Guest Trealawboy Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 My Elnagh Marlin Slim 5 has a reasonably long overhang at the rear and this causes problems as I reverse out of my drive. Because of the steep slope of the drive and the camber of the road, the rear bumber scrapes the road as I am backing out. I have considered fitting air suspension to enable me to raise the rear of the motorhome to avoid sraping the road. Any suggestions as to whether or not this would work. I have noticed that the suspension is not toching the existing rubber stops when the motorhome is loaded so would air suspension units help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philman Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Hi, I've got air suspension on my Swift Royale. I often carry a scooter or motorbike on a rack at the back, the extra weight lowers the back end so I increase the pressure in the airrides to make the van level again. I'm not sure what the maximum increase in height would be but it's several inches. I normally run fully loaded but without the scooter at 40 psi, with the scooter on I increase the pressure to 60 psi. Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tp002c784tp002c784tp Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Hi Trealawboy You will find a big difference in your roadholding on motorways etc well worth the investment Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 With the overhang you describe, is it possible the problem is caused by overload? Have you checked the individual axle loads at a weighbridge?Cheaper than air suspension units, with which you'd still be overloaded unless the rear axle was re-"plated". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 We had the Airide suspension fitted to one of our previous motorhomes, based on the old Talbot to overcome what was on that base vehicle a fairly standard 'rear end sag'.....nothing due to the weight or overhang, just a too flimsy rear spring sytem. It really improved the overall raid though, once we established the PSI to use, which from memory was I think around 30psi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 We had an aditional set of leaf springs fitted to suplement the existing single semi-eliptic springs from new. Its an easy after-fit job. Midland Springs did it. A simple traditional way of stiffening up the rear end of vehicles that always travel fully loaded. Soon after this Mercedes did a special set of rear springs for Motorhomes anyway. No electrics or pnewmatics involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trealawboy Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 Thanks for the replies. I first noticed the fouling problem on my return home with the brand new motorhome completely unloaded so if it is a loading problem I am in deep trouble! I shall look at air suspension units at one of the shows and quiz the installers to see if they can guarantee yjat such units will raise the rear of the motorhome by the required amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 656 Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 Trealawboy - 2007-05-15 1:04 AM Thanks for the replies. I first noticed the fouling problem on my return home with the brand new motorhome completely unloaded so if it is a loading problem I am in deep trouble! I shall look at air suspension units at one of the shows and quiz the installers to see if they can guarantee yjat such units will raise the rear of the motorhome by the required amount. look at www.airide.co.uk, they fit the Airide system at shows. There is a contact page on the site along with all the costs involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 You may find coil spring assisters are a cheaper remedy, but you will need to take specialist advice, since I believe there is a load, or attitude, sensitive valve associated with the rear axle that apportions braking load to the back end. The greater the settle, the more brake force gets to the back. If you jack up the back, you risk the brakes "thinking" the van is running light, and underbraking the rear relative to the front. Might cause premature front lock-up. However, if yours has ABS, this may be resolved electronically.If you go for air assistance, from what you have said about the problem, I think you may need to get one of the more expensive variations. The cheaper ones are inflated with an air line, and the two assisters run at the same pressure. I understand this can have some funny affects on roll sensitivity, which may be exacerbated by a long overhang. It seems you may need the type that has an air pump permanently attached, so that you can make adjustments relative to load, and has individually pressurised assisters, so that air is not displaced from one side to the other under roll. The ultimate, and obviously the most costly, is fully automatic; you initially set the pressures to give the most comfortable trim angle, and the system monitors itself to maintain that angle, even letting air out as you unload! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tp002c784tp002c784tp Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 Brian Airide now fit a double valve with taps and gauge this allows you to pump both sides up equal or each side separate if required. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livewire Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 Check out this link, cheapest I've found at £299 http://www.marcleleisure.co.uk/store/air-suspensions-c-58.html I intend to fit it so I can carry a 150kg scooter on the back of my coachbuit. This is a simple system, separate valve to each airbag. I am slightly concerned about weight, but with an empty water tank and no passengers that would normally sit at the very back, shouldn't be too far off. Rack will be home made to keep weight down also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 tp002c784tp002c784tp - 2007-05-15 7:05 PM Brian Airide now fit a double valve with taps and gauge this allows you to pump both sides up equal or each side separate if required. Terry AgreedBut it occurred to me that Geoffrey may need to adjust his trim as he enters/leaves his drive, which is why I thought the on-board pump versions may be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trealawboy Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Keen readers will be pleased to know that I've had air suspension fitted to my motorhome and that it has solved the problem of the back end scraping on the road as I drive into and out of my drive. I inflate the suspension to 7.5 bar before driving out and then let it down to 2.0 bar at the fist lay-by that I come to reversing the procedure on returning home. I had the air suspension fitted by AS Air Suspension who are based in Warrington (www.AS-AirSuspension.co.uk, 01925 241200, 07874 046643). The owner Philip Berry owns a Dethleffs Tag Axle so is well aware of the problems caused by a long overhang. He dealt with the installation efficiently and was very helpful. The complete system for my Fiat Ducato based motorhome cost £437.50 and this include a permanently fixed air compressor. I heartily recommend AS Air Suspension to anyone thinking about having a system fitted. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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