| | Media Release – AIRBAG MAN -
December 2003It’s something in the air that lifts the spirits of intrepid
4wd explorers
There’s plenty of desert in Australia, and John and Val Cremmins of
Melbourne use another plentiful commodity to get around out there: air.
More exactly, the air in their supplementary suspension system incorporating
air springs, which have made a world of difference to their 4WD Toyota 75
Troop Carrier.
John and Val spend three to four months every year in the outback, and have
been travelling there for the past six or seven years. John, a retired
underwater construction and demolition worker, bought the “Troopy” in 1995 and
noticed that, as he clocked up the 180,000 km the Troopy has now covered, the
vehicle’s springs were beginning to soften.
“I got quotes from different people on replacing the springs and I got quotes
on rebuilding the springs,” John says. “Then I found out about air springs.”
A chat to Rod Butler at Toolern Engineering, Melbourne, persuaded John that he
could save money by leaving the vehicle’s metal springs as they were and
installing a Ride-Rite air helper system distributed nationally by Airbag Man
in association with Firestone industrial product supplier Air Springs Supply
Pty Ltd. The systems not only improve the ride, handling and load performance,
but also enable the vehicle to cope with loads distributed unevenly throughout
the vehicle.
“At the time I thought: ‘If I get the benefit of having these airbags and I
don’t have anything to do to the springs, I’m well out in front.’ ”
He fitted the air springs to all four wheels: “No problem with the front
drive, either.” With the kit came a small compressor that works off the car’s
12 V system, and a small reserve tank. These are mounted under the bonnet:
“I’ve got a couple of dials inside so I can pump up the springs whenever I
want – including when I’m driving along the road.”
As well as getting the air springs at a lower cost than new or re-tempered
springs, there was another bonus: John and Val have built an off-road caravan
– “Fairly heavy, you know, for a ‘van’ – and we had a fairly heavy load
transfer mechanism to go on the back of the caravan to get some of the load
off the Troopy’s back wheels.
“You sit them on the back of the caravan and you crank them up. Their effect
is to put the load back on the front wheels when you put the caravan on.”
Enter air springs - and exit the load transfer mechanism: “With air springs, I
found I could do away with the mechanism. This was a big plus for me.
“I park the Troopy and caravan on a flat surface. I measure the distance
between the wheel and the arch, and then I couple the caravan on.
“All I have to do then is to pump up the rear air springs until the distance
between the arch and the wheel is the same again. It is just great.”
The reverse procedure was equally simple: Disconnect the caravan and deflate
the air springs until the original distance between wheel and arch is
restored.
“It’s been magic and I’ve been very pleased with the vehicle stability too,”
he says, recalling a place heading up towards the Victorian border where the
road has bad undulations.
 “The
front of the Troopy used to whip a little bit up there. But when I put some
air pressure on the back the whip just stopped.”
He says that at the time it seemed to be too good to be true, so he let some
air out: “It started its little whip again, so I just pumped it up again - all
this as I was sitting, driving.”
Ride-Rite kits - proven in service with some of the world's hardest-working
vehicles - supplement conventional metal springs to help overcome distortions
in a vehicle's suspension that occurs as it is loaded.
Increasing weight causes vehicles to sag or lean, resulting in hazardous
driving conditions and wear and tear on the vehicle's tyres, suspension and
frame. Ride-Rite air helper springs work with the existing suspension to
re-level loaded vehicles to their ideal configuration, which is with frame and
body parallel to the ground, as in an unloaded vehicle, says Toolern’s Mr Rod
Butler.
The air helper springs - inflated by standard tyre pumps or optional onboard
compressed equipment - can handle 0-7 bar (0-100 psi) and up to 1100kg each
(subject to chassis gross vehicle weight limits).
Ride-Rite kit applications include:
- Utility trucks carrying uneven loads for users as diverse as building
tradesmen, couriers, manufacturers and government and private service
industries.
- Delivery vans, including retail, electrical contractor, engineering and
transport industries.
- Recreational and work 4wd vehicles, in uses ranging from farming and
mining exploration to camping and towing of boats.
- Towing and specialist vehicles and machinery, including wreckers’
vehicles, ambulances, transit buses and agricultural equipment subject to
wide-ranging loads.
John Cremmins makes no bones about air springs: “I’m a pretty big fan of
them now. They saved the cost of replacement metal springs. Also, I don’t need
the ride levellers for the caravan any more. They cost me about $500, so I can
sell those.
For others who want to get the advantages of air springs, John says you don’t
have to be a great mechanic to fit a Ride-Rite kit.
“I just poked around and did the job myself. I had Rod Butler’s numbers at
Toolern Engineering and his home. Any time I wanted advice on any aspect of
the fittings he was there and just told me what to do. It was very good and
I’m pleased.”
As an example, John says he decided to put more bushes in the Troopy’s springs
and he wanted to know the extent he could stretch them when he jacked the car
up. Also, whether he’d have to disconnect the airline or what else he’d have
to do.
“Rod told me and I just got on with it. I also told them I was very happy with
the air springs. That’s because we go to lots of desert or inland places where
there are no roads.”
Securing the caravan, they go off-road and head for the inland.
“I leave the road and I poke my way through the terrain. People have mentioned
to me they were concerned about the cabling of the airlines, but the care you
always take not to stake your tyres covers any problem there.
“Anyway, if you do rip a bit out of the cable I carry spare airline and it’s
only a two second job to take a section out and put it back in.”
While John and Val usually travel alone, they use GPS (Global Positioning
System): “If I can’t find my way back I use GPS to find another way back to
where I came from.
“We carry HF radio and stay in touch with the bases, and listen in at night
time to hear if there are any messages for us.”
While the reasons for re-equipping their Troopy with air springs originally
were mechanical, they are grateful too for the bonus of comfort.
“We find it’s a softer ride. My wife had been experiencing back pains on
previous trips and we were looking at all sorts of expensive seats. But we
decided to give it a go this year with the air springs fitted and she had no
problems. She loves it!”
To contact Toolern Engineering, please call (03) 9746 1484.
For further information about Ride-Rite kits nationally, please contact sales
at Airbag Man, 1/126 South Pine Road, Brendale, Queensland 4500, ph (07) 3889
6556, fax (07) 3889 6557, info@airbagman.com.au
For more information from Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd, please contact Air
Springs Supply Pty Ltd, ph (02) 9807 4077, fax (02) 9807 6979,
www.airsprings.com.au.
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