voodoofire1 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Hello everyone, nice site you have here!!.......I've got a 1980 18' sunrader, 20R,4 speed, and a 5 lug rear with 205/14 tires on faux duals that touch together a tad bit, it has 54,000 miles and a rusty cab.... it runs great, drives fair but needs shocks, I'm just wondering will the 5 lug hold up, I'm planning to take out the water heater, water tanks, the commode, fridge(doesn't work) heater,stove and just lightening her up a bit, just need a place to rest my weary eyes, and some light storage for a week at the car show campground I run and a few weekenders at some traditional archery shoots I attend........overall it's in good shape and I'm wanting to take it on an 800 mi. round trip to a shoot near Nashville Tn. from Ft Wayne,In. at the end of this month........are there any potential problems I should look for? thanks ,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoofire1 Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 Ummmm. did I do something wrong here?? I just got this, and have only drove it the 25 miles home, I sure could use a little assistance here... it seems fine, but I am concerned about the axle and tires, it has 4 fairly new rear 205-75-r14's with a load range of 1532#'s per tire at 44psi..... they currently have 38#'s in them and are touching together just a tad, is this safe??, Thanks ,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Steve, welcome to the crowd. First, congratulations on getting a Sunrader. Second, it is not safe for the rear tires to touch. It will generate heat from the friction and cause a blowout in no time. A LT 185 load range D tire would be your best bet. I run 195's load range D inflated at 60psi on a 1 ton axle and I don't have any rubbing. Third, the 5 lug nut faux duals is a hit or miss situation, it could snap the axle at any time. If you cannot upgrade to the 1 ton rear, at the minimum replace the rear bearings and you may be a little bit safer. Reducing the load would even make it safer, but do you really want to render the Sunrader impotent as a motorhome? Anyway, it's an 1980 model and it's still running so unless you really pack it down you may be ok except for the rear tires. Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yostfmx Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Yea you can't drive with the dualys touching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoofire1 Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Thanks fellas!!, we took it out for a little ride tonight, not too far though, put in the max 44psi and they no longer touch, and as far as lightening it, the water tank itself leaks, water heater doesn't work as well as the fridge/stove too, the bathroom/shower is useless to me as I'm 6'4" and 310#'s, figure it could better be utilized as a closet/storage area, I've been a tent camper all my life, but I'm sure tired of getting cold and wet, I bought a small coleman tent safe heater brand new off a friend for $10, and it uses the green propane canisters, it should work just fine, I'm leaving in the sink, and possibly the commode, I have a few acres here in the country and figure it will spend most of the time out by the pond for overnight guests and family....... this little bugger has had a rough life and wasn't taken care of well, and looks like stevie wonder did the re-wire(no offense stevie), it only had 1 working light on the whole vehicle inside and out! that's all fixed now though, but it's still not in restorable condition, sure you could fix everything.. but the time and money involved wouldn't make it a good venture, so as long as it keeps me dry and relatively warm, well I'm happy, and heck I've only got $500 in it , and it does run and drive great!.............Thanks,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Weigh it after you have lightened it. 195 LT tires are rated at almost 2100lb ea in single mode. So if the rear axle weight was 3500lb or less (saftey margin 4200lb max, I can add) then you could do away with the duelies and run singles and be much safer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yostfmx Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Wait wait, if your rear axle weight was 3500lb or less taking off the duals is safer? Is that true? I'm doing the samething to a 18' 82 sunrader with 5 lug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.