Time estimate for installing campground air leveling valves on RTS?

[Kevin Warnock]

Hello,

I have a new four point campground leveling system kit that I got from Pete RTS/Daytona. One installs it by splicing the air solenoids into the air bag air lines for each corner of my TMC "RTS" bus. I don't know how to cut and repair air lines. My mechanic looked over the kit and the documentation and gave me a quote of 26 to 32 hours of his labor, at $100 per hour, to install the kit start to finish, including installing the switches inside the bus by the driver's seat, and running the wires. He estimated that there would also be a charge for more parts of not more than $200. He said that if I did all the work except for cutting into the air lines and inserting the solenoid valves there, the estimate would drop to 3 to 4 hours from 26 to 32. This seems like a huge reduction.

I am comfortable with lots of tasks, but I have never cut into the air lines and inserted anything in them like this kit before. He said it's all plastic lines and not too difficult to work with. Is it comparable in difficulty to soldering copper water pipes, which I can do successfully, and have done many times? The instructions did not say how to cut or seal the air lines, so I was wondering if someone can tell me how to do it, or where to find a reference. I can't see accepting his full quote and paying close to $4,000 with tax to install this kit perhaps on a bus I only paid $10,000 for.

Separately, will I need to weld anything to do this project? I don't know how. What am I likely to attach the solenoid valves to under the bus? Will I need to put them inside a box or otherwise cover them from the road spray? How should I run the wires? Put them up inside the bus, or run them in the channel under the bus? Any ideas where exactly to put the switch panel the operator uses to level the bus?

Comments please.

Thanks,

Kevin

[captain ron]

Kevin, It helps if you put your location in your profile, then if your close to any of us we can physically help.
The airlines will probably be your easiest task on this whole project. They are just compression fittings.

[JackConrad]

Kevin,
   I spent several days installing my system which I designed and built myself, in our almost completed conversion (the second systyem took about a day & 1/2, but that bus was still pretty much a shell). Installing the solenoids is easy. Cut the metal line with a tubing cutter, like they used on copper tubing. You can make you connections using brass compression fittings. If they are not in the kit, they are available at just about any hardware or auto parts store. The time consuming part is running the wires from the solenoids to the dash. Is your conversion done? If it is still a shell, it will be much easier to run the wires. Hope this helps, Jack

[prevost82]

Hi Kevin ... I just Installed Pete's level kit and it took me 2 days (16hrs) of which 4hrs were figuring out the best way to to install it ... what fittings I needed and which lines to cut, you only have to cut 2 lines, at each valve, if you do it right.

What I would do if you are not comfortable with cutting the lines is to run the wire to where the new valves will be mounted (close to the supply air for the bags), mount the switch panel in the drivers area and then take it to your mechanic and he can install the new valves and new air lines.

But as Captain Ron said the cutting the airlines and installing compression fittings in easy. If you want some pic's of my instal email me off line.
Ron

[Hartley]

Kevin,

Get another mechanic, That one saw you coming from a mile away! He is making a fortune off someone,
just make sure it's not YOU !....

26 hours , Oh gimme a break, You could rebuild the whole suspension for that...

I did my RTS with my own manual valves and took 1/2 day but I did have to pull the front tires.
The back valve is under the removable panel in between the rear wheel wells. Right on top of the
rear axle. The hardest labor intensive part is adding the extra air lines and running some trailer cable
to the solenoids.

[jjrbus]

Took me the better part of 2 days to build and install a system on my MCI5C. But I'm old, slow, lots of aches and paines and not very smart.
$100 an hour is far to much, I would be glad to do it for $90 hr. plus 401K, vacation, medical and only green M&M's. I hate the other colors!
  Seriously it is not that hard a job, you could design , build and install your own system with some help from this board or find someone to help you with it. You may find someone here to do it for you for a lot less.
If I had to pay $4000 I would not have a leveling system on my bus.

[captain ron]

Seems he doesn't want us to know where he lives. If he's close or close to where I'll be soon I will help him some.

[Sammy]

Kevin, I most definitely agree with Dr Dave - find someone else to install it for you.
I have wrenched on these buses since 1986.
The RTS has nylon air lines to the air bags, not a big deal to splice.
More important is to realize that you can get killed if you don't support the body and axle properly before starting this conversion.
Again, as Dave said, find another competent shop to take care of it.
Best of luck with this project.
Sammy