Air Bags

[chessie4905]

since they have a construction with similiarities to tires, I wonder if they need to be changed out after x number of years. Any coach manuacturers address this?

[buswarrior]

Never seen it addressed.

Under the bus, no UV sun exposure, it's all about condition.

Obvious external cracking would trigger a busnut to take action before a disabling rupture.

Otherwise, down the road.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

If a tire blows it can kill you (especially a steer tire) or do extensive damage.  If an air bag blows, it will ride rough until you replace them. Not as critical.   

Saying that it never hurts to carry a spare tire (another topic) or a spare airbag.  You may become someones best friend if someone else blows an airbag and needs one.  I have heard of this happening before.  In this case, the loaner received two new air bags in the mail the following week. 

[Dave5Cs]

All rubber things rot eventually 5 to 12 years... Just sayin

[Lee Bradley]

I have replaced about half of my air bags on my 1991 Cityliner. I replaced them because they developed small leaks, in one position/height, that became a problem when parked as I use them for leveling.  In regular service, I don't think they would have been replaced as the compressor would keep up with the leaks.   

[chessie4905]

Check the date codes on them.lol

[sledhead]

I just replaced all mine other then the tag bags with new . no leaks but all were cracked and looked OLD the date stamp on all of them was 1998 . I hope to replace the tag bags next year but they are a triple bag and I am sure they will be at a low cost

ya right !

this was on the featherlite

I did all the bags on the M C I years ago and at the time one had a small leak

if you can do it your self the price was not that bad about $ 200 a bag and after you do it you should never have to worry about them again 

dave 

[Stormcloud]

All rubber things rot eventually 5 to 12 years... Just sayin

....that means I had better check my wallet....   

[PP]

My bus came with all new bags and a spare that is marked with a felt pen "Driver Axle". This leads me to think that there is a difference between the front bags and the drive axle bags. Am I correct, because looking under there I can't see a difference.

[PP]

All rubber things rot eventually 5 to 12 years... Just sayin

Does that include condoms?? 

[chessie4905]

They are latex.

[PP]

They are latex.

Good to know   

[kyle4501]

! just replaced all 12 airbags on mine, it cost about @2000 for parts. The old ones looked to be original & had lots of cracks.

[scanzel]

While sitting in my bus a few years back my wife was checking us in while we waited outside with the bus running all of a sudden there was a huge explosion and I couldn't figure out what happened then suddenly the front of the bus tilted to one side and then leveled out. My wife came out of the check in building and asked what happened we heard an explosion that rocked the building I said we blew an inflated left front air bag. Evidently the whole rv park heard it too because we where the talk of the park for the next 3 days. Tried the find someone to come out on a Friday late pm was not going to happen so we stayed an extra day and limped up to a truck repair facility packed everything into the jeep and left the bus there and said change all 8 air bags. Asked them to save the blown one so we could see it, the date on it was 1989 my Prevost is 1989 so it looked to be an original this was back in 2010. Went back a week later and $4200.00 later we had all new air bags. My suggestion is to change them if they are old before you have an issue some where a long way from home. We were lucky because the truck service center was 5 miles away and we were 100 miles away.