Helper Springs

[raylen]

My 1990 Bounder 27D is sagging in the rear, making it very hard to fuel up. Have to back up on ramps or jack rear up so it will take fuel. Can a person buy helper springs that fit on the shocks. or how else can I raise the rear.

Thank you

[RBH]

Is it sagging because there's too much weight in the rear or because the springs or airbags are shot? If there's too much weight in the rear get rid of it or shift it. If the springs or air bags are shot repair/replace them.

[raylen]

Don't have air bags and the basement is empty, no extra weight

[Kirk W]

Tail sag after years of service is a common trait of gasoline powered coaches and Bounder is well known for that. The best way to check to see how much sag you have is to park on smooth pavement and then measure up from the pavement to the frame in front and rear. Solving the sag issue can be addressed in several ways. Having the rear springs re-curved is one of them and replacing springs is also possible. What I did when our 36' coach developed some of those symptoms was to get air bags installed and rear bags are very readily available for most chassis from most later RV service shops.

 

If you put in air bags, inflate them to the point that your frame rails are parallel to the pavement when level, measuring as suggested above. It isn't expensive and if very effective. I think that once this is done you will find that it also improves handling on the highway.

[raylen]

thanks Kirk

[skp51443]

Air bags are great as you can easily adjust them if your weight changes much, they aren't perfect though. I prefer to plumb each air bag to a filler valve instead of using a "T" connector, that eliminates air transfer when turning or driving in a stiff cross-wind.

 

A bit expensive but you can add a dual valve control and pressure pump to most systems, makes it easy to monitor and adjust the pressure and some systems extend the warranty with a on-board pump.

 

I also add the bags to my pre-trip checklist so I'm sure they have the correct amount of air. I had a simple check before I added the pump, I put a wrap of tape on my tire hammer and just checked it against the bottom of the bumper, less work than checking with a pressure gauge and didn't let any air out.

[rpsinc]

Air bags X3. Had a Dolphin on a Ford chassis and the leaf springs were tired and not up to the task so added air bags. Helped not only in ride height and but also in ride and handling. There is also the option of re-arching the springs but I always thought that the springs are still the same age and have been doing the job they were designed for for a lot of years. I am NOT a big proponent of helper springs as they are NOT adjustable like described above, so irregardless of load, they are always there and cannot have their influence on the suspension adjusted.

[oscarvan]

I prefer to plumb each air bag to a filler valve instead of using a "T" connector, that eliminates air transfer when turning or driving in a stiff cross-wind.

 

 

Also, letting down one side can give you a head start or final tweak in the leveling process.......