| Selling 1976 Palm Beach and Eleganza Maybe [message #253111] |
Tue, 24 June 2014 09:43  |
gbarrow2
Messages: 765
Registered: February 2004
Location: Lake Almanor, Ca./ Red Bl...
Karma: 3
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I posted pictures of the Palm Beach on the GMC Photo site years ago in an album called "The Joad Coach" I will post updated pictures if I can find the album again.
I'm hoping to find a 34' to 36' diesel pusher that will get up the steep driveway to my Lake Almanor cabin without dragging.
Need some help with the geometry and math of the relationship of rear overhang/wheelbase/drive slope
The drive rises 16" in the first 20". Never a problem with the GMC.
I looked at a 35' coach with a 20' wheelbase, 10' rear overhang and 12" clearance between the trailer hitch and road. Front engine Gas.
It seems that by the time the front wheels are 15' up the slope (12" vertical) the rear wheels are still 5' from beginning of slope and the trailer hitch is 12" lower and dragging on the street.
Is that correct or am I missing something?
Any suggestions for SOBs that have adjustable rear height like the GMC.
The cabin is remote and it's not practical to test drive a potential coach to the area. So I would like to limit my search to coaches that will make the grade without dragging.
Thanks for input.
Gene Barrow
Lake Almanor, Ca.
1976 Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] Selling 1976 Palm Beach and Eleganza Maybe [message #253119 is a reply to message #253111] |
Tue, 24 June 2014 10:12  |
Dave Mumert
Messages: 272
Registered: February 2004
Location: Olds, AB, Canada
Karma: 0
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Hi
It seems to me the worst situation would be just as the rear wheels start up the incline.
In your example (20' wheelbase/10' overhang) the rear would drop 1/2 inch for every inch the front goes up. So a 16" rise in 20
feet would cause an 8" drop at the rear.
The GMC has a 160" wheelbase and a 106" overhang, so the GMC drops the rear .66" for every inch the front rises. The rear overhang
and wheelbase are measured from the bogie mount not the rear wheel.
I may be out-to-lunch on my analysis here so give is some thought.
Dave Mumert
'76 Eleganza II
Alberta, CA
> -----Original Message-----
> Subject: [GMCnet] Selling 1976 Palm Beach and Eleganza Maybe
>
> I'm hoping to find a 34' to 36' diesel pusher that will get up the steep driveway to my Lake Almanor cabin without dragging.
>
> Need some help with the geometry and math of the relationship of rear overhang/wheelbase/drive slope
>
> The drive rises 16" in the first 20". Never a problem with the GMC.
>
> I looked at a 35' coach with a 20' wheelbase, 10' rear overhang and 12" clearance between the trailer hitch and road. Front engine
Gas.
>
> It seems that by the time the front wheels are 15' up the slope (12" vertical) the rear wheels are still 5' from beginning of
slope and the
> trailer hitch is 12" lower and dragging on the street.
>
> Is that correct or am I missing something?
>
> Any suggestions for SOBs that have adjustable rear height like the GMC.
>
> The cabin is remote and it's not practical to test drive a potential coach to the area. So I would like to limit my search to
coaches that
> will make the grade without dragging.
>
> Thanks for input.
> Gene Barrow
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| Re: [GMCnet] Selling 1976 Palm Beach and Eleganza Maybe [message #253135 is a reply to message #253119] |
Tue, 24 June 2014 14:27 |
gbarrow2
Messages: 765
Registered: February 2004
Location: Lake Almanor, Ca./ Red Bl...
Karma: 3
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Senior Member |
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Dave,
Thanks for the quick response and pointing out a mistake in my analysis. I believe you are correct: 16" inch rise at the front of a 20' wheelbase would make a 8" drop at the end of the 10' rear overhang. So as the rear wheels enter the slope I would still have 4" of clearance at the trailer hitch if I had 12" clearance when the coach is on the level.
I may have figured that out sooner or later. But It's great to get a quick answer from this resource.
Thanks.
Gene Barrow
Lake Almanor, Ca.
1976 Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] Selling 1976 Palm Beach and Eleganza Maybe [message #253139 is a reply to message #253135] |
Tue, 24 June 2014 15:48 |
Joe Weir
Messages: 769
Registered: February 2013
Location: Columbia, SC
Karma: 7
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gbarrow wrote on Tue, 24 June 2014 14:27
I may have figured that out sooner or later. But It's great to get a quick answer from this resource.
Thanks.
...and yet you are leaving us for some SOB...
Oh, sure, they start out whispering sweet nothings in your ear, but when you look back at the twisted wreck that diesel pusher has made of your life, you will beg for us to take you back.. 
Maybe the Eleganza as a toad? I'd pay to see that.
76 Birchaven - "Wicked Mistress" - New engine, trans, alum radiator, brakes, Sully airbags, fuel lines, seats, adult beverage center... those Coachmen guys were really thinking about us second hand owners by including that beverage center...
Columbia, SC.
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| Re: [GMCnet] Selling 1976 Palm Beach and Eleganza Maybe [message #253146 is a reply to message #253111] |
Tue, 24 June 2014 17:34 |
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Gene,
First of all, a gas motorhome is probably not the thing to get. They all
have a long overhang on the rear. Basically, you're buying a school bus
chassis. It's just the way they are made since the engine and transmission
is up front.
With a diesel pusher the rear wheels are much closer to the rear (as is the
engine and transmission, of course). The rear overhand is totally different.
Adjustable height at the rear? Not available. All DPs with air springs have
a ride height that is automatically controlled, not humanly controlled. When
you get to the campground you dump air and level the body with the on-board
jacks. Sometimes you are beyond the scope capable with the air springs for
leveling. For instance, when were at Kaibab National Forest on the North Rim
our right rear was off the ground by two inches while the left front was
nearly touching the ground. A GMC couldn't have leveled in that spot without
pulling on some pads or something. In other words, there were lots that
weren't anywhere close to level for anything but a Crosley or a Henry J.
By the way, diesels do whisper sweet nothings in your ear while they have a
hand on your wallet. Which, as I recall, was the case with our GMC. Either
will have an impact on your life. The only thing that changed was the cost
of things. Well, that and the fact that an oil change can take 22 quarts
instead of five.
Byron Songer
Former owner, still an admirer
gene barrow wrote:
> I posted pictures of the Palm Beach on the GMC Photo site years ago in an
> album called "The Joad Coach" I will post updated pictures if I can find the
> album again.
>
> I'm hoping to find a 34' to 36' diesel pusher that will get up the steep
> driveway to my Lake Almanor cabin without dragging.
>
> Need some help with the geometry and math of the relationship of rear
> overhang/wheelbase/drive slope
>
> The drive rises 16" in the first 20". Never a problem with the GMC.
>
> I looked at a 35' coach with a 20' wheelbase, 10' rear overhang and 12"
> clearance between the trailer hitch and road. Front engine Gas.
>
> It seems that by the time the front wheels are 15' up the slope (12" vertical)
> the rear wheels are still 5' from beginning of slope and the trailer
> hitch is 12" lower and dragging on the street.
>
> Is that correct or am I missing something?
>
> Any suggestions for SOBs that have adjustable rear height like the GMC.
>
> The cabin is remote and it's not practical to test drive a potential coach to
> the area. So I would like to limit my search to coaches that will make
> the grade without dragging.
>
> Thanks for input.
>
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
--
Byron Songer
Full-timing to enjoy the USA
Former owner but still an admirer
GMC paint schemes at -
http://www.songerconsulting.net
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| Re: Selling 1976 Palm Beach and Eleganza Maybe [message #253166 is a reply to message #253111] |
Tue, 24 June 2014 19:12 |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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Have you considered re-grading the driveway at the beginning to reduce the slope?
Or dig a big ditch to allow that hitch to drop below grade for a wee bit... 
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
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