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hi everyone! TOTAL newbie here: I am going to apologize in advance for anything obtuse I say as I am not just learning about my rig from the ground up, but most vehicles in general (was never interested in the details until I got my rig.)

SO- my issue is this: my Dolphin DRAGS so low that I scrape over every speedbump, every driveway, no matter how slowly or carefully I handle it/angle it. I would really love a little LIFT in my system so I can not only overcome this annoyance, but also feel more confident on uneven terrains and more longevity for everything on my undercarriage! Any suggestions on what would be the most affordable long term solution? Preferably not DIY at this point, as I would probably screw it up. Maybe after I learn a bit more, I will take on those projects!

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Thank you!!! I did not see any like that last time I looked underneath, but that looks like a good solution. It does seem to be both ends, but the rear is the worst.

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Har Har ;}

Thank you! Will snap some shots when back at home. I have a BUNCH of other projects to tackle with this rig, but this one is a consistent challenge.

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Your suspension is likely blown out.  Air bags will definitely help but they are just a patch for the issue, not a fix.  Your leaf springs have likely lost all strength and shape.  You can either replace them, have them re bent by a heavy machine shop, or try an add a leaf.  The airbags will bring your ride back up a bit but it will still ride rough if the leafs are done.  

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Lift the rear.... some choices

1. Air bags..

2. New springs AND airbags

3. Timbren springs.

4. Zuk mod

Goggle away

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  • 3 months later...

More light please, take the picture from behind a rear wheel shooting toward the other wheel.

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  • 1 month later...
On 11/2/2018 at 1:48 PM, Odyssey 4x4 said:

Your suspension is likely blown out.  Air bags will definitely help but they are just a patch for the issue, not a fix.  Your leaf springs have likely lost all strength and shape.  You can either replace them, have them re bent by a heavy machine shop, or try an add a leaf.  The airbags will bring your ride back up a bit but it will still ride rough if the leafs are done.  

Thank you!

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Do you have air bags. Is there any air in them. You need to find the fill valves. Ask for help. Local service station. RV parts place. Guy next door. Fill valves look just like the valve you fill a tire with. As a parent you have a duty to learn how to safely use your RV. Also where are your kids sitting when you drive. Seat belts on RV seats need to be reinforced for safety. Tables and anything loose put away in closets so they don't fly around in an accident. 

Linda S

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18 hours ago, linda s said:

Do you have air bags. Is there any air in them. You need to find the fill valves. Ask for help. Local service station. RV parts place. Guy next door. Fill valves look just like the valve you fill a tire with. As a parent you have a duty to learn how to safely use your RV. Also where are your kids sitting when you drive. Seat belts on RV seats need to be reinforced for safety. Tables and anything loose put away in closets so they don't fly around in an accident. 

Linda S

Thank you! I will double check this- the people i bought it from had lived in it for 10 years, so i (perhaps naively) assumed they had taken care of basics like that (since they detailed all the care and maintenance in several pages) - BUT i have not personally checked that. I have done an oil change, i add coolant and check the air pretty much every time i take it out. kiddo sits in the front in car seat (i do not feel safe installing the car seat anywhere else in the camper.) I have kept him rear facing as long as possible (past the age/height) requirement, but there is nowhere to seat him that way in the camper. i have heard there are seatbelt clamps available for RVs but have not found one- will look again. everything loose is put away or if it is really heavy, in the bathroom/on the floor. cabinets- i installed extra child locks on them to keep stuff in and him out. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/2/2018 at 1:48 PM, Odyssey 4x4 said:

Your suspension is likely blown out.  Air bags will definitely help but they are just a patch for the issue, not a fix.  Your leaf springs have likely lost all strength and shape.  You can either replace them, have them re bent by a heavy machine shop, or try an add a leaf.  The airbags will bring your ride back up a bit but it will still ride rough if the leafs are done.  

Thank you- after researching more (largely on this forum- wow is this a great resource!- and online) it looks like this is an air bag and leaf spring issue- I am trying to find the part numbers again (someone posted them on another thread)so that I can get this sorted out- she is riding REALLY low over the back tires.

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i am looking at replacing all/some/most suspension parts: leaf springs, air bags, shocks- i found the original thread, I think. Looking at these options so far, per recommendation of a member here:  https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/leaf-springs   https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7242

A new pair of shocks - KYB or Bilstein (according to that thread - 4 Bilstein's would run about $275 and two Leaf springs ~$225 from desertrat.com for a total of around $500 for a suspension upgrade.) I will have to pay to have them changed out and labor in my area will be $$$$

When it comes to bushings and things-  I am a NOVICE novice... i am going to have to get an outside opinion on all this. I'm nervous about the cost, but need to drive safely, and i don't have the skills or tools to do this myself. (YET)

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You may or may not need shocks.  The KYB's are perfectly functional at a better price point.  Whoever is doing the work, ask them if you actually need them before buying.  

I recently installed a set of CS009R OME leaf springs.  You can get them for $211 shipped for the pair here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARB-OME-Rear-Leaf-Springs-Pair-2-Lift-for-Toyota-Pickup-4Runner-Hilux/253818245819

Bushings; ACDelco 45G15372 will work.  Three sets at <$10 each set at Amazon. 

It's still really important to determine if you have air bags installed or not.  They would look something like this (the rubber balloon looking things):

1009390738_Airsuspension2.jpg.80d9ed35bf5a5a25de2f2e7948f0c81b.jpg
If you have no air bags then you can get by on just the springs.  If you have air bags then you may just need to inflate them to be high enough to drive.  This would just be a band-aid until you can get the leaf springs fixed or replaced.

It should take someone with some experience about 4 hours to change the leaf springs, more or less.

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Thank you- this is enormously helpful. I think there are, in fact, air bags, but they look very squashed. i will see if they can be inflated and if they hold air! An excellent place to start, and i appreciate the links!!

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3 minutes ago, Notlostjustwandering said:

I think there are, in fact, air bags,

Look for two tire inflation valves, like what you find on a bicycle tire or a car tire.  Most often they are on the outside of the vehicle near one rear wheel.  Use some kind of bike pump to see if you can get air in them.  Use a tire gauge to try and get at least 30 and preferably about 50 psi in each of them.

If the air bags do not hold air any longer then see if you can get a picture by crawling up underneath and use a flash.  Then maybe you can add new bags to the list.  Replacing air bags is much cheaper and easier than installing a new air bag system from scratch.

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3 minutes ago, Derek up North said:

It might be the air lines or fittings that are leaking.

Oh, good point.  Finding the leak by spraying soapy water with a squirt bottle might be the best way to find a leak of there is one.

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excellent points!! i found the fill valves and the air bags- they do not look completely squashed- now i just need some time to fill them and see what happens.

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Hey y’all - thought I’d just tag along in this thread because I’m curious about bags.

I’m looking at a Sunrader that’s on airbags currently. Does this most likely mean the springs are worn and I should think about replacing them? It’s got a ‘foolie’ so I’m already looking around for a rear axle- maybe I’ll start looking for a full donor truck if I need springs, too. At the right price point an old Toyota donor truck could be an ideal find.

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1 hour ago, TigersRreal said:

I’m looking at a Sunrader that’s on airbags currently. Does this most likely mean the springs are worn and I should think about replacing them?

No, it doesn't mean the springs are shot (of course they could be...).   Air bags are "helper springs" designed to work in parallel with the springs.  Take all the air out of the bags on the one you are looking at and then look at the springs and measure the ride height (frame bottom to ground, check the manual for that year model, but mine is supposed to be 9.2 inches from ground to frame just in front of the rear wheels as stock).  If the springs are flat and its riding low then the springs are shot.  If you are riding above stock height with no air in the bags then the springs still have some spring.  If you need to swap an axle then the current air bag mounts might not match up to the new axle without modification.  You can buy axle, springs, air bags, shocks, etc individually if you can't find a donor.  Finding one old truck with everything you need seems a little optimistic - I've watched around my area for quite a while for one.  The one I found after 2 years was too much money for what I could get out of it.  If you need a 6 lug axle and you find an axle, buy it.  That's the critical piece - and relatively rare. The other parts can be found as needed.  New springs are about $250 shipped with bushings for a pair, for example.

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Hey Atlanta, thanks for the thorough response, I appreciate it.

That's good to know, and yeah I will check the ride height!

Can you see this link? https://imageappoh.car-part.com/image?seller=2257&amp;partGUID=471C159D-8DAA-4ECD-96B6-7AD8B3A2B348&amp;vehicleGUID=FEAD2647-CAB5-4049-88F5-3E252D55F463&amp;display=1985 Toyota Truck Rear Axle Assembly-Stock%23 38-247

- it is a 1985 Toyota Truck, 4x2 1 ton, rear axle assembly on Car-Part for $450

Seems ideal but going to be a pretty penny to haul down to California from Washington...

Edited by TigersRreal
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Yea that's a good axle option.  But of course shipping freight or hauling it is the catch...  Get a freight quote just to see?  If you pick it up at the dock of the freight company or have it delivered to a commercial dock you can avoid the high liftgate delivery fee.

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10 hours ago, TigersRreal said:

- it is a 1985 Toyota Truck, 4x2 1 ton, rear axle assembly on Car-Part for $450

I'm not convince that's a correct FF axle and not foolies. Can't tell from the little photo.

Here's what I search on Car-part'com. If you try to search for a 1985 axle, you won't be given a DRW option because they didn't exist before 1986,

 

Axle 1.jpg

Axle 2.jpg

Axle 3.jpg

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We kind of hi-jacked your thread with talk of air bags and axles, but we'll get back on topic when you have had a chance to test your air bag system.  Find a tire pump and a pressure gauge and see what happens!

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Speaking from experience, test that you have the nylon plug in the top of the bags air tight before installing in the vehicle!   

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2 hours ago, AtlantaCamper said:

We kind of hi-jacked your thread with talk of air bags and axles, but we'll get back on topic when you have had a chance to test your air bag system.  Find a tire pump and a pressure gauge and see what happens!

Fine by me- i am learning so much!!! i am a total novice, learning everything quite literally from the ground up! I have a tire inflation kit that works great- will do that asap

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1 hour ago, Notlostjustwandering said:

Fine by me- i am learning so much!!! i am a total novice, learning everything quite literally from the ground up! I have a tire inflation kit that works great- will do that asap

Yeah, sorry again for hijacking - I am learning a ton and trying to soak it up when/where I can!
Hey, NLJW - where did you get your tire-inflation kit? 

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Hey TR! Not a problem! I think the one I have came in an emergency vehicle kit I have. I bought it ages ago. It was not this kit, but it is similar https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-stone-Bridgestone-Auto-Emergency-Kit/dp/B07J28DNN9

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That's a good pump option you suggested. That will be perfect to test your air bags!  There are a lot of decent pumps around.  I went with this one and I'm happy with it:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-Car-Air-Compressor-DC-12V-150PSI-Tire-Inflator-Pump-for-Auto-Basketball/254168706349

I did have to splice in some additional wire to get enough length to go from a 12DC outlet to all of the tires.  If you can find one that has a really long cord that looks decent you can save yourself the trouble of adding wire length in order to reach all of the tires.  You can order an extension type cable but when I tried that I found the extra connectors started limiting current and the pump worked slower.  Using heavy gauge wire to extend the length kept the pump going at max volume.  14 amps is the limit on these types of pumps or you start blowing fuses in most cars.  They won't inflate quickly but they will top you up 5 to 10 psi in a minute or two.  You can't inflate a flat tire with one of these, they are for topping up tires that are already functioning and (mostly) filled.

I suggest getting a dual head straight on style of air chuck.  Most dual chucks are "offset" and in my experience are hard to get onto the valve stems in the rear wheels. You will be entirely frustrated if you try to use the pump 'as-is' on dually tires.  I also had to bend my valve stems carefully to get them to point in a direction that made it easy to check and inflate.

The Milton S-693 or the Tru-Flate 17-395 1/4" Straight-On Dual Head Air Chucks are good options and can be found for ~$10 or less

It's worth it to get yourself a tire pressure maintenance kit because tire pressures are important on these rigs.  A 12v compressor with a cord long enough to reach all around the camper with a dual head straight-on chuck and you are good to go.

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This is so helpful! What I have been doing to fill my air valves is just using the air pump plugged into the cigarette lighter of my car- i run the cable from my car to the camper. sometimes i have to run it through the window, but my screens are super easy to move out of the way. I will check out the chucks!!!

 

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