There are two stops so both sides would sit the same height. The difference is only 1.5" so it is not extreme but rather just a hair more than the tires needed to clear the flare. The tires were shoving the fender flare on the right side out and broke two clips. I don't think we would put the coach in a position where one side would have to flex the airbag that much. I welded them in and adjusted the tag pressure to 30psi up from 25 to help prevent deflection. The issue is not so much the pot holes but rather the smooth wavy dips. Front of coach sails like a Cadillac but the rear usually is much stiffer. At least in an emergency if we lost air, the coach can still be driven off the road. I also feel better about dumping the air and now it can sit properly.
Simon those pictures tell a better story, what I thought was a piece of flat plate on the top is actually on the frame. Do you think when driving and you hit a bump in the road it will bottom out?
1999 45' with tag axle, #504 "Magnolia"
Gravette, Arkansas
I called Dean last night to ask his opinion since his coach is only 4 away from mine. He had made a very solid point which lined up with my thinking. Of all the terrible roads we drove on the east coast, if the suspension flexed enough to the point of bottoming out, I would have cut up the tires and left grooves on the sides from the flares. With 8 bags just at the rear alone, we don't think the suspension moves up and down as much as the front does on 4 bags.
We don't have bad roads to test the bottoming out here unless I go through parking lots and "hop" some curbs at a decent clip. Worst case, I bottom out so bad that it drives the steel bar into the diff's axle housing and busts it. We believe Newell had installed the solid steel bar since there is an additional 3/16" plate steel on top of the diff housing that welded on which the mounting U-bolt for the axle sits on as well.
Time will tell. Worst case I will be under there cursing up a storm trying to cut the three passes of weld bead I put on two sides of the bar.
So in short theory, if the suspension bottomed out in the past, I would have signs of missing rubber on the sidewalls. My precaution will be to add another 5psi of tag bag air for giggles.
It's a good idea let us know if it works. I dislike the idea that Newell built these coaches with the airbags down the rear tires drag on the fender frame. I've had a few ideas rattling around in my skull like having a couple pneumatic hydraulic jacks that could be used when parked for long periods of time or in the case of an airbag failure. I recently worked on a coach that had shreds of rubber stuck to the fender and the frame around the rear drive tire, I had wondered if somebody had sprayed that on there for some reason then came to my attention that at one time or another an airbag failure had caused the tire to shred on the rear fender and the hot rubber stuck to the fender well.
1999 45' with tag axle, #504 "Magnolia"
Gravette, Arkansas
(This post was last modified: 01-20-2024, 08:10 AM by Jack Houpe.)
Does your coach have this stop installed? I added to mine with just enough to keep the tire (1/4") space from touching the flare. I don't see why you could not add it so long as there is an additional metal plate to spread the weight on your diff's axle housing. That area is already thick steel since the U-bolts clamp it.
I’m thinking Newell was beginning to adapt the 24.5” wheel rims during the mid 90’s. Considering the recommended 12” coach ride height the taller tire would net the shorter tire/ fender opening dimension. The “standing post” bump stops that both Simons and my coach have may have been a work around that was not quite enough. I plan to modify mine as well when we install new bags on the rear.
The “standing post” bump stop
1993 Newell (316) 45' 8V92,towing an Imperial open trailer or RnR custom built enclosed trailer. FMCA#232958 '67 Airstream Overlander 27' '67GTO,'76TransAm,'52Chevy panel, 2000 Corvette "Lingenfelter"modified, '23 Grand Cherokee.
(This post was last modified: 01-20-2024, 02:40 PM by HoosierDaddy.)
Funny thing is I just noticed the bump stop on mine Thursday. I had to weld up a tiny spot on the exhaust pipe coming out of the engine which was missed at assembly. There was a small line of carbon that was under the insulation. Since that needed to be welded up and my reluctance to drag out the welding apparatus, the axle deal pushed this agenda to top priority. Dean, when you add a piece of steel to yours, have it sandwiched between the stub and chassis to you get a proper footing. Mine had a slight angle which was overcome with the setting of the chassis on the block/stub.
