Just installed rear axle air bags

[Gulfstream Greg]

Well folks I just got done installing some brand spanking new air bags on the rear of the conquest. I will have to say right away if any of you are considering installing air bags yourself you need to reconsider. It is not NOT an easy job. I will say, after doing this you will save a huge amount of money doing it yourself. First you will need some equipment. I had to use two 3 ton floor jacks. Really heavy duty jack stands. A sawzall and $40 worth of blades. Maybe you will be lucky and the axle U-Bolt nuts will break loose and you can actually back them off to get enough room to slide the brackets under them like the instructions state. Not me, I had to sawzall all four in two places to get them off then install four new ones. When you do finally cut through one it snaps and the spring pack expands giving you a good rush. Long story short and some very sore and tired muscles they are in and hopefully holding air. I sprang for the air pump to supply air to them. I located it in the coach under the couch. An air line runs from there to a control head in the cab. There really is no where to mount the control head so right now it is located next to the drivers seat. Eventually it will be located in a gauge pod on the drivers side window post. The compressor inflates both sides at the same time. There is also one that will do each side separately but my rig sits level side to side so I opted for the single control. The kit came with several tee's for the air line, so I was able to also add a manual fill air fitting in case the pump for some reason died. Both the air bag kit and pump kits are complete and really except for needing some heavy equipment and apologies to the neighbors for some kuss words. The U-Bolt problem may not be everyone's problem but most likely its a givin that the U-Bolts will have to be cut off. Oh there was problem, they supply a heat shield for the exhaust. The hose clamps they provide are too big and will not close down enough to secure the shield to the exhaust pipe.

I will post some images later. For now its time for R&R with a glass of wine.

[Gulfstream Greg]

OK here are some pics

Here is the U-Bolt I had to cut out X 4

New and old U-Bolt bottom view

View of the passenger side during install, driver side already done. Note front wheel! Do you feel safe?

Air bag assembled before and during installation

Axle bump stop, luckily only one bolt broke off, sawzall took care of that

Air bag in place atop axle, note distance at top from frame, reason for second jack under axle in order to raise the air bag bracket to the frame and mark the bolt holes you need to drill in the frame, the bag assembly has to be removed in order to fit the drill and drill hopefully straight holes. Torsion bar though makes one hole impossible to drill straight unless you remove the bar. Reality none of my holes got straight. Maybe not so much the drilling but puttting in the self tapping bolts. It was hard to start them straight. Good luck!

I have always heard that if you loosen rear axle U-Bolts then they need to be replaced as they stretch and weaken the next time you apply torque to them, maybe urban legend, I don't know. Anyhow I have 4 new U-Bolts.

It looks like with 90 pounds of air pressure it raised the rear about 6 plus inches. Guess I should go from zero pressure and do some measurements. Ran out of time and my body was dead.

[Shoprat]

That's quite an accomplishment, Sir. Good job well done. Enjoy the wine. I'll raise a glass of dark ale across the miles.

John

[Derek up North]

A couple of questions for clarification.

It appears that there were no bags previously installed, correct?

So the bump stop is eliminated?

Which kit did you install?

And a comment, despite having NEVER done the job myself! I'd have used an angle grinder with a thin disc rather than a Sawzall, assuming there's room to access the U-bolts. Or perhaps the 'hot wrench' if I was tempted to reuse the U-bolts!

[acudoc]

A couple of questions for clarification.

It appears that there were no bags previously installed, correct?

So the bump stop is eliminated?

Which kit did you install?

And a comment, despite having NEVER done the job myself! I'd have used an angle grinder with a thin disc rather than a Sawzall, assuming there's room to access the U-bolts. Or perhaps the 'hot wrench' if I was tempted to reuse the U-bolts!

Nice job. and mine took 3 or 4 hours with a friend who is mechanical. I did mine with the firestone air springs and used a hand grinder to help them fit.

It is good to have access to pump them up etc individually too so you can use them to level your coach when parked.

Thanks for the post. H

[Gulfstream Greg]

A couple of questions for clarification.

It appears that there were no bags previously installed, correct?

So the bump stop is eliminated?

Which kit did you install?

And a comment, despite having NEVER done the job myself! I'd have used an angle grinder with a thin disc rather than a Sawzall, assuming there's room to access the U-bolts. Or perhaps the 'hot wrench' if I was tempted to reuse the U-bolts!

Correct no bags before.

Bump stop needs to be removed.

Air Lift 57113 do a google search.

I do think a small grinder with a cut off blade would be better. The sawzall is a bit tough to work with.

You have to back the nuts off a long ways in order to get the bracket under them. New U-Bolts were around $15 each.

[Gulfstream Greg]

Nice job. and mine took 3 or 4 hours with a friend who is mechanical. I did mine with the firestone air springs and used a hand grinder to help them fit.

It is good to have access to pump them up etc individually too so you can use them to level your coach when parked.

Thanks for the post. H

Thanks

If I remember rightly the Firestone bags sit on top of the leaf spring to the rear of the axle?? Wish the air lift were as easy, definitely more than 4 hours. The air lift being on top of the axle is a whole other ball game for installation.

I presently have just over 80 pounds in them. I did a short test ride yesterday. At first I thought it was more rocky side to side but realized that it was actually more stable following the levelness of the road surface. The actual ride is softer and less jarring than with out the bags. I also have Gabriel air shocks on the rear at about 90 pounds of air pressure. Some experimentation is needed I suppose. I will be doing a 60 mile round trip today for more testing.

As far as levelling when parked I have the Lego levelers which come out real easy and usually I need 2 inches on one or more wheels so using the bags would not be beneficial for me. My rig sits level with out the bags so that's why I opted for the single control pump. The air bags as a stand alone kit come equipped so that each bag is filled separately.

[Foxy]

Where are you getting your air bags? My mechanic has been trying to find some replacements for the ones on my 91 Winnebago for a couple weeks now. He has been told they were discontinued and no are longer available.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

[Derek up North]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Air-Lift-57113-TOYOTA-MICRO-MINI-MOTORHOME-/330388922964?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cecb6e254

[Gulfstream Greg]

Where are you getting your air bags? My mechanic has been trying to find some replacements for the ones on my 91 Winnebago for a couple weeks now. He has been told they were discontinued and no are longer available.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

Thought I had posted this but somehow I did not. I will bet your mechanic is correct, maybe the Goodyear ones from a few years back. Unfortunately you may be looking at a new install as I doubt that your brackets will accept the airlift or Firestone bags. Here is where I bought my Air Lifts

http://www.jegs.com/...10002/-1?CT=999 Good luck with it. Oh and beaware that most are using the wrong picture for the item. Here is the airlift page for these bags http://shop.airliftc...Leaf_Spring_Kit it is the corect image. Note that the hose clamps for the heat shield are to big even for a 2 1/2 inch exhaust pipe so you will need to pick up two yourself.

[bajadulce]

Nice! Looks like a great addition and worth all the sweat.

View of the passenger side during install, driver side already done. Note front wheel! Do you feel safe?

Where are those jackstands you mention? Wow that looks pretty intense with the 2 jacks.

[Foxy]

Greg & Derek,

Thanks for the info. I was able to get the Airlift set from the guy on E-bay and they are now installed. Due to time and lack of a good workspace I let the pro do it. What a difference in ride! Even when newer, the older helper type that attach to the springs were never this good.

Foxy

[Gulfstream Greg]

Nice! Looks like a great addition and worth all the sweat.

Where are those jackstands you mention? Wow that looks pretty intense with the 2 jacks.

Well, I highly suggest the use of jack stands! I did not have any that would go high enough for the rear nor heavy duty enough. I did feel safe though with the jacks. Both are 3 1/2 ton. I basically have a plywood on top of slightly slopping gravel driveway. I highly suggest the use of a flat concrete driveway and a jacking system that could lift both sides at the same time. Only when I was not under the rig did just one jack support the weight. I also used 2 large wheel chalks on the opposite side. At some point I will replace the rear spring bushings. It will be easier in the jacking world but will require 2 jacks in my driveway.

So now I find that my car port for the RV is not high enough. Its one of those pole and tarp type. I have it already raised about 2 feet. Since I live in un-level terrain when I back into the space the front wheels drop into roadside gutter area which raises the rear end. So I let a bunch of air out of the bags but the rear did not drop at all. The springs retained their height. The future plan is to rent a tractor and level and move back the drive way 15 feet. I may also have to consider a culvert and get rid of the gutter.

Greg & Derek,

Thanks for the info. I was able to get the Airlift set from the guy on E-bay and they are now installed. Due to time and lack of a good workspace I let the pro do it. What a difference in ride! Even when newer, the older helper type that attach to the springs were never this good.

Foxy

Yes the ride is really much better. Out of curiosity, letting the pro do it, how much did I save?

[Kimbo]

The bottom of your rig looks like it has alot more corrosion than mine. I spent a few hours under mine yesterday in preparation for leaf spring bushing replacement and airbags and everything came apart easily. Bought the unit last year from coastal Washington but it must have spent most of its life indoors and off of the winter streets because it is very clean underneath with next to no corrosion. The truck frame is still the OEM black paint. Not bad for a 28 year old Toyota. I understand what you mean though. A job can go sideways fast as soon as things don't cooperate.

[Gulfstream Greg]

The bottom of your rig looks like it has alot more corrosion than mine. I spent a few hours under mine yesterday in preparation for leaf spring bushing replacement and airbags and everything came apart easily. Bought the unit last year from coastal Washington but it must have spent most of its life indoors and off of the winter streets because it is very clean underneath with next to no corrosion. The truck frame is still the OEM black paint. Not bad for a 28 year old Toyota. I understand what you mean though. A job can go sideways fast as soon as things don't cooperate.

Our Conquest I believe spent most of its life in Massachusetts. When we bought it from a guy in Nevada it had 2005 massachusetts plates. No rust in the body except a tiny bit at the bottom of the passenger door. Any how having the oem paint sounds great! wish I could say that. I have my head stuck in just about every nook and cranny under the rig and all the rust is just surface. Perhaps a good rust killing paint would be beneficial. Spring bushings is on my project list.

[Kimbo]

Our Conquest I believe spent most of its life in Massachusetts. When we bought it from a guy in Nevada it had 2005 massachusetts plates. No rust in the body except a tiny bit at the bottom of the passenger door. Any how having the oem paint sounds great! wish I could say that. I have my head stuck in just about every nook and cranny under the rig and all the rust is just surface. Perhaps a good rust killing paint would be beneficial. Spring bushings is on my project list.

Spent a few hours yesterday installing the same airbag kit on a friends Sunrader. Took about 4.5 hours total and everything came apart easily, including the U bolts. Using a 90 degree angle adapter for the drill (Harbor Freight) made drilling the holes for the upper bracket a breeze. The adapter allows you to get in there and drill each hole perfectly. Adapter is 19.99 and worth every penny. No need to remove swaybar or anything else. I'll be doing the same to mine in the near future along with bushing replacement for the rear springs. Mine are totally shot at 60,000 miles. I would venture to guess that most out there are in pretty poor shape. Installation of the airbags will also reduce the load on the new bushings.

[hellspcangel911]

 I agree with Kimbo about the right angle adapter, I have a Orbitz adjustable adapter that worked well enough for drilling out the holes. Though the screws are self tapping I used a 3/8 tap to easily cut the threads (the included screws are kind of cheap). 

I installed the kit today, purchased it from Amazon.com, $200 shipped, very pleased. There was a Air Lift kit on it already with smaller  bags, one was broken and i couldnt find a replacement, but it had a bracket welded to the frame that made it difficult to install this kit. Took me the whole day, with respraying and de-rusting the rims. Impact gun was able to remove the Us on the passenger side, but i had to break out the torch for the driver's side. 

Taking measurements before and after its sitting 3" higher with 45psi, (almost entirely empty, 1/8 tank gas, no water). 

Though it has low miles, Im debating whether to replace the struts as well. Is it worth doing the rear ones with the bags? 

[Kimbo]

I agree with Kimbo about the right angle adapter, I have a Orbitz adjustable adapter that worked well enough for drilling out the holes. Though the screws are self tapping I used a 3/8 tap to easily cut the threads (the included screws are kind of cheap).

I installed the kit today, purchased it from Amazon.com, $200 shipped, very pleased. There was a Air Lift kit on it already with smaller bags, one was broken and i couldnt find a replacement, but it had a bracket welded to the frame that made it difficult to install this kit. Took me the whole day, with respraying and de-rusting the rims. Impact gun was able to remove the Us on the passenger side, but i had to break out the torch for the driver's side.

Taking measurements before and after its sitting 3" higher with 45psi, (almost entirely empty, 1/8 tank gas, no water).

Though it has low miles, Im debating whether to replace the struts as well. Is it worth doing the rear ones with the bags?

You're right. Using the right angle drill tool made it so easy to drill the 4 vertical holes. Using a tap to make the threads is a good idea, although I didn't have a 3/8NF. The bolts worked quite well and snugged up nice. I had old brackets to cut off as well, which I did with a cutoff disc on a 4 1/2 grinder. I cut 3/4 of the way though them and then snapped them off as I didn't want to nick the frame rails. Did you get a chance to look at your leaf spring and shackle bushings? Just picked up my new set yesterday and noticed that they are now channelled laterally (8 grooves) in the inner bore to help with lube retention. The last set I bought weren't like that but that was back in the eighties!

[Kimbo]

Just finished putting the airbags on my rig. Piece of cake. No need to even take off the rear wheels. About 4 hours. Gotta love that 90 degree drill adapter. I am quite happy with the ride now along with my new leaf spring bushings!

[vwbitts]

Thanks for the info.

I am going to be doing this project and have some questions,

Besides the kit, and U-bolts, what other things do I need?

Thanks for your help!

[picklebill]

We had airbags installed on our 1982 Sunrader when we bought it 5 years ago. I was going to do it myself ( I had previously installed a set of them on our Ford pickup) but after looking at the frame on the Sunrader I was worried that drilling holes in it would maybe weaken it some. I wimped out and took it to a local shop that does a lot of custom car work and had them do it. The photos show the welded bracket they made and welded to the frame. Also they installed a heat shield between the bag and the exhaust pipe. The airbags are for a 3/4 ton pickup and are rated for around 6000 Lbs. No problems in the 5 years we have had the rig. We run 60 Lbs. of pressure on each side, which gives us a couple inches extra clearance in the rear.

Bill

[picklebill]

OK - I blew the photo attachment on the previous post. Sorry. Here is my second attempt...

Bill