Kanus Spring Assistors

[Chucky]

Hi ....... Can anybody offer advice and direction, I'm in the process of having a scooter rack fitted onto my 'Knaus SUN Ti 600LF', which is fitted onto a 'Renault Master', I've done various load tests and been on the way bridge to determine that the van will take the extra 100kg , all appears to be well within the rear axle and total load limits. To try and eliminate any potential problems (on/off ferries etc.), I would like to fit spring assistors. Can anybody offer advice as to the name of the best type of assistor to fit ? does anybody have experience of fitting the rubber 'doughnut's type ? can anybody actually say what size of 'doughnut's is required ? do the 'doughnuts' actually raise the height of the van when unloaded ?

 

Any help is more than gratefully accepted.

 

Safe travels

[Guest JudgeMental]

You can buy air assist kits for most vehicle types, personally wouldn't bother with springs as they will make unloaded ride hard ....I have fitted a few to 4x4 trucks when we had a demountable camper. its straight forward as long as you have correct tools.

 

http://www.driveriteltd.com/info_1378driverite-air-suspensions.php

 

I always bought direct from Driverite in Dublin (link above) but with the state of the Euro not sure....MMM has adverts for systems. just see what you need via web site first and compare prices.

 

you can get manual or auto system. I always choose manual and just put some air in via a compressor when I carried a load....easy and far cheaper :-D

 

Just make sure your rear axle has the spare capacity as tow bar, rack and bike plus the fulcrum effect of putting weight behind rear axle is a hell of a lot more then 100kg! *-)

[Guest Tracker]

Have you looked at Airride which are height adjustable from within the cab?

[Guest JudgeMental]

 

"adjustable from within the cab" is a waste of money IMO as it more then doubles the cost. It takes very little air to pump up, they are much smaller then a ball.....have used a bicycle pump when I couldn't find my compressor. and you only need to do it when travelling with a load.

 

all kits similar as I think they all use Firestone air bags......just compare the prices.

 

[Mel B]

We had Air-ride fitted to our van and it really does make a difference. We can adjust from inside the cab - the 'valve' assembly is located in the passenger side footwell with a guage so you know what it is set to. Can't remember what we paid but we had them fitted at the York show in 2007, it took about 90 mins - usually only takes about 60 mins but we have a twin rear wheel drive transit and it was a bit more complicated than a front wheel drive system. Weight wise, it doesn't really add much at all as they old heavy bump stops are removed to allow for the air bags to be fitted.

 

As the Judge says though, make sure you've calculated your total loading carefully especially the 'wet' weight of the scooter, ie with oil, fuel etc as the manufacturer's official weight may not include this.

 

Just had a rummage and found these 2 postings which might prove useful to you:

 

No 1

 

No 2

 

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Chucky:

 

I suggest you contact potential suppliers about the best 'doughnuts' to fit to your Knaus, as it's likely to be preferable to have heavier-duty versions operating at low pressure than lighter-duty variants operating at high pressure. (That assumes there's a choice, of course!)

 

Driverite and Airide (www.airide.co.uk) are probably the best known UK providers, but there's also a kit marketed by Al-Ko.

 

GOOGLE-ing on "air suspension motorhome" will provide plenty of hits.