Air Bags, Front & Back, or 4 Corners?

[dirtman64]

There has been some great discussions pertaining to air bags and what is the best way to pipe them. I have a dash control for "front" and "rear". There are tees at each end that branch to the left and right bags. I read about the concern that the bags would transfer air pressure to each other whenever the coach leaned, say, into a corner... This concerned me too but I had already completed the install.... what to do. Well I installed 4 brass metering valves, one for each bag, with the valves barely cracked thinking that the transfer from side to side would be delayed... haven't tested this yet and will report back my findings.
I provide 100 psi air to the bag controls (and air horn) via a 120v air compressor mounted under the front hood. It is powered by the inverter/shore power and used for tire maintenance as well. I plan to travel with the inverter on at all times and so can adjust bag pressures on various road surfaces and vehicle weights. I am anxious to see how the system operates in the "real" world!

[Sweetbriar]

I set mine up with each bag on it's own air circuit. I also built up a gauge panel with four paddle valves and pressure gauges so I can add or bleed air for each bag as need, stationary or on the move. Doubling the hardware for independent corners wasn't a big lift in time to install or in material cost. I also have Schrader valves front and back for accessary air or to pressurize the system should the compressor fail.

Did the bag install back in 2013 and built the gauge panel in 2015. Only issue so far was the compressor on/off pressure switch failed. Biggest gain was restore ride height after loading but also had some help with sway and ride comfort.

[TeJay]

Sweetbriar,

Speaking of sweet, Man you did an outstanding job with that air bag install and especially the gauge and valving set up. That's awesome! You've got a lot of electrical tricks up your sleeve and sure know a lot more about this than I do.

I've added (1-gallon) ping tanks to my 4 AB's and keep the bag pressures around 10 to 15 lbs. I thought that would allow the bags to expand when bumps were encountered and would/might soften the ride even more. If I keep them as say 30 lbs they would stiffen faster when hitting a bump.

Still toying with the idea of adding a second airbag that will also provide more expansion space for bumps. I've got the bags and materials just waiting for sunshine!!

[Sweetbriar]

Originally Posted by TeJay

Sweetbriar,

Speaking of sweet, Man you did an outstanding job with that air bag install and especially the gauge and valving set up. That's awesome! You've got a lot of electrical tricks up your sleeve and sure know a lot more about this than I do.,,,

I started with two solenoids per bag and spring loaded electrical rocker switches. Didn't take an pics of the set up as it only last a few months. The intent was to have the bags automatically deflate when the jacks are lowered but the low cost solenoids kept leaking and and my budget wouldn't support the cost of eight better versions.

There is a bit of plumbing inside but it's the same for each bag. One supply line in splitting off to the four valves, a line out to each bag and a line out from each valve combining into one for the bag deflation that I plumb to outside. Air line color is just what I had on hand at the time. The electrical I did wasn't much. Compressor on/off, dock lights, added 5VDC power and moving two switches that the new arm rest blocked. Also lighting the switches and gauges when the dash is lighted. Dumping the solenoids and going with paddle valves really simplified the set up also. I have a 2.5 gallon tank for the compressor but didn't do ping tanks.

The last pic in the string was my original set up with a single dual gauge and two paddle valves. One for the front bags and one for the rear. The other was for the compressor. Added a second dual gauge and two more paddle valves to make the set up independent. I was thinking of adding axle ride height valves like a DP set up but doing it manually works well, is simple and easy to fix if necessary. The arm rest was a winter project.