savingsage Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Hello, picking up my new/used 1983 sunrader this weekend.. I was looking at the common upgrades and have budgeted for them, converter, shocks, bushings, etc.. When looking for springs I found a problem however.. First, the springs are sagging, will airbags help or would it be best just to replace the springs? If replacing the springs is the best option, where can you find the 2wd spring? All I can find is the 4wd replacement for the 83, would that work or sit too high? Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picklebill Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Hi - we have an '82 sunrader (2WD) and the rear springs we OK but we needed added ground clearance in the rear so we had a set of Firestone RideRite airbags installed. They are great. The problem is they are also expensive - ours were about $850 installed. I would think that the airbags would easily take the sag out of the springs for you. We used the ones rated for 5000Lbs so the installers had to fabricate the mounting brackets. Also you could probably find a spring shop to rebuild the springs, maybe cheaper than airbags. Good luck! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savingsage Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 (edited) I can't find a direct kit for this year motorhome.. I guess that is why the pricetag for fabrication.. What I can find is here http://www.suspensionconnection.com/cgi-bi...scon/1130T.html for the 2wd truck would those work? Thanks for your help! Julian Edited January 31, 2007 by savingsage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I can't find a direct kit for this year motorhome.. I guess that is why the pricetag for fabrication.. What I can find is here http://www.suspensionconnection.com/cgi-bi...scon/1130T.html for the 2wd truck would those work? Thanks for your help! Julian My, well soon to mye, anyway, 86 sunrader 2wd 22 ft, also appears to be a bit of a low rider. It has an airfitting on the rear bumper which is 'sposed to be for airshocks. Will pumping this up raise it much? Are airshocks an add on or factory? I have heard bad things about airshocks in the past as they are shocks for dampening and their mounts are not designed with load carrying in mind. Any info on this would be appreciated. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picklebill Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Julian - The airbag kit for the 2 wheel drive Toyota pickup may not work because of the dual wheels in the rear of the motorhomes. I am only guessing on this, but looking at mine, it looks like there would be a clearance problem between the frame and inner wheel. Maybe Nolan or Shoprat would have a better idea about this - they have alot of Toyota truck experience and usually follow these threads. I think though, that if you can find a spring repair shop in your area, it might be your best option price wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picklebill Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 My, well soon to mye, anyway, 86 sunrader 2wd 22 ft, also appears to be a bit of a low rider. It has an airfitting on the rear bumper which is 'sposed to be for airshocks. Will pumping this up raise it much? Are airshocks an add on or factory? I have heard bad things about airshocks in the past as they are shocks for dampening and their mounts are not designed with load carrying in mind. Any info on this would be appreciated. Pete Pete - You are correct about the airshocks. The shock mounts were never designed to carry the load imposed by the inflated airshocks. If they are factory supplied, hopefully the mounts were beefed up. I have talked to other Sunrader owners that have airshocks installed, but they had purchased their units used, and had no idea if the shocks were an add on or factory supplied. You might try to check out a Toyota pickup of the same year as your Sunrader and see if the shock mounts on it look the same as yours. I hope this helps. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savingsage Posted February 2, 2007 Author Share Posted February 2, 2007 Thanks, I figured that it may be trouble.. the other option I was wondering were the helwig helper springs.. I did find a custom spring shop in Oregon to that has some varying options for our motorhomes in both 5/6/7 leaf configurations.. Benz spring. I believe the price quoted was 179.00 a piece for new springs. Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoprat Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I haven't gotten into the rear springs yet. But, I'm thinking that a rebuilt spring would probably be the way to go. If you get a good rebuilder, the springs are as good as new. I would check with trucking companies and school bus fleets in your area for reccomendations to a good rebuilder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futar Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 I am not a fan of the air bags. The best of them wear out and I don't like the bounce. I have had three Toy homes and have tried a couple of options on the older ones. The first I tried is the booster coils that go between the leaf springs and the frame. JC Whittney has 2,000 pound ones $36. The only install problem is the rubber limiter on top the the spring shackle. A tight fit. It was okay but can bottom out. The next one I tried was a full length leaf booster, 2,000 pound. This went between the shackle and the existing bottom leaf. I jacked up the MH, unbolted the shackle and slid it between the shackle and the bottom leaf. It worked great for the sagging MH. It was also inexpensive. There is a full length leaf booster that I haven't tried. It goes over the bottom of the shackle. Very easy install. In Oregon Knechts auto has a 2,000 pound set for $36. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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