Community Forums

Electra 225 · 04-06-2018, 02:13 PM

Looking for opinions on air leveling.

What are the differences, (if any) between the two?

Is one more reliable than the other?

I know HWH can be installed on a coach like mine, can Hadley also?

Why do you owners prefer the brand on your coach?

How's it work while driving?

Basic pros and cons of each, etc.

Thanks gang for your input/suggestions/help.

W.D.

PackerPower · 04-07-2018, 09:31 AM

We had Active Air installed on our coach at HWH in March 2017 and love it. I cannot comment on or compare to Hadley however. This add on, although expensive, is a substantial upgrade for an entry level DP like ours. Much better ride handling, manual ride height adjust, and auto air leveling. Feel free to reply with any additional questions, the team at HWH really know what they are doing.

Electra 225 · 04-07-2018, 11:26 AM

Thanks John I appreciate it. I'm thinking of Active Air myself, and it's not far to Moscow Iowa for me.

Is there any automatic mode to this system? Like maintaining stability while driving adding air when sensing the coach leaning etc in real time? Or, is it a system you "set" and drive, and that's it until YOU change the setting? I'm kinda ignorant about the whole thing, read about it some, but that's why I'm asking questions.

As far as Hadley owners, I'm just wondering is it about all the same.....like a Ford vs Chevy thing? I'm sensing in my reading it may be like a Spartan vs Freightliner thing.

Are there big differences between the two systems?

Thanks again.

MRUSA14 · 04-07-2018, 11:39 AM

Hadley has to be factory installed during manufacture. No retrofits.

There, that makes your decision easier!

Electra 225 · 04-07-2018, 01:25 PM

I guess it does! That was part of my original questions post, as I suspected Hadley was just that.

I'm still curious about Hadley however, are they considered superior or.......

I ask for knowledge which may be useful when considering moving up in coach one day with Hadley system on it....or just add HWH later. Easier and more cost savings if the prospective coach was built with it, yes. Other than that perhaps it doesn't matter which, they accomplish the same exact thing.

For now, considering adding Active Air to my Ellipse.

Thanks for the reply.

PackerPower · 04-07-2018, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electra 225

Thanks John I appreciate it. I'm thinking of Active Air myself, and it's not far to Moscow Iowa for me.

Is there any automatic mode to this system? Like maintaining stability while driving adding air when sensing the coach leaning etc in real time? Or, is it a system you "set" and drive, and that's it until YOU change the setting? I'm kinda ignorant about the whole thing, read about it some, but that's why I'm asking questions.

As far as Hadley owners, I'm just wondering is it about all the same.....like a Ford vs Chevy thing? I'm sensing in my reading it may be like a Spartan vs Freightliner thing.

Are there big differences between the two systems?

Thanks again.

The entire coach air system is upgraded to 1/2" lines (if it isn't already) so they can move a lot of air to automatically adjust the air pressure in each of the air bags. In our case, we have a short DP at 35' with only 4 air bags, so it's a pretty straightforward upgrade. They will install a color LCD touchscreen monitor in the cockpit area where you can see and reach, and a simple to navigate set of screen menus and controls.

The manual controls allow you to adjust the ride height from Normal to Low or High, which is about 2 or 3 inches either side of normal. So, this is nice if you have a driveway / curb issue where you want it higher, or to go under a doorway or tunnel where you can lower it. In addition, you can lower the traveling ride height on a flat windy road to reduce drag and crosswind effects (not advised for rough or bumpy roads as you lose range of suspension).

The automatic part of the system is why it's called Active Air. When you are moving, the system will dynamically adjust the individual air bag pressures based on feedback from a steering sensor. So when you are cornering or leaning, or even when you start to move the steering wheel to react to a wind gust or lane change, Active Air takes over immediately to keep the suspension level - it really works well, and completely changed how my short DP rides. The other cool thing is to have have the monitor screen on by default, it has a color bar graph showing each air bag pressure level in real time - fun to watch it change when you're driving.

Last but not least, and probably the feature that made the deal for us is the automatic leveling. We are travelers who cover a lot of ground from Wi to all over the Western states, and do not consider ourselves "destination" campers. It is really nice to be able to pull over in a rest area, WW, or one night parks and auto level with air instead of putting the jacks down. The overall leveling range isn't quite as large as our HWH jacks provide, but it's really quick and easy to level and sleep, and also to get up and hit the road right away.

For us, the ride quality is equally important to the house quality, but that may not be the case for a lot of people where this might be considered overkill. For the 2011 Winnebago Journey coach we bought used 3 years ago however, this was a significant upgrade. I have confidence in the HWH engineers and technicians, they really seemed to know what they were doing. I think they can pretty much make this work on any coach - when you inquire, ask to speak to one of the Active Air Engineers and they will give you the low down. Cost is approximately $10k and takes a one-week (M-F) service appointment. You can stay in your coach during the night, and also stay plugged in to electric (no sewer).

Oh, one other thing: While your coach is up on their service ramp, you can walk underneath and check out the entire under body of your coach; every wire, pipe, tank, you want - they are very laid back and didn't seem to mind me hanging around and watching them unlike most service areas. I took full advantage of this opportunity to photograph the entire bottom of my coach for future reference. (Maybe they wouldn't appreciate me saying this in a public forum

)

Anyway, sorry for the long rambling - I hope this helps, good luck whichever way you end up going!

MxChief66-1 · 04-07-2018, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electra 225

I guess it does! That was part of my original questions post, as I suspected Hadley was just that.

I'm still curious about Hadley however, are they considered superior or.......

I ask for knowledge which may be useful when considering moving up in coach one day with Hadley system on it....or just add HWH later. Easier and more cost savings if the prospective coach was built with it, yes. Other than that perhaps it doesn't matter which, they accomplish the same exact thing.

For now, considering adding Active Air to my Ellipse.

Thanks for the reply.

PM Sent!

Electra 225 · 04-07-2018, 03:50 PM

John, not long rambling, but good info!

Again, I appreciate it!

Mark, PM received, reply forthcoming!

Regards,
W.D.

saddlesore · 04-07-2018, 04:04 PM

No dawg in this bone fight...
Full air ride & leveling system on a 10 air bag system (no jacks)

Electra 225 · 04-07-2018, 04:09 PM

Yeah you got a good one there Saddlesore!

I'm aware of older Monacos and Beavers that had a 10 bag system as well. I'm sure it's quite smooth and stable.

Regards,
W.D.

saddlesore · 04-07-2018, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electra 225

Yeah you got a good one there Saddlesore!

I'm aware of older Monacos and Beavers that had a 10 bag system as well. I'm sure it's quite smooth and stable.

Regards,
W.D.

As the owner of the first FT I got to take the nickle tour of said....."It will do".