Sprinter motorhome boondocking

toedtoes wrote:

EsoxLucius wrote:
Looks like only one post by someone who actually has a Mercedes Benz Sprinter motorhome. All other posts really seem off topic.

The thread has evolved to a different discussion, but the initial OP was asking about the amount of time one can boondock/dry camp with specific tank sizes. That is not dependent upon the brand or model of the RV - it is only dependent upon the tank sizes. And even if folks have a different tank size, you can extrapolate from their usage what the usage would be with your tank size and your usage variations.

Yup. Tank size and how the tanks are used. Pure and simple.

All I can say is that the two of us have went six days without re-filling the fresh water tank. We were running low but we still had water and our grey tank was getting full too.

We do take quick showers (get wet, soap up and rinse off) and we use paper and plastic but we still had pots and pans to wash.

Our batteries seem to last for two days, then we need to run the generator. If we are traveling even ever other day then we never need to run the generator other than for microwave or air conditioning.

Hope this helps.

EsoxLucius wrote:
Looks like only one post by someone who actually has a Mercedes Benz Sprinter motorhome. All other posts really seem off topic.

The thread has evolved to a different discussion, but the initial OP was asking about the amount of time one can boondock/dry camp with specific tank sizes. That is not dependent upon the brand or model of the RV - it is only dependent upon the tank sizes. And even if folks have a different tank size, you can extrapolate from their usage what the usage would be with your tank size and your usage variations.

Looks like only one post by someone who actually has a Mercedes Benz Sprinter motorhome. All other posts really seem off topic.

pnichols wrote:

ron.dittmer wrote:
I had while-you-drive-adjustable air bags in my first motor home. What I learned from them was...the more air I put in them, the harsher the ride was...period.

Ron,

I've read in these forums of others having the same experience of a stiffer ride after adding air bags.

I suspect that this is due to the air support of the air bags being ADDED to the existing steel support of the rear springs. What needs to be done is to SUBSTITUTE some air bag support for some steel spring support.

This is in fact what is provided by a full air suspension system - the entire weight of the vehicle is supported at the proper height entirely by the soft sponginess of air - with no harsh steel spring support present at all.

What I'm suggesting is a cost effective way to add some air support at the cost of some steel support. This would be less expensive than completely replacing an existing steel spring system with an air suspension system.

I really do understand your point.

My particular rig sort-of falls within your recommendation. You say to remove springs to make the suspension deficient, then supplement with airbags to increase the ratio of air suspension to spring suspension. My rear suspension is slightly deficient when fully loaded up, but I can't imagine airbags for my situation will soften the ride. Maybe if I removed more springs like you suggest, I could notice an improvement in the quality of the ride. But I am not comfortable relying so heavily on air bags to prevent the rig from dragging on the street.

There was a time I contemplated adding those Firestone rear air bags to see if I could lift the rear a little more to level it when fully loaded. But anticipating a rougher ride had me dropping the idea. The sag I have is not enough to take action over.

Thanks for your thoughts on all this.

ron.dittmer wrote:
I had while-you-drive-adjustable air bags in my first motor home. What I learned from them was...the more air I put in them, the harsher the ride was...period.

Ron,

I've read in these forums of others having the same experience of a stiffer ride after adding air bags.

I suspect that this is due to the air support of the air bags being ADDED to the existing steel support of the rear springs. What needs to be done is to SUBSTITUTE some air bag support for some steel spring support.

This is in fact what is provided by a full air suspension system - the entire weight of the vehicle is supported at the proper height entirely by the soft sponginess of air - with no harsh steel spring support present at all.

What I'm suggesting is a cost effective way to add some air support at the cost of some steel support. This would be less expensive than completely replacing an existing steel spring system with an air suspension system.

I had while-you-drive-adjustable air bags in my first motor home. What I learned from them was...the more air I put in them, the harsher the ride was...period. For better control when driving conditions were poor, I added more air. When conditions were good again, I would let out all but 15 psi because the system required that as a minimum. With that experience, I am not convinced adding air bags will soften the ride of an otherwise unmodified suspension.

But your idea pnichols is different. First removing a few springs, then "toy" with air pressure in air bags. That idea might render results. But I would first remove one pair of leafs on a short E450 and see if that alone does the trick.

I don't feel comfortable removing any springs in my E350 with an already slight rear sag when fully loaded up. And I fear adding air bags for a little extra lift will just make the ride worse. I'd rather have the slight sag.

Now adding Koni-FSDs, that I'd do if I could justify the expense. If only my adjustable Koni-RV shocks would fail on me. Would someone please come over to my place and punch a hole in each of the four? :)

To best reduce rear end harshness from the Ford E350 or E450 rear springs in a Class C motorhome, probably the most budget-wise approach would be to change to "poor man's air suspension" in the rear, as folows:

1) Have a shop remove one (E350) or two (E450) rear leaf springs.

2) Then add air bags and inflate them to bring rear end height back up to what it was (or what you prefer) before removing the rear leaf spring(s).

Now you're riding on plenty of air from the bags after inflating them to bring ride height back to what it was before removing the leaf spring(s) in the rear. Much less expensive than installing a full-blown air suspension system, but with almost the same results (depending upon how many leaf springs were removed and how much you inflated the newly added air bags).

Ooooh, I almost forgot:

3) Now use Koni FSD shocks back there in the rear.

pnichols wrote:
Ron,

FWIW ... I've taken some of the rear spring sting out our E450 24 footer by installing Koni FSD shocks back there. I'll probably put them on the front before our Alaska trip. However, our ride is quite tolerable now even with them only the rear.

Those FSDs do seem to be the ideal shock to reduce harshness.

I always wondered if it would be okay to remove a pair of leaf springs (or two pairs) in back to reduce the harshness of the ride without introducing rear end sag. The E450 holds up a whole lot more weight than a typical 24 foot long rig.

I have also wondered if I could add one pair of leaf springs in my E350 to bring up the rear a tab bit without too much a sacrifice to the harshness of the ride. My concern is that it could increase the over-all height so much that I won't clear my garage door opening. Today I have only 1.5" clearance to the a/c unit. That is with the rig empty and normal air in the tires.

Ron,

FWIW ... I've taken some of the rear spring sting out our E450 24 footer by installing Koni FSD shocks back there. I'll probably put them on the front before our Alaska trip. However, our ride is quite tolerable now even with them only in the rear.