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Warpath · 04-30-2012, 10:37 AM

Oscarvan -

Can I ask why you're not letting the suspension do this work?

My current conversion rides pretty much like a Cadillac. I don't have front air-ride, my cab is not air-ride and I run my seat without air (just like the lower seat position). Out of the 3 conversions I have owned this one rides the nicest, the first one is close with all air-ride front and back and the second was just never setup right and had a rough ride. This one has the quiet ride rear end (I have yet to determine if this is something different than just normal truck air-ride, it was something FL mentions in their truck spec ) my wife and kids all say the ride is amazing in the back. Better than our previous all air-ride bus style RV. If I really wanted to go crazy and put the ride over the top I could add air-ride to the front axle. But I cannot even justify doing so because it's just that good. Current setup is 16000# Front Axle, 23000# Quiet Ride Single Rear Axle, 325” Wheelbase Current weight is approx 32,500 lb which puts me way under max

I would guess you either have driven, ridden or owned a conversion that must have had a horrendous ride. And when these things are not properly configured than they can definitely ride like a truck. But get the geometry right and I think you can save yourself alot of grief and potential issues by utilizing the suspension.

Your challenge is going to be running all of you're wiring & plumbing without being able to tie it to the truck frame. So I am assuming your lower bays will hang from the upper portion of the box and as you add weight to these you will need to insure leveling capabilities. Also as your box is coming down during a bump and your tires are coming up you will need to have added clearance here as well. A few other things to consider, gone are the days of oak planks and U bolts if you did not do air-ride on the box. I see this thrown around alot by guys building their own and usually justify it by the fact that box truck mfg'ers are doing this so it must be o.k. The product in a box truck can be replaced during separation in an accident, family cannot. Many conversion companies used this method early on until issues started to arise. I know Showhauler brought in structural engineers to determine the strongest most effective way to tie the box & frame together. These boxes are getting welded directly to the frame now, making one solid unit. Far stronger and safer than ever before. In my 2012 I notice a much more solid feel, gone are the sounds of popping when the jacks are deployed and the frame is twisting. Also keeping cab air-ride means you will have a much larger gap between the box & cab to accommodate movement. If a seal goes bad on a truck and sleeper it is pretty easy to remove a sleeper and replace the seal, not so easy to remove your conversion box to do that repair. This was an issue with conversion mfg'ers early on as well and a big reason the practice is no longer used amongst limiting the cab opening.

Which ever way you go, just be sure to document everything you do with photos and drawings. If you ever plan to sell this, it will make it so much easier to convince a buyer why and how things were done. It will also help him justify the price you maybe asking.

As my wife and I were driving home yesterday from a weekend trip we were discussing how much we loved this rig. We finally got it right, we took the time to list out what was important and the pros & cons to each item. After owning 2 other conversion we realized that there is a trade-off with everything you do and add to these things and I mean everything. A perfect example is that our current conversion does not have a skylight above the shower which is so commonly found in most and was in our other 2. That skylight is great when you shower, letting in all that great light, but your only in the shower for say 5-10 minutes. Now if it's raining all night and that rain is pounding on that skylight you potentially are going to ruin 8 hours of sleep due to the noise that makes if that is something that annoys the heck out of you.

Keep us posted on your progress.

04-30-2012, 10:37 AM	#12
Warpath Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: N.E. Ohio Posts: 768	Oscarvan - Can I ask why you're not letting the suspension do this work? My current conversion rides pretty much like a Cadillac. I don't have front air-ride, my cab is not air-ride and I run my seat without air (just like the lower seat position). Out of the 3 conversions I have owned this one rides the nicest, the first one is close with all air-ride front and back and the second was just never setup right and had a rough ride. This one has the quiet ride rear end (I have yet to determine if this is something different than just normal truck air-ride, it was something FL mentions in their truck spec ) my wife and kids all say the ride is amazing in the back. Better than our previous all air-ride bus style RV. If I really wanted to go crazy and put the ride over the top I could add air-ride to the front axle. But I cannot even justify doing so because it's just that good. Current setup is 16000# Front Axle, 23000# Quiet Ride Single Rear Axle, 325” Wheelbase Current weight is approx 32,500 lb which puts me way under max I would guess you either have driven, ridden or owned a conversion that must have had a horrendous ride. And when these things are not properly configured than they can definitely ride like a truck. But get the geometry right and I think you can save yourself alot of grief and potential issues by utilizing the suspension. Your challenge is going to be running all of you're wiring & plumbing without being able to tie it to the truck frame. So I am assuming your lower bays will hang from the upper portion of the box and as you add weight to these you will need to insure leveling capabilities. Also as your box is coming down during a bump and your tires are coming up you will need to have added clearance here as well. A few other things to consider, gone are the days of oak planks and U bolts if you did not do air-ride on the box. I see this thrown around alot by guys building their own and usually justify it by the fact that box truck mfg'ers are doing this so it must be o.k. The product in a box truck can be replaced during separation in an accident, family cannot. Many conversion companies used this method early on until issues started to arise. I know Showhauler brought in structural engineers to determine the strongest most effective way to tie the box & frame together. These boxes are getting welded directly to the frame now, making one solid unit. Far stronger and safer than ever before. In my 2012 I notice a much more solid feel, gone are the sounds of popping when the jacks are deployed and the frame is twisting. Also keeping cab air-ride means you will have a much larger gap between the box & cab to accommodate movement. If a seal goes bad on a truck and sleeper it is pretty easy to remove a sleeper and replace the seal, not so easy to remove your conversion box to do that repair. This was an issue with conversion mfg'ers early on as well and a big reason the practice is no longer used amongst limiting the cab opening. Which ever way you go, just be sure to document everything you do with photos and drawings. If you ever plan to sell this, it will make it so much easier to convince a buyer why and how things were done. It will also help him justify the price you maybe asking. As my wife and I were driving home yesterday from a weekend trip we were discussing how much we loved this rig. We finally got it right, we took the time to list out what was important and the pros & cons to each item. After owning 2 other conversion we realized that there is a trade-off with everything you do and add to these things and I mean everything. A perfect example is that our current conversion does not have a skylight above the shower which is so commonly found in most and was in our other 2. That skylight is great when you shower, letting in all that great light, but your only in the shower for say 5-10 minutes. Now if it's raining all night and that rain is pounding on that skylight you potentially are going to ruin 8 hours of sleep due to the noise that makes if that is something that annoys the heck out of you. Keep us posted on your progress. __________________ 2012 Showhauler 28'6" Motorhome on a Columbia w/ 450 Mercedes.