Airbags don't inflate??

[GHodge]

I too was catch with the airbags not inflating. Now before driving off I check that the airbags have been inflated to the normal height by measuring the distance between the top of the tire and the wheel well with my hand, approximately 4".

Yes a number of times they do not inflate and I have to push the retract all and wait some more. Based on the ride you get with the airbags not inflated, it is worth the wait and the effort to check.

George & Diana
2011 Berkshire 390RB60

[DanielJ]

Thanks to this forum, I noticed my airbags hadn't inflated and followed the advice of this thread. I did not have to experience the "rodeo" first. Thanks guys!

[JTN8]

I just picked up my 2014 390BH about a month ago and during my demo I asked this very question since I read it on here. My demo guy said there is no reason to have the coach running while retracting the jacks. He said if you 1. Retract all slides, 2. Retract all jacks then 3. Once all retracted start the coach and be patient. After a few minutes with the coach running you will hear a large air discharge from the rear, once you hear that it is safe to drive away. If you leave before hearing the discharge then your bags are not fully inflated and you will have the issue mentioned above. In the past month I have done this process about 10 times since we've been camping in it for almost the whole month and it has worked everything with no issues. Hope this helps....

Jason

[mjracsj]

Agree you dont need the coach running WHILE retracting the jacks but you should turn the engine on BEFORE retracting them in order to have the air system up to pressure. The coach will not rise yet as of this point but it is best to have the air system up to pressure first before raising the jacks. This has seemed to be important especially if you are on a campsite that wasnt very side to side level. Otherwise you may hear a loud bang or pop type sound when you pressure up the air with the jacks already up as I understand it is the sound of a compressed air bag trying to inflate in a way which didnt seem good for them as the coach was sitting down on the frame rails with no air in the system.
If you instead turn the engine on before retracting the jacks until the guages read about 135 psi and you hear the air dump, then you can shut off the engine, retract the jacks, make sure they are all up, then turn engine back on and wait for the coach to rise and hear the air dump once more you will never have any problems.

[rjdoner192]

I had this same problem occur. If you read the manual the following info is listed under helpful hints "If your coach is equipped with air suspension, it is recommended to start your coach and allow the chassis air to build before pressing All Retract. This will ensure adequate air supply to the chassis air valves". When we picked up our coach the individual said the same retract then start engine. I think they need to read the manual before hand.
Since reading the manual I've had no problems.

[speedmerchant]

Originally Posted by mjracsj

..... This has seemed to be important especially if you are on a campsite that wasnt very side to side level. Otherwise you may hear a loud bang or pop type sound when you pressure up the air with the jacks already up as I understand it is the sound of a compressed air bag trying to inflate in a way which didnt seem good for them as the coach was sitting down on the frame rails with no air in the system.

Good point, never though of it that way, takes the risk out of pinching or binding an airbag I would think

[mjracsj]

Yeah first trip last year with the coach the campsite was uneven and the airbag made a gunshot type sound when inflating with the jacks already up. Since then every time I start the engine first just to build air pressure before raising the jacks and no problems since.

[I-RV]

Another reason why there might be difficulty with inflating the air bags, is if the tires where lifted of the ground when the RV was jacked up lifting the wheels off the ground can pull the airbag off it's mandrel. I suggest that you always have the tires supported with some weight on them. It is also not very safe to have tires hanging.

[BrendaV]

recently had the same problem and took it in for service and they called forest river and said the same as some of the replies. You need to start the engine and let the pressure in the air tanks build up before you retract the levelers, that way the legs go all the way back up and you can also see the distance between the tires and the frame go up. Had a horrible rodeo ride and was very surprised that there was not damage to the motorhome, never had a ride like that before in my life thought we were going through the roof....thank goodness for seat belts!
BrendaV
2010 Berkshire 39bh

[frankatp]

Same thing happened to us on our first long trip. Stayed with the son for a week right after we got it. When we left it did the same thing yours did and was almost uncontrollable. Stopped checked the tires, ( it was really cold out) nothing there. Like you said hit the levelers up again and it was fine. Scared the hell out of us. We hadn't owned the rig 2 months. Now my checklist says start the engine, build air pressure, shut it off, retract the jacks, restart the engine. Seems to work just fine. Never had the problem again.

[edgewant]

Maybe it's just me but I don't see the need to shut the engine off after the air pressure has built up. Just hit the all retract and wait for the leveling system to indicate the levelers have retracted. Just to make sure bags have inflated I do a walk around and check each wheel. Hop in and I'm ready to roll.

[po 185]

i had the same ride,,but i had to drive 5 mi. before i could turn around and i riped off the rock gard when i did,,but thanks to this forum i found out how to fix it,,, thank you