Rear end side panel Modification

[GENECARP]

A few weeks ago while navigating around some Major grade changes i bottomed out about 4ft back from my rear wheels. The very back of my Rig has a couple of ft long steel rollers, they protect the very back of the Rig. The impact area was the skirt panels that cover what looks like 2x2 aluminum stock. The bottom edge back there is just thin metal rolled down and under the bottom of the panel, this thin metal tore. I bent this metal back under, i purchased some heavy 2x2 aluminum angle, my plan is to paint it match my Rig, then install it along this bottom edge to reinforce the weak area. I will take photos of the modification, Gene.

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

Darnit Gene, I think you gotta slow down or something. I've seen truck conversions that advertised a special rear suspension that you could lift the back full up for low clearance stuff like that. I haven't looked into the possibility of retrofitting something like that. Anybody know anything about that? I always keep my trailer hitch at the lowest setting when I'm not pulling so it sticks out the back to be the first rub point going in steep driveways and such. Sorry about the bump, again.

 

[GENECARP]

Bob, this is always happening at the same CG, it was a mistake to get a seasonal there, not Big Rig friendly at all, its a nice CG, but hilly and tight. My rear air shocks have a switch in the drivers compartment, Inflate-Deflate, i dont know if i can manually raise the rear end higher, G

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

Ya, the air bags usually have a dump switch that lowers the rear to the stops. Then you don't want to drive much like that since you don't have any suspension to absorb bumps. I use the dumps to get under my trailer hitch and then push the button and it lifts it back up to normal ride height and I don't have to crank the trailer tongue so much to hitch it. But, there must be some rear suspensions that will allow you to max the rear air bags and lift the back up to full up. I wonder about that. Seems like if you can dump it you should be able to max it.

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

If you scroll way down you can see their info about it here: http://www.powerhousecoach.com/pricesc.html

They call it their "off road package." I wonder if a guy could rig their suspension for less than $1700? Who's going to figure this out? I bet if anybody could it would be blizzND. But I don't know if his truck has air rear axle.

 

[Bob86ZZ4]

I've gotten some info from my truck mechanic buddies. They seem to think it would be not that hard to do. Going to have them over for a beer to check it out and advise. Stay tuned for more.

 

[BlizzND]

hmmm I'd be very interested in one of those kits, I wonder how they handle driveshaft pinion angle changes when the truck is raised, I'm sure thats why its for low speed only.

Let me know what the guys have to say.
blizz

 

[GENECARP]

Alright, did the mod this past weekend, hopefully the added strength will help the bottom edge deal with inclines. I am looking at this piece as a sacrificial molding, at least the body panel will not get damaged, G

 

[GENECARP]

 

[GENECARP]

I have to paint in the top caulking edge.

 

[GENECARP]

Here is one more shot of me cleaning the roof, Smart car and Rig. G

 

[GENECARP]

Here is another Mod i did this weekend, while the Rig is Big, the counter top space in the kitchen is small. The end of this cabinet was available, with the slide in there is only 3.5 inches of space, i designed and built a fold down counter.

 

[GENECARP]

I matched the existing solid surface counters and tables.

 

[GENECARP]

The rope molding is the slideout, you can see the narrow space that i had to deal with

 

[Radman-TC]

Originally posted by Bob86ZZ4:
Ya, the air bags usually have a dump switch that lowers the rear to the stops. ... But, there must be some rear suspensions that will allow you to max the rear air bags and lift the back up to full up. I wonder about that. Seems like if you can dump it you should be able to max it.

Bob and Gene,
I have the same issues with the back of our truck. We are always going to far-away race tracks that are off the beated trail and sometimes OFF-ROAD, some more than others. It is usually a dirt road that dumps out into a field or something, but getting there can be interesting in the coach.

I have always been concerned about dragging the rear of the coach since we built it. I have done a couple of modifications after talking to a bunch of different people about how to “lift” the back.

The first approach was to add a pneumatic cylinder that extended the arm of the dump / level valve to fake out the rear. That lifted the back by about 4”. This worked fine but there was only one valve for the rear of the truck located in the center. Since the load wasn’t totally equal from left to right on our coach with gen and slides on one side, I wanted to level the coach from left to right as well as adjust the ride-height.

About a year into this adventure I removed the air cylinder mod and added a second dump valve. Now I have one dump / level valve on each side. This levels the truck from side to side independent of the load. I use the trucks pneumatic dump valve switch to lower the coach when parking before leveling the coach if I want the back lowered before I start the process.

I then added a check valve and an electric air valve that floods both left and right side airbags downstream of the dump / level and takes them up to full height. This gives me about 3” additional lift at the axel and more at the back of the coach. I don’t run like this other than clearing curbs or dips in the road.

It does pass a lot of air with both dump valves open trying to correct for the additional lift. There is more than enough available to deep it up. And since it is seldom activated for more than 3 or 4 minutes at a time, I have never had any issues with low pressures. That being said, I am sure our DOT buddies would have a cow but since I am registered as an RV the DOT doesn’t worry about me.

This seems to have worked pretty well for us over the last few years.

Rad