Community Forums

jasonracing · 02-20-2018, 02:51 PM

Is it possible to adjust the ride height of an RV with the air bag suspension? Reason I'm asking is our current RV is a Providence 39V and it is noticably lower in the rear than our previous RV Discovery 39A. I don't want to have problems going over normal road surfaces due to less clearance in the rear.

Jthigh · 02-20-2018, 03:16 PM

Most units with air springs do have valves that control the pressure to the air bag to set height. Look underneath and you should see small rods that connect the front suspension and another for the rear differential. Those rods connect to a valves mounted on the frame. The rods move valve position to change pressure. The rods should have threaded attachment links that you can adjust.

Be careful not do do this without proper jack supports. If you move the arm it could release air and crush you under the coach. I would have it done by a qualified service center. I just had mine done last week. If you have a copy of the suspension manual it list the ride height setting there which you can easily check yourself.

twinboat · 02-20-2018, 03:27 PM

You don't want to just arbitrary adjust the ride height.

Things like the driveshaft angle and shock absorber length have to be considered. The shocks could be over extended and the driveshaft can vibrate, causing early U joint failure.

You should find the correct ride height from the factory and adjust it to that.

Gary RVRoamer · 02-20-2018, 04:30 PM

What twinboat said. It's not just conveninece - it's a matter of mechanical necessity to have the ride height correct. A Discovery should be on a Freightliner chassis, so get the ride height specs from Freightliner Customer Service (800-FTL-HELP) or just go to a Freightliner OASIS dealer and have them take care of it.

You may have either a bent ride height control arm or deflated air bags. Both need immediate attention.

GlennLever · 02-20-2018, 08:07 PM

As stated above there are sensors that can be adjusted to effect ride height.

However, the height of the coach has a specific measurement set at the manufacturer. In my case the correct height is set by measuring between the frame and the top of the axle. What you need is the procedure to set the height. That should be in the chassis manual.

If you do not have the manual put a post out and see if someone can provide you with a copy of the procedure from their manual.

It may well be that the height in the rear of your coach has been set incorrectly.

Just increasing the height can effect a lot of things including drive shaft angle ride comfort and drive ability.

If you need to post for the manual, include year, make, model, chassis.

Glenn Lever

jasonracing · 02-21-2018, 12:38 PM

Thanks for all of your responses. I plan to have the local Freightliner dealer look at the ride height for me. I'd like to find out if it's correct before towing anything and make adjustments to it if necessary. I have noticed that after it is parked for a while that the front suspension does lose a little air especially in colder temperatures which I had been told was normal.