Taaadaaa! Took the plunge. Airbags on the Class A
So after much procrastination and diddling around....and being the cheapskate that I am, I ordered a set of airbags for my 95 Bounder 34j.
Just what Mr. Bounder needed! And, it really was not all that hard to install. New leaves were about $1500. This was about $500.
Then I saw it....rear sway bushings. GONE. Rotted, fallen off many miles back, laying on the side of the road like roadkill.....
MOOG supplied! HD blue sway bushings both on the frame and the sway end. Along with the airbags, I be pimping now like a big dog!
I bought Airlift 5000 model. Independent air connections. (Might put a compressor on this). Rear end raised about 4 inches at about 70lbs of pressure.
Road test! Along with getting yelled at by my oldest son for buying yet another car to add to my fleet,---Hey KID the deal was too good to pass up, a 2017 Fusion Hybrid for $8800. (I can tow the Fusion on all 4's). The C-Max is a great car but this was too good to pass up.
I was going down the highway with the cell phone in my ear and driving with 1 hand. Cops can't see me anyway. IF there were any.
No sway. Not being pushed by passing big rigs. In fact, the only complaints seem to be the dishes in the sink in the kitchen.
The Bounder felt like it was riding a bit more firm. I had the PSI set at 60. The 100g water tank was full and 3/4 tank of gas. Now with fresh tires, Bilstein shocks, new sway bushings both upfront and now rear, with airbags, this big boat handles pretty **** good for a 25-year-old coach.
The install was not exactly as planned. Yes, there were pre-drilled holes on the frame. But not exactly matching up. Once the top bracket was mounted, and we squeezed the airbag down onto the bottom bracket mounted on the axle housing, it was all straight forward, no pun intended....
I ran the air lines to the storage compartment---one on each side. But when I saw the condition of the rear sway bushings....
So, we are now ready, (we being me, two dogs and a mean old Siamese cat that thinks she is the queen of the Nile), are getting ready to make the trip from Cal to Kansas.
The cooling system rebuilt. New brakes. Tires. Shocks. Bags and bushings, the generator is now up and running, microwave replaced, the coffee maker is new, AC and heaters working, and a rear camera now installed at the license plate.....
Next stop....Pratt, Kansas. The farm manager can see me coming so they will run for the fields when they see this baby lumbering down the road heading their way. "EVERYONE RUN...California is here....bail, everyone make yourselves disappear, California has arrived....."
Now to have the shop build me tow clips for the front (nonplastic area) of either the C-Max or the Fusion.... aint retirement fun? And only one kid yells at me. No old lady to make life miserable. Just a mean cat, two Aussies who collect socks and shoes which they stash under the couch, a big motorhome...life is good. Gas is cheap. And if Covid visits, the kids have the passwords to the accounts. If you know what I mean.
Just what Mr. Bounder needed! And, it really was not all that hard to install. New leaves were about $1500. This was about $500.
Then I saw it....rear sway bushings. GONE. Rotted, fallen off many miles back, laying on the side of the road like roadkill.....
MOOG supplied! HD blue sway bushings both on the frame and the sway end. Along with the airbags, I be pimping now like a big dog!
I bought Airlift 5000 model. Independent air connections. (Might put a compressor on this). Rear end raised about 4 inches at about 70lbs of pressure.
Road test! Along with getting yelled at by my oldest son for buying yet another car to add to my fleet,---Hey KID the deal was too good to pass up, a 2017 Fusion Hybrid for $8800. (I can tow the Fusion on all 4's). The C-Max is a great car but this was too good to pass up.
I was going down the highway with the cell phone in my ear and driving with 1 hand. Cops can't see me anyway. IF there were any.
No sway. Not being pushed by passing big rigs. In fact, the only complaints seem to be the dishes in the sink in the kitchen.
The Bounder felt like it was riding a bit more firm. I had the PSI set at 60. The 100g water tank was full and 3/4 tank of gas. Now with fresh tires, Bilstein shocks, new sway bushings both upfront and now rear, with airbags, this big boat handles pretty **** good for a 25-year-old coach.
The install was not exactly as planned. Yes, there were pre-drilled holes on the frame. But not exactly matching up. Once the top bracket was mounted, and we squeezed the airbag down onto the bottom bracket mounted on the axle housing, it was all straight forward, no pun intended....
I ran the air lines to the storage compartment---one on each side. But when I saw the condition of the rear sway bushings....
So, we are now ready, (we being me, two dogs and a mean old Siamese cat that thinks she is the queen of the Nile), are getting ready to make the trip from Cal to Kansas.
The cooling system rebuilt. New brakes. Tires. Shocks. Bags and bushings, the generator is now up and running, microwave replaced, the coffee maker is new, AC and heaters working, and a rear camera now installed at the license plate.....
Next stop....Pratt, Kansas. The farm manager can see me coming so they will run for the fields when they see this baby lumbering down the road heading their way. "EVERYONE RUN...California is here....bail, everyone make yourselves disappear, California has arrived....."
Now to have the shop build me tow clips for the front (nonplastic area) of either the C-Max or the Fusion.... aint retirement fun? And only one kid yells at me. No old lady to make life miserable. Just a mean cat, two Aussies who collect socks and shoes which they stash under the couch, a big motorhome...life is good. Gas is cheap. And if Covid visits, the kids have the passwords to the accounts. If you know what I mean.
