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devlin
Active Member
United States
14 Posts |
 Posted - 12/31/2008 : 12:00:47 PM
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| Is there anyone out there that has spent some significant time driving one of these? |
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devlin
Active Member
United States
14 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2008 : 12:38:26 PM
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This is our Brutus. I have some general questions about it and would like to have a dialog with someone who's spent some time around/in one. We just took it up the mountain to go skiing and it did really well. One of the questions I have is about driving the bus without charging the rear suspension (running in "emergency traction only" mode). What's "emergency traction"? When you have none? Or can I drive it up the mountain without having the rear axle charged (cause I did)? Anyway, I have more questions. Is there anyone else that's interested in seeing a dialog, cause I could use email for correspondence?
Thanks
Devlin
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pjostwald
New Member
United States
1 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2009 : 2:37:34 PM
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| I am very interested as well in more information on these buses... I have found very few around the internet. I have never seen one in real life, maybe because i live in New York, but i think they would be perfect for ski trips and the like... In response to your question, through my experiences with a tour coach, you should be fine leaving the rear axle charged. |
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devlin
Active Member
United States
14 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2009 : 10:06:10 AM
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| Thanks for your response pjostwald. The problem I encounter with leaving the tag axle charged is that I get limited to no traction in deep snow, even with chains. So what I did was took the bus all the way up and down the mountain with the axle discharged. By doing that, I upped the traction significantly. I just want to make sure that if I keep doing that for traction, that I won't ruin anything. Thanks again. |
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bus724
Top Member
USA
1609 Posts |
Posted - 01/09/2009 : 4:38:06 PM
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I'm not sure if this is the same system, but the tandem axle 72 Crown I used to own had an "interaxle differential lock" for improving traction. The way it was explained to me, in "unlock" mode (normal operation), the differential between the two axles would allow for limited slip. When making a sharp turn, the wheels on tandem axles will follow slightly different paths. By using the limited slip differential, the wheels are allowed to turn at slightly different speeds, instead of forcing one axle to do the same as the other. In low-traction situations, this could result in one axle spinning, and the bus getting stuck. So, they put the valve on the dash to "lock" the axles together, forcing the wheels to turn at the same rate. I had to use this feature a couple times in either snow or mud, and it definitely helped.
Assuming that you're not referring to something completely different, I don't see a problem with leaving the axle locked, unless you're making a lot of sharp turns. |
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Thomas Ford 85-16
Top Member
USA
4177 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2009 : 08:22:55 AM
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| 724, I think the WestCoastERs had a drive axle and a tag axle, not two drive axles like your Crown. From reading devlin's post, it sounds like the tag axle's air bags can be deflated ("discharged" as he says), transferring most of the weight to the drive axle, thus giving it more traction in emergency situations. |
Mike's Bus Yard - http://buses.zwebpages.com - Since 1999
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Skywarn286
New Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2010 : 6:49:12 PM
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| It is good to see one of these again. I grew up riding in a fleet comprising about a dozen of these buses and several old early seventies Carpenter Cavalier RE's which are also rare to find. My favorite bus growing up was number 24 and it was identical to this bus. They had a very solid feel versus the Carpenters, more precise shifting and a smoother ride. Our fleet used a couple of them as sub buses. |
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88' +/- Thomas Saf-t-liner westcoast ER Tandem
