Air Bags

[bainer1290]

My 1978 Dodge 22' Class C needs a bit of help on the rear suspension. I have noticed that the rear end looks like it is riding lower than it should be and the passenger side seems to be a bit worse than the drivers. 30 year old leaf springs loose their spring I guess...

When cruising down the road if you hit a bump or a dip the rear suspension sways quite a bit causing the whole motorhome to wander. This is a bit of a pain as it makes me have to correct by steering it back into the lane. I also live in a windy part of Canada and the wind can cause the motorhome to lean and make it difficult to steer as well.

My main question is will air bags make a big difference for me or am I better spending my money on something else?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[shawnc]

I'm sure the bags would help to stiffin up the suspension and pick the back end up, but sounds like you would be better off replacing the leafs and maybe even adding a rear anti sway bar and/or track bar/panhard bar if it doesn't have one to control the swaying.

 

[bainer1290]

Where would I be able to get some new leafs and a sway/track bar?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Any spring & suspension shop could do the job and it should not be real expensive. Most areas have at least one, especially if anywhere near an interstate. Look in the yellow pages under Springs or Automotive - suspension.  You might also inquire at Mor/Ryde for a suspension solution.

I would recommend new springs first and have them beefed up as well. If it still sways a lot, add an anti-sway bar.

 

[Ron]

Personally I would have the vehicle weighed as loaded for travel to confirm an overload condition isn't the cause.

 

[bainer1290]

So I pulled the motorhome into my front driveway which is a cement pad so it is for sure level. I checked each of the back wheels to see if one looked to be tucked higher up into the wheel well. Turns out I must have been on uneven ground each time I noticed the passenger rear looking a bit more saggy because in the driveway both back wheels are identical. This was also before we unloaded the unit. When I have driven the unit with it fully unloaded it handles very similar to when we have it fully packed. We are pretty light packers so I don't think it would be an overloading issue but thank you for bringing that solution up.

I also took a look underneath and it looks like each side had about 7 or 8 leafs, the first 2 or 3 are about the full length then the rest get shorter with the 8th only being about a fifth of the size of the first 3. Does that sound normal?

I also talked to the local RV dealer and they recommended an anti sway bar and air bags to me. What do you think would give me the most bang for my buck?

 

[bainer1290]

Took it into the local suspension shop today, they just took a look at it and say the rear suspension looks good. They said if I want to make it more stable and improve the ride quality that they can put some Firestone air bags in it. I mentioned a sway bar but the guy said the bags would give a better result. What do you think?

 

[shawnc]

Firestone air bags are pretty much the norm.  I'm probably going to put a set on my truck.  My dad's 91 Holiday Rambler has a set and they are still working good after all these years.  I think he is able to gain about 1-1 1/2" of height in the rear when he pumps them up.

They will help with sway, but an actual sway bar will do a lot more, since it ties both sides of the axle together through the frame and resists body sway (just like on the front of the vehicle).  They are especially useful if you are towing.

You might be able to find a generic or even vehicle specific kit for it.  I would guess the cost for something like that run at least $300.  Installation would be some holes and bushing bolted to the frame and somewhere to mount the end links on the axle.  Since it has rear leafs, you might be able to use the leaf spring hangers in some way.

 

[bainer1290]

I believe ADDCO makes a rear anti-sway bar for my Dodge B300 cutaway motorhome. I think what I will endup doing both the sway bar and the bags, but probably going to try the bags first just to see what the result is. Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions.

 

[harley man]

As always I  would follow Gary's advice, 30 yr. old leaf springs lose their suspension strength under load even while appearing to be at proper height. A good suspension facility would remove the springs, test , & rebuild them as necessary. This is cheaper then added airbags especially with a compressor option.