Suspension air bags

[Philip Wolsonovich]

Has anyone replaced the coil airbags? If so how did you get them in. The instructions say to twist the air bag but I can't get it to untwist once it is in coil.

[Jim Stoltz]

I bought my air bags almost 2 years ago but have not installed them because it looks like a total PITA. I've read that vacuuming them down works well (if you have a Mity-Vac or equivalent). I've also read that rolling it up and putting zip ties around it helps too. Last, warmer is better since they're more pliable when warm.

[Cristina Gouin]

Pain agony and as many curse words, bloody knuckles, bruises etc...

Obviously you got the old ones out which is half the battle, mine were literally melted to the springs.  To get them in.. I first de-burred the hole at the base of the suspension.  I ended up soaking the new bags in hot water to get them softened up enough to squeeze twist etc them through the base plate.  Mine expanded as fast as I inserted them after having to also add soap etc to ease them in.  If you can get the air hose fitting attached I would just use a compressor to inflate them slowly as that would make them untwist.

Tina

[Pete Black]

I did mine recently, I went with Firestone ones.

I've got to be honest and say it's a job I hope I never have to repeat, took me two days to get over it lol. I put mine in very hot water for a few minutes then zip tied the hell out of them. Initially they were a pain to get through the hole but a liberal coating of washing up detergent and in they slid. 

The worst part was getting the old ones out.

[Cristina Gouin]

did mine in about 7 hrs alone myself old ones peeled off 1inch at a time , didn't have one square inch of skin not damaged... my dad whose barn gone was parked at didn't know my vocabulary was so colorful.... 

[Philip Wolsonovich]

Thanks everyone for the feed back. Found what the problem was. SOMEBODY PUT THE WRONG AIR BAG IN THE BOX!!!!!! The airbag I should have is about the size of a baseball. The one I got was the size of a softball. I have the correct one now so hopefully this weekend it will be done.

[Steven Rose]

Sounds like a fun weekend , I too plan to replace mine this week end .So good luck an they say no pain no gain .Lol!

[Steven Rose]

Thanks everyone I now know what to expect in putting mine in .They look like old pieces of ribbon.It seams like once you start a list it just keeps growing . Now I know why they call it an adventure Lol.Have fun and be safe all .Thanks everyone !    

[Cristina Gouin]

the joys of old RV ownership!  If the current now almost 10 yr old set in Gone needs replacing again... I believe I will do what others have and go with heavier springs... we'll see.  Which reminds me.. I need to pull up to the garage and near the air line and check/fill mine this afternoon!  Getting Gone to Goose Bay today for weekend! yea!!! 

[Jim Stoltz]

So has anyone driving around with bad bags experienced uneven tire wear? Do the bags help with stability at all? I'm on the fence about whether to replace my bags or get proper springs for mine. The manual has a dire warning that says you have to have a minimum of 50 PSI (I think it's 50) in the bags or you will ruin your tires in as little as 1,000 miles. Well, I've put twice that on my new tires in the past 3 seasons and they look fine. She does sit a bit low in the front - the left front tire rubs during slow, tight turns and there's not much clearance between the lower control arm and the bump stop. I'm headed for Hershey later today so it's not going to be fixed for this trip....

[Cristina Gouin]

I can tell when handling lane changes etc on the road if the bags are low... I can see if one is full and th

[Jim Stoltz]

Lane changes with mine are pretty sketchy and it gets sucked into grooves in the road easily. That can be lots of things, including alignment, which is affected by the ride height and therefore bags. I might actually do something about it this season.

[Cristina Gouin]

yea thats w