Which air suspension????

Svtech uprated my Crafter from 3500 to 4000kg at 12,000 miles using vb air assist at the back and uprated struts at the front, this was all done at a VW main dealer long before I bought the van so I have no idea of the cost.

I like the fact that if a bag fails like has happened twice on my bmw 5 series I still have the original leaf springs on the back and it will be perfectly driveable.

I can also adjust the pressure depending on load
 
Paul Wilkins said:
Did approach SVTech to do the uprating, very disappointing service from them.
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Funny that i sent them 2 emails inc filling out their online form and sending ut back. Still not had a reply to either email i sent them. I then used J R Consultancy after them being recommended on here and John was great. Emails answered and paper work actually came through today so all sorted now and he is half the price almost to svtech
 
Duckato said:
Svtech uprated my Crafter from 3500 to 4000kg at 12,000 miles using vb air assist at the back and uprated struts at the front, this was all done at a VW main dealer long before I bought the van so I have no idea of the cost.

I like the fact that if a bag fails like has happened twice on my bmw 5 series I still have the original leaf springs on the back and it will be perfectly driveable.

I can also adjust the pressure depending on load
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The air springs on full air systems are nothing like the mini air bags on an air assist upgrade and are probably less likely to fail than the leaf spring
 
Air assist fitted to our Alko chassis Swift Escape rear axle by AS Suspension in Warrington has been brilliant also have the comfort springs fitted to the front and there is a marked improvement in the handling, highly recommend.
 
I purchased VP Semi air comfort system, fitted it myself it’s is so simple took about 3 hours the quality of VP is really good everything lined up perfectly, good quality material. I paid £700 inc vat for the kit, was going to have it fitted but for an extra £500 decided for 3 hours work would do myself and so pleased I did.

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I may be off the topic here but I got two Dunlop air assisted rear suspension units and gauge with at three year guarantee for my Hobby on a Renault chassis for £300 via Poland on a well known web site, Basically a copy of the VP system just removed the bumpstop cones and fitted same units instead , 8 nuts and bolts in total and 1/2 an hour under the van, what a difference in ride quality , they do not self adjust or are total air suspension units north of £5000 all I did ( I since have changed the van) was work out the best pressure for the load, they were rated to 80psi max and I ran them at 30 - 35 psi with no problem but when I wanted to change the pressure I had to use a cycle pump instead of a compressor which meant 10 - 30 pumps per 10 - 15 psi increase in pressure ., How much is each pump worth on your automatic system?
 
Had semi rear air suspension fitted by Dave Newell at Telford, only had it done to upgrade from 3500 to 3850Kg to keep legal.
Paperwork was done by SV Tech and they were super fast in all aspects.
Just make sure that when you send the v5 to DVLA you enclose a note saying that you want the gross weight to be the same as the taxable weight as they do not do it automatically (it is optional) you will neen this if you intend to travel abroad. Doesn't matter for the UK.
Keep mine at about 35psi, i use a cheap 12v air pump.
The van is now level and there is a difference in ride. It is softer and holds well in strong wind.
All in all worth it for the weight upgrade.
I did have an issue with the valve block, the valves were leaking when shut off and the gauge was showing pressure all the time.
Eventually fixed it myself by stripping the valves down and removing excess glue that was allowing air to pass.
Cost....air suspension £550 fitted, paperwork..£200 (special show offer).
Now 100% ???
 
Paul Wilkins said:
I added semi-air to our Bailey Autograph 794-T. Very pleased with it. Did approach SVTech to do the uprating, very disappointing service from them. Firstly, didn't response and after a bit of nudging they came back with a boat load of other 'upgrades' that needed doing before they'd think about looking at it.
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did you fit it yourself? what was the cost? was it on an alko chassis?
 
AC/DC said:
I had to use a cycle pump instead of a compressor which meant 10 - 30 pumps per 10 - 15 psi increase in pressure ., How much is each pump worth on your automatic system?
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A lot at 70mph on the motorway. Cant pump and drive!
 
MisterB said:
did you fit it yourself? what was the cost? was it on an alko chassis?
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Oooh no.. Its was around 1500 if I remember correctly, LNB Towbars in Bristol did it.

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Chris+Tracy said:
Just make sure that when you send the v5 to DVLA you enclose a note saying that you want the gross weight to be the same as the taxable weight as they do not do it automatically (it is optional) you will neen this if you intend to travel abroad. Doesn't matter for the UK.

Now 100% ???
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Chris+Tracy what do you mean by this as I can only see on my logbook it says taxation class private hgv ???
 
Sorry only just seen this.
(Y) Revenue weight =?
F.1: Max. Permissible Mass =?
They should both be the same.
DVLA only update F.1: if you ask them to.
No problem in the UK but if you travel abroad and get weighed then rhey use the Max permissible mass figure and you may be over weight. Why DVLA dont do it automatically when you upgrade is a mystery but i spoke to the guys as SVTech about it and they sais that DVLA say it is optional for them if they do or dont!!
Depends on which person does it.
Hope this helps
 
DVLA took three goes to get my V5C right :doh:.
Different departments apparently, and inter departmental is non existent.
 
Langtoftlad said:
DVLA took three goes to get my V5C right :doh:.
Different departments apparently, and inter departmental is non existent.
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Thats ridiculous

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When i upgraded from 3500 to 3650Kg (paperwork exercise) it took 5 months and 3 goes. This time, upgrading to 3850Kg after the air suapension it took 2 goes.
When i requested the F:1 it took 5 weeks!
 
Chris+Tracy
Just got the log book back and did as yiu said and put a letter in staying to upgrade F1 max permitted and they have not done this what a bunch of w$%&$#rs

Now what shall i send it back again as they gave only chznged the gross weight to 4800kg
 
Best to send it back and stick on post it notes with arrows and write on what the weight should be!
Dont forget a covering letter.
Good luck.
 
Chris+Tracy said:
Best to send it back and stick on post it notes with arrows and write on what the weight should be!
Dont forget a covering letter.
Good luck.
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They really are flecking useless
 
Chris+Tracy said:
Best to send it back and stick on post it notes with arrows and write on what the weight should be!
Dont forget a covering letter.
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Done this now

Can they refuse to change this, if not why did they not change it 1st time as i did a covering letter last time asking them to change both sections

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We had VB air 4C fitted to our Carthago (all four corners). This gave us a much needed GVW upgrade via SVTech. I thoroughly recommend Mick at SAP Doncaster as a point of contact. They did an exemplary job and we are very impressed with the difference it has made to general handling and the ability to auto level on a pitch (to a reasonable level). It cost us just over 7K with auto level but we consider it money well spent.
 
Dont suppose they have much job satisfaction.
Certainly can't think outside the box!!!
 
Sorry to resurrect this thread

has anyone with a Fiat Alko tag axel just had the VB rear semi-air suspension fitted and can tell me how much lift you can achieve at max pressure.

This is not to ride along but just to raise the tail end when reversing on/off sloping pitches or ferry ramps, if 50mm is all it can lift then i'm not sure its worth having tbh, being a tag axel i'm more than happy with the ride after fitting the VB comfort springs at the front

thanks Al
 
Not strictly air suspension but I have had Easy top air assist fitted to my Fiat Ducato PVC, really, really happy with it,,with the lowered seat bases ( sports craft) and fiddling about with the tyre pressures the van is now a completely different ride , I was actually dreading a long drive before the Easy tops, but now can’t wait to be roaming across Europe again , (oh hold on , I forgot Brexit and covid, I mean roaming around Sussex)

The standard van rear bumper stops are no way good enough for the demands of a heavy motorhome, they are tiny pieces of cornetto shaped rubber just designed to stop the spring and chassis bashing together, ( never driven a pure van so don't know if this works)
If you havent the funds to reach to full suspension its a great substitute for a fraction of the price.There is a few threads on MHF about them...
 
Sorry AlandVal
Just realised that may not be why you want them... doh 🙄

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Lenny HB said:
Carthago has an Al-Ko chassis so as Lanerboy says VB will cost £2k. Goldschmitt is likely to be a lot dearer in the UK as Travelworld are the only the agents.

We had full air fitted to our Hymer, Travelworld wanted £8,700 I had it fitted in Belgium for £7,100.
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Lenny HB said:
We originally had VB fitted but it didn't work with our chassis. The torsion bars on the Al-Ko axle were set to a much higher tension than normal so when the VB was fitted I didn't have as much ground clearance and did some damage. SAP removed it and gave us a full refund.

Now have the Goldschmtt fitted a bit more sophisticated. The ride is very similar to the VB maybe be slightly softer on the front & slightly longer travel on the front so leveling on site is a bit better. Has a sport option which lowers the van at speed, weight sensors on the axles so you can weigh the van & emergency inflation points as standard. Also the controller is an LCD touch screen and when doing a manual level you can see the position of each air spring and how level you are.

Driving wise still a hard ride but thumps over bumps rather than crashing and shaking your teeth out like the standard suspension. Stability in crosswinds and going past artics is awesome, you can be going past an artic at 70 mph and take your hands off the wheel and the van keeps a straight line.
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Lenny,
Do Goldschmitt's change the torsion bars on the full suspension air kit ?
At the Caravan Salon this year Al-Ko said they installed weaker torsion bars enabling the rear end to be lowered too
 
Lagos sun said:
Lenny,
Do Goldschmitt's change the torsion bars on the full suspension air kit ?
At the Caravan Salon this year Al-Ko said they installed weaker torsion bars enabling the rear end to be lowered too
Click to expand...
Yes they were changed on mine.
 

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