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ronjax's avatar
ronjax
Explorer
Mar 29, 2015

kelderman on a w 24 workhorse

hi, I've been searching for reviews for the Kelderman air bag conversion on the front and rear of the workhorse chassis. find lots of good talk about f53 but none for the w 24. is this not a popular upgrade? my coach is a Winnebago 38t adventurer. Did I waste 2400 dollars by ordering the front air bags?
  • Ron hate to burst you bubble but, you would be better off trading for a DP with a good air suspension. The conversion will be a great investment, with some improvement in ride, but it will still be what it is. You should be able to get one with your trade, and the investment of the Kelderman suspension, plus installation.
  • I have four corner air bags on my W22 chassis and love them. We travel a lot in the Great Plains where high winds are pretty common, especially in the afternoon. I just pump my air bags up to 80psi or so and keep on truckin. I pass all kinds of RV's, both gas and DP's that are pulling over because they can't handle a little crosswind. Once the wind has died down, I let the pressure back down to 20psi and the ride is fine.
    I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. If you want stability on the highway, my air bags work great with just a touch of the buttons on my dash to pump them up or deflate them.
  • Hi rgatijnet1. Just wondering if your set up is the Kelderman air bag conversion system or adding air bags only as it sounds like Ranger Smith has done.
    http://www.kelderman.com/workhorse_motorhome_chassis_front_air_suspension
  • GREGORYJ wrote:
    Hi rgatijnet1. Just wondering if your set up is the Kelderman air bag conversion system or adding air bags only as it sounds like Ranger Smith has done.
    http://www.kelderman.com/workhorse_motorhome_chassis_front_air_suspension


    The Kelderman system basically isolates the leaf spring with the air bag. My four corner air bags system adds to the leaf spring to stiffen the suspension when needed.
    The Kelderman system appears that it would allow a softer ride but does not have a way to provide a stiffer ride when the need arises.
    I guess it depends on what you feel you need. A softer or firmer ride.
    I felt my W22 leaf springs were soft enough for normal conditions but because we travel in high wind areas, I needed to be able to stiffen the suspension to reduce sway.
  • I can stiffen my ride by inflating bags on my Kelderman system. Of course I am a Ford.
  • Thanks for the reply rgatijnet1. I have also found the w22 suspension was soft enough for me most of the time. As ronjax mentioned, it's hard to find anyone who has installed the Kelderman air bag system on a w22 or w24 chassis and then passed on their comments.
  • wildman we are thinkingg alike. installing the kelderman front air bag system next week then off on a 3 week run. when we return home will decide on keeping the gasser or trading for a dp.
  • Ron, private message Bob West and he might give you an idea of what it will cost to go that way.