Joe's Priceless Advice

[Ck2hans]

Purchased 6 air bags from Prevost (On Sale this month) and installed. Used Joe's advice to compress the new air bags before installation and plug the bag before installation to make the process easier. Worked liked a charm, compressed bag to fit easily into it's space. Slowly loosen the plug and align the bag as it decompresses.

Thank you Joe
Chuck

[Anthem]

I havent even met Joe (yet), and I will say he has been super helpful and am looking forward to retaining his services for my coach. . I've read through enough of his things going back over a decade here - that I've also made mistakes that I have read about his warnings against. . too bad I read it too late. I now do a search beforehand and read everything through before undertaking something rather than doing something and then coming here when I hit a roadblock. . inevitably you'll usually see a Gil or Joe post that provides some insightful information.

[Joe Camper]

Hey Bus driver u must have another Joe. I never do that never not even once.

That's okay the publicity is wonderful.

Here's what you can do to facilitate easy installation of the airbags if you don't have the Brute Force to just compress them and put them in. you can really compressed those things down a long long way Chuck probably more than you realized but it's tough I'll give you that. When you've got the bus on the body supports and you've got your jack underthe drive axle for example will use that as an example. You got to take the outer duals off to change the airbags reasonably easy you don't have to take inners but if u r a novice pull both duels. When you set the jack to lift the rear axle up to pull the tires off set it so that there's a whole bunch of Ram extended out in order for you to get it high enough to get the tire off the ground. Do that on both sides so now you got the bus supported on stands and you've got the rear axle up on Jack's and tires are off and the Jacks Are way super extended. Now when you go loosen up all your airbag nuts you can back those jacks off and drop them way down You can't just do one side at a time cuz it'll get cocked and the bolts won't easily lineup so you drop both Jack down go back and forth couple timesalternating lowering Jack's and you can drop that suspension way way down out of the way and those air bags will just float in and out Chuck. Then you run the jack back up until the studs go through the holes.

Bada bing bada bang.

[Ck2hans]

Thanks Joe, as always great advice.

I used the level low and raised the bus as high as it would go, put supports under the frame then dumped the air. That gave me the height I needed to get under the bus without removing any tires. Old bags came out without to much effort and by compressing the new bags and plugging them I had the reduced size needed to install the new bags with out struggling with them. I lined up the mounting holes, slowly unscrewed the plug in the top and guided the bolts into their mounting holes as the bag slowly grew in size as the air returned into the bags.

Chuck

[Joe Camper]

20200505_150309.jpg

Easier way. Drop the cradle lift out the old drop in the new raise the cradle. On IFS front ends similar choice. Fight them in and out or take a very few short minutes and undolt the upper a arm from the frame.

[Fratto]

Hey Joe, have you ever built a jig to air them up in and check for leaks before installing them?

[Sc17842]

Lol I recognize that green painted floor line in that picture! Learning so much this week!!!

[ELucast]

Grease vs oil is a debate that's been going on in the trucking industry for many decades. They'll come from the factory with oil. If the manufacture says not to use grease, don't use it. I'll stick with oil in the hubs.

Oil depends on oil seals, as long as they're doing their job life is good. Let that seal fail and you're going to lose a hub and wheel.

Grease doesn't depend on an oil seal.

It's more of a preference. Regardless of which way you go, get in the habit of putting your hand on the hub center every time you stop. If it's hot you have a problem, call Joe.

[Joe Camper]

Even though some circles accuse me of it I never use customers for test pilots I'd never do that on somebody else's bus. I'll tell you another good reason not to do Greece it's almost impossible to put it together without contaminating the bearings with having grit stick to them you got to have hey surgical type cleanliness around things to make sure that goes together clean and anybody who's seen me work knows that don't happen too often

[Ck2hans]

Joe:

I thought it was just you that got dirty and parts stayed clean.

Chuck