airbag repair/replacement

I just changed the air bags on the back axle of my freightliner last weekend and it is very simple.I had not changed bags on a big truck before but including the time to dig out the tool box and cleaning up afterwards and washing my hands it was about 45 min.

If your airbag is not torn or does not have a hole in it you could take it off and try to get the bag reseated right and put it back in.But you have to have a hyd. jack or a 4x6 wood block to put between the axle and frame to keep the bag free when you dump the air in the bags.

 

I have a KW 8 bag suspension that I am constantly changing bags on (they are old and cracked, I have almost all of them chaged out). I have a permantly mounted box on the truck, so I have to do it all from under the truck and it is still a pretty simple job.

 

I've had to put some new bags on here & there and it cost about $500 parts/labor each time. Labor seemed really high.

 

WOW! I realize all bags are different, but mine are only $100 per bag, and I do it in about an hour. Was that at the stealership or an idependent shop?

 

Tall bags, put on at an International shop. The bags I needed ran about $230, I believe. Don't let my boss see this thread, he'll have us start doing it ourselves!

 

Not a prob. with the the way things are these days it is worth it to try and do somethings our self.
Glad it worked out for you.

 

Like kwforage, I have had a couple of trucks with the 8 bag system, not a big, nor expensive job to R & R them. I had a section of airline rigged up that would let me to bypass the air to the bag I wanted to replace, allowing the others to air up. This would eliminate the need to jack the frame up to R & R the bag. If you do this, be sure to block the frame to keep it from falling down to the stops while your hands are in there, "just in case". Would hate to hear that anyone finished the job with less fingers than when he started.