Air bag tubing size

[sparkplug188]

gus- What if you used some light duty linear actuators in place of the factory installed rods connecting the height control valves to the axles?  Use actuators that are the same length as the factory installed rods when fully retracted.  As the actuator extends, it will add more air to the connected air bag.  Wire the actuators to a control panel with up/down switches and bubble levels.  It is probably a good idea to include pressure gauges on the control panel to monitor the pressure inside the bags and pressure switches to prevent over-inflation by opening the "extend actuator" circuit.  It would be fairly easy to add a safety mechanism to automatically retract the actuators when the parking brake is released.  This system will maintain height even if air leaks out of the bags.

I am just thinking out loud-- I have never built or heard of a leveling system like that.  It should work though.  Let me know if you see any flaws in that idea.

- Spark

[Lin]

I think that Electrical Sean had actuators on his height control valves to use for leveling.  We have a simple system inspired by Robert G. that just uses cables to replace the rod to the height control valve.  You simply push or pull the cable to level the bus.  I think my system was less than $100. Works fine, but it is not controlled from the dash. You have to go outside to use it. 

Anyway, as I generally remind guys looking to level with airbags, whichever way you activate it, it has only limited range-- only about a 6-7 inch differential from the front to the back.  This means that you are not 100% free of using blocks.  We have been in many Forest Service campgrounds that have a good 12 inch differential in their most level spots.  Commercial campgrounds though are generally within the range the airbags can give you.

[gus]

gus- What if you used some light duty linear actuators in place of the factory installed rods connecting the height control valves to the axles?  Use actuators that are the same length as the factory installed rods when fully retracted.  As the actuator extends, it will add more air to the connected air bag.  Wire the actuators to a control panel with up/down switches and bubble levels.  It is probably a good idea to include pressure gauges on the control panel to monitor the pressure inside the bags and pressure switches to prevent over-inflation by opening the "extend actuator" circuit.  It would be fairly easy to add a safety mechanism to automatically retract the actuators when the parking brake is released.  This system will maintain height even if air leaks out of the bags.

I am just thinking out loud-- I have never built or heard of a leveling system like that.  It should work though.  Let me know if you see any flaws in that idea.

- Spark

I haven't done one so you need to get advice from those who have - there are at least a couple here. I stopped my thinking about it when I got the 4107 already equipped with a leveling system.

One posted full details and a whole bunch of pics, you need to search that one here.

[sparkplug188]

The HWH mounted on the Eagle were on a angle like 12 inches over center when extended lol the 4000 bucks is for the Big Foot leveling system, Jesse the HWH 64,000 lbs I had installed cost a little more lol almost double.

Clifford- Why is it that when I come up with a unique design, you tell me about a cool hydraulic leveling system--  Then, a few weeks later this shows up on my doorstep?

NOPE! 100X nope! I would live life tilted a few degrees sideways and save the $8000 for a rebuilt engine.  My experiment will cost no more than $500 in materials.  That is about as much as I will pay for a level bus.

Yep-- eating my own words now.  Still, I didn't pay full retail and never would. They are Big Foot QEII-24's 17,600 lb lift capacity per cylinder.

Just messing with you Clifford. You probably saved me the expense of multiple redesigns and failed tests that would eventually lead to me buying a prebuilt system, but not before my design got stuck up, then stuck down, then bent and broke off LOL!