Adjusting rear ride height

tuga · 04-05-2011, 03:35 PM

My coach is a 1999 and it rides too low in the rear. The correct ride height as measured from the front part of the rear fender well is 11 3/8" according to John Clarke with Newell.

With my ride height set at around 11 3/8" my bottom scrapes on driveways etc. True, the coach can be raised about 4" using the HWH leveling system, but it takes about 5 minutes running on high idle to get it up. When you are planning to enter a driveway or shopping center the folks behind you aren't willing to wait 5 minutes for you to air up your coach.

So I decided that would raise the ride height up a couple of inches to fix this problem.

In order to raise the ride height you simply loosen up the hose clamp that holds the boot on your Ride Well leveling valve rod & slide it UP about 1" and the result is the coach will ride about 2" higher (if you're lucky!). Sounds simple so far. However, when Newell installs a new RideWell leveling valve they CUT the adjusting rod. This prevents you from raising the ride height of the coach to a level that would increase the rear end clearance. Presently, I have my boot adjusted as high as it can go on the vertical rod. It has raised my coach about 1 inch or so.

Looks like the only way to go higher would be to replace the vertical rod on the Ridewell valve. But if I do that I won't be able to lower the coach (which is something that I rarely ever do) to its lowest position. I assume Newell cuts the rod to prevent it from poking thru when the air is dumped down to the lowest position.

I appreciate any thoughts, comments, or suggestions.

prairieschooner · 04-05-2011, 03:51 PM

Tuga,
On our '82 the lower end of the Linkage has a few holes to allow for adjusting the ride height. If yours doesn't have this maybe you could simply modify the Linkage between the Axle Mount and the Leveling Valve. If you want a picture I can send one next time that I get to the coach or better still maybe Clarke can take a picture of his and post it (the '82s should be similar)

When we purchased our '82 the left rear would not come to ride height, some of you may remember (Tom and Michael were very helpful).
Newell did not have a schematic for the pneumatic system so I had to draw my own. At any rate the problem was the Linkage Arm. The Linkage at the Axle Mount was damaged and Lower Bushing was missing. I played Mr. Blacksmith to reshape the Linkage Arm and used a piece of Gasoline Fuel Hose for the Bushing as a temporary repair but after 3 years of service it is as good as the other side.

rheavn · 04-05-2011, 05:05 PM

Tuga,
Check with Tommy Key. I think you'll find the proper ride height measurement is 12" measured to the outer 1 1/2" tubing just in front of rear tire and right behind front tire. I've gotten the 12" number from several different folks.

tuga · 04-05-2011, 10:21 PM

Steve,

Thanks for the post. The lower end of my linkage only has one setting; it doesn't have several holes to adjust the ride height. A picture would be helpful whenever you or Clarke have a chance to post one.

Steve (rheavn),

Mine is set at about 12 1/4" now in front of the rear tire and in back of the steering tires. I will try it at this setting, but I would really like it to be around 14" high at the measuring points!

Maybe I am wanting it to be too high. I am just tired of the rear end scraping and wearing a hole in my muffler and bending the rear skid plates.

Is anyone else having this problem?

folivier · 04-05-2011, 10:39 PM

Not having a tag axle, I wonder if your pressure setting is too low?
Maybe it's not carrying enough weight when this happens?
Just guessing.

rheavn · 04-05-2011, 10:44 PM

Tuga,
You must remember that the ride height is determined when the chassis is designed to keep a very short driveline straight. Too high or too low & you will see adverse effects to your driveline. That is why when you raise your coach to go over a railroad track or some other obstacle they advise you to not exceed 15 mph.
Remember too that when you raise the front it will lower the rear. Drop that front to 12" & I think you'll see the rear come up to give you more clearance. I'm not having the problems you describe.
Also your coach will raise faster if the parking brake is released if safe. For a few years Newell designed the drive & tag air bags to work together when the raise command is given or when the coach is coming back up to ride height. This causes the suspension to work against the air bags that are trying to raise the coach. Makes for slower raising of coach. Your coach & mine fall under this design. They dropped this design after just a few years.

express1 · 04-05-2011, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuga

My coach is a 1999 and it rides too low in the rear. The correct ride height as measured from the front part of the rear fender well is 11 3/8" according to John Clarke with Newell.

With my ride height set at around 11 3/8" my bottom scrapes on driveways etc. True, the coach can be raised about 4" using the HWH leveling system, but it takes about 5 minutes running on high idle to get it up. When you are planning to enter a driveway or shopping center the folks behind you aren't willing to wait 5 minutes for you to air up your coach.

So I decided that would raise the ride height up a couple of inches to fix this problem.

In order to raise the ride height you simply loosen up the hose clamp that holds the boot on your Ride Well leveling valve rod & slide it UP about 1" and the result is the coach will ride about 2" higher (if you're lucky!). Sounds simple so far. However, when Newell installs a new RideWell leveling valve they CUT the adjusting rod. This prevents you from raising the ride height of the coach to a level that would increase the rear end clearance. Presently, I have my boot adjusted as high as it can go on the vertical rod. It has raised my coach about 1 inch or so.

Looks like the only way to go higher would be to replace the vertical rod on the Ridewell valve. But if I do that I won't be able to lower the coach (which is something that I rarely ever do) to its lowest position. I assume Newell cuts the rod to prevent it from poking thru when the air is dumped down to the lowest position.

I appreciate any thoughts, comments, or suggestions.

Tuga, you've crossed the entire North American Continent and now you think you're riding to low?

Have you gone to see Cannon's coach yet?

prairieschooner · 04-06-2011, 12:33 AM

The Driveline angle is an issue. You may want to consider that angle if you change the ride height.
Good luck

tuga · 04-06-2011, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairieschooner

The Driveline angle is an issue. You may want to consider that angle if you change the ride height.
Good luck

Should I have the front/rear re-aligned since I changed the ride height?

rheavn · 04-06-2011, 12:51 AM

Tuga,
Bringing your coach to the 12" range means you brought it up to where it should have been. Unless you had your coach aligned while it was low I wouldn't worry about it. I watch tire wear to determine the need for alignment.

RussWhite · 04-06-2011, 01:00 AM

I would like a more detailed description of exactly the point on the body where the measurment to the ground is made. A picture with an arrow would really be nice. I have had trouble with railroad tracks and inclines and would enjoy a higher ride height IF it had no negative consequences. But, first I need to compare how mine meausres compared to the distances that have been discussed earlier in this thread. Thanks, Russ

rheavn · 04-06-2011, 01:33 AM

Russ,
There is a 1 1/2" square tubing located just in front of rear drive wheels that runs with the coach just behind the body panels. It is the same for both sides. There is a 1 1/2" square tubing located just behind both front wheels. I make my measurement in the middle of the tubing where it runs front to rear with the coach. I watched a tech at Newell set the ride height & this is where he made his measurements. It took him about 2 hours to get his setting right. Every time you make a change all locations must be remeasured.
The negative aspect to raising ride height above what was designed is that you will be putting an angle on your driveline that it may not like.

Hope this helps..........................

RussWhite · 04-06-2011, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rheavn

Russ,
I make my measurement in the middle of the tubing where it runs front to rear with the coach.
Hope this helps..........................

Just to be sure I understand, by the middle you mean between the top and bottom of the tubing, correct? Russ

rheavn · 04-06-2011, 01:57 AM

Russ,
No I mean in the middle of the bottom of the tubing as close to the tires as possible. If you have any questions feel free to call.
Sorry I couldn't take pictures as I have the coach down for a trip.

rheavn · 04-06-2011, 06:09 PM

To give the interested parties a frame of reference I aired up the coach & took some measurements for you to compare. Both rear ride height measurements were 12". Both front end ride height measurements were 11 3/4". The measurement for the bottom of my hitch receiver-the lowest point-was 8". With these measurements I am not having a rear drag issue normally. *Remember: Not all Newells are manufactured the same so the hitch measurement could be different. The ride height measurements should be the same from coach to coach unless there has been damage to the measuring points as explained in a previous posting.

I hope this is helpful..........................

Richard and Rhonda · 04-07-2011, 12:58 AM

Tuga,

I set mine at 12 and yes I have to be careful not to scrape. Newell does appear to cut the rods so that when you lower the coach the rod doesn't poke through the fenderwell.

I have just learned to live with it.

The problem with setting it at 14 is that you will transfer weight to the front tires. Do have the front end weighed if you proceed with this. Also it will throw the castor off slightly which you may or may not be able to detect in the steering.

tuga · 04-07-2011, 03:44 PM

Richard,

I am going to just live with it like you. Next time I am at Newell I will have them align the coach just to be sure everything is o.k.

I checked mine this morning and after driving the coach the readings are:

D/S front 11 1/2"
P/S front 12"

D/S rear 11 1/2"
P/S rear 11 3/4"

Would it be possible for the adjusting boots on the Ridewell valve to slip thereby causing my coach to ride lower? I could have sworn that we raised the coach to 12".

Steve Bare,

I measured from my receiver hitch to the ground: 14"

Were you measuring from the same place I am?

rheavn · 04-07-2011, 04:07 PM

Tuga,
You have a lot more clearance than I do! If you have 14" of clearance that should be plenty. That is what my Country Coach had & I never dragged it. I put a tape measure under the lowest point which is the hitch receiver out on the far end where the 1'4" lip is located & measured to the ground. Another way of saying it is measure from the bottom of where you put your tow hitch into the receiver to the ground. I hope this is clear. Feel free to call if needed.

Richard and Rhonda · 04-07-2011, 04:46 PM

Tuga,

Mine will slip if I have to raise or lower the back a great deal. I think that the rubber on the "P" compresses over time. I have even installed a second hose clamp with very little improvement. I can pretty much count on having to adjust them if I level on a steep slope.

One of my valves is leaking, and I have two replacements. I am just waiting for a pretty day to work on them.

The other thing that I have noticed is not to get too aggressive with adjusting them. They have a little play in them, and I think the best way after adjusting is to air the coach down to below normal ride height and allow the HCV (height control valve) to bring it up to level. I find if I allow it to settle to level from the jacked up position, then it levels to a higher ride height. Then, after a few trips around the block, it will settle at a lower position.

Playing with these things was maddening to me until I discovered that little gem. It's a PITA to have to air it down, and let it air up after each adjustment but it saves time and frustration in the long run.

And finally, I found a very close correlation between the control rod and the ride height. If you need to move the coach 1/4 then move the rubber "p" 1/4 inch in the same direction you want the coach to move.

tuga · 04-07-2011, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rheavn

Tuga,
You have a lot more clearance than I do! If you have 14" of clearance that should be plenty. That is what my Country Coach had & I never dragged it. I put a tape measure under the lowest point which is the hitch receiver out on the far end where the 1'4" lip is located & measured to the ground. Another way of saying it is measure from the bottom of where you put your tow hitch into the receiver to the ground. I hope this is clear. Feel free to call if needed.

Thanks Steve - good post. My skid plates however are about 8" from the ground at normal ride height. When the coach is raised as hight as it can go I have about 12" at the skid plate and that should be enough.