Need more clearance

bcawley · 03-03-2018, 05:11 PM

I downsized from Winnebago Class A to Forester Class C and having a hard time adjusting to the low clearance going through dips and in/out of the driveway. Has anyone figured out the best way to add a couple of inches without a major reconfiguration?

ejohnson1144 · 03-03-2018, 05:22 PM

I filled my air suspension

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bcawley · 03-03-2018, 05:29 PM

This may sound dumb, but I'm not sure if I have air suspension. Does that come standard, or something you upgraded to?

ejohnson1144 · 03-03-2018, 05:32 PM

Mine came equipped . look at rear suspension and see if it looks like a small tire between frame and rear end near the spring. One on each side

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gasgastwo · 03-03-2018, 06:07 PM

On our 2860ds the differance between running the air suspension at 20psi or the maximum of 100psi makes about 1 1/2 inches differance in height

Steeljag · 03-03-2018, 06:22 PM

Yes you should have the Ride Rite air system. Look for air valves in compartments in front of rear wheels. As stated above it will provide “some” lift. I run mine at 70 psi.

As far as dragging, it has happened to me only twice, and both times at gas stations. Just have to be attentive to entries and exits !

Nice RV and hope you enjoy it !

bcawley · 03-06-2018, 05:34 PM

I just got back from my storage place and I crawled around under the rig with a flashlight but couldn't see the air springs. So, I grabbed my binder full of system manuals and brought it home and lo and behold there was the owner's manual for the Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs. Neither my wife or I remember the dealer going over that particular feature during our delivery walk-thru. I just have to go back now and figure out where the inflation valves are located and give them a try.

While I was under my rig I did measure the clearance for the hydraulic jacks and the skid triangles and found that there is only about 6" clearance to the bottom of the jacks and about 12" clearance to the bottom of the skids. This may be just what I need to increase my clearance into my driveway so that after my drive way concrete extension is poured I'll be able to park it at my house and save some big bucks on storage. Thanks for the assistance from everyone!

GL1800Rider · 03-07-2018, 03:45 PM

There should be one in the compartment behind the wheel well on each side. Make sure the jacks are not down when you check them. For your 3051, 70 pounds should be good. They will lose air so I keep an air compressor with me in case we are gone for a couple of weeks. I use a Stanley air compressor/jump starter so I have power for the toad if needed.

bcawley · 03-08-2018, 12:35 AM

I only found one inflation valve on the right side of my rig in the same compartment as the water pump. The compartment on the left side of my rig in the same area is the dump valves. I suppose they ran a tee to one valve?

Duckogram · 03-08-2018, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcawley

I only found one inflation valve on the right side of my rig in the same compartment as the water pump. The compartment on the left side of my rig in the same area is the dump valves. I suppose they ran a tee to one valve?

Don’t think so. Look at the aft end of the compartment above the black tank drain pipe.

Steve-W · 03-08-2018, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcawley

I only found one inflation valve on the right side of my rig in the same compartment as the water pump. The compartment on the left side of my rig in the same area is the dump valves. I suppose they ran a tee to one valve?

Mine has 2 valves. The one in the sewage compartment is in the smaller section towards the rear of the coach.

pismolocal · 03-10-2018, 03:51 AM

I have a 3011 with air bags. I too keep mine about 70 psi. I also installed 2 castor wheels to the rear hitch. They are each rated for 900 lbs and sit just a little lower than the Skid bars. Whenever I hit a slight slope (such as at a gas station entryway) the castor allow the rear of the RV to just roll over the slope instead of allowing the skids to scrape and make that God awful sound that something is braking. So far haven't had any problems.

newRVer · 03-10-2018, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pismolocal

I have a 3011 with air bags. I too keep mine about 70 psi. I also installed 2 castor wheels to the rear hitch. They are each rated for 900 lbs and sit just a little lower than the Skid bars. Whenever I hit a slight slope (such as at a gas station entryway) the castor allow the rear of the RV to just roll over the slope instead of allowing the skids to scrape and make that God awful sound that something is braking. So far haven't had any problems.

Pismo,

I thought about doing the same thing on my 3011 but the trouble I have on occasion is actually grounding the tow bar. I need a drop down receiver to lower the tow bar for the toad but now it becomes the low point. The only way I can think of fixing that problem is too get a new toad with a higher tow bar connection point. Over 2 years of travel I think I've scrapped bottom 3-4 times so other than filling up the air bags it may not be worth doing more to address but I keep looking.

pismolocal · 03-11-2018, 03:48 AM

It may be cheaper instead of getting a new toad to just get a tow dolly. Then you can get a standard tow bar that's rated for the correct weight instead of a drop down receiver. Revierce the tow bar so the ball is higher. You should have no problem still connecting the tow dolly. Hope I explained that well.

pismolocal · 03-11-2018, 03:55 AM

There is also this idea... maybe something like this might work for you.

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