Community Forums

cj5 jeeper · 11-26-2008, 07:40 AM

If any UFO owners have been looking for front airbags, Firestone now has them. The part number is TA 2477.
The front clearance on my Rexhall leaves little room for error on turns and dips, as was demonstrated when pulling into a station and having a car pull in front of me and stop forcing me to turn more then the motorhome liked.
Installed them yesterday, and the only hard part was forcing my sore body to slide under the motorhome. Now to install the compresser and control panel. Now when needed I will reach down and add air to the bags. Rexhall installs rear airbags, so I purchased a dual valve panel so front and rear can be controled seperately.
To Rexhall owners check your airlines from the rear airbags, as mine were routed over the converter, and at 2800 miles the loom around the lines was melted, and the lines would not have lasted very long.

cj5 jeeper · 11-26-2008, 07:40 AM

If any UFO owners have been looking for front airbags, Firestone now has them. The part number is TA 2477.
The front clearance on my Rexhall leaves little room for error on turns and dips, as was demonstrated when pulling into a station and having a car pull in front of me and stop forcing me to turn more then the motorhome liked.
Installed them yesterday, and the only hard part was forcing my sore body to slide under the motorhome. Now to install the compresser and control panel. Now when needed I will reach down and add air to the bags. Rexhall installs rear airbags, so I purchased a dual valve panel so front and rear can be controled seperately.
To Rexhall owners check your airlines from the rear airbags, as mine were routed over the converter, and at 2800 miles the loom around the lines was melted, and the lines would not have lasted very long.

edgray · 11-26-2008, 07:55 AM

cj5 jeeper: WELCOME to iRV2.com

I see you've been a member for a while now, we are glad you posted this valuable info.

May I suggest you go into your profile and add some rig specific info into the SIGNATURE box. That way our members can see what you have, and better respond to your posts.

Again, thanks for posting the info about airbags for the UFO. ED

The Bull · 11-27-2008, 03:55 AM

How do these air bags affect the handling as I have had no problems with my chassis and ride. But I am always looking fhe next best thing.

DriVer · 11-27-2008, 05:27 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by The Bull:
How do these air bags affect the handling as I have had no problems with my chassis and ride. But I am always looking the next best thing. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>The Bull, Give yourself some time with your UFO. The Hendrickson front and rear coil spring suspension on your vehicle in my opinion are great just they way they are. The torquebox is unique and no body else even comes close to the performance you can clearly demonstrate to anyone that is trying to follow you onto the Interstate. Roll rate on the UFO is minimal. Yaw is non existent. Pitch is the only axis that remains conventional and I believe rightly so. The ride comfort issued by the unique coil spring rear suspension far exceeds conventionally sprung Class A motorhomes.

TTT has made an aftermarket kit which replaces the Bilsteins for Monroes and they also added a steering damper. This kit was available some 6 months after the chassis hit the streets. I believe what they did is stiffen up the front shocks but I don't know how that kit performs or if it is all that dramatic for the money invested.

Although some coach manufacturers mount their box uniquely, I don't believe that the LE is challenged by bottoming out the front end. You've got a lot of clearance from the ground to the lowest part of the coach body.

I am sure and you must certainly agree that the thing goes great just the way it is!

-Gramps- · 11-27-2008, 07:02 AM

I have no plans to change anything about my chassis. It handles great. A good example is the return trip across the Wright Brothers Memorial Causeway from the Outer Banks to the mainland. My old Bounder, well it turned into a Bounder coming across those short spaced expansion joints in the bridge. The UFO rides across the bridge as smooth as a car even in a high crosswind.

cj5 jeeper · 11-27-2008, 08:14 PM

There are two main reasions I am adding the front airbags.
I have a 2008 Rexhall, and they not only have a long front overhang, there is very little travel in the front suspension, and limited clerance for turning if you are going through a dip.
Driving on the freeway the dreaded bump at the bridge will bottom out the front axle, and the problem with small dips are frustrations I hope to lessen.
I am installing front airbags, compresser, airtank and panel with valves and a dual needle gauge so I can moniter and change pressure in both front and rear airbags while driving. If I can keep from hitting bottom so easy, and increase air pressure before going through dips it will make life easier, as my wife will give me fewler of those looks.
So you know I am not trying to make a 37 ft. motorhome drive like a corvette this is my 4th motorhome, and I have driven truck since 1968, and have driven some of the best, and some of the oh s--- I must have a death wish to drive this thing.

-Gramps- · 11-28-2008, 04:06 AM

My coach has more of a rear end overhang problem. Twice, I have smashed the toad wiring hookup socket because it was the lowest point on the coach. I had it moved last week. When I pull the rig into my driveway I have about 2 inches of clearance still. I understand how airbags could help in a situation such as yours.

DriVer · 11-28-2008, 05:09 AM

Looking at your vehicle from the side you should see first of all if there appears to be any change in pitch from the front to the rear of the coach. I would identify 2 places that have similar distances from the ground in both the front and rear of the coach. Measure from the bottom of the coach body to the ground and record those distances.

If you add airbags the bags will lift the coach body and may upset your trim level. Perhaps now the coach doesn't ride level any more. One thing that you would not want to do (in the extreme) is expose the bottom of the front of the suspension to the direction of travel because you will be adding parasitic drag plus with the front end of the vehicle tilted up it may have a tendency to transfer more of the load to the rear of the vehicle.

The more you push up on the box from the axle the less effective becomes the suspension because you are moving the motion axis vertically upward. In extreme cases this in of itself may cause other effects such as instability. Moving the CG vertically upward on a large box like a motorhome isn't preferable especially if it places more moment arm energy at a greater distance from the center of the axle.

Rexhall has previously implemented air bags on the rear axle of some of it models on W22 chassis. These devices were added to trim up the box so the vehicle would ride level. I believe they were successful in implementing this. The airbags therefore came directly from Rexhall as OEM equipment. I would call Workhorse TS and ask them their opinion about adding air bags to the front of the UFO and get some incite from the chassis builder if this solution is a good, bad or ugly workaround.

I think they are open today but for sure on Monday.

Good luck with your project, I hope it works out for you.