manual airbag suspension

[ikon31]

I've seen it in the states, its used on pick up trucks when carrying extra weight, its a bag that sits inbetween the axle and the chassis or in the leaf spring, and you simply fill it via a schreider value in the pick up bed.

Any idea if there are companies in the uk that do them, i've seen them used in vans like the AA when coz they are so heavy with all the tools in, but they tend to be on hydraulics, or auto filled.

[joostvdw]

I think they're called load adjusters and are universal fit. I know of a guy who had them on his 300SEL to compensate for the camping gear in the boot

[PhilA]

That or the type I had on my pickup, and is more common here:

www.jcwhitney.com/gabriel-hijackersandreg-air-adjustable-shocks/p2006168.jcwx

That style. All in one telescopic shock/airbag combo.
Standard pneumatic fittings and as you say, a Schraeder valve to pump it up with.

[ikon31]

they are more to replace the shocks with, the rear of my truck only has leaf springs, thus installing these would involve loads of fab.

i've seen them somewhere... its just an airbag, with a schrieder valve on the top, its bolted in between the leaf spring and the chassis, one on each side. then a lenth of hose attached to each via a tee, and your left with a fill valve in the bed, that you can use a compressor in the cab, or even a bicycle pump, the air at the garage etc to fill them when carrying extra load to stop it from bottoming out.

and if i'm crazy and i aint seen it somewhere i'm just gonna have to get right on with designing that!

[ikon31]

found them... well in australia.

www.aussieairsuspension.com.au/helperskits2wd.html

[damageandy]

search ebay seen on ther loads, new and used ones

[ikon31]

looks like the kits are in the region of £600. Thats a little more than i was hoping to pay.

Got me thinking tho, range rovers have air suspension correct. Wondering if it could be modified to fit, and then piped up to a schreder valve at the rear number plate, just to pump up when needed?? hmmm

[cobblers]

You can buy proper bags from the USA for around the same price as a pair of new range rover bags which are quite long, and have strange fixings. Around £140 ish for a pair, landed in the UK with vat and duty paid.

Or, if you measure your rear dampers up then match them up with a monroe air shock off something american and bolt those on. I think the monroe shocks would go to about £100-£120 for a pair, but would be a more or less bolt on fitment.

[ikon31]

yeah, i have no rear shocks, they are simple leaf springs.

Basically, its getting lowered, by hook or crook, its got 3" blocks in the back at the mo, and i'm thinking either remove a leaf or 2 out the pack, ot get the leaf springs decambered. either way its not gonna be far off axle on frame, and if i wanted to put anything in the back, it will be sitting on the axle, and therefore very bumpy and quite unsafe,

the plan is (as i never carry weight except a 200kg motorcycle once in a blue moon) was to fit some sort of air bag that could be pumped up (inbetween the leaf and chassis) to stop it from bottoming out. If i can get hold of some cheap bags, be it second hand rover ones, or brand new firestone bags, i can manufacture brackets, and pump them up for them unlikely times i have to carry weight

[RobinJI]

Your truck can't just not have rear shocks. It must have them, leaf springs don't provide any real damping, so without some sort of damper it would be very bouncy and very dodgy to drive, not to mention it would fail every MOT. I'd suggest taking another look under there, because I'd be seriously amazed if it doesn't have any, and if it doesn't, I'd recommend fitting them asap.

[ikon31]

yeah, sorry i'm a wally, there is a set of dampers there too, so I can get them that pump up hey? maybe thats the route to go

anybody know of a place that sells them in the uk? that jcwhitney link at the top can ship them to the uk 2 weeks, looking at $130 dollars, so £85ish

[damageandy]

the shocks type ones are made by monroe, they are cheapest on rockauto website, i got a pair before with, including shipping etc worked out about £90 all in

[Del]

There's Airide, which is designed for motorhomes:
www.airide.co.uk/home.php