Need Barn clearance - will airbags help - Gasser

[Txsurfer]

I bought a new place with a barn with 12' doors - My gasser is 12'2" to the top of the rear AC ( front clears ) - back does not due to rake. Fuel tank is full. I have been told to add airbags but I don't see how this will help with leaf springs on a Ford chassis? Will it?

[La_Gasser]

I feel your pain - I had to have my trailer shed raised 4' when I purchased my Toy Hauler. A picture of your barn showing the doors and more info about it would help us offer better suggestions. Like what type of material is it built of - metal or wood? What type of doors - rollup, hinged single or double doors, or even a maybe a slider door? Is it on a concrete pad or rock or dirt?

[77rollalong]

let the air out of the rear tires enough to clear, and reinflate the tires once past the door

[wa8yxm]

I have no clue why anyone would think Air bags will help.

You can raise the header on the door
Or you can lower the floor
Or you can load 'er down.. If you put enough weight in the RV it might loose 3 inches.

BUT DANGER.. If you unload the RV..... it goes back up.. I know of semi drivers who have driven under a birdge ....loaded... dozens of times but the first time under that low bridge deadheading.> CLANG and here come da judge.

[Terryallan]

TANDDANDBIGE wrote:
my barn with a gravel floor was not tall enough so I "lowered" the floor on one side and built bulkheads around that area. Not elegant, but functional. Coach stays inside when not in use. TB

Agree. If the floor is NOT cement, or asphalt. Scrape it down. Other than that. Raise the door opening

[ItsyRV]

wanderingaimlessly wrote:
Let some air out of the back tires go in.
OR
IF it is an overhead door you can sometimes push up an additional inch or two past where it will stay on its own. In that case cut a length of pipe an inch longer than your rigs is tall, and use it to prop up the door when entering or exiting.

This /\, if you have a rollup.

If the physical door opening hole is more than the door's stay up height, that would be my first choice. Just push and prop it up past the hanging stay-up and you have the clearance you need.

Letting air out of the tires is a good second choice.

However, since you mention the rake of the roof, not sure why one end goes in and the other does not.

[wanderingaimles]

Let some air out of the back tires go in.
OR
IF it is an overhead door you can sometimes push up an additional inch or two past where it will stay on its own. In that case cut a length of pipe an inch longer than your rigs is tall, and use it to prop up the door when entering or exiting.

[rgatijnet1]

How often do you go in and out of the garage? It might be easier to just take the cover off of the rear AC when you move the RV. The alternative is to let the air out of the rear tires and then reinflate them after you have passed the door opening.
Due to the rake of your coach, air bags MAY HELP if raising the front end will lower the rear end. This can be easily checked by looking at the location of the rear AC in relation to the rear axle. If it is over the rear axle, raising the front will not help. If it is well behind the rear axle, it may help and you can check this by putting a jack under the front axle and by jacking the front end up, you can measure how much the rear drops. I seriously doubt that the air bags will help your situation.

[DrewE]

Air bags (as in air helper springs, like Ride Rite ones et al.) will not lower the suspension on the gas motorhome unless other changes are made at the same time, which probably would be inadvisable. Obviously replacing the entire suspension with an air suspension is a different story.

Maybe you can get and install a lower profile air conditioner? Maybe if the ground isn't perfectly level you could fit in if you back in vs. pulling in head on (or vice versa)? Maybe you could lower the floor of the barn, or raise the building up by a few inches on its foundation?

[TANDDANDBIGE]

my barn with a gravel floor was not tall enough so I "lowered" the floor on one side and built bulkheads around that area. Not elegant, but functional. Coach stays inside when not in use. TB

[htss]

Is it the garage door or the opening that is the problem? You might be able to put in a different door to get more clearance, if the door is the problem.

[wolfe10]

Sorry, don't think I am getting the picture.

Air bags can only RAISE the coach meaning you will need MORE clearance.