Rear Air Bags Air Lift 5000 spring savings

[eXodus]

I'm currently researching about rear Airbags, I have still some sway and would like to address this.

Has anyone every added rear airbags ?

Air Lift has currently an $50 mail-in rebate (I'm not working for them just found it online)
http://www.sdtrucksprings.com/rebates/air-lift-spring-rebate-15.pdf

and Amazon has currently a $20 Coupon on all Air Lift kits (you can combine both) http://www.amazon.com/LIFT-57219-LoadLifter-Air-Spring/dp/B000BTK8UM/

So it would be possible to get an rear kit delivered to home for just a little more then $205, which sounds like a really good deal for me.
But it is spent wise ?

[eXodus]

Yeah I don't have rear Airbags, so my Chassis was not original with them, so I have no idea how they would handle.

[HamRad Mobile]

Good  morning, eXodus; 

I have the AirLift 5000 kit on the rear axle of my P37. 

The main thing is that it adds 1000 pounds to the rear suspension carrying capacity, something I needed with mine. 

Another useful feature is that it allows you to adjust the rear axle ride height for the optimum level on both sides with an uneven weight distribution, such as having the water tank and the auxiliary gas tank on the left side.  I also run slightly different rear axle tire pressures due to that side-to-side weight differential.  I am doing what I can to keep the thing flat and level. 

Yes, there are advantages to getting the weight on each wheel set; LF, RF, LR, RR. 

I do not feel that rear airbags will do very much for the handling of your motor home, other than the ability to set the ride height where it should be for both ends of the axle with variations in weight distribution.  For better handling, look at the sway bar and bushings and a Panhard bar to keep the rear axle properly located relative to the frame.  This part does not include any discussion of the front wheels. 

Enjoy;  Ralph, Latte Land, Washington 

[eXodus]

Thanks Ralph,

Thankfully my rig is fairly leveled designed in the back. I don't have a lot of difference there. The front is somewhat uneven. I can see it standing in front of that it is sagging to the passengers side. Probably the fridge and the propane tank...

I did just replace the sway bar bushings. So now I'm thinking about: getting air springs or installing a Panhard...

Air springs are cheaper

[JerryP]

I have to ask this.
Is it possible to use air shocks rather than airbags???
If so, is one markedly better than the other???

[Rickf1985]

Never use air shocks for weight carrying! They are not designed for that and especially the mounts are not designed for it and will shear off.

As far as using different tire pressures to level out the vehicle............. also a bad idea. you will end up ruining the sidewall from under inflation on the lower pressure tire and risking a blowout. All of the rear tires on both sides need to be the same pressure as do the the fronts side to side. You can use air bags to level out the vehicle since they work against the spring and that in turn puts the weight evenly on the tires. With airbags on only a tag axle with only one tire you have to be careful trying to raise the whole rear or do a lot of leveling because you will be putting a LOT more weight on a single tire instead of evenly spreading the weight over 6 tires as was designed.

[JerryP]

Makes sense, Thanks.
Learning a little more everyday

[eXodus]

Air Bags are cheaper then Air Shocks and you can adjust them.


I never use different pressure from side to side.

[HamRad Mobile]

Good morning, all; 

     I need to think about how I am going to phrase a response. 

          Enjoy; 

          Ralph 
          Latte Land, Washington 

[HamRad Mobile]

Good morning; 

     First, I wish to point out that I am not leveling the frame of the motor home by adjusting the tire pressures to raise one side of the motor home.  Instead I am using the airbags to to do that task by using a higher airbag pressure on the heavier left side to bring the ride height measurement (the space between the axle and the frame) up to the same on both sides.   There is also air pressure in the lighter right side airbag that is at least above the minimum recommended airbag pressure.

      And I do not see how the airbags can transfer any of the weight from one side over to the other.  If that were the case, I think that I would also see the measured weight on each set of the dual tires, right side and left side, even out as that adjustment is made.  That does not seem to happen on the scales that I have driven over. 

     As for the different air pressure in the tires, there is a 3-4 psi difference between the dual tires on the heavier left side and the dual tires on the lighter right side of my motor home.  One reason for this is that the weight of the load on the left side is also being carried by those tires.  In order to keep the rolling radius of the tires the same on both sides, I have used the tire manufacturer's air pressure recommendation for carrying the measured load weight by the tires on each side. 

     The side to side weight imbalance or weight differential is not something that I created.  It is something that I discovered when I weighed each wheel location of the motor home.  The designer and maker of the motor home is the one who gave us this weight imbalance.  While it might be argued that the difference is not great, I do not think that anyone will disagree when I say that it does exist and it is measurable. 

     As far as the actual tire pressure difference that I have introduced in the dual tire air pressures between the left side and the right side of the motor home, I am willing to wager that you will find a higher pressure differential between just the dual tires on any one side of a great many of the motor homes out there, just from the inattention to the air pressure checks recommended that the owner or driver make routinely for their vehicle. 

     Finally, if by our discussion of airbags and tires and the air pressures in them, that we at least get more owners and drivers of motor homes to think about their tires and airbags and check the air pressures in them on their own motor homes, perhaps we have accomplished something good. 

          Enjoy;

           Ralph,
           Latte Land, Washington 

[GONMAD]

Gentlemen... Air bags will NOT solve your swaying problem.  I have ALL the above (with the exception of air shocks) & until I made my PANHARD BAR I had a sway problem with my rig. Each piece of the suspension has a single purpose & is a part of the assembly to control the unit. Air shocks are a poor replacement for doing it the correct way, We use to use them for raising the car up enough to put on wider tires in the 80's. Plus they ride like crap & cause handling problems.  There IS nothing you can "SHORTCUT" into doing to solve a sway problem. I used a bunch of items laying around she shop to fabricate my panhard bar & it was WAY cheaper than the kit you buy at Campers cramp. Good luck on your problem. GONMAD

[Oz]

From my experience, I put air bags on all four corners of my '74 D24 Indian.  Prior to doing so, going around turns on country roads and sharp off ramps, even just changing lanes or being passed by a semi on the highway gave me white knuckles due to the body sway.  At the same time, I installed new shocks as well.

After installing them, there was a 75% increase in the stability.  On the Dodge chassis with leaf springs on all axles and since they sit directly on top of the axle and mount to the frame directly above them as you can see in the photos below, yes, they do have a major effect on body stability. 


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I could take turns at normal speed and didn't have to anticipate the air blast from the front and vortex from the rear of semis in order to adjust my steering to reduce the effects as they passed..  I highly recommend them.



They were manufactured by Airlift.  Since then, the front ones are no longer available.  Firestone doesn't make the front ones either.

Note that this is considerably different than the air bags which are installed inside the coil springs of Chevy P30 chassis.

[Rickf1985]

Oz, I don't know if they are new or old pictures but in the bottom picture, the spring U bolt towards the rear right by where it crosses the spring block is some rust that to me would warrant a closer look for a loose U bolt or broken center pin. Something appears to have been causing the bolt to move against the spring and that bolt should not move.

[Oz]

Old photos.  Had the RV and used regularly over distances 3 years afterward and then it went 1000 miles on last journey.  Nothing ever happened so I don't really know.


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[Hahn007]

Oz,
I am considering adding rear air bags to a p30 chassis but am concerned about clearance between the bags and the exhaust pipes.  You wouldn't happen to know the diameter of the bag when it is fully inflated would you?

Thanks,
Chris

[Oz]

Sorry, Chris.  But I don't.  However, you might be able to get that info through the Airlift website.  That would be my suggestion.  Mine was on a Dodge and I don't know if the size would be different for your Chevy P30 as well.

They do have a "support" tab on their home page and a "contact us" option.  I hope they can answer that for you.

http://www.airliftcompany.com/

[GONMAD]

Hey Guys, The kit for the P 30 comes with heat shields & clamps to secure them in place. It IS a close fit with the original pipes. but if installed properly it shouldn't be a problem. Gonmad

[eXodus]

The rear ones look good Oz !


Can you mount them with the Tires on ? I've got not jack to get the tires off. Only my Leveling system to raise it a bit.

[Oz]

I installed mine with the tires on.  Rear ones were easy.