Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Wanting to add airbags to a 1987 Grand Villa 33' on a John Deere w/gas 460 (Read 568 times) previous topic - next topic

Wanting to add airbags to a 1987 Grand Villa 33' on a John Deere w/gas 460

Hello, I'm new to the site. I'm owner/operator of a small family RV repair business Tim's Mobile RV Repair based out of Woodland Washington. I recently purchased a 1987 33' Grand Villa and have been making numerous upgrades. Most recent was converting rooftop AC units from manual ceiling controls to the new digital Dometic single zone control wall mounted t-stats, replacing the Atwood gas/motor aid 6 gal water heater with a Suburban SW12DEM (12 gal, DSI Gas, 120V Electric + Motor Aid), various performance upgrades to the Ford 460, LED bulbs in all the light fixtures, lots of little misc repairs to everything.

The next thing on my to-do list is installing the Davis Tru-Trac bar & installing aftermarket air bags on all 4 corners. I was able to find the Tru-Track easily. The air bags are another story. I've located & purchased compressors, air tanks, remote switching air valves (for controlling each bag from the driver's seat), and a digital display that shows air pressure for each bag. The part I'm having trouble with is finding the actual air bag kits. In my research I was able to find that Air Lift brand used to manufacture kits for this (Load Lifter #57209 for the rear & Load Lifter #57106 for the front). The problem is they have discontinued both of these kits and I cannot find them anywhere. I have been on the phone with Air Lift and have confirmed that these kits are NLA. The factory guy told me I can still get replacement billows for the front, but wasn't sure about the back. This coach has never had air bags, so I'll need the complete mounting kits. Next I contacted Firestone and talked to a sales guy but his application list doesn't go back that far. He said he'd kick my email up to engineering, but those guys never responded (another dead end).

In my research with the Firestone brand, I've found vague references that lead me to believe that Ride Rite #2071 might work on the rear and #2070 might work on the front. These are the kits used on Ford F-53 Motor Home Chassis, but I'm hesitant to order without confirmation they will work on my chassis. My chassis has leaf springs on all four corners & was built for RV by John Deere. It has a 15,600 GVWR (5,600 front, 10,000 rear), with a 208" wheel base. If anybody here has information that could help me determine what air bag kits to purchase I would be extremely grateful. Tim
87 33' Grand Villa w/gas 460 on John Deere Chassis

Re: Wanting to add airbags to a 1987 Grand Villa 33' on a John Deere w/gas 460

Reply #1 –
Welcome to the forum.  Our coach has the "Torsilastic Springs" by Goodrich Aerospace. Not sure if they would retro to your coach, but ours SURE give us the "velvet ride".. Let us know how you do!  ^.^d
1993 U-240 "La Villa Grande"..CAT 3116 w/ Pacbrake PRXB...Allison 3060 6-speed..
Previous: 1983 Airstream 310 turbo diesel, 1979 Airstream 280 turbo diesel
                                      Build # 4297
                                      PNW natives
                      Home base:  'Cactus Hug' (Ajo, Arizona)
                        DW Judy & Chet the wonder dog
                        Full-Timers 'Sailing the asphalt sea'

Re: Wanting to add airbags to a 1987 Grand Villa 33' on a John Deere w/gas 460

Reply #2 –
Thank you for the suggestion. Knowing that's an option is nice. I very well might do that as a future mod. I have a couple reasons for wanting air bags. One is having the the ability to adjust ride to my liking, but the big reason is being able to level the coach easier. Here in WA State the ground gets pretty soft with all the rain we get. Due to that I like putting a chunk or two of 2 X 12 wood under each jack leg (so I don't bury them during leveling). When the HWH kick-down style jack legs become vertical, they are practically touching the ground and don't leave enough room for the block(s) to be placed.

I was thinking it would be really neat if I could pull into the spot & raise the rig a couple inches without leaving the driver's seat. Then I'd be able to place my blocks, go back to the drivers seat, extend the legs, deflate the bags, and lift/level with ease. I've got everything I need for this project except the bag kits. One of my skill sets is fabrication, so if I cannot find the bag kits, I will probably just buy the billows and fab my own mounting brackets. However, I'm not as ambitious as I once was, and would much prefer to find pre-fabbed kits that will make this mod a bit easier  :)) . Tim
87 33' Grand Villa w/gas 460 on John Deere Chassis

Re: Wanting to add airbags to a 1987 Grand Villa 33' on a John Deere w/gas 460

Reply #3 –
It really sounds like you are going to have to make your own mounts or modify them.  Really any airbag with roughly the same diameter can work just have to make the brackets fit the installed height correct for the bag.
Toby a 94 u280
Cummins 8.3
6 speed Allison
Exhaust brake


Adopted by Derek and Annabelle

Re: Wanting to add airbags to a 1987 Grand Villa 33' on a John Deere w/gas 460

Reply #4 –
Quote from: its toby –
It really sounds like you are going to have to make your own mounts or modify them.  Really any airbag with roughly the same diameter can work just have to make the brackets fit the installed height correct for the bag.

I'm ready to start this project, and was hoping to avoid that. It is something I am capable of doing though. On the plus side, these type projects are always more rewarding to me when I build things from scratch. I do tend to lean towards overkill, which will blend in well with the rest of this chassis. I always wonder about the strength of these pre-fabbed bracket kits. The big issue with fabbing is my old bones don't like all the climbing around under RVs anymore........then there's the dizziness when I get back up : ). Oh the joys of growing old. At least I can still do these things, for that I'm thankful  ^.^d . Tim
87 33' Grand Villa w/gas 460 on John Deere Chassis