Suspension?

[bluedogz]

Newbie to all this, but not so new that I didn't search the forums first...

My memories of riding in a flat-front school bus decades ago include suspension that was... wooden. Not exactly comfy to ride.

Is this still true? If so, how to correct? Am I overthinking?

 

[Njsurf73]

Medium and heavy-duty vehicles suspension are designed you ride best when fully loaded. Any vehicle with regular steel Springs is going to ride stiff when it is light. A lot of buses had rear air suspensions and some even had all Air suspensions. I have a 2002 blue bird with air suspension front and rear and it rides like a dream even stripped out and empty. If you're looking for the best ride quality then air Springs are the ticket.

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[Serengeti-SKO]

Medium and heavy-duty vehicles suspension are designed you ride best when fully loaded. Any vehicle with regular steel Springs is going to ride stiff when it is light. A lot of buses had rear air suspensions and some even had all Air suspensions. I have a 2002 blue bird with air suspension front and rear and it rides like a dream even stripped out and empty. If you're looking for the best ride quality then air Springs are the ticket.

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Do you mind sharing information on your suspension system. I am looking for a suitable setup for an International made in the same year. The dealer and manufacturer can't provide information unless you have a VIN.

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[Njsurf73]

I don't know if I can help you. My boss is a bluebird All American. I don't know if the parts would even be interchangeable without modification. There are quite a few manuals online for the blue birds that are very detailed.

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[golfersmurf57]

Any options for converting the old steel springs over to an air ride?

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[Serengeti-SKO]

Any options for converting the old steel springs over to an air ride?

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Here is what I found, virtually all the bus manufacturers had an air ride option. You have to get their parts manual corresponding to your VIN to figure what goes where. It wasn't the easiest task. International hotline wasn't helpful but the local dealer was. I am waiting to build out my bus to figure out if I still need it after all is said and done. Might take out a spring or two like some people do.

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[Tango-SKO]

Another option is reducing the number of leaves or replacing the hard ride springs with something softer. School bus springs appear to all have been designed for max loading which results in a very hard, bouncy ride. Removing leaves is one fix, another is to get a new set of springs at a lighter rate. The stack that was on the rear of my 1.5 ton '46 were massive so I went to Eaton Detroit and got a set that is 50% of what the factory rate was. On the front, I got new springs that added 350#'s to compensate for the extra weight of the Cummins diesel. Eaton has been around forever and can make just about anything spring related for anything.

One more option.

 

[EastCoastCB]

Any options for converting the old steel springs over to an air ride?

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They sell kits but they're 5-10 grand. Or find your same model of bus and change all the parts over. You may or may not have to weld a tab or two to the frame.

 

[gbstewart]

I drive with a full tank of water and it helps the ride, also I weighed my bus, and lowered my tire pressure, you go on line to the tire manufacture for psi, also I replaced my drive tires with new summer ones instead of the snow tires that where on it, big difference in noise, and a bit smoother ride, this spring ill replace the shocks for some better ones this will help for some of the pounding from road joints. each one of these changes added up to a better ride, not fantastic , but a lot better.
gbstewart

 

[Serengeti-SKO]

They sell kits but they're 5-10 grand. Or find your same model of bus and change all the parts over. You may or may not have to weld a tab or two to the frame.

Welding might cause issues

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[EastCoastCB]

Welding might cause issues

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Here's the last discussion I remember on here.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f33/conversion-of-spring-to-air-ride-suspension-16771-2.html