The big ole' 17 has been sitting in my driveway since I brought it home near a month ago. I have been waiting for some equipment and scheduling to have the safety checks done and wdh installed, propnae sussed out (Kurt, he found the leak in the front line) before I towed it anywhere, just as a precaution.
I had no choice but to tow it "down the hill", unequipped, to the flatlands where the welder is.. a 50 mile trip from 4600 feet down to the valley floor, and on 2 of the busiest freeways in So. Cal.
It actually did pretty good as is. I was concerned about the
brakes, as when I towed it home, one side seemed to grab better than the other and it pulled a tiny bit to the streetside. It straightened out while going down the hill. Probably it loosened up and all the rust and mung from sitting for years broke loose.
I did fine on the freeway, the Liberty has plenty of power and hardly struggled. The squat was a bigger issue than speed or strain, and I can't wait to try the WDH to improve the handling.
On the 15, I had a slight wag, but I squelched it quickly with the panic button on the brake controller. The small stain on my drivers seat will come out with some good scrubbing.
Not a week ago, I saw a beefy truck towing a cement mixer at the very same spot, wagging and swaying almost to the point of control loss. First time I have seen this in person. I wonder if there is something with that location? A hump in the lane, crosswinds..??
Anyway, sway control was ordered the second I walked into the shop, and vallium was ordered from my GP via phone seconds after.
The welder installed the WDH and checked the
axle and all it's functions. It got an "Excellent" grade, and he said the
brakes looked and worked fine, no work needed on them. I forgot to ask about the bearings, I certainly hope he changed them. Even if they are "OK", I have heard they should be replaced anyway after so long. Is this true?
He did the Manometer thing, and found a leak that both Kurt and I noticed right away, up at one of the bottles. He didn't give me specifics, I will find out the details when I pick it up tomorrow.
He also looked at the door, and can remove it and reset the rivets. Looking inside he said "Dang! That isn't a sag, it was installed crooked.. the
fiberglass is fine". I will have this done when I take it back for a locking
battery box and a
generator box.
The question of chains on the tanks. He sees that frequently and wasn't the slightest bit concerned about it. He checked for tightness and said they wouldn't chaffe if they were properly tightenend, bit I will put that on my safety checks when I do them.
The safety chains on the tongue, however.. they were about what I would tow a radio flyer with. I had him put manly ones on
All in all, I am a bit more relaxed and when I pick it up tomorrow I will be "Trained" in how to use the WDH and sway bar. He had never seen a single bat before and thought it was pretty slick. He does mostly horse trailers and large toy haulers, so something this small is cute to him.
sigh.. now if he just did toilets....
the GDec
Glassasylum
So good to read your report that safety assurances & mods are going well - looking forward to getting a peak at your single-bar unit in July. 
Thanx for sharing the update - LdB
Linear Mode
