GMC Motorhome - Air Ride Options - Jim Bounds

Motorhome Rehab Ranch - Air Ride - GMC Motorhome
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[@looklookerlooking]

Thank you for posting these videos , your vast knowledge about these classic GMC's is greatly appreciated👍

[@jetg2059]

I like learning stuff

[@raymondjones7489]

You seem honest and informed!!👍😎

[@stephenbrenton888]

Thanks Jim.

[@moonshinexxx420]

Thanks

[@1983dmd]

Now Jim, I am afraid to use my GMC with original airbags !!! But...you are 100% right !!

[@raymondjones7489]

You...my friend are what I've been looking for 👍😎

[@FormerArea51]

Jim! Thanks again for that information. I have one of those single bag systems (not the hot dog) and I have never had known about how these worked in particular. I see now that I need to save some pennies for a better system.

[@saxjonz]

LOL Bubba and Scooter!

[@daveroe8612]

Very interesting video, thanks for sharing it with us!

[@Brian-os9qj]

Jim Bounderisms need written down. Thx man

[@bigbandguru]

So correct! Had a bag go and had to drive home with my butt on the ground..

[@reishiramzi]

Really great information Jim! Wish I had this information when I swapped my originals for Daytona bags. Install was easy, price was okay, ride is fine, but now that you've explained the flexing of the bogies through turns I wish I refurbished the original system. Keep up the good work! Hopefully coming down to your shop once I'm confident my rig can make it down i95

[@tonyweir1317]

While the quad bag is a cool system, the stock airbags will work perfectly if the proper ride height is maintained. They won't "hot dog" and will provide a great ride. The rear arms don't move laterally. They are held in place by large bushings. If the bushings wear, the arms could move laterally but very very little. The front-rear tires do take some abuse when making tight turns. That's why it's important to rotate your tires. Do your research, study the service manuals, talk to service experts and make an informed decision.

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Tony, I agree. The original airbags work fine, my coach wears a pair. The swing arms have a built in flex rate, they are designed to give on turning to relieve the pressure to the side wall of the tire or the frame. That was one of the brilliant ideas of the system, along with attaching the air bag at the center point. None of the made up single air bag systems use a stem mounted air bag. Follow your coach into a hard turn, and watch the wheels. Thank you your comment!

[@stevenlight5006]

You can also use a f 350 coul spring

[@stevenlight5006]

Coil spring

[@guineapigzed]

I’ve also wondered about a coil spring in there.

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Great question about the Ford F150 coil spring! We did one for a guy that uses his coach as advertising and it sits in one spot forever. It made sense for him. You need huge spacers on the ends like these backyard airbag systems and the ride was a bit funky, but it did work. Brilliant! No air suspension maintenance, but a crappy ride and no adjustments. Sounds like a RevCon!

[@donaldrogers7710]

I think your concerns about lateral displacement of the air bag in turns is minor compared to the vertical displacement when tires go over curbs, steps, and chuckholes. Unless you're driving over the switchbacks on Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado, I don't think the trunnions will allow much side to side movement, and what little there is will be mostly tire sidewall flexing. I would hope we aren't bending the swing arms that much. But when one tire is up and the other tire is down, I can see major misalignment from one side of the bag to the other in the vertical plane. I have my own single bag system that uses the same bag you are using on the four bag system, and I'm hoping the necked down center in the bag allows more freedom of travel. I may be wrong - You might be right. I'm my own test pilot right now. (I'm not selling anything. I'm just a machinist mechanic with some engineering background and a '77 Kingsley to keep on the road.)

[@JimFelich]

Jim - I would like to see some options for aftermarket air ride controllers. I have seen one that eliminates all of the air lines going from front to back. It also allows remote control of the ride height. I am designing a system that automatically levels the coach front to back and when parked it levels side to side. It also eliminates 150 feet of air lines. I mention this because I am interested in other designs and your opinion of them. Bottom line is - What do you put in a coach when you rebuild the leveling system? Thanks again for your videos. I have learned a lot about the many points of failure in my coach and how to eliminate or mitigate them.

[@TrentGustus]

Microlevel, I have it on my coach and it eliminates the stock ride height controllers uses potentiometers on each wheel

[@JimFelich]

@@TrentGustus Thanks, Trent.

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Sounds like a fun project! If you are going to maintain and keep it, awesome. Be sure when you sell the coach, you document the installation and replacement parts needed to maintain it. Restorations that we are doing generally, the owner does not want to learn the system for maintenance. They want a system that someone else can easily fix when it fails. The electronic units are very very cool, and for enthusiasts it's great. But, for the new GMC market "simple is better."

[@TrentGustus]

@@motorhomerehabranch this does concern me with keith's microlevel system.. and as I told keith.. this is tied to you.. in the event you sell your coach.. pass away or otherwise no longer care about this .. how will we repair it? and that is the issue with all of this.. I only cut 3 wires in my stock wiring harness to hook in my microlevel system.. and those wires can be re-connected to make the stock setup work.. I also left all the air lines as well, I plugged them and tied them back.. so my coach can be easily turned back to stock.

[@IamJasonHall]

@@TrentGustus would you be willing to make a video of your microlevel installation? I’m curious as to how it works.

[@jpotopa]

How does the 4 bag system affect ride quality? My understanding is that a bump or potholes energy is transferred from one wheel to the other in the 2 bag system, as it just rotates around the bogie pins. With the center bar it seams this MAY transfer to or though the chassis some. I fully understand Jim's comments about the plusses of the elimination of failure points, and redundancy to get you out of trouble, I'm just wondering if ride quality is traded off at all?

[@greggv8]

Have you ever contemplated a transverse drivetrain conversion to get a transmission with more than three speeds? Or how about a THM325-4L transmission swap? Of course the issue with transverse FWD drivetrains is almost all of them have the engine in front of the transmission, which puts more weight out front and in some vehicles there's just not enough room for that. That's the real genius of the Toronado transmission, the engine is close to centered over the front wheels.

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Good question! First the 325 "four speed overdrive" transmission that came after our 3 speed was designed for V6 engines, thus it was not supported. When the 325 burned out a 425 was reinstalled in the car because everybody knew it was a stronger transmission. Today, no one has parts or the knowledge to rebuild a 325. Look at a dodge Promaster front wheel drive transverse mounted V6, world supported fiat drive train will fit. We can build you a new front clip, all it takes is the money.

[@rolandsafaryan6802]

👍

[@pattibee6000]

How much does this system cost then, with all that expensive shipping. Sounds like the best way to go, and.... it would be good to know what I am going to have to spend when I get my GMC. Also, do the airbags have anything to do with automatic leveling, or does the GMC even have that feature. Patti Bee, Madison, WI

[@GauntletKI]

How about what 30 inch tire could work on a 18 inch rim for the GMC motorhome

[@DarKcurrenT22]

Do the airbags deflate when the motor home is not running?

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

1:52 Dog.

[@garycumming8093]

Thanks again 😊for a your great video. Are the reproduction air bags good

[@motorhomerehabranch]

If you are not considering a quad bag system, I would recommend the reproduction of the original airbag sold by I think Applied GMC and Cinnabar

[@gorfind6730]

Im curious about aftermarket air compressors for the Air Ride System. Is it a good idea to go aftermaket or rebuild the old one?

[@TrentGustus]

rebuild kits are extinct.. you will love a new compressor.. and even more a microlevel system

[@TrentGustus]

Now that I have Microlevel installed would it work with a 4 bag system? Is the ride height arm in the same place?

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Yes that will work no problem, the air delivery system on board can be looked at as separate from the airbag system. Hope that helps!

[@jeromehebert3184]

would those airbags with a modern disc brakes be much safer than the wheels with just drum brakes?

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Very important question! The airbags do not care what kind of brakes you have. But if your insurance company knows that you modified your brakes, and you have an accident because of brake failure you're going to be in deep stuff. Never modify your coach to disk brakes! I'm sorry, but it's the truth... give me a call if I can answer anymore questions for you, thanks a bunch for your comment

[@hildebertocarreiro9232]

Making hybrid out of gmc

[@TheRmalet]

You are extremely wordy