roddoc61 Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Hi,new to this forum.Just purchased an 84 Toyota Coachman,nice little rv.Didn't realize the problem with the rearend till after I bought it,didn't research enough!I too have the 5 lug rearend and am scared to death to take it on a trip.Bought it to move to Arkansas from Florida after my wife left me,now I'm stuck here!Not sure of what to do next,sell it,get another rv $,or try to convert it?My cousin has a Toyota Uhaul with a 1 ton on it,don't know if they fit up or not.His buddy also has a Toyota Motorhome with a 1 ton but not as nice as mine.Don't know what my best option is?Any suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLittlePuppy Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 Hi,new to this forum.Just purchased an 84 Toyota Coachman,nice little rv.Didn't realize the problem with the rearend till after I bought it,didn't research enough!I too have the 5 lug rearend and am scared to death to take it on a trip.Bought it to move to Arkansas from Florida after my wife left me,now I'm stuck here!Not sure of what to do next,sell it,get another rv $,or try to convert it?My cousin has a Toyota Uhaul with a 1 ton on it,don't know if they fit up or not.His buddy also has a Toyota Motorhome with a 1 ton but not as nice as mine.Don't know what my best option is?Any suggestions! Hi Roddoc, Welcome to the forum and to ownership of a toy. Sounds like you found a nice motorhome so hold on to it. Don't make any snap decisions about getting one that isn't as nice that you could regret later. First, start looking in your area for a one ton floating axle as you might just find one waiting to be snagged. Try some salvage places. Also, if you have a mechanic, have them look as they sometimes have lots of contacts and know more where to find them. They are available, you just have to do some searching. As a last resort, if you really need to move and want to keep this motorhome, you could go ahead and move to Arkansas, just take your time and don't push it. You won't be able to push it much anyway because they are a bit on the slow side! Then when you get to Arkansas, start your axle search there. Now, this last bit of advice is entirely up to you as we understand your scared attitude about driving it with the five lug axle. We have just had a six lug rear axle put on our '84 Dolphin and are waiting to pick it up soon. Before we had this work done, this little motorhome had 89,000 miles on it and the previous owners had made lots of trips around the country in it with no problems. But it's not "if" it will fail, but "when" it will fail so it's up to you on what to do. Sure hope you can find your axle and be able to move forward with your life. Don't give up! Best wishes, Charles & Dianne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 - Toyota 1 ton rear end - $500 - pic: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 The first thing you should do is go over the coach and truck chassis to make sure that it is sound and worth the time and effort to expend the money on a replacement axle. Go through the coach body and poke at the ceiling around the vents (both the air and sewer vents) to see if there are any "soft spots". Poke around all the windows. remove the cushions from the overhead and look at the flooring. Open all of the overhead cabinets and poke at the walls near the roof inside of them. When I say poke around I mean stuff your fingers at the walls and ceilings. You should NOT feel any soft spots, if you do there is structural damage under the paneling and depending on how sever the damage the cost to repair can exceed the purchase price of your vehicle (unless you can strip the interior, rebuild the wall/ceiling interior walls, and replace the interior yourself). You are going to find some problems unless the coach was kept inside of a garage all of its 24 years of existence. If it is not severe/terminal you can move on to a mechanical evaluation. Suspension wears quickly on these motor homes because of the excessive weight they carry around. Have a mechanic look at the engine, trans/clutch (or auto), the front suspension, brakes, etc. If it passes all of these "tests/trials" THEN you can consider getting a rear axle and install it. Your vehicle has the narrow frame so you "should" try to find an axle from a 1985-1988 truck. Axles from 1989-1993 will have wider springs and require more fabrication. You can use a later model axle, it will just add a little more to the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roddoc61 Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 Thank you all for the quick replies.Glad to see I'm not alone in this delema!Like I was saying in my post,I have a cousin with a Toyota Uhaul around the same year I think.Does anyone know if this would fit my rig,not sure?Wondering if it would be cheaper to ship one from a salvage yard or switch out with a running vehicle.Oh and mac,thanks for the line on your axle.Might need that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 You are welcome but its not mine....Ran across it on craigslist and thought I would pass it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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