Lowering travel height

[Fabulous]

Hi. We,ve just sold our camper trailer and are looking possibly for a jayco. Our issue is that we need to be able to fit it in through the garage to the rear yard. So our issue is to how to reduce the height to fit through.

Not talking a great deal 100 -150 mm would be ideal. As the garage is Parton the house we can't raise the heights all

I know we can fit through a 16.49-1 as we hired one a while ago. But would ideally like one with a toilet /shower if possible.

I've searched the forum, and found a couple of ideas, and have thought about storage wheels which is certainly an option, but I understand this will get me an additional 90 mm or I can lower the tyre pressure but still won't get us where we need to be.

If we got a tandem, and took one wheel off each side, would this lower the height, from my limited knowlegde of how tandems work, if you took off 1 wheel, would the van sit lower ? I.ve searched everywhere and can not find out if this will assist?

we like the 2010 -2012 17.56.1 or 17.56-2 as the newer ones have the air cond on the roof which won't assist.

Anyway, we are not in a hurry to replace the camper but think we'd have a van by the end of the year


Thanks


Phil & Karen

 

[macca]

Hi @Fabulous, follow this link as it is a similar problem and a current topic.
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/storage-wheels.4529/

 

[Burnsy]

Welcome @Fabulous, can you just cover it outside? I just think if you need to muck around changing wheels etc it will eventually become a chore and stop you from using it as often as you'd like.....then again I'm a bit lazy!
Cheers.

 

[17triton]

I agree with Burnsy we used to have to winch our van into the shed which was a pita and didn't use it as much as we would have liked and have since built a carport which we can back straight in and out of. And yes I'm a bit lazy too.

 

[Fabulous]

Thanks for your responses but leaving a caravan out the front is not an option as there simply isn't the room. We previously stored our camper elsewhere and didn't use it much as we had to keep going and collecting it. We need to be able to keep it at home.

we run 2sets of tyres for the 4wd which doesn't annoy me too much. But at the end if the day we need to explore all options, if changing the wheels gets us a better van well so be it !

 

[ROnEM]

Phil,

Check out these babies - 400mm diameter. With a jack and a rattle gun, you would be done with 4 wheels in 10 minutes

http://caravansplus.com.au/catalog/...description=0&keywords=carastow&Submit=Search

Cheers,

Rohan

 

[DaveS]

Hi. We,ve just sold our camper trailer and are looking possibly for a jayco. Our issue is that we need to be able to fit it in through the garage to the rear yard. So our issue is to how to reduce the height to fit through.

Not talking a great deal 100 -150 mm would be ideal. As the garage is Parton the house we can't raise the heights all

I know we can fit through a 16.49-1 as we hired one a while ago. But would ideally like one with a toilet /shower if possible.

I've searched the forum, and found a couple of ideas, and have thought about storage wheels which is certainly an option, but I understand this will get me an additional 90 mm or I can lower the tyre pressure but still won't get us where we need to be.

If we got a tandem, and took one wheel off each side, would this lower the height, from my limited knowlegde of how tandems work, if you took off 1 wheel, would the van sit lower ? I.ve searched everywhere and can not find out if this will assist?

we like the 2010 -2012 17.56.1 or 17.56-2 as the newer ones have the air cond on the roof which won't assist.

Anyway, we are not in a hurry to replace the camper but think we'd have a van by the end of the year


Thanks


Phil & Karen

Hi
taking one set of wheels "might" work but you would also run the risk of kicking over your centre pin arms and these are a pain to get back, you need 2 trolley jacks and a fair bit of juggling, so i wouldn't try it. and the axle without the wheels will probably drag on the ground anyway
I wouldn't like to move the van to far on low tyre pressure either, it will damage the sidewall.
storage wheels would be the go, or even some sort of dolly on wheels to sit the axles on

maybe you could also order a van with a split system AC and no TV antenna to lower the overall height

 

[Fabulous]

Thanks DaveS. That's the type of knowledge I require. Do you know how high the tv antenna sits above the roof height ?

 

[BigSkiddy]

If your buying new delete the roof hatch and airconditioning. Put an extra window in the poptop section in the toilet area, Jayco did this with mine.

If you buy used remove the roof hatch and put a flat panel in.

 

[DaveS]

Thanks DaveS. That's the type of knowledge I require. Do you know how high the tv antenna sits above the roof height ?

sorry for slow reply, been a bit busy. The new dual panel antennas are just under 120mm high when folded, had to find a box at work or in otherwords read the instructions

 

[Fabulous]

Thanks for your replies. So what I've come up with is :
- dropping tyre pressure to get it though the garage, and then pump them back up when through, not hard as I've got a compressor in the garage. Quite possible - think I can save around 60mm. I think that the tyres would be light truck tyres which should have a stronger side wall. Don't think there would be an issue with tyre damage as they wouldn't be deflated for long, and would only travel a number if metres
- storage wheels, but would leave them on once through the garage only putting the proper wheels on when heading out, maybe a pain changing wheels, but I do this with the Patrol when off 4wding and can change 4 wheels in around 45 min. And have a heavy duty trolley jack to assist, but if it gets the best van possible I think I could put up with it
- if a tandem, taking one wheel off, I've been advised that there is a pin or sort ? Or something that keeps the tandem axle level, and is a big issue if this comes out - perhaps not a viable option.
-when out talking with a Jayco rep a couple of weeks ago he advised that the advertised height would be the dry height and by adding weight ie water tanks etc would drop the height by a small margin. I'm mindful that after water, gas, clothes, food not to mention beer the weight does add up. So if I apply enough weight this will drop the travel height. I can also allow for some suspension sag over time

I'm not looking at reducing a great deal of height probably around 100 -150mm, also not looking for a permanent reduction either, just to getting through the garage.

Would live to hear people thoughts and ideas.


We are still a fair way off purchasing (later this year) and really hoping to get one with a shower and toilet, but online I can get it to fit through.



Cheers

 

[DaveS]

also look at axle configurations, if the stubs are welded onto the bottom of the axle you can drop 50mm by fitting straight axles. this is a permanent solution tho, so may affect your clearance on driveways etc on the rear of the van, maybe a option or it may need to be a extra cost on a new van .... i dunno

won't work to take a set of wheels off a tandem, once the weight comes onto one wheel it will seesaw the other axle down till it can take weight so it will hit the ground. one thing you could try is to block the spring on the wheel side so it can't move up and that would allow you to run on only 2 wheels and by allowing the spring to move up a bit (depending on block size) you could drop the height safely by 50mm or so.
had a van come in with a broken stub axle and the roadside repair was a lump of wood on the centre pivot to get it home, he said it traveled like that for 60k's with no problem, wasn't fixed in place the van weight held it there.

 

[robnwendy]

with you house does it have a concrete drive under the section that you have to get the van under
? have the concrete cut and have a dropped wheel track
it is drastic but without seeing the area you need to park the van
or have a tool made up to pull the suspension down
is the axle on top of the leaf spring or under the leaf spring

Rob

 

[Matty4]

Phil,

Check out these babies - 400mm diameter. With a jack and a rattle gun, you would be done with 4 wheels in 10 minutes

http://caravansplus.com.au/catalog/...description=0&keywords=carastow&Submit=Search

Cheers,

Rohan

Damn!!!!.....they're not cheap.

I guess your lowest height van would have to be a 17.56-1 touring with the Heron AC and no TV aerial.
Not sure in 2010 how many optioned the Winegard as IMHO it's not a great unit. It has had an update using an attachment but there are far better ones around that only take a couple of minutes to setup and can be carried in the front boot.

 

[Gadgets 21.63.1]

i am about the remove the springs and put airbags under the van, that will enable me to drop and raise the van at an instant. i know jayco are now offering air bag suspension as a option.

 

[achjimmy]

i am about the remove the springs and put airbags under the van, that will enable me to drop and raise the van at an instant. i know jayco are now offering air bag suspension as a option.

Are they, I know airbag was coming. I didn't know it's now avaiable.

 

[mfexpanda]

Are they, I know airbag was coming. I didn't know it's now avaiable.

Never got a mention when we ordered our new van

 

[achjimmy]

Having had a real good look at the new IS it would be very easy to install airbags inside the coils. But there really only going to help with load and the ability to level the van remotely (which is an idea I love) but Gerry Ryan did mention a Airbag suspension was in development. If it's anything like with Goldstream it was offered with vehicle components system but was a $8k option from the coil sprung VC s system!!!

 

[mfexpanda]

$8k. Am they can keep it the IS will do fine

 

[Fabulous]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We've now ordered a Starcraft 17.58-3 which has a travel height of 2295' which is 20mm too tall for the front of the garage and 60mm too tall for the back roller door. It's in our contract that the van will not be taller, and I can get 60mm drop from dropping tyre pressures and putting water in the tank. So a good result all round.