Wondering if anyone has recommendations on where I can get my air-bags replaced? Looking for someplace with experience in the West or Central states? Thanks, in advance!
Chad and Judy Haring
98 U320
FOT or MOT. Texas is pretty "Central".
Most any heavy truck suspension and alignment shop can easily handle the job.
Check Yelp, other services for truck shops with a good reputation close to you. Air bags are used on thousands of big rigs so done all the time and a very simple operation for any shop. Might save some time and money buying the bags ahead of time. Conti (Contential Tire and Rubber) make a good product at an attractive price.
Pierce
Thanks, to everyone who replied to my question regards replacing all 8 air-bags on my '98 U320. I did talk to a local heavy-truck maintenance firm, who "thinks" they could "probably" do the job, if I provide the parts. Not 100% reassuring, but.... FOT is "booked" until early July, and you cannot stay in the coach during the work, which presents problems, as we travel with an animal. The 8 bag assemblies are around $1,600. delivered from FT Parts; probably the "safe" way I would go, just to insure what I receive is actually the correct assemblies. By-the-by, I thought I was told, by several people here, that James Triana had "left" FOT. Not the case, I learned!
Thanks again!!
No, I chatted with James this morning.
Looks like you are in Wickenburg so Cummings on I 10 exit99 at Rocky mountain Cummins can do them in Avondale.
JohnH
Like Pierce said Contitech makes a good product;
AS9448 by CONTITECH - CONTITECH AIR SPRING 64286/1R11-150/8563 (https://www.finditparts.com/products/7889630/contitech-as9448)
You can purchase 8 of them for $626.69 with free shipping and the 15% online discount. That's almost 1 coachbuck saved versus FOTs price.
I replaced all 8 of mine two years ago with the Contitechs.
I agree with "Travelin - man" Bought mine and installed them myself only took 8 man hours, But that's because I'm Old and worked slow. You need 8 supports to block the coach up, The first one is a learning experience and from that point on went pretty easy... ^.^d
Truck Parts & Trailer Parts - Pickup Truck & Trailer to Semi Truck (https://www.truckspring.com/)
https://www.truckspring.com/Search.aspx?keyword=W01-358-9448%09Firestone+Airide+Air+Spring+%7c+Reversible+Sleeve+%7c+1T15L-2
None of mine were leaking so I replaced the rear 4 since removing the the side panels was the easiest way to gain access. I'll store the 4 removed and use in the front when a leak starts. The front 4 are really easy to replace compared to the rear 4.
I second the Conti's from find it parts. I ordered mine and it got here two days later and I installed them 2 days after that...less than 675 for 8 delivered. Took me probably 4-5 hrs for install and boom saved a ton of money. That was a week ago!
I replaced all airbags pretty easily just by removing tires. No need to take off fenders. I also replaced the stupid lock nut they used on the large stud that the air goes through with a regular nut.
Cummins Coach Care facilities can do the job. They are setup to work on coaches.
10% discount on parts & labor with Cummins Power Club membership- your first visit pays the dues- $19 I think.
Beau Reece and his partner did ours. Each took a side. Seven of the eight bags were no problem for them. The eighth one, though, fought valiantly every step of the way. The ended up cutting the old bag to pieces to get it out. The new one went in without a wimper.
Chad & Judy. You may have gotten James Holder. mixed up with James Triana. James Holder left Tennessee RV when Lazy Days bought them out.
Yes, no need for a locking nut. Regular nut with lock washer is fine. Bags don't come with nuts so I used new stainless nuts/washers. Just a little anti-seize is probably a good idea here.
For some, fender removal may make it much easier, especially if you have big hands. I didn't but I'm stubborn. 12V gun and the fender skirt is quickly removed.
Pierce
Started bag removal and replacement.. IMPOSSIBLE JOB!! Holy smokes.. MOT deal at $1600.00.. Id be happy to pay it.. WOw.. Worse job ever on this coach so far
started around 8am .. left at 1pm and they had the 2nd one on.. finished with 4 total so far.. incredible.. Why would Foretravel put the air side on the back between the frame and the walls of the coach? No room to work. I will finish next weekend.. Brakes will be fresh also on the front. Probably pull the 6 pack out next weekend too and rebuild it..
You can do it,thought you were going to say you drank a six pack.
On front bags air supply is positioned to protect it front damage if front tire blows and shreds. Put it back the way you found it please.
Funny thing... never said that. No worries.. made it work another way. I put the bag in upside down so its was easier.. ^.^d :))
Now that I think about it.. the passenger bag at door (the one behind the tire as your facing it to the left.. at the front door) ... the fitting was on the inside of the tire but the one on the right was on the inside of the frame... so the one on the right would be correct to your thinking but the left bag is in the area a blow out could damage it.. Original bag.. Hmmm Foretravel must have done it incorrectly originally ..
Not sure what they were thinking? Maybe an early run and they missed it.
That's why I welded up an extended "Crow's Foot" to get the hidden nut off. If you pull the fender skirts, it's a lot easier. It saves hours if you look it over carefully and then get all the tools together before you start. Helps to have small hands too. Buy a plastic tub from HD, go to the nearest HF and buy the 20 ton air/hydraulic jack (buy it on sale ahead of time), lots of 3/8" extensions, small air impact, sockets to fit the three air bag bolts, wrench to fit the air stud, new nuts for the bags, liquid wrench, 25 foot air hose, safety stands, combo wrench to fit brass fitting/air line, wheel chocks, gloves, hand cleaner, safety glasses/goggles, blanket to lie on, tube of teflon, pencil and list, etc. Use coach air for the impact. Impacts are dirt cheap at HF. Sure a lot easier for all work around a coach to have a SMALL two piece 12V drill/impact combination At $119, this is one of the best tools to keep in the coach for a million different uses. https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Drill-Driver-and-Impact-Driver-Combo-Kit-with-2-Batteries-Charger-and-Bag-R9000K/205358335 Any of the other small look alike 12V kits will be fine. Porter, Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, etc.
Using the coach air, once the coach is jacked up, safety stands in place, wheels chocked, the bottom nuts are 10 to 20 seconds at the most to remove leaving the one remaining same size nut up top. Perhaps a couple minutes for that one and then depending on if the remaining nut is hidden or not, a bit longer for that one. Remove the brass air fitting without damaging it and when installing it on the new bag, point it in the EXACT same direction as on the old one or the air supply tube will not thread on and will cause you to curse. All this WITHOUT removing the tires. Philips fitting for the impact to remove the skirt if needed.
Using a "liquid wrench" type spray a day ahead will ease the operation. With the coach jacket up, the new/old bags easily goes past the tire and into place without compressing it or any hassle. If the coach is not high enough, it will cause a lot of headaches. The air/hydraulic jack at about $80 on sale also makes life much easier. Lifts in about 30 seconds using coach air. These tools take little space to carry with you for the next time you need to change a bag, change tires, etc, etc. OK, you have spent a bit on tools but most are going to be needed for any kind of RV work.
Love the saying, "Have Your Ducks In A Row."
Pierce
You're doing it wrong, lol.
With the tires off, it's not bad to reach behind on the front side and get the hidden nuts. But, I'm also used to working by feel from years and years of experience.
The only thing that annoys me is getting the big lock nut off....I can't fit any power tools up there and I only get about 1/8 of a swing on the ratchet (luckily I have a fine tooth ratchet).
Normal length open end wrenches work fine for the air line and removing the 90. You can "grab" the 90 from either direction with the wrench (9/16" I think???). You put the wrench underneath the threaded part at an angle.
Do the shocks at the same time.
I had a few things going yesterday. Started early.. 630am.. My guy was late so a late start.. no big deal but the wrestling match went from there... We have it figured out now... Old dog is slow to learn if ever.. We finally have a system down.. Very frustrating at first.. would have been easier to remove the body from the Chassis I think (not really).
SHocks replaced last year.. should have done both at the same time but I didnt think the bags were ready.. they are seeping now.. Surprised on how firm the new bags are compared to the old ones.. Now the coach should sit a little firmer when parked...
Thanks for the suggestions.. It helps just in case I missed something.. Found the Magic tool page after I left at 1pm.. that magic tool should make quicker work of the fittings.. I did get all new 90 degree metal fittings DOT approved... Kinda excited to get it done.
Always interested in magical tools. What is it or website link?
The curved wrench on the forum..
OK, here is a photo of the tool I made for the "hidden" nut. It's 19mm or 3/4" and takes a 1/2" drive. I use a several extensions to get up to it but then it's a snap. Squirt favorite liquid wrench a day or at least a few minutes before. I can't remember why I put a little angle on it.
Pierce
After I left my guys made a tool also.. I will take a pic.. when I first seen that tool I thought it was a window crank.. sry.. I didnt really look at it originally
Idea,next time anyone makes a tool,make 2 or 3 and sell to a non-tool making forum member!!!!!
We cut holes on back wall of step and streetside front compartment wall to access these difficult to access holes. We documented with photos. Easy to patch up hole with larger plate. Also gives us future access to the area.
On some coaches, the 'salesman' switch big cables are in the same area, making it an impossible job. We also removed the salesman switch and those two large battery cables.
I do not like holes of any kind so I try to never drill holes.. vhb tape for almost everything.. coach is to nice to chop up.. port holes only look good on boats and lighthouses
I like that idea! Pretty easy to make a cover that will blend in. Will our roof solar, I drilled and screwed everything. I just put a little sealer on each screw threads and call it a day.
P
As you may know, I rarely say anything positive about the guys at World Line Motors. But they did have a fast way of removing the air line fittings on the airbags where they are difficult to access (e.g. the forward front airbags). First, they removed the bottom airbag nuts. Then they cut the old bags in half (horizontally) and then removed the top half. They then used an air driven chisel to cut the bottom of the fitting off (the part of the fitting that was inside the bag. This makes it easy to get out and install a new one. Of course, it is still a hassle to get the new fitting on. Removal of the docking lights in front provides a path to the fitting on those bags. See the pics.
It's nice to see somebody else shares my feelings about drilling holes. I never understood why people drill holes in everything...especially boats and RVs. Holes are a path for leaks! And why ruin beautiful oak or walnut cabinetry with holes?
We used a grinder and basically the same thing but after the first one... We had to brain storm.. cut bag in half is the easiest to start with.. They made a tool that I will have to look at tomorrow to see what it is.. but another idea we came up with is to notch the plate at the big hole or slot it.. that way we can put the fitting on and slip through the slot.. line up the bolts and tighten .. Putting the fitting on on the backside of the rail is difficult so we will talk it over tomorrow.. slot Idea sounds pretty good.
Once the coach is jacked up and secure, if you have a tool to loosen the four hidden nuts on four bags out of eight, the R&R can't be over 15 minutes, less on the bags without the hidden nut. The only thing that slows the process from being faster is the top nuts are fairly close to the rectangular tubing so you can't use a ratcheting box end on them as it hits on the tubing.
Pierce
We didn't just drill holes, we cut out metal for access. Gave us access to a difficult area. It did make installation easier as we were not going to remove our painted fenders.
Here is our access project:
Air Bags Replaced - 1997 U270 (http://beamalarm.com/Documents/air_bags_replaced_1997_u270.html)