, you might be able to mount the door tracks 1+ inches higher to gain the needed space. Cheaper than liquid springs and remodeling the house structure. Good Luck!   
[/quote]

Thanks for the information on the dimension on the original A/C.  Looking at pictures it seemed to be a higher profile than some of the more recent offerings, thanks for confirming that idea.

That information may result in me trying to find a 2551 or 2552 since it seems that it will be possible to get it under 10' opening.

One surprise was failing to realize the soffit in the motorhome bay was framed lower than the door opening.  I crudely notched it to get our new PC inside, later taking care of the situation properly as seen in this picture.

Many small travel trailers use a wall or window mount type AC, It possibly could be mounted in one of the shirt closets.

We raised the roof on our garage because the header allowed it.  See our previous post.

https://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?topic=574.msg3634#msg3634


Ours is called a 10 foot door but when you actually measure it, it measures out at 10 1/2 feet.  We have a six panel door with each panel being 21 inches.  Our 2551 fits perfectly.

Prior to having a PC we had a travel trailer that would not fit through our smaller garage door.  The AC was stopping it, so we just cut out a portion below the header so the AC would fit.  We then camouflaged the hole with siding.  No one would have known it was there.