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Old 10-02-2017, 09:06 AM   #1
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Service Life of Chassis Airbags

When looking at 12-15 year old coaches I'm often finding some sellers have had to replace airbags. Can anyone speculate as to what an average service life of an airbag is? When one goes do you just replace that one or is it wise to figure they are all close and just do them all? Are any of the various chassis known for better or worse bags? And, how time consuming/expensive is it to do? Thanks for any info!
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Old 10-02-2017, 09:10 AM   #2
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wonder the same thing
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Old 10-02-2017, 09:24 AM   #3
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Old 10-02-2017, 09:31 AM   #4
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life of air bags

I have a Harney 2000. I blew the left rear air bag going onto Maxwell AFB in 2009 and had a truck service company come out to the base and replace it. Think the total for labor and airbag was around $300.00.
I only replaced the one and the rest seem to be fine. I did buy a new one off Ebay and carry it as a spare. All the bags are the same.
Trucks use the same airbags and most of them last for years and are subject to a lot more wear and tear than those on a M/H.
Replacing them is not a big job. Right tools and jacks are needed.
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Old 10-02-2017, 10:53 AM   #5
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IMO, lots of variables between chassis and coach manufactures... So hard to really give a definitive answer. Toss in different weather conditions in different regions, and it also adds into he difficulty in a solid answer...

I've talked with owner's of mid 90 coaches, with OEM bags that still look good upon external inspection. I've talked to one owner of a 2011 coach, that had a bag blow... (A rear bag, and he did say his trailer with all his toys in it, was very close to max weights for his chassis.).

I speculate that coaches with multiple air bags, more then X's 4 with one in each corner, have the weight of usually heavier coaches, spread out over more bags, could add to longer life. (Key word here is 'speculate'.) I also speculate that life while leveling, and or having to raise or lower bags frequently for access to an area, could add more wear to a bag. (A coach leveling with say the rear end up way high, has the rear airbags stretched pretty well to the limit.)

As part of our yearly inspection, i personally inspect each of our airbags. Looking for obvious signs of distress via large cracks... So far, our bags on a coach built in Sept of 2003, so chassis was probably a few months earlier then this, are looking good.

Will grab the Pop Corn as above, and follow to see if anyone has definitive input on this!

Best to all, be safe, have fun,
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Old 10-02-2017, 07:00 PM   #6
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Mine were 17 years old when this picture was taken. A few things to factor, environment, what type of surface coach is stored on, etc..., if your motorcoach sits a lot (most do) then expect them to look like mine, (1999 year with 80k miles) ....btw, the one on picture isn't blown out, I replaced all 4 due to age and maintenance
Mines a Spartan chassis with independent front suspension, uses a different front air spring than rear. The air spring can be bought for a little less than $200 each and about a hour or so labor for each one. Not a bad job, but you'll need to know how to safety support vehicle.for removal.

A semi truck that runs every day don't crack like this due to bag constantly being flexed ....
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Old 10-02-2017, 07:07 PM   #7
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I ran several big trucks over a Million miles each and never replaced an air bag
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Old 10-02-2017, 07:48 PM   #8
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Service Life of Chassis Airbags

These airbags were 26 years old at the beginning of this year and only displayed signs of mild checking. They were not blown but I replaced them for peace of mind and to avoid that look of dismay from the DW if one were to blow in the middle of nowhere. I had all four replaced. The airbags ran about $950 for all four and the fronts are different than the rear on this Gillig chassis. I couldn't say how much of the labor on the bill was related to the airbag replacement as I had other work done at the same time, but it was not much labor. The coach seemed to ride even a little nicer than before, but I'm sure that was mostly in my head (like how much better an engine runs after washing the coach or changing the oil). The difference was more likely the absence of the pucker factor worrying about blowing a bag at any moment.Click image for larger version

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Old 10-02-2017, 09:10 PM   #9
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Freightliner of FTW quoted me $3,200 to replace them on my '98 DSDP. They're only slightly checked like the sidewalls of tires. I figure I have time to find a place to do them for something a whole lot less than that.
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Old 10-02-2017, 09:27 PM   #10
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Which begs the question: should I store my coach with them deflated?
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Old 10-02-2017, 09:54 PM   #11
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I've got a 1979 W900 Kenworth on the farm with 7 of the 8 bags still origial. On the truck they are exposed to sunlight and have still made allmost 40 years. The one I replaced only developed a leak. The biggest thing is to keep them dry and oil free inside. They have istops so with or without air doesnt hurt them. The KW is used less than most motorhomes as it gets 6-8K miles a year during grain harvest and is parked 3-4 months at a time. The only bags that would concearn me are fronts. Jake
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Old 10-03-2017, 05:52 AM   #12
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Our 2000 Country Coach just received new front air bags this summer. As pictured above they were getting pretty dry rotted at the bottom. The rear bags look great and may have been replaced before we purchased. Our unit has different front and rear bags. I don't think they were a big deal to replace. I had a few other things done to coach when they did bags so can't really say with out looking at invoice. I would replace the dry rotted ones.
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Old 10-03-2017, 06:41 AM   #13
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I've replaced one air bag on my 17 year old coach. It still held air, but had a cut in it that went all the way through the cover. I inspected the rest of them and they were all pretty good looking. I'd say the rears looked better than the fronts, maybe because the fronts are more exposed than those in the rear. Six of the air bags are easily accessible and could probably be changed in a couple hours. The two in front of the rear wheels are difficult to access and unfortunately that's the one I replaced. It took about six hours. My coach was stored inside a three sided building with a concrete floor for most of its life.
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Old 10-05-2017, 07:30 AM   #14
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Air spring replacement

We have a 1998 DS on a Spartan Chassis. I replaced all four of the air springs. The old ones where showing quite a bit of cracking. Did not want a failure on the road. I think it was one of the dirtiest jobs I have ever done. Old greasy dirt around the rear driveshaft area is terrible. There are only a couple of bolts on each, but the lack of working room and years of corrosion made it a very tough job. Actually the front springs took less time as the bolts were easier to access. About 3 hours for the front and 3.5 for the rears. Did two a day. Nothing to fear, but just a dirty job.
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