Messages in Safarifriends group. Page 12 of 23.

Group: Safarifriends Message: 25796 From: 7b65737be34a42ace4c444f809a71aca Date: 7/19/2014
Subject: Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25797 From: Kenagy Randy Date: 7/19/2014
Subject: Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25800 From: 7b65737be34a42ace4c444f809a71aca Date: 7/19/2014
Subject: Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25843 From: omar343 Date: 7/23/2014
Subject: 98 ivory edition 40 ft slight rear sag
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25844 From: wolfe102001 Date: 7/23/2014
Subject: Re: 98 ivory edition 40 ft slight rear sag
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25845 From: Dwayne Knoll Date: 7/23/2014
Subject: Re: 98 ivory edition 40 ft slight rear sag
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25876 From: greg harding Date: 7/30/2014
Subject: Re: Digest Number 3739
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26029 From: Nan and Pete Date: 8/26/2014
Subject: Re: Safari Sahara 3006 30'
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26313 From: aldawn_danes@sbcglobal.net Date: 10/15/2014
Subject: Re: Suspension woes 2001 Safari Panther
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26315 From: Fred Broussard Date: 10/15/2014
Subject: Re: Suspension woes 2001 Safari Panther
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26500 From: sdjhtm Date: 10/29/2014
Subject: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26501 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 10/29/2014
Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26502 From: TD Date: 10/29/2014
Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension [2 Attachments
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26503 From: TD Date: 10/29/2014
Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension [2 Attachments
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26511 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 10/29/2014
Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26546 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 11/1/2014
Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26550 From: TD Date: 11/1/2014
Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension [1 Attachment]
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26629 From: lorne_shantz Date: 11/10/2014
Subject: Re: 2001 safari panther 425 41' Owners
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26706 From: TD Date: 11/19/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26709 From: TD Date: 11/20/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26710 From: Dick Missett Date: 11/20/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26711 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/20/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26712 From: stuplich@ymail.com Date: 11/20/2014
Subject: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26715 From: TD Date: 11/20/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26716 From: TD Date: 11/20/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26717 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/20/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26718 From: stuplich@ymail.com Date: 11/21/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26727 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/21/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26735 From: TD Date: 11/21/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26741 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/21/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26743 From: TD Date: 11/21/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26745 From: TD Date: 11/21/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26786 From: Dick Missett Date: 11/24/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26788 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 11/24/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26789 From: TD Date: 11/24/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26790 From: Richard Missett Date: 11/24/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26791 From: Rick Rhinelander Date: 11/24/2014
Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26817 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/25/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26818 From: TD Date: 11/25/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26820 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/26/2014
Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26912 From: Dick Missett Date: 12/8/2014
Subject: koni Shocks (does color matter ?)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26917 From: TD Date: 12/9/2014
Subject: Re: koni Shocks (does color matter ?)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 27016 From: lorne_shantz Date: 12/11/2014
Subject: Well it is always something
Group: Safarifriends Message: 27041 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 12/12/2014
Subject: Re: Tires (Was Brake hoses)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 27053 From: TD Date: 12/12/2014
Subject: Re: Tires (Was Brake hoses)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 27068 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 12/13/2014
Subject: Re: Tires (Was Brake hoses)
Group: Safarifriends Message: 27470 From: TD Date: 1/27/2015
Subject: Re: Where has everybody gone?
Group: Safarifriends Message: 27473 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 1/27/2015
Subject: Re: Where has everybody gone?
Group: Safarifriends Message: 27476 From: TD Date: 1/27/2015
Subject: Re: Where has everybody gone?
Group: Safarifriends Message: 27479 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 1/27/2015
Subject: Re: Where has everybody gone?



Group: Safarifriends Message: 25796 From: 7b65737be34a42ace4c444f809a71aca Date: 7/19/2014
Subject: Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
Thanks  Herb
 
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 6:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 

DOT won't weight you, just go to any truck stop.  Most have scales.  Down side, they axel weigh.  DOT does same.

Herb

On Jul 19, 2014, at 7:14 AM, "John Quade jquade44@... [Safarifriends]"<Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 
I would try the State's Weiht stations for trucks, i.e., on I-5


On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 8:21 PM, Dan Bissell dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 
John I have asked around here {Washington State) on where to have the RV weighed, do you know where I get that done?

Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.

-----Original Message-----
From: "TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]"
Sent: Jul 16, 2014 10:36 PM
To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help

 
Danny,
 
Have your coach weighed on all four corners and run you tire pressure according to the weight your carrying. Too much air pressure will give a terrible ride and make it dog tail. Also, make sure your steering components are tight, especially king pins, if they are worn, it will definitely affect the handling.
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 6:22 PM, dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


Thanks John, Mine is riding hard, as they call it the dog tail. I have replaced the shocks and just installed the front & rear straight TIGER TRAK stabilizer bars, I hope this will improve the ride. I will take a look and do some research as you recommend. Thanks
Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.
 
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 7:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 
Danny,
 
If you have the Velvet Ride (torsion) suspension, it is important to have the correct ride height because it affects handling and ride quality/comfort. Do a search on this forum on ride height adjustment, Velvet Ride, and/or BF Goodrich Torsilastic suspension. You will find a lot of info that will bring you up to speed including how to measure your ride height and removing/adjusting the shims. On my coach, my ride height was with in spec but I had clearance issues that were very hard to detect and created major problems for ride quality. If your coach rides smooth and handles well, I would not worry to much.
 
Safe Travels,
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:58 PM, dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


John I’m still new at this RV thing and I am wondering why I would have to worry about the ride height? and do I what to remove any shim on my RV?
Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.
 
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 
Dave and Judy,
 
I don't know what post you read, but please be aware that Safari Friends member pschafersr DID have ALL his torsion springs replaced on his Safari because he was out of shims and was not able to adjust his ride height. I am sure that the shop goes through a lot of volume and have adjusted many Safaris, so its easy to forget and get mixed up on what they did in the past, but again, as you can see in the photos, he had all four torsion springs replaced. It was a very big and labor intensive job. I read that this shop bought all of Ralph Andrews Stock of springs when he passed away, so it would be interesting to know if they have any more left.
Maybe consider emailing Redlands the link of photos that I sent you, of the job they did, to jog their memory.
Also, don't be afraid of removing so many shims, that is what they are made for and nothing more. When the time comes that you are out of shims and are in need of ride height adjustment, then the worries can begin.
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:37 AM, buckeyewoody46@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


I apologize for Yahoo groups this morning.......somehow the above is appearing in some other language???????????

 

Many thanks to Brett and John and good morning to all reading my post.

 

I did read the post concerning Redlands Truck & RV Center in Redlands, CA. I googled them to find their phone number. I found their webpage. I called them yesterday and spoke with a very nice fellow for over 20 minutes. He slightly remembered the Safari they worked on in that post. He said he did remove a couple of shims (he wasn't positive on the exact amount) to adjust that Safari's ride height. On a follow up post concerning that same coach, the original post's writer said in so many words that Redlands Truck & RV did remove a couple and his ride and ride height were much better. We also talked about air bags and adding Sumo Springs (I found a post concerning Sumo's too, the writer said he installed them on the front of his coach only and that vastly improved his coach's ride over bad roads) redlands said that air bags and or Sumo Springs may require fabrication to have either installed on my Magnum chassis. He also said that whomever would add (if required to do so) either of the suspension aftermarket upgrades would be able to figure what was needed to do the job to improve my bumpy ride.

 

I trust all the posts concerning removing the shims (all if nescessary) and shooting for a ride height of 24 3/4" (I reread the Safari "Files" post By Pioneer Metal Works (PMW) and found the ride heigth should be 25" plus or minus 1/4", so the 24 3/4" is within the specification's. I still admit being nervous about removing so many shims (I am not a mechanic by any sort, so big gulp) but I will tell them to remeasure every wheel area ride height AND that they may have add some shims to a different wheel location after removing shims from another wheel position.  I am sending this post to all of my Safari friends now.............I will also look at the photos John, thanks so much.

 

Thanks again, Dave and Judy.

 

We will be traveling around the good ole' USA and we certainly hope to meet some of our Safari friends some where along our journeys!!!!!!



 


 


 
 
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25797 From: Kenagy Randy Date: 7/19/2014
Subject: Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
I go to my county landfill on a weekday mid afternoon when there isn't anyone around. The scale is very accurate because they charge by the pound. 

Free to drive over it. 

Randy Kenagy
98 Sahara
Frederick, MD

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 19, 2014, at 10:07 AM, "dxb0078@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Thanks  Herb
 
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 6:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 

DOT won't weight you, just go to any truck stop.  Most have scales.  Down side, they axel weigh.  DOT does same.

Herb

On Jul 19, 2014, at 7:14 AM, "John Quade jquade44@... [Safarifriends]"<Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 
I would try the State's Weiht stations for trucks, i.e., on I-5


On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 8:21 PM, Dan Bissell dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 
John I have asked around here {Washington State) on where to have the RV weighed, do you know where I get that done?

Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.

-----Original Message-----
From: "TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]"
Sent: Jul 16, 2014 10:36 PM
To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help

 
Danny,
 
Have your coach weighed on all four corners and run you tire pressure according to the weight your carrying. Too much air pressure will give a terrible ride and make it dog tail. Also, make sure your steering components are tight, especially king pins, if they are worn, it will definitely affect the handling.
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 6:22 PM, dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


Thanks John, Mine is riding hard, as they call it the dog tail. I have replaced the shocks and just installed the front & rear straight TIGER TRAK stabilizer bars, I hope this will improve the ride. I will take a look and do some research as you recommend. Thanks
Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.
 
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 7:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 
Danny,
 
If you have the Velvet Ride (torsion) suspension, it is important to have the correct ride height because it affects handling and ride quality/comfort. Do a search on this forum on ride height adjustment, Velvet Ride, and/or BF Goodrich Torsilastic suspension. You will find a lot of info that will bring you up to speed including how to measure your ride height and removing/adjusting the shims. On my coach, my ride height was with in spec but I had clearance issues that were very hard to detect and created major problems for ride quality. If your coach rides smooth and handles well, I would not worry to much.
 
Safe Travels,
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:58 PM, dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


John I’m still new at this RV thing and I am wondering why I would have to worry about the ride height? and do I what to remove any shim on my RV?
Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.
 
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 
Dave and Judy,
 
I don't know what post you read, but please be aware that Safari Friends member pschafersr DID have ALL his torsion springs replaced on his Safari because he was out of shims and was not able to adjust his ride height. I am sure that the shop goes through a lot of volume and have adjusted many Safaris, so its easy to forget and get mixed up on what they did in the past, but again, as you can see in the photos, he had all four torsion springs replaced. It was a very big and labor intensive job. I read that this shop bought all of Ralph Andrews Stock of springs when he passed away, so it would be interesting to know if they have any more left.
Maybe consider emailing Redlands the link of photos that I sent you, of the job they did, to jog their memory.
Also, don't be afraid of removing so many shims, that is what they are made for and nothing more. When the time comes that you are out of shims and are in need of ride height adjustment, then the worries can begin.
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:37 AM, buckeyewoody46@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


I apologize for Yahoo groups this morning.......somehow the above is appearing in some other language???????????

 

Many thanks to Brett and John and good morning to all reading my post.

 

I did read the post concerning Redlands Truck & RV Center in Redlands, CA. I googled them to find their phone number. I found their webpage. I called them yesterday and spoke with a very nice fellow for over 20 minutes. He slightly remembered the Safari they worked on in that post. He said he did remove a couple of shims (he wasn't positive on the exact amount) to adjust that Safari's ride height. On a follow up post concerning that same coach, the original post's writer said in so many words that Redlands Truck & RV did remove a couple and his ride and ride height were much better. We also talked about air bags and adding Sumo Springs (I found a post concerning Sumo's too, the writer said he installed them on the front of his coach only and that vastly improved his coach's ride over bad roads) redlands said that air bags and or Sumo Springs may require fabrication to have either installed on my Magnum chassis. He also said that whomever would add (if required to do so) either of the suspension aftermarket upgrades would be able to figure what was needed to do the job to improve my bumpy ride.

 

I trust all the posts concerning removing the shims (all if nescessary) and shooting for a ride height of 24 3/4" (I reread the Safari "Files" post By Pioneer Metal Works (PMW) and found the ride heigth should be 25" plus or minus 1/4", so the 24 3/4" is within the specification's. I still admit being nervous about removing so many shims (I am not a mechanic by any sort, so big gulp) but I will tell them to remeasure every wheel area ride height AND that they may have add some shims to a different wheel location after removing shims from another wheel position.  I am sending this post to all of my Safari friends now.............I will also look at the photos John, thanks so much.

 

Thanks again, Dave and Judy.

 

We will be traveling around the good ole' USA and we certainly hope to meet some of our Safari friends some where along our journeys!!!!!!



 


 


 
 

Group: Safarifriends Message: 25800 From: 7b65737be34a42ace4c444f809a71aca Date: 7/19/2014
Subject: Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
Interesting. Thanks I’ll look into it.
Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.
 
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 8:06 AM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 

I go to my county landfill on a weekday mid afternoon when there isn't anyone around. The scale is very accurate because they charge by the pound.
 
Free to drive over it.
 
Randy Kenagy
98 Sahara
Frederick, MD

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 19, 2014, at 10:07 AM, "dxb0078@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 
Thanks  Herb
 
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 6:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 
DOT won't weight you, just go to any truck stop.  Most have scales.  Down side, they axel weigh.  DOT does same.

Herb

On Jul 19, 2014, at 7:14 AM, "John Quade jquade44@... [Safarifriends]"<Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 
I would try the State's Weiht stations for trucks, i.e., on I-5


On Fri, Jul 18, 2014 at 8:21 PM, Dan Bissell dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 
John I have asked around here {Washington State) on where to have the RV weighed, do you know where I get that done?

Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.

-----Original Message-----
From: "TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]"
Sent: Jul 16, 2014 10:36 PM
To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help

 
Danny,
 
Have your coach weighed on all four corners and run you tire pressure according to the weight your carrying. Too much air pressure will give a terrible ride and make it dog tail. Also, make sure your steering components are tight, especially king pins, if they are worn, it will definitely affect the handling.
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 6:22 PM, dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


Thanks John, Mine is riding hard, as they call it the dog tail. I have replaced the shocks and just installed the front & rear straight TIGER TRAK stabilizer bars, I hope this will improve the ride. I will take a look and do some research as you recommend. Thanks
Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.
 
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 7:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 
Danny,
 
If you have the Velvet Ride (torsion) suspension, it is important to have the correct ride height because it affects handling and ride quality/comfort. Do a search on this forum on ride height adjustment, Velvet Ride, and/or BF Goodrich Torsilastic suspension. You will find a lot of info that will bring you up to speed including how to measure your ride height and removing/adjusting the shims. On my coach, my ride height was with in spec but I had clearance issues that were very hard to detect and created major problems for ride quality. If your coach rides smooth and handles well, I would not worry to much.
 
Safe Travels,
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:58 PM, dxb0078@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


John I’m still new at this RV thing and I am wondering why I would have to worry about the ride height? and do I what to remove any shim on my RV?
Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.
 
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help
 
 
Dave and Judy,
 
I don't know what post you read, but please be aware that Safari Friends member pschafersr DID have ALL his torsion springs replaced on his Safari because he was out of shims and was not able to adjust his ride height. I am sure that the shop goes through a lot of volume and have adjusted many Safaris, so its easy to forget and get mixed up on what they did in the past, but again, as you can see in the photos, he had all four torsion springs replaced. It was a very big and labor intensive job. I read that this shop bought all of Ralph Andrews Stock of springs when he passed away, so it would be interesting to know if they have any more left.
Maybe consider emailing Redlands the link of photos that I sent you, of the job they did, to jog their memory.
Also, don't be afraid of removing so many shims, that is what they are made for and nothing more. When the time comes that you are out of shims and are in need of ride height adjustment, then the worries can begin.
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:37 AM, buckeyewoody46@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


I apologize for Yahoo groups this morning.......somehow the above is appearing in some other language???????????

 

Many thanks to Brett and John and good morning to all reading my post.

 

I did read the post concerning Redlands Truck & RV Center in Redlands, CA. I googled them to find their phone number. I found their webpage. I called them yesterday and spoke with a very nice fellow for over 20 minutes. He slightly remembered the Safari they worked on in that post. He said he did remove a couple of shims (he wasn't positive on the exact amount) to adjust that Safari's ride height. On a follow up post concerning that same coach, the original post's writer said in so many words that Redlands Truck & RV did remove a couple and his ride and ride height were much better. We also talked about air bags and adding Sumo Springs (I found a post concerning Sumo's too, the writer said he installed them on the front of his coach only and that vastly improved his coach's ride over bad roads) redlands said that air bags and or Sumo Springs may require fabrication to have either installed on my Magnum chassis. He also said that whomever would add (if required to do so) either of the suspension aftermarket upgrades would be able to figure what was needed to do the job to improve my bumpy ride.

 

I trust all the posts concerning removing the shims (all if nescessary) and shooting for a ride height of 24 3/4" (I reread the Safari "Files" post By Pioneer Metal Works (PMW) and found the ride heigth should be 25" plus or minus 1/4", so the 24 3/4" is within the specification's. I still admit being nervous about removing so many shims (I am not a mechanic by any sort, so big gulp) but I will tell them to remeasure every wheel area ride height AND that they may have add some shims to a different wheel location after removing shims from another wheel position.  I am sending this post to all of my Safari friends now.............I will also look at the photos John, thanks so much.

 

Thanks again, Dave and Judy.

 

We will be traveling around the good ole' USA and we certainly hope to meet some of our Safari friends some where along our journeys!!!!!!



 


 


 
 
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25843 From: omar343 Date: 7/23/2014
Subject: 98 ivory edition 40 ft slight rear sag

I have a 98 Serengetti Ivory edition 40 , 3126b , I have about 27 k miles on my rig and noticing a slight sag in the rear . Shocks are Bilsteins . Is it possible new shocks will fix this ? Ant help would be nice 

Group: Safarifriends Message: 25844 From: wolfe102001 Date: 7/23/2014
Subject: Re: 98 ivory edition 40 ft slight rear sag
No, shocks will not fix a "sag".

What suspension do you have-- have you checked your  RIDE HEIGHT???

Brett
Group: Safarifriends Message: 25845 From: Dwayne Knoll Date: 7/23/2014
Subject: Re: 98 ivory edition 40 ft slight rear sag
Shocks do not assist in leveling unless they are air shocks.  
Air shocks are used on smaller trucks to help raise the vehicle when loaded. Such as a camper.
Regular shocks do nothing to level the rig. That is not their purpose. 
Bilsteins are great shocks. 
Place the rig on a level surface and measure all 4 corners. Lower frame rail works.  
If you have a measurable sag and you do not have one side loaded with stuff, then it may be time for some spring work. You can have a spring shop re  arch your springs or you may opt to replace them.  
There are air bag add on kits available to assist in ride height. Finding a kit for a Safari would take a little research. 
Also keep the tires at proper pressure before measuring.  If the sag os not too bad maybe you can live with it.  An inspection by a good spring shop would be in order.  

Dwayne Knoll
96 sahara. 


On Jul 23, 2014, at 9:16 PM, "Omar343@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

I have a 98 Serengetti Ivory edition 40 , 3126b , I have about 27 k miles on my rig and noticing a slight sag in the rear . Shocks are Bilsteins . Is it possible new shocks will fix this ? Ant help would be nice 

Group: Safarifriends Message: 25876 From: greg harding Date: 7/30/2014
Subject: Re: Digest Number 3739


On Saturday, July 19, 2014 4:30 AM, "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


To promote the exchange of information regarding SAFARI MOTORHOMES.

1 Message

Digest #3739
1a
Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment - Need Help by "Dan Bissell" 7b65737be34a42ace4c444f809a71aca

Message

Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:21 pm (PDT) . Posted by:

"Dan Bissell" 7b65737be34a42ace4c444f809a71aca

John I have asked around here {Washington State) on where to have
the RV weighed, do you know where I get that done?

Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash.

-----Original Message-----
From: "TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]"
Sent: Jul 16, 2014 10:36 PM
To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height
adjustment - Need Help



Danny, Have your coach weighed on all four corners and run you
tire pressure according to the weight your carrying. Too much air
pressure will give a terrible ride and make it dog tail. Also,
make sure your steering components are tight, especially king
pins, if they are worn, it will definitely affect the handling.
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.

On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 6:22 PM, dxb0078@...
<mailto:dxb0078@...> [Safarifriends]
<Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> > wrote:


Thanks John, Mine is riding hard, as they call it the dog tail. I
have replaced the shocks and just installed the front & rear
straight TIGER TRAK stabilizer bars, I hope this will improve
the ride. I will take a look and do some research as you
recommend. Thanks Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash. From: mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 15,
2014 7:46 PM To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> Subject: Re:
[Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment -
Need Help

Danny, If you have the Velvet Ride (torsion) suspension, it is
important to have the correct ride height because it affects
handling and ride quality/comfort. Do a search on this forum on
ride height adjustment, Velvet Ride, and/or BF Goodrich
Torsilastic suspension. You will find a lot of info that will
bring you up to speed including how to measure your ride height
and removing/adjusting the shims. On my coach, my ride height was
with in spec but I had clearance issues that were very hard to
detect and created major problems for ride quality. If your
coach rides smooth and handles well, I would not worry to much.
Safe Travels, John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.

On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:58 PM, dxb0078@...
<mailto:dxb0078@...> [Safarifriends]
<Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> > wrote:


John I’m still new at this RV thing and I am wondering why
I would have to worry about the ride height? and do I what to
remove any shim on my RV? Danny B.
98 30' Sahara 300 Cat
Marysville Wash. From:
mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Tuesday, July
15, 2014 9:16 AM To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> Subject: Re:
[Safarifriends] Re: 1995 Serengeti - Ride Height adjustment -
Need Help

Dave and Judy, I don't know what post you read, but please
be aware that Safari Friends member pschafersr DID have ALL
his torsion springs replaced on his Safari because he was out
of shims and was not able to adjust his ride height. I am sure
that the shop goes through a lot of volume and have adjusted
many Safaris, so its easy to forget and get mixed up on what they
did in the past, but again, as you can see in the photos, he
had all four torsion springs replaced. It was a very big and
labor intensive job. I read that this shop bought all of Ralph
Andrews Stock of springs when he passed away, so it would be
interesting to know if they have any more left. Maybe consider
emailing Redlands the link of photos that I sent you, of the
job they did, to jog their memory. Also, don't be afraid of
removing so many shims, that is what they are made for and
nothing more. When the time comes that you are out of shims and
are in need of ride height adjustment, then the worries can
begin. John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.

On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:37 AM, buckeyewoody46@...
<mailto:buckeyewoody46@...> [Safarifriends]
<Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> > wrote:



I apologize for Yahoo groups this morning..... ..somehow the above
is appearing in some other language???? ???????



Many thanks to Brett and John and good morning to all reading my
post.



I did read the post concerning Redlands Truck & RV Center in
Redlands, CA. I googled them to find their phone number. I found
their webpage. I called them yesterday and spoke with a very
nice fellow for over 20 minutes. He slightly remembered the
Safari they worked on in that post. He said he did remove a
couple of shims (he wasn't positive on the exact amount) to
adjust that Safari's ride height. On a follow up post concerning
that same coach, the original post's writer said in so many words
that Redlands Truck & RV did remove a couple and his ride
and ride height were much better. We also talked about air
bags and adding Sumo Springs (I found a post concerning
Sumo's too, the writer said he installed them on the front
of his coach only and that vastly improved his coach's ride over
bad roads) redlands said that air bags and or Sumo Springs
may require fabrication to have either installed on my
Magnum chassis. He also said that whomever would add (if
required to do so) either of the suspension aftermarket
upgrades would be able to figure what was needed to do the job
to improve my bumpy ride.



I trust all the posts concerning removing the shims (all if
nescessary) and shooting for a ride height of 24 3/4" (I
reread the Safari "Files" post By Pioneer Metal Works (PMW)
and found the ride heigth should be 25" plus or minus 1/4",
so the 24 3/4" is within the specification&# 39;s. I still admit
being nervous about removing so many shims (I am not a mechanic
by any sort, so big gulp) but I will tell them to remeasure
every wheel area ride height AND that they may have add some
shims to a different wheel location after removing shims
from another wheel position. I am sending this post to all
of my Safari friends now......... ....I will also look at the
photos John, thanks so much.



Thanks again, Dave and Judy.



We will be traveling around the good ole' USA and we certainly
hope to meet some of our Safari friends some where along our
journeys!!!! !!

















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Group: Safarifriends Message: 26029 From: Nan and Pete Date: 8/26/2014
Subject: Re: Safari Sahara 3006 30'
We have driven a 30', 1999 Sahara for 13 years. Has torsionelastic (rubber band) springs. It has always wandered a bit and keeps you on your toes, but no serious problems.  Just put Koni shocks on and adjusted the ride height. Really helped a bunch. Our '99 has a great big hunk of cast iron under the front end that the factory installed to get more weight forward. 
I agree, if you like the 30', go for it. We love ours.


Sent from my iPad

On Aug 26, 2014, at 8:47 AM, "Randy Kenagy randy.kenagy@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

The moderator of this forum drives a 30 just fine.  Need to add some weight to the front axel.  Different ways to achieve that.  Most don't complain after that.  Spend time searching archives and you will find quite a few messages with helpful information.  We have a 35 and love the extra length most of the time but here on the east coast..... shorter is nice for the older RV parks.  State and federal parks especially.  But it is a very personal choice.  Most of all enjoy the process.  Its fun.  Don't settle, get what you want the first time and you will keep it longer.  

Randy Kenagy
1998 Sahara 3540 w/Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Frederick, MD

Sent from my iPad

On Aug 26, 2014, at 9:40 AM, "araytolman@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Thank you Dale.I will have a closer look at it over the next few days.
We prefer to have a good handling home without a lot of mods needed. A rig in the 30-32 foot range would be perfect.
Would you have any suggestions for a short, good handling DP in the 1999 to 2002 range. I do really like the quality of the Safari and Beaver coaches.
Thanks again to both of you for your replies.
Ray

Group: Safarifriends Message: 26313 From: aldawn_danes@sbcglobal.net Date: 10/15/2014
Subject: Re: Suspension woes 2001 Safari Panther
Hi,
I have a 2001 Panther that the suspension failed on.  I went to Kaiser Brake and they fitted my unit with dual shocks and air bags in the front.  Rear air bags had already been added when I got the coach in 2004.  I highly recommend Kaiser.  They were wonderful to work with. And the add on bags helped a lot. 

Kimberly Cross
2001 Panther
40ft  425hp
N. CA
Group: Safarifriends Message: 26315 From: Fred Broussard Date: 10/15/2014
Subject: Re: Suspension woes 2001 Safari Panther
Pictures of the Panther rear air bag installation would help those suffering thru the problem.

Fred
99 Connie (sold)

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 15, 2014, at 10:42 AM, "aldawn_danes@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

Hi,
I have a 2001 Panther that the suspension failed on.  I went to Kaiser Brake and they fitted my unit with dual shocks and air bags in the front.  Rear air bags had already been added when I got the coach in 2004.  I highly recommend Kaiser.  They were wonderful to work with. And the add on bags helped a lot. 

Kimberly Cross
2001 Panther
40ft  425hp
N. CA

Group: Safarifriends Message: 26500 From: sdjhtm Date: 10/29/2014
Subject: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
Here is the follow-up post that I did after addressing the interference/clearance issue of my front suspension.

Note at the bottom of this post where I requested that people give feed back on the results of their coaches...

Safe Travels,

John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.


---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

Update:

Well, I finally have a moment to update everyone on the suspension clearance issues that I had and resolved. We went on a small trip (220 miles), that involved several very poor bridge transitions and other imperfections in the road, to test the suspension. And....the result is AMAZING!!! The coach is as smooth as can be and truly lives up to the Velvet Ride name. There is now plenty of suspension travel and I think I managed to bottom it out once (had to really work at it), and it was actually smooth and pleasant. I also had the Tiger Trak Suspension upgrade installed, and have to say that even though it is a bit over priced, it is well worth every penny. The coach handles better, especially in the wind and road imperfections. It is in general more stable on the road, not that I had issues with handling before. I just wanted an extra safety upgrade and am very glad that I did. This is a pleasure to drive and is pretty much as smooth as my old '82 Cadillac.

I want to reiterate again to anyone that is having ride quality issues with their Magnum Velvet Ride Suspensions, check out my right up and photos of the issues I had, and check on your own coach, to see if you have a similar problem. It is an easy fix!!!

Safe travels,

John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: TD <sdjhtm@...>
Date: Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 3:29 PM
Subject: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com


NOTE TO ALL VELVET RIDE SAFARIS OF THIS VINTAGE!!! Every one that is having issues with ride and perceived bottoming out (with a loud bang at times), should look at these photos and check their own units out!!!

I was having ride issues with my '95 Safari Serengeti 38' 300 Cummins 8.3CTA Allison 6spd. Besides poor ride quality, I was having severe bottoming out issues. Any poor bridge transition or heaves on road would cause it to nose dive a bit and bottom out with a loud harsh and at times painful BANG! Thanks to Brett with his knowledge and wisdom, he convinced me to look very thoroughly for clearance issues, and what you see in the photos is what I, by chance, discovered. Any Safari owners with Magnum Chassis and Velvet Ride Suspension SHOULD check for this as a precaution, but especially if you are having similar issues like I have been experiencing. To remedy this clearance issue, I cut off the excess bolt that was protruding past the nut, an easy fix. I've also attached pictures of the repair.  Please note:make sure that the bolts are very tight before the ends are cut off!


It is worth noting that by records of PO, this "ghost" issue has been chased for a loooong time, and more likely was their right from the start (my opinion), and by the looks of how tight things are in that area this could very well be a hidden common issue. I hope this will help any and all Safari owners with the Velvet Ride Suspension...
 
A few more thoughts...
-My ride height is correct.
-Because of this issue, I only had 2 inches of downward suspension travel! That sure as heck will give you a crappy ride.
-With out knowing what your looking for, this problem is very easy to miss, very unnoticeable, especially considering that when shops look over the suspension, the rigs are lifted, which extends the suspension and tends to hide the problem even more. I myself was convinced that it was bottoming out against the shocks! One would not even expect or think that two small bolts protruding discreetly could cause such a problem.  When a shop gets a complaint of bottoming out, the likely culprit is the shocks, if the problem doesn't get resolved, it is all to easy to blame the Torsilastic suspension.
 
Also, I would like to put a request out to our Safari owners, especially with the same or similar vintage, to check out their suspensions to see how much clearance they have and if there is any similar issues, and/or if the bolts are facing the other way on newer units, thus correcting the problem. Please, it will only take a few minutes, humor me and check it out and post the results, take pictures if you can. If you do look, please note which way the bolts are facing, I'm curious if SMC resolved the issue just by installing the bolts the other way around.
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison 6spd

Group: Safarifriends Message: 26501 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 10/29/2014
Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
Okay John, and et al….

I just crawled under my coach, because I was baffled about this clearance problem I keep hearing about. Here are my two photos front and back. It seems to me that there must have been a revision in design by the time 2001 came around. NO clearance problem on my 2001! On the front, it will hit the bump stop before it even comes near any bolts. On the rear, I can’t even find bump stops, so not sure what stops the downward motion. But again, it looks like tons of clearance. I think this is a 95 issue, and how far to goes I don’t know, but by the time 01 rolled around, they must have fixed it. 


On Oct 29, 2014, at 10:07 AM, sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Here is the follow-up post that I did after addressing the interference/clearance issue of my front suspension.

Note at the bottom of this post where I requested that people give feed back on the results of their coaches...

Safe Travels,

John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.



---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

Update:

Well, I finally have a moment to update everyone on the suspension clearance issues that I had and resolved. We went on a small trip (220 miles), that involved several very poor bridge transitions and other imperfections in the road, to test the suspension. And....the result is AMAZING!!! The coach is as smooth as can be and truly lives up to the Velvet Ride name. There is now plenty of suspension travel and I think I managed to bottom it out once (had to really work at it), and it was actually smooth and pleasant. I also had the Tiger Trak Suspension upgrade installed, and have to say that even though it is a bit over priced, it is well worth every penny. The coach handles better, especially in the wind and road imperfections. It is in general more stable on the road, not that I had issues with handling before. I just wanted an extra safety upgrade and am very glad that I did. This is a pleasure to drive and is pretty much as smooth as my old '82 Cadillac.

I want to reiterate again to anyone that is having ride quality issues with their Magnum Velvet Ride Suspensions, check out my right up and photos of the issues I had, and check on your own coach, to see if you have a similar problem. It is an easy fix!!!

Safe travels,

John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
6spd.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: TD <sdjhtm@...>
Date: Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 3:29 PM
Subject: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com


NOTE TO ALL VELVET RIDE SAFARIS OF THIS VINTAGE!!! Every one that is having issues with ride and perceived bottoming out (with a loud bang at times), should look at these photos and check their own units out!!!

I was having ride issues with my '95 Safari Serengeti 38' 300 Cummins 8.3CTA Allison 6spd. Besides poor ride quality, I was having severe bottoming out issues. Any poor bridge transition or heaves on road would cause it to nose dive a bit and bottom out with a loud harsh and at times painful BANG! Thanks to Brett with his knowledge and wisdom, he convinced me to look very thoroughly for clearance issues, and what you see in the photos is what I, by chance, discovered. Any Safari owners with Magnum Chassis and Velvet Ride Suspension SHOULD check for this as a precaution, but especially if you are having similar issues like I have been experiencing. To remedy this clearance issue, I cut off the excess bolt that was protruding past the nut, an easy fix. I've also attached pictures of the repair.  Please note:make sure that the bolts are very tight before the ends are cut off! 


It is worth noting that by records of PO, this "ghost" issue has been chased for a loooong time, and more likely was their right from the start (my opinion), and by the looks of how tight things are in that area this could very well be a hidden common issue. I hope this will help any and all Safari owners with the Velvet Ride Suspension...
 
A few more thoughts...
-My ride height is correct.
-Because of this issue, I only had 2 inches of downward suspension travel! That sure as heck will give you a crappy ride.
-With out knowing what your looking for, this problem is very easy to miss, very unnoticeable, especially considering that when shops look over the suspension, the rigs are lifted, which extends the suspension and tends to hide the problem even more. I myself was convinced that it was bottoming out against the shocks! One would not even expect or think that two small bolts protruding discreetly could cause such a problem.  When a shop gets a complaint of bottoming out, the likely culprit is the shocks, if the problem doesn't get resolved, it is all to easy to blame the Torsilastic suspension.
 
Also, I would like to put a request out to our Safari owners, especially with the same or similar vintage, to check out their suspensions to see how much clearance they have and if there is any similar issues, and/or if the bolts are facing the other way on newer units, thus correcting the problem. Please, it will only take a few minutes, humor me and check it out and post the results, take pictures if you can. If you do look, please note which way the bolts are facing, I'm curious if SMC resolved the issue just by installing the bolts the other way around.
 
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison 6spd



Group: Safarifriends Message: 26502 From: TD Date: 10/29/2014
Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension [2 Attachments
Attachments :
    Lorne,

    Were you able to see my pictures of the clearance issues? If not, here is the link: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Safarifriends/photos/photomatic/301047303

    When you took the photos, was your suspension extended (was coach jacked up)? If yes, that is what makes it deceiving. But in your case it does not look like your bolts stick out that much.

    John
    '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
    6spd.

    On Wed, Oct 29, 2014 at 2:09 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
    [Attachment(s) from Lorne Shantz included below]

    Okay John, and et al….

    I just crawled under my coach, because I was baffled about this clearance problem I keep hearing about. Here are my two photos front and back. It seems to me that there must have been a revision in design by the time 2001 came around. NO clearance problem on my 2001! On the front, it will hit the bump stop before it even comes near any bolts. On the rear, I can’t even find bump stops, so not sure what stops the downward motion. But again, it looks like tons of clearance. I think this is a 95 issue, and how far to goes I don’t know, but by the time 01 rolled around, they must have fixed it. 


    On Oct 29, 2014, at 10:07 AM, sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

    Here is the follow-up post that I did after addressing the interference/clearance issue of my front suspension.

    Note at the bottom of this post where I requested that people give feed back on the results of their coaches...

    Safe Travels,

    John
    '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
    6spd.



    ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

    Update:

    Well, I finally have a moment to update everyone on the suspension clearance issues that I had and resolved. We went on a small trip (220 miles), that involved several very poor bridge transitions and other imperfections in the road, to test the suspension. And....the result is AMAZING!!! The coach is as smooth as can be and truly lives up to the Velvet Ride name. There is now plenty of suspension travel and I think I managed to bottom it out once (had to really work at it), and it was actually smooth and pleasant. I also had the Tiger Trak Suspension upgrade installed, and have to say that even though it is a bit over priced, it is well worth every penny. The coach handles better, especially in the wind and road imperfections. It is in general more stable on the road, not that I had issues with handling before. I just wanted an extra safety upgrade and am very glad that I did. This is a pleasure to drive and is pretty much as smooth as my old '82 Cadillac.

    I want to reiterate again to anyone that is having ride quality issues with their Magnum Velvet Ride Suspensions, check out my right up and photos of the issues I had, and check on your own coach, to see if you have a similar problem. It is an easy fix!!!

    Safe travels,

    John
    '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
    6spd.

    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
    From: TD <sdjhtm@...>
    Date: Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 3:29 PM
    Subject: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
    To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com


    NOTE TO ALL VELVET RIDE SAFARIS OF THIS VINTAGE!!! Every one that is having issues with ride and perceived bottoming out (with a loud bang at times), should look at these photos and check their own units out!!!

    I was having ride issues with my '95 Safari Serengeti 38' 300 Cummins 8.3CTA Allison 6spd. Besides poor ride quality, I was having severe bottoming out issues. Any poor bridge transition or heaves on road would cause it to nose dive a bit and bottom out with a loud harsh and at times painful BANG! Thanks to Brett with his knowledge and wisdom, he convinced me to look very thoroughly for clearance issues, and what you see in the photos is what I, by chance, discovered. Any Safari owners with Magnum Chassis and Velvet Ride Suspension SHOULD check for this as a precaution, but especially if you are having similar issues like I have been experiencing. To remedy this clearance issue, I cut off the excess bolt that was protruding past the nut, an easy fix. I've also attached pictures of the repair.  Please note:make sure that the bolts are very tight before the ends are cut off! 


    It is worth noting that by records of PO, this "ghost" issue has been chased for a loooong time, and more likely was their right from the start (my opinion), and by the looks of how tight things are in that area this could very well be a hidden common issue. I hope this will help any and all Safari owners with the Velvet Ride Suspension...
     
    A few more thoughts...
    -My ride height is correct.
    -Because of this issue, I only had 2 inches of downward suspension travel! That sure as heck will give you a crappy ride.
    -With out knowing what your looking for, this problem is very easy to miss, very unnoticeable, especially considering that when shops look over the suspension, the rigs are lifted, which extends the suspension and tends to hide the problem even more. I myself was convinced that it was bottoming out against the shocks! One would not even expect or think that two small bolts protruding discreetly could cause such a problem.  When a shop gets a complaint of bottoming out, the likely culprit is the shocks, if the problem doesn't get resolved, it is all to easy to blame the Torsilastic suspension.
     
    Also, I would like to put a request out to our Safari owners, especially with the same or similar vintage, to check out their suspensions to see how much clearance they have and if there is any similar issues, and/or if the bolts are facing the other way on newer units, thus correcting the problem. Please, it will only take a few minutes, humor me and check it out and post the results, take pictures if you can. If you do look, please note which way the bolts are facing, I'm curious if SMC resolved the issue just by installing the bolts the other way around.
     
    John
    '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison 6spd






    Group: Safarifriends Message: 26503 From: TD Date: 10/29/2014
    Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension [2 Attachments
    Attachments :
      Lorne,

      After looking at pictures of yours and my own, I can see that your bump stop and shock mount is mounted much lower on the frame, so you really would not have clearance issue at that point.

      Is there visible marks on the torsion tube where the bump stop is making contact (I can't see in photo)???

      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
      6spd.

      On Wed, Oct 29, 2014 at 2:09 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
      [Attachment(s) from Lorne Shantz included below]

      Okay John, and et al….

      I just crawled under my coach, because I was baffled about this clearance problem I keep hearing about. Here are my two photos front and back. It seems to me that there must have been a revision in design by the time 2001 came around. NO clearance problem on my 2001! On the front, it will hit the bump stop before it even comes near any bolts. On the rear, I can’t even find bump stops, so not sure what stops the downward motion. But again, it looks like tons of clearance. I think this is a 95 issue, and how far to goes I don’t know, but by the time 01 rolled around, they must have fixed it. 


      On Oct 29, 2014, at 10:07 AM, sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

      Here is the follow-up post that I did after addressing the interference/clearance issue of my front suspension.

      Note at the bottom of this post where I requested that people give feed back on the results of their coaches...

      Safe Travels,

      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
      6spd.



      ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

      Update:

      Well, I finally have a moment to update everyone on the suspension clearance issues that I had and resolved. We went on a small trip (220 miles), that involved several very poor bridge transitions and other imperfections in the road, to test the suspension. And....the result is AMAZING!!! The coach is as smooth as can be and truly lives up to the Velvet Ride name. There is now plenty of suspension travel and I think I managed to bottom it out once (had to really work at it), and it was actually smooth and pleasant. I also had the Tiger Trak Suspension upgrade installed, and have to say that even though it is a bit over priced, it is well worth every penny. The coach handles better, especially in the wind and road imperfections. It is in general more stable on the road, not that I had issues with handling before. I just wanted an extra safety upgrade and am very glad that I did. This is a pleasure to drive and is pretty much as smooth as my old '82 Cadillac.

      I want to reiterate again to anyone that is having ride quality issues with their Magnum Velvet Ride Suspensions, check out my right up and photos of the issues I had, and check on your own coach, to see if you have a similar problem. It is an easy fix!!!

      Safe travels,

      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
      6spd.

      ---------- Forwarded message ----------
      From: TD <sdjhtm@...>
      Date: Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 3:29 PM
      Subject: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
      To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com


      NOTE TO ALL VELVET RIDE SAFARIS OF THIS VINTAGE!!! Every one that is having issues with ride and perceived bottoming out (with a loud bang at times), should look at these photos and check their own units out!!!

      I was having ride issues with my '95 Safari Serengeti 38' 300 Cummins 8.3CTA Allison 6spd. Besides poor ride quality, I was having severe bottoming out issues. Any poor bridge transition or heaves on road would cause it to nose dive a bit and bottom out with a loud harsh and at times painful BANG! Thanks to Brett with his knowledge and wisdom, he convinced me to look very thoroughly for clearance issues, and what you see in the photos is what I, by chance, discovered. Any Safari owners with Magnum Chassis and Velvet Ride Suspension SHOULD check for this as a precaution, but especially if you are having similar issues like I have been experiencing. To remedy this clearance issue, I cut off the excess bolt that was protruding past the nut, an easy fix. I've also attached pictures of the repair.  Please note:make sure that the bolts are very tight before the ends are cut off! 


      It is worth noting that by records of PO, this "ghost" issue has been chased for a loooong time, and more likely was their right from the start (my opinion), and by the looks of how tight things are in that area this could very well be a hidden common issue. I hope this will help any and all Safari owners with the Velvet Ride Suspension...
       
      A few more thoughts...
      -My ride height is correct.
      -Because of this issue, I only had 2 inches of downward suspension travel! That sure as heck will give you a crappy ride.
      -With out knowing what your looking for, this problem is very easy to miss, very unnoticeable, especially considering that when shops look over the suspension, the rigs are lifted, which extends the suspension and tends to hide the problem even more. I myself was convinced that it was bottoming out against the shocks! One would not even expect or think that two small bolts protruding discreetly could cause such a problem.  When a shop gets a complaint of bottoming out, the likely culprit is the shocks, if the problem doesn't get resolved, it is all to easy to blame the Torsilastic suspension.
       
      Also, I would like to put a request out to our Safari owners, especially with the same or similar vintage, to check out their suspensions to see how much clearance they have and if there is any similar issues, and/or if the bolts are facing the other way on newer units, thus correcting the problem. Please, it will only take a few minutes, humor me and check it out and post the results, take pictures if you can. If you do look, please note which way the bolts are facing, I'm curious if SMC resolved the issue just by installing the bolts the other way around.
       
      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison 6spd






      Group: Safarifriends Message: 26511 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 10/29/2014
      Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
      You now John, base on the damage to the suspension components, I wonder if the tires are not hitting the suspension, prior to hitting the bump stop. Frankly it looks to high to me. I’ll try to look at that more closely too. That could explain why it dives to the left and right, depending on what wheel grabs the suspension! 

      On Oct 29, 2014, at 12:15 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


      Lorne,

      After looking at pictures of yours and my own, I can see that your bump stop and shock mount is mounted much lower on the frame, so you really would not have clearance issue at that point.

      Is there visible marks on the torsion tube where the bump stop is making contact (I can't see in photo)???

      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
      6spd.

      On Wed, Oct 29, 2014 at 2:09 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
      [Attachment(s) from Lorne Shantz included below] 

      Okay John, and et al….

      I just crawled under my coach, because I was baffled about this clearance problem I keep hearing about. Here are my two photos front and back. It seems to me that there must have been a revision in design by the time 2001 came around. NO clearance problem on my 2001! On the front, it will hit the bump stop before it even comes near any bolts. On the rear, I can’t even find bump stops, so not sure what stops the downward motion. But again, it looks like tons of clearance. I think this is a 95 issue, and how far to goes I don’t know, but by the time 01 rolled around, they must have fixed it. 

      <IMG_1318.JPG><IMG_1317.JPG>
      On Oct 29, 2014, at 10:07 AM, sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

      Here is the follow-up post that I did after addressing the interference/clearance issue of my front suspension.

      Note at the bottom of this post where I requested that people give feed back on the results of their coaches...

      Safe Travels,

      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
      6spd.



      ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

      Update:

      Well, I finally have a moment to update everyone on the suspension clearance issues that I had and resolved. We went on a small trip (220 miles), that involved several very poor bridge transitions and other imperfections in the road, to test the suspension. And....the result is AMAZING!!! The coach is as smooth as can be and truly lives up to the Velvet Ride name. There is now plenty of suspension travel and I think I managed to bottom it out once (had to really work at it), and it was actually smooth and pleasant. I also had the Tiger Trak Suspension upgrade installed, and have to say that even though it is a bit over priced, it is well worth every penny. The coach handles better, especially in the wind and road imperfections. It is in general more stable on the road, not that I had issues with handling before. I just wanted an extra safety upgrade and am very glad that I did. This is a pleasure to drive and is pretty much as smooth as my old '82 Cadillac.

      I want to reiterate again to anyone that is having ride quality issues with their Magnum Velvet Ride Suspensions, check out my right up and photos of the issues I had, and check on your own coach, to see if you have a similar problem. It is an easy fix!!!

      Safe travels,

      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
      6spd.

      ---------- Forwarded message ----------
      From: TD <sdjhtm@...>
      Date: Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 3:29 PM
      Subject: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
      To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com


      NOTE TO ALL VELVET RIDE SAFARIS OF THIS VINTAGE!!! Every one that is having issues with ride and perceived bottoming out (with a loud bang at times), should look at these photos and check their own units out!!!

      I was having ride issues with my '95 Safari Serengeti 38' 300 Cummins 8.3CTA Allison 6spd. Besides poor ride quality, I was having severe bottoming out issues. Any poor bridge transition or heaves on road would cause it to nose dive a bit and bottom out with a loud harsh and at times painful BANG! Thanks to Brett with his knowledge and wisdom, he convinced me to look very thoroughly for clearance issues, and what you see in the photos is what I, by chance, discovered. Any Safari owners with Magnum Chassis and Velvet Ride Suspension SHOULD check for this as a precaution, but especially if you are having similar issues like I have been experiencing. To remedy this clearance issue, I cut off the excess bolt that was protruding past the nut, an easy fix. I've also attached pictures of the repair.  Please note:make sure that the bolts are very tight before the ends are cut off! 


      It is worth noting that by records of PO, this "ghost" issue has been chased for a loooong time, and more likely was their right from the start (my opinion), and by the looks of how tight things are in that area this could very well be a hidden common issue. I hope this will help any and all Safari owners with the Velvet Ride Suspension...
       
      A few more thoughts...
      -My ride height is correct.
      -Because of this issue, I only had 2 inches of downward suspension travel! That sure as heck will give you a crappy ride.
      -With out knowing what your looking for, this problem is very easy to miss, very unnoticeable, especially considering that when shops look over the suspension, the rigs are lifted, which extends the suspension and tends to hide the problem even more. I myself was convinced that it was bottoming out against the shocks! One would not even expect or think that two small bolts protruding discreetly could cause such a problem.  When a shop gets a complaint of bottoming out, the likely culprit is the shocks, if the problem doesn't get resolved, it is all to easy to blame the Torsilastic suspension.
       
      Also, I would like to put a request out to our Safari owners, especially with the same or similar vintage, to check out their suspensions to see how much clearance they have and if there is any similar issues, and/or if the bolts are facing the other way on newer units, thus correcting the problem. Please, it will only take a few minutes, humor me and check it out and post the results, take pictures if you can. If you do look, please note which way the bolts are facing, I'm curious if SMC resolved the issue just by installing the bolts the other way around.
       
      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison 6spd








      Group: Safarifriends Message: 26546 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 11/1/2014
      Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension
      Okay John, 

      I’ve learned some more. It is absolutely hitting the bump stops on the front! (I still can’t figure out where they are on the rear) I posted a photo just yesterday. Here is what I came up with on the photos. I took several pictures like you did and it sill shows tons of room. I can’t explain why I have so much clearance and others have hardly any. Maybe they built the frame mounts wider? There is over an inch.




      I don’t think there is much consistency in these coaches. When I replaced the rear shocks I could hardly get them off. I realized that the bottom shock bracket shaft was welded in the wrong spot. It was at least an inch off. The right side was about 1/2” off! So the net result is that the shocks are in a bind all the time. The rubber gives, so I suppose it isn’t too big of a deal. I can’t see going to the trouble of re-welding them, but the more I work on this thing, the more I see, is just shoddy work. Instead of using a 3/4” screw, they must have only had 3” screws, so they used them! 

      On Oct 29, 2014, at 4:27 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


      Lorne, 

      It could be from the angle of the photo, but it sure does not look like you have much space between the torsion tube and the bump stop, if the suspension is all the way extended.

      I took the pictures, by sticking the camera in the wheel well and took photos in the blind. I did that till I got the results that I needed. Its digital, so its not like I wasted film. Lol. Since I can't crawl underneath, the camera is essentially my eyes, so I've gotten pretty good at blind shooting with the camera.

      John
      '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
      6spd.

      On Wed, Oct 29, 2014 at 4:16 PM, lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


      That is a good question. I dunno. I couldn't even find the one in the back. The front one, I see the rubber looks like it has had recent "abuse", but I didn't pay attention to the tube. I'm sure it does. 




      Group: Safarifriends Message: 26550 From: TD Date: 11/1/2014
      Subject: Re: Clearance Issues on Safari Velvet Ride Suspension [1 Attachment]
      Attachments :
        Lorne,

        The only thing I can think of is, maybe the narrowed the frame a bit, I doubt the axles are wider.

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Sat, Nov 1, 2014 at 6:40 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        [Attachment(s) from Lorne Shantz included below]

        Okay John, 

        I’ve learned some more. It is absolutely hitting the bump stops on the front! (I still can’t figure out where they are on the rear) I posted a photo just yesterday. Here is what I came up with on the photos. I took several pictures like you did and it sill shows tons of room. I can’t explain why I have so much clearance and others have hardly any. Maybe they built the frame mounts wider? There is over an inch.




        I don’t think there is much consistency in these coaches. When I replaced the rear shocks I could hardly get them off. I realized that the bottom shock bracket shaft was welded in the wrong spot. It was at least an inch off. The right side was about 1/2” off! So the net result is that the shocks are in a bind all the time. The rubber gives, so I suppose it isn’t too big of a deal. I can’t see going to the trouble of re-welding them, but the more I work on this thing, the more I see, is just shoddy work. Instead of using a 3/4” screw, they must have only had 3” screws, so they used them! 

        On Oct 29, 2014, at 4:27 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Lorne, 

        It could be from the angle of the photo, but it sure does not look like you have much space between the torsion tube and the bump stop, if the suspension is all the way extended.

        I took the pictures, by sticking the camera in the wheel well and took photos in the blind. I did that till I got the results that I needed. Its digital, so its not like I wasted film. Lol. Since I can't crawl underneath, the camera is essentially my eyes, so I've gotten pretty good at blind shooting with the camera.

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Wed, Oct 29, 2014 at 4:16 PM, lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        That is a good question. I dunno. I couldn't even find the one in the back. The front one, I see the rubber looks like it has had recent "abuse", but I didn't pay attention to the tube. I'm sure it does. 







        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26629 From: lorne_shantz Date: 11/10/2014
        Subject: Re: 2001 safari panther 425 41' Owners
        I do! I bought it in April of this year. (40')

        So far we are enjoying it. As long as you realize that an older coach is like an older car. Things will break, or wear out.

        You will LOVE the horspower of that Cat! It is amazing. Some cars won't be able to keep up with you from the light. It will press you back in the seat. The Panther appears to me to be top of the line. It is a very nice coach.

        One thing to do is check the suspension. is it Air, or Velvet Ride. You may want to read some here on that, but basically measure from the bottom line of the coach to the center of the wheel. It should be about 25 inches, plus or minus 1/4". I just raised mine 3" to get it back in spec. I also put new shocks on it, so hoping it will ride better. I would say if there was any minus for this coach is the Velvet Ride, but there are lots of inexpensive (relatively speaking) to fix it.

        This coach has the 4000 series transmission. it is MASSIVE!! Both the engine and transmission are not really breaking a sweat pulling this light little coach. They should last a long time if taken care of.

        If you have ANY of the manuals, like chassis, wiring, etc. I would love to hear back from you. Maybe you can scan it and post. If you end up getting it, we can swap stories and experiences.

        Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix Az
        2001 Safari Panther 40' 425 Cat C12, 4000 Allison
        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26706 From: TD Date: 11/19/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        Rear Koni Shocks are: 88-1458SP2
         
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
         
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Wed, Nov 19, 2014 at 6:56 PM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA



        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26709 From: TD Date: 11/20/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        Dick,
         
        I don't know if other places have the shocks priced cheaper, but five months ago LTB Auto Sports Inc. were by far the cheapest and free shipping to boot.
         
        Here is their link with current prices: http://ltbautosports.com/samave95re.html
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 11:12 AM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks to all for the Koni info. I did the fronts last yr so its time to order the rears (#88-1458SP2) appreciate it.

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA  

         

        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 6:56 PM
        Subject: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA





        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26710 From: Dick Missett Date: 11/20/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        Thanks John

        That may be where I purchased the fronts last yr  (?) I have to find my paperwork. Appreciate the link

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA
         

        From: "TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com
        Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 11:28 AM
        Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        Dick,
         
        I don't know if other places have the shocks priced cheaper, but five months ago LTB Auto Sports Inc. were by far the cheapest and free shipping to boot.
         
        Here is their link with current prices: http://ltbautosports.com/samave95re.html
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 11:12 AM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks to all for the Koni info. I did the fronts last yr so its time to order the rears (#88-1458SP2) appreciate it.

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA  

         

        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 6:56 PM
        Subject: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA







        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26711 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/20/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        When I bought mine from Koni, they told me the front were 881490SP2, rear 881458SP2, maybe they sold me the wrong ones.  I don't notice $700.00 improvement.

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Rear Koni Shocks are: 88-1458SP2
         
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
         
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Wed, Nov 19, 2014 at 6:56 PM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA



        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26712 From: stuplich@ymail.com Date: 11/20/2014
        Subject: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Apparently the "most current" Koni front shock for Safari coaches with Velvet Ride is PN 88-1641SP2.
        How long ago did you buy your PN 88-1490SP2 front shocks?
        Mel
        '96 Sahara



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        When I bought mine from Koni, they told me the front were 881490SP2, rear 881458SP2, maybe they sold me the wrong ones.  I don't notice $700.00 improvement.

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Rear Koni Shocks are: 88-1458SP2
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26715 From: TD Date: 11/20/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Bob and Mel,
         
        The newer shock number (88-1641SP3) is the better fit shock (much more dampening on rebound, which our VR suspensions need) per Ralph Andrews' extensive research. Ralph has passed on, RIP. He was the owner and founder of Pioneer Metal Works, and was a HUGE help with Safari Velvet Ride suspension/ride issues. Thanks to him, most of us have much nicer and safer riding Safari coaches. This new shock number greatly improves the ride and handling and eliminates porpoising of our coaches, it also eliminates the need for the quad shock set up. Either number (new:88-1641SP3 or old:88-1490SP2) will work. The shocks cost the same, but you will get WAY more bang for your buck by going with the new number vs the old, but ultimately it is the owners choice. I have the new number shocks and I can tell you, that the roads I travel on, if the shock was even a little softer, it would NOT be adequate for my needs.
         
        It is also of worthy to note that Ralph put on in excess of 300K on his Safari, and has had more different shocks and combination of shocks on his coach than probably all of us combined. As one person once noted "that I think Ralph has a lot of time and likes to tinker" (it was meant in a good way). He had true real life experience and research. It is disappointing that Koni has not changed their number and continue to offer a shock that is not adequate enough for our needs.
         
        One more note: if one wants the newer (better) shock, they can't depend on Koni to give them that shock just by telling them the make and model of their coach. They have to order/request the shock by part number only. You just tell them that this is the number you need and that's it. So, know your numbers and order according to your needs, after all it's your money, your coach and your behind that needs the best ride possible. ;)
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.
        On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 7:18 PM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Bob
        WHAT? is "still the number from Koni"?
        Wondering
        Mel


        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <fountking@...> wrote :

        Mel,
        That is still the number from Koni
        Bob 96 Serengeti



        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26716 From: TD Date: 11/20/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        Gerald,
         
        Please read the note that I wrote to Mel and Bob. Your shock/part number is not wrong, it is just out dated. For the same money Koni shock part # 88-1641SP3 for the front of your coach is a much better shock, with a lot more dampening on rebound, which our Velvet Ride coaches need. So if your shocks ever wear out, or your ride is not adequate, consider the new/better shock...
         
        "I don't notice $700.00 improvement." 
        What do you mean by this statment? You didn't get any improvement from your new Koni shocks???
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 3:37 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        When I bought mine from Koni, they told me the front were 881490SP2, rear 881458SP2, maybe they sold me the wrong ones.  I don't notice $700.00 improvement.

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Rear Koni Shocks are: 88-1458SP2
         
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
         
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Wed, Nov 19, 2014 at 6:56 PM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA






        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26717 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/20/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 20, 2014, at 1:57 PM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Apparently the "most current" Koni front shock for Safari coaches with Velvet Ride is PN 88-1641SP2.
        How long ago did you buy your PN 88-1490SP2 front shocks?
        Mel
        '96 Sahara



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        When I bought mine from Koni, they told me the front were 881490SP2, rear 881458SP2, maybe they sold me the wrong ones.  I don't notice $700.00 improvement.

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Rear Koni Shocks are: 88-1458SP2
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26718 From: stuplich@ymail.com Date: 11/21/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel


        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti

        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26727 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/21/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Thanks for the input, right now I would have a hard time recommending Koni.  Because of age and health conditions I think I'm about done. I'm going to order sway bar bushings as soon as I can find the part #. I'm also taking dings out and preparing for paint. Just backed into block wall and bended my ladder. More bucks gone. Oh well, I still think these are beautiful coaches and wish I was more physically able. Heading for Yuma day after Christmas for warmer weather, then put it on the market when we get back, only has 64,000 miles so I think it should sell, if I can figure an asking price. 

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 5:42 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti

        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26735 From: TD Date: 11/21/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd. 
         

        On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the input, right now I would have a hard time recommending Koni.  Because of age and health conditions I think I'm about done. I'm going to order sway bar bushings as soon as I can find the part #. I'm also taking dings out and preparing for paint. Just backed into block wall and bended my ladder. More bucks gone. Oh well, I still think these are beautiful coaches and wish I was more physically able. Heading for Yuma day after Christmas for warmer weather, then put it on the market when we get back, only has 64,000 miles so I think it should sell, if I can figure an asking price. 

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 5:42 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti




        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26741 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/21/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Thanks much, I installed them myself, I thought they were set at the most firm position from the factory, if not I'll do that right away if I can figure it out. This site has been a great place to get help!

        Jerry

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 4:19 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd. 
         

        On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the input, right now I would have a hard time recommending Koni.  Because of age and health conditions I think I'm about done. I'm going to order sway bar bushings as soon as I can find the part #. I'm also taking dings out and preparing for paint. Just backed into block wall and bended my ladder. More bucks gone. Oh well, I still think these are beautiful coaches and wish I was more physically able. Heading for Yuma day after Christmas for warmer weather, then put it on the market when we get back, only has 64,000 miles so I think it should sell, if I can figure an asking price. 

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 5:42 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti




        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26743 From: TD Date: 11/21/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Jerry,
         
        The Koni shocks come with the most softest setting from the factory, so you will need to adjust all four to the max setting.
         
        Here is a link to the Koni adjustment instruction: http://www.koni-na.com/adjustment.cfm
         
        Scroll down about half way and see the instruction included for Model 88, it is fairly simple. If you have any questions while you're doing the adjustment, private message me and I will send you my phone number.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.
        On Sat, Nov 22, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks much, I installed them myself, I thought they were set at the most firm position from the factory, if not I'll do that right away if I can figure it out. This site has been a great place to get help!

        Jerry

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 4:19 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd. 
         

        On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the input, right now I would have a hard time recommending Koni.  Because of age and health conditions I think I'm about done. I'm going to order sway bar bushings as soon as I can find the part #. I'm also taking dings out and preparing for paint. Just backed into block wall and bended my ladder. More bucks gone. Oh well, I still think these are beautiful coaches and wish I was more physically able. Heading for Yuma day after Christmas for warmer weather, then put it on the market when we get back, only has 64,000 miles so I think it should sell, if I can figure an asking price. 

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 5:42 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti







        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26745 From: TD Date: 11/21/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Jerry,
         
        To further simplify the instruction of the Koni shock adjustment, since you know you need the max (most dampening) setting, you will colapse the shock all the way, then turn clockwise till it stops, then extend the shock about about 1cm and spin a little, to make sure its freed from the adjuster. This will set the shock to the most firm setting.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.
         

         
        On Sat, Nov 22, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks much, I installed them myself, I thought they were set at the most firm position from the factory, if not I'll do that right away if I can figure it out. This site has been a great place to get help!

        Jerry

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 4:19 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd. 
         

        On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the input, right now I would have a hard time recommending Koni.  Because of age and health conditions I think I'm about done. I'm going to order sway bar bushings as soon as I can find the part #. I'm also taking dings out and preparing for paint. Just backed into block wall and bended my ladder. More bucks gone. Oh well, I still think these are beautiful coaches and wish I was more physically able. Heading for Yuma day after Christmas for warmer weather, then put it on the market when we get back, only has 64,000 miles so I think it should sell, if I can figure an asking price. 

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 5:42 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti







        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26786 From: Dick Missett Date: 11/24/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        FYI it appears that the Magnum Velvet Ride 88-1458SP2 REAR shocks are not available until mid February :(
        I ordered them online from LTB ($149 ea) and got a refund this am. No sense lookin anywhere else since the all have them shipped directly from Koni. :(



        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA
         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 11:12 AM
        Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        Thanks to all for the Koni info. I did the fronts last yr so its time to order the rears (#88-1458SP2) appreciate it.

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA  

         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 6:56 PM
        Subject: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA




        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26788 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 11/24/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        Did you try Brazel's? They had them in stock for me. 360-736-9494

        They have a website too.

        Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix AZ.
        2001 Safari Panther Class A 425 Cat C12, Allison 4000, 40'

        On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 10:10 AM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
         

        FYI it appears that the Magnum Velvet Ride 88-1458SP2 REAR shocks are not available until mid February :(
        I ordered them online from LTB ($149 ea) and got a refund this am. No sense lookin anywhere else since the all have them shipped directly from Koni. :(



        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA
         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 11:12 AM
        Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        Thanks to all for the Koni info. I did the fronts last yr so its time to order the rears (#88-1458SP2) appreciate it.

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA  

         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 6:56 PM
        Subject: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA





        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26789 From: TD Date: 11/24/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        Dick,

        Also try PMW (Pioneer Metal Works), they might have them in stock too. Not all companies ship directly from Koni.

        Good Luck!

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 12:48 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Did you try Brazel's? They had them in stock for me. 360-736-9494

        They have a website too.

        Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix AZ.
        2001 Safari Panther Class A 425 Cat C12, Allison 4000, 40'

        On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 10:10 AM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
         

        FYI it appears that the Magnum Velvet Ride 88-1458SP2 REAR shocks are not available until mid February :(
        I ordered them online from LTB ($149 ea) and got a refund this am. No sense lookin anywhere else since the all have them shipped directly from Koni. :(



        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA
         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 11:12 AM
        Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        Thanks to all for the Koni info. I did the fronts last yr so its time to order the rears (#88-1458SP2) appreciate it.

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA  

         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 6:56 PM
        Subject: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA








        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26790 From: Richard Missett Date: 11/24/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        Thanks
        John & Lorne
        I'll give these guys a try.  

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA

        Sent from my iPhone

        On Nov 24, 2014, at 1:52 PM, "TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Dick,

        Also try PMW (Pioneer Metal Works), they might have them in stock too. Not all companies ship directly from Koni.

        Good Luck!

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 12:48 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Did you try Brazel's? They had them in stock for me. 360-736-9494

        They have a website too.

        Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix AZ.
        2001 Safari Panther Class A 425 Cat C12, Allison 4000, 40'

        On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 10:10 AM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
         

        FYI it appears that the Magnum Velvet Ride 88-1458SP2 REAR shocks are not available until mid February :(
        I ordered them online from LTB ($149 ea) and got a refund this am. No sense lookin anywhere else since the all have them shipped directly from Koni. :(



        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA
         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 11:12 AM
        Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        Thanks to all for the Koni info. I did the fronts last yr so its time to order the rears (#88-1458SP2) appreciate it.

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA  

         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 6:56 PM
        Subject: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA








        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26791 From: Rick Rhinelander Date: 11/24/2014
        Subject: Re: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's
        I ordered mine online at shock warehouse took about 3 weeks to receive

        Sent from my iPad
        Rick Rheinlaender
        40' safari continental, 2000


        On Nov 24, 2014, at 10:48 AM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Did you try Brazel's? They had them in stock for me. 360-736-9494

        They have a website too.

        Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix AZ.
        2001 Safari Panther Class A 425 Cat C12, Allison 4000, 40'

        On Mon, Nov 24, 2014 at 10:10 AM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
         

        FYI it appears that the Magnum Velvet Ride 88-1458SP2 REAR shocks are not available until mid February :(
        I ordered them online from LTB ($149 ea) and got a refund this am. No sense lookin anywhere else since the all have them shipped directly from Koni. :(



        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA
         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 11:12 AM
        Subject: Re: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        Thanks to all for the Koni info. I did the fronts last yr so its time to order the rears (#88-1458SP2) appreciate it.

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA  

         



        From: "Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends]" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        To: "Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com" <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com>
        Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 6:56 PM
        Subject: [Safarifriends] Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's

         
        I've misplaced information on the updated  Koni REAR shock PN's for the  Magnum Velvet ride suspension based on Ralph Andrews research and recommendation . Appreciate any help TIA

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA





        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26817 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/25/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Thanks got it done Sat, noticed grease on inside of rear wheels, looks like I need new grease seals. Ain't it fun

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 10:34 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Jerry,
         
        To further simplify the instruction of the Koni shock adjustment, since you know you need the max (most dampening) setting, you will colapse the shock all the way, then turn clockwise till it stops, then extend the shock about about 1cm and spin a little, to make sure its freed from the adjuster. This will set the shock to the most firm setting.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.
         

         
        On Sat, Nov 22, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks much, I installed them myself, I thought they were set at the most firm position from the factory, if not I'll do that right away if I can figure it out. This site has been a great place to get help!

        Jerry

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 4:19 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd. 
         

        On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the input, right now I would have a hard time recommending Koni.  Because of age and health conditions I think I'm about done. I'm going to order sway bar bushings as soon as I can find the part #. I'm also taking dings out and preparing for paint. Just backed into block wall and bended my ladder. More bucks gone. Oh well, I still think these are beautiful coaches and wish I was more physically able. Heading for Yuma day after Christmas for warmer weather, then put it on the market when we get back, only has 64,000 miles so I think it should sell, if I can figure an asking price. 

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 5:42 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti







        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26818 From: TD Date: 11/25/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        Jerry,

        I'm sorry to hear about the seals, as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours!

        I'm glad you were able to adjust the shocks, did you have a chance to take it for a test drive with the new setting? Any improvement???

        I hope it works out for you, and that you will be able to take some more trips, that will be smoother.

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Wed, Nov 26, 2014 at 12:17 AM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks got it done Sat, noticed grease on inside of rear wheels, looks like I need new grease seals. Ain't it fun

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 10:34 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Jerry,
         
        To further simplify the instruction of the Koni shock adjustment, since you know you need the max (most dampening) setting, you will colapse the shock all the way, then turn clockwise till it stops, then extend the shock about about 1cm and spin a little, to make sure its freed from the adjuster. This will set the shock to the most firm setting.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.
         

         
        On Sat, Nov 22, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks much, I installed them myself, I thought they were set at the most firm position from the factory, if not I'll do that right away if I can figure it out. This site has been a great place to get help!

        Jerry

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 4:19 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd. 
         

        On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the input, right now I would have a hard time recommending Koni.  Because of age and health conditions I think I'm about done. I'm going to order sway bar bushings as soon as I can find the part #. I'm also taking dings out and preparing for paint. Just backed into block wall and bended my ladder. More bucks gone. Oh well, I still think these are beautiful coaches and wish I was more physically able. Heading for Yuma day after Christmas for warmer weather, then put it on the market when we get back, only has 64,000 miles so I think it should sell, if I can figure an asking price. 

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 5:42 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti










        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26820 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 11/26/2014
        Subject: Re: Current Koni PN (was: Koni Magnum Velvet Ride PN's)
        John,
        Have not driven it yet. Right about the rain, I was going to take it in for brake inspection and clean up and because it does pour, I'm sure I'll need brakes. We are thinking of selling it, but at least it will be safe for the next owner. Thought about a smaller rig or even a small 5er. Outside the 2-3 months in Yuma, it only made one trip to Reno this year, lots to think about
        Thanks for your input

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 25, 2014, at 10:26 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Jerry,

        I'm sorry to hear about the seals, as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours!

        I'm glad you were able to adjust the shocks, did you have a chance to take it for a test drive with the new setting? Any improvement???

        I hope it works out for you, and that you will be able to take some more trips, that will be smoother.

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Wed, Nov 26, 2014 at 12:17 AM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks got it done Sat, noticed grease on inside of rear wheels, looks like I need new grease seals. Ain't it fun

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 10:34 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Jerry,
         
        To further simplify the instruction of the Koni shock adjustment, since you know you need the max (most dampening) setting, you will colapse the shock all the way, then turn clockwise till it stops, then extend the shock about about 1cm and spin a little, to make sure its freed from the adjuster. This will set the shock to the most firm setting.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.
         

         
        On Sat, Nov 22, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks much, I installed them myself, I thought they were set at the most firm position from the factory, if not I'll do that right away if I can figure it out. This site has been a great place to get help!

        Jerry

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 4:19 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd. 
         

        On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the input, right now I would have a hard time recommending Koni.  Because of age and health conditions I think I'm about done. I'm going to order sway bar bushings as soon as I can find the part #. I'm also taking dings out and preparing for paint. Just backed into block wall and bended my ladder. More bucks gone. Oh well, I still think these are beautiful coaches and wish I was more physically able. Heading for Yuma day after Christmas for warmer weather, then put it on the market when we get back, only has 64,000 miles so I think it should sell, if I can figure an asking price. 

        Jerry
        97 Seren 40'

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Nov 21, 2014, at 5:42 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald
        I suppose the order/ship date explains why you didn't get the "most current" front Koni shocks for your coach.

        Or perhaps the seller got rid of two outdated shocks he had on hand)?
        (Stranger things have happened)!   <frown>

        Mel



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <jerrylarsen38@...> wrote :

        I bought mine about 9-10 months ago


             On Nov 19, 2014, at 9:00 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends]        <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
        Front Koni Shocks are: 88-1641SP3
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti










        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26912 From: Dick Missett Date: 12/8/2014
        Subject: koni Shocks (does color matter ?)
        This may be a stupid / crazy question but I'm wondering about the color of the Koni 88 -1458 SP2 rear shocks for the Magnum Valvet ride suspension. Koni has a back order date of February but I was able to find them in stock from a vendor and expected them to be red in color and have some concerns since the 88 1458 SP2's I have found are black in color. I changed out the front shocks to (Red)  Koni's (and 6 new tires) before my trip south last year and would like to do the rear shocks  before this years trip in January. Just want to be sure I am not getting something that has been rebadged by the vendor or has been sitting on the shelf for a decade. (I warned you it was a stupid / crazy question) Appreciate any input

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA 

        Group: Safarifriends Message: 26917 From: TD Date: 12/9/2014
        Subject: Re: koni Shocks (does color matter ?)
        Dick,

        No questions is a stupid question.
        I wondered the same thing when I got my socks last June, and they were shipped directly from Koni, even though I ordered them from LTB Auto sports. I called Koni and they assured me that it was the same shock and color didn't matter, that sometimes for unknown reasons they change colors. I personally find it annoying, but it is still the same shock. Change it out and have a safe and smooth trip. Please do let us know if it further improves your ride...

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Mon, Dec 8, 2014 at 11:16 PM, Dick Missett dngmissett@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        This may be a stupid / crazy question but I'm wondering about the color of the Koni 88 -1458 SP2 rear shocks for the Magnum Valvet ride suspension. Koni has a back order date of February but I was able to find them in stock from a vendor and expected them to be red in color and have some concerns since the 88 1458 SP2's I have found are black in color. I changed out the front shocks to (Red)  Koni's (and 6 new tires) before my trip south last year and would like to do the rear shocks  before this years trip in January. Just want to be sure I am not getting something that has been rebadged by the vendor or has been sitting on the shelf for a decade. (I warned you it was a stupid / crazy question) Appreciate any input

        Dick Missett
        98 Sahara 300 CAT
        Wyoming, PA 




        Group: Safarifriends Message: 27016 From: lorne_shantz Date: 12/11/2014
        Subject: Well it is always something
        Well I finally got the coach out of the parking spot to get ready for a camping trip. She definitely rides higher! Hit a bump and it didn't bottom out, but won't really know  how that goes till I make a trip.

        Disaster almost struck though. I'm headed out to get it weighed and I see in my right mirror a door open. I pull over immediately and get out, mad because my son locked them.  Only thing is, it is NOT  a door!! It is a 2' wide panel that had broken loose and had flown so high that the thing slid rearward and the edge caught the pane behind it. It boogered the paint a little, but if I had lost that panel, I would have been so screwed. So, I touched it and it fell off in my hands! They had done a poor job of installing. If anyone is interested, I took photos. The screws that the panel in place and fatigued from vibration and failed. They will never fail again the way I fixed it. ;)

        I got it weighed after filling  the fuel tank. Black water empty, fresh water 1/3 to 1/2. No people in it

        Front axle 9740
        rear axle  20180
        total   29920!!

        So I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting 31-32k.

        So each tire is carrying approximately 5000lbs I guess.

        I got the front tires balanced. They had some sort of powder in them and they couldn't spin balance it. So when they broke the tires apart they found the powder and said it was only about half of what it should be, thus the reason  it would start hopping at 65. He recommended doing a regular spin balance and come back and see him in two years. Went to pay him, and he would not take my money! Gave me a calendar and sent me on my way. I was shocked. Gave the boys $20.00 tip for their troubles. It is Purcell's in Phoenix for anybody that lives around here. Needless to say, I'll get my next bus tires from them. I have bought tires from them for 30 years, but these guys didn't know that.

        I won't know the height until I get on flat concrete, but I did measure the rear, I forgot the front. It was 25 1/4 on the right rear, left rear 24 1/4. So on a highway with a big crown on it, I'm good! :) but in the end I'm going to have to get the air bags when I can afford it.

        It DOES seem to be riding better on the new shocks. I'll report back next week.

        Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix AZ.
        2001 Safari Panther Class A 425 Cat C12, Allison 4000, 40'


        Group: Safarifriends Message: 27041 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 12/12/2014
        Subject: Re: Tires (Was Brake hoses)
        Thanks for the reply. Since all I know are the tires that are on it now I can't compare, but this thing is a handful to drive!! It is all over the place. I hope it isn't all tire issues. I am heading out in a few minutes for a short "camping" trip, so we will see how it handles now that I have the front tires spin balanced and at the right pressure, new shocks and height adjusted. Fingers crossed. Oh, and new sway bar bushings. :)

        Lorne

        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 11:15 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
         


        Lorne,

        Samson seems like a decent tire and over the road truckers like them, but I did not have luck with them. A few years ago, I put them on my last coach I had, because I had two blow outs and was really strapped for cash and they cost half of GY. So I bought four Samsons for the rear and left the GYs on the front. OMG, did the handling change. The coach was all over the road, enough to give you white knuckles, and I'm not the type to get whit knuckles. Over time and a lot of reading, I theorize that being that this was a truck tire with a stiffer side wall then rv tires, plus over inflation (I was ignorant of weight inflation charts back then) to boot, this caused the tires to just ride on the center treads, thus less traction and making it more squirmy. The GY tires in the front probably added to the issue. The tire otherwise seemed like a well built tire, but I don't want to take that chance again.
        At this point for me, I have had good luck with GY tires. They handle very well and last very long (age well), which are the two most important features that I look for now days.  But they are way overpriced!

        As for different parts of the country affecting tire life?   I'm sure it does, heat, sun high elevation, and also especially load and speed do affect tire life.
        I know that your state is one of the hottest states, but if you cover your tires and take care of them, you should get a solid 5yrs out of them, maybe a bit more, time will tell.
        Camper trailer tires on the other hand are different story. Most are cheaply made and are over loaded, and would not last more than 3yrs in a state like yours. The best solution for camper owners is to go with a good quality LT (light truck) tire. They are probably one of the best tires that can handle abuse, overloading, heat etc.
        I know a guy who owns a '78 Airstream (original owner), and has over 250K mi on it and has never had a tire fail. He only uses LT tires on it and uses them till the wear out. That thing is still on its original wheel bearings, and the only replacement/repair it ever needed was the hot water heater (owners fault). A very impressive camper, with an impressive history.

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 7:20 PM, lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Hey John,

        I have those Chinese tires Samsun, I think it is. I had a frank talk with those guys that just balanced them for me. I was asking pointed questions about Goodyear Vs, Michelin. He asked me if I Armoral'd my tires. I said no. He said GOOD! Don't! He said it is very hard on them. Best advice I got which I already knew was keep them out of the sun, and when storing it, keep the weight off the tires. He said they will last years. Even the Chinese ones should be okay. I'm looking forward driving down the highway without them hopping!

        I wonder if different parts of the country have varying lives based on temps. The phoenix weather seems to be VERY hard on them. 4-5 years seems about it. Or so I'm told.

         Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix AZ.
        2001 Safari Panther Class A 425 Cat C12, Allison 4000, 40'


        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

        Lorne,

        From my experience, Goodyear G670RV tires hold up amazingly well to weather checking. My last set did not have one tiny crack after 10 years, the inside of the tires looked great too.
        Last summer I talked to a fellow RV owner two sites down from me, and he stated that his GY tires were 13+ years old! I personally think that is way pushing it, especially at the speed he travels at, but for what its worth, the tires looked amazingly well.
        I have also read a lot of positive things about Toyo tires, they also seem to have a reputation to tolerate the sun and age, but I myself have no experience with them.

        I am now running GY G661HSA, and so far I like them. Time will tell how they hold up to the sun. I hope the do as well as the last ones...

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 5:49 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Mel,

        It seems really bad form for Michelin to make you pay money for tires that are defective!? How did they justify it? Makes me think I should go with Goodyear when the time comes. 

        Lorne

        Sent from my iPhone

        On Dec 11, 2014, at 11:49, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        John
        The "other coolant leak" was "operator error"... (caused by a cold stiff 1" ID hose and my fear of over tightening a hose clamp).

        As for my sidewall cracked Michelins ,,,Michelin Customer Care replaced a 6 tires for $485, (+ mounting labor and 6 new valve stems), but the "warranty process" took 7 weeks.

        If I replaced everything on my coach that should be replaced because of age I wouldn't have enough $$ to buy fuel... (or time to travel)....
        BTW, those are the 2 main reasons that I "choose" to "live on the edge".  <smile>

        Thanks for the good wishes!

        Mel
        '96 Sahara, (leaving northern MS, (where it's 55 degrees), for Fountainebleau State Park, in Mandeville, LA, (and maybe even warmer temps), on Sunday.



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

        Mel,
        I'm glad to hear that you are on the road and heading south, that is great!!! The last note I got from you, was that it didn't look good. What was the other coolant leak that you had, and how were you able to fix it?
        How did you make out with the Michelin tire warranty claim?
        As far as your view/comment on brake hoses, I'm kind of scratching my head...
        You replace your tires after an x amount of years (or earlier in your case) because the rubber ages out and you don't want a dangerous and destructive blowout to happen. So, would not the "rubber" brake hoses fall under the same safety category??? Would you want to risk waiting till you have a failure to replace the item??? Usually old brake hoses fail catastrophically during a panic stop, right when you need the brakes the most. Brake hoses can also fail in a passive way. They can start to disintegrate internally and block the brake fluid from releasing the caliper.
        In any case these type of rubber items (including radiator/heater hoses too) should be replaced due to age, but at a minimum should be inspected often. Any signs of cracking (small or big) those brake hoses should be replaced.
        Believe me, I am also of the schooling "if it isn't broke don't fix it", but when it comes to safety and/or potential of super expensive repair due to a small dollar item (relatively speaking), I consider it a cheap insurance policy and a must for safety, to replace those kind of items. It's no different than tires. (just my humble opinion)

        I hope you have a wonderful trip and a joyous and Blessed Christmas!

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.









        Group: Safarifriends Message: 27053 From: TD Date: 12/12/2014
        Subject: Re: Tires (Was Brake hoses)
        Lorne,

        It sounds like you are having similar hanling issues that I had on my last coach with those same China tires, so it is very possible that the majority of the handling could be those Samson tires. All I can say is NEVER AGAIN for me! 
        In any case, I hope that your coach handles and rides better and that you have a great time camping this weekend. Give that C12 a good work out on those long grades! ;)

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 11:27 AM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the reply. Since all I know are the tires that are on it now I can't compare, but this thing is a handful to drive!! It is all over the place. I hope it isn't all tire issues. I am heading out in a few minutes for a short "camping" trip, so we will see how it handles now that I have the front tires spin balanced and at the right pressure, new shocks and height adjusted. Fingers crossed. Oh, and new sway bar bushings. :)

        Lorne

        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 11:15 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
         


        Lorne,

        Samson seems like a decent tire and over the road truckers like them, but I did not have luck with them. A few years ago, I put them on my last coach I had, because I had two blow outs and was really strapped for cash and they cost half of GY. So I bought four Samsons for the rear and left the GYs on the front. OMG, did the handling change. The coach was all over the road, enough to give you white knuckles, and I'm not the type to get whit knuckles. Over time and a lot of reading, I theorize that being that this was a truck tire with a stiffer side wall then rv tires, plus over inflation (I was ignorant of weight inflation charts back then) to boot, this caused the tires to just ride on the center treads, thus less traction and making it more squirmy. The GY tires in the front probably added to the issue. The tire otherwise seemed like a well built tire, but I don't want to take that chance again.
        At this point for me, I have had good luck with GY tires. They handle very well and last very long (age well), which are the two most important features that I look for now days.  But they are way overpriced!

        As for different parts of the country affecting tire life?   I'm sure it does, heat, sun high elevation, and also especially load and speed do affect tire life.
        I know that your state is one of the hottest states, but if you cover your tires and take care of them, you should get a solid 5yrs out of them, maybe a bit more, time will tell.
        Camper trailer tires on the other hand are different story. Most are cheaply made and are over loaded, and would not last more than 3yrs in a state like yours. The best solution for camper owners is to go with a good quality LT (light truck) tire. They are probably one of the best tires that can handle abuse, overloading, heat etc.
        I know a guy who owns a '78 Airstream (original owner), and has over 250K mi on it and has never had a tire fail. He only uses LT tires on it and uses them till the wear out. That thing is still on its original wheel bearings, and the only replacement/repair it ever needed was the hot water heater (owners fault). A very impressive camper, with an impressive history.

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 7:20 PM, lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Hey John,

        I have those Chinese tires Samsun, I think it is. I had a frank talk with those guys that just balanced them for me. I was asking pointed questions about Goodyear Vs, Michelin. He asked me if I Armoral'd my tires. I said no. He said GOOD! Don't! He said it is very hard on them. Best advice I got which I already knew was keep them out of the sun, and when storing it, keep the weight off the tires. He said they will last years. Even the Chinese ones should be okay. I'm looking forward driving down the highway without them hopping!

        I wonder if different parts of the country have varying lives based on temps. The phoenix weather seems to be VERY hard on them. 4-5 years seems about it. Or so I'm told.

         Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix AZ.
        2001 Safari Panther Class A 425 Cat C12, Allison 4000, 40'


        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

        Lorne,

        From my experience, Goodyear G670RV tires hold up amazingly well to weather checking. My last set did not have one tiny crack after 10 years, the inside of the tires looked great too.
        Last summer I talked to a fellow RV owner two sites down from me, and he stated that his GY tires were 13+ years old! I personally think that is way pushing it, especially at the speed he travels at, but for what its worth, the tires looked amazingly well.
        I have also read a lot of positive things about Toyo tires, they also seem to have a reputation to tolerate the sun and age, but I myself have no experience with them.

        I am now running GY G661HSA, and so far I like them. Time will tell how they hold up to the sun. I hope the do as well as the last ones...

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 5:49 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Mel,

        It seems really bad form for Michelin to make you pay money for tires that are defective!? How did they justify it? Makes me think I should go with Goodyear when the time comes. 

        Lorne

        Sent from my iPhone

        On Dec 11, 2014, at 11:49, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        John
        The "other coolant leak" was "operator error"... (caused by a cold stiff 1" ID hose and my fear of over tightening a hose clamp).

        As for my sidewall cracked Michelins ,,,Michelin Customer Care replaced a 6 tires for $485, (+ mounting labor and 6 new valve stems), but the "warranty process" took 7 weeks.

        If I replaced everything on my coach that should be replaced because of age I wouldn't have enough $$ to buy fuel... (or time to travel)....
        BTW, those are the 2 main reasons that I "choose" to "live on the edge".  <smile>

        Thanks for the good wishes!

        Mel
        '96 Sahara, (leaving northern MS, (where it's 55 degrees), for Fountainebleau State Park, in Mandeville, LA, (and maybe even warmer temps), on Sunday.



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

        Mel,
        I'm glad to hear that you are on the road and heading south, that is great!!! The last note I got from you, was that it didn't look good. What was the other coolant leak that you had, and how were you able to fix it?
        How did you make out with the Michelin tire warranty claim?
        As far as your view/comment on brake hoses, I'm kind of scratching my head...
        You replace your tires after an x amount of years (or earlier in your case) because the rubber ages out and you don't want a dangerous and destructive blowout to happen. So, would not the "rubber" brake hoses fall under the same safety category??? Would you want to risk waiting till you have a failure to replace the item??? Usually old brake hoses fail catastrophically during a panic stop, right when you need the brakes the most. Brake hoses can also fail in a passive way. They can start to disintegrate internally and block the brake fluid from releasing the caliper.
        In any case these type of rubber items (including radiator/heater hoses too) should be replaced due to age, but at a minimum should be inspected often. Any signs of cracking (small or big) those brake hoses should be replaced.
        Believe me, I am also of the schooling "if it isn't broke don't fix it", but when it comes to safety and/or potential of super expensive repair due to a small dollar item (relatively speaking), I consider it a cheap insurance policy and a must for safety, to replace those kind of items. It's no different than tires. (just my humble opinion)

        I hope you have a wonderful trip and a joyous and Blessed Christmas!

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.












        Group: Safarifriends Message: 27068 From: Lorne Shantz Date: 12/13/2014
        Subject: Re: Tires (Was Brake hoses)
        Thanks! Since have been spin balanced and the pressure reduced from 120psi it drove MUCH better. It didn't bottom out on the dips, or dart left or right. Even though I was fight 20-25mph winds it still did better. 

        I left it on cruise control all the way up the hill north of Phoenix. It was set at 65 and stayed at around 60. It shifted down one gear. 

        😁
        Lorne

        Sent from my iPhone

        On Dec 12, 2014, at 13:47, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Lorne,

        It sounds like you are having similar hanling issues that I had on my last coach with those same China tires, so it is very possible that the majority of the handling could be those Samson tires. All I can say is NEVER AGAIN for me! 
        In any case, I hope that your coach handles and rides better and that you have a great time camping this weekend. Give that C12 a good work out on those long grades! ;)

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 11:27 AM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks for the reply. Since all I know are the tires that are on it now I can't compare, but this thing is a handful to drive!! It is all over the place. I hope it isn't all tire issues. I am heading out in a few minutes for a short "camping" trip, so we will see how it handles now that I have the front tires spin balanced and at the right pressure, new shocks and height adjusted. Fingers crossed. Oh, and new sway bar bushings. :)

        Lorne

        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 11:15 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
         


        Lorne,

        Samson seems like a decent tire and over the road truckers like them, but I did not have luck with them. A few years ago, I put them on my last coach I had, because I had two blow outs and was really strapped for cash and they cost half of GY. So I bought four Samsons for the rear and left the GYs on the front. OMG, did the handling change. The coach was all over the road, enough to give you white knuckles, and I'm not the type to get whit knuckles. Over time and a lot of reading, I theorize that being that this was a truck tire with a stiffer side wall then rv tires, plus over inflation (I was ignorant of weight inflation charts back then) to boot, this caused the tires to just ride on the center treads, thus less traction and making it more squirmy. The GY tires in the front probably added to the issue. The tire otherwise seemed like a well built tire, but I don't want to take that chance again.
        At this point for me, I have had good luck with GY tires. They handle very well and last very long (age well), which are the two most important features that I look for now days.  But they are way overpriced!

        As for different parts of the country affecting tire life?   I'm sure it does, heat, sun high elevation, and also especially load and speed do affect tire life.
        I know that your state is one of the hottest states, but if you cover your tires and take care of them, you should get a solid 5yrs out of them, maybe a bit more, time will tell.
        Camper trailer tires on the other hand are different story. Most are cheaply made and are over loaded, and would not last more than 3yrs in a state like yours. The best solution for camper owners is to go with a good quality LT (light truck) tire. They are probably one of the best tires that can handle abuse, overloading, heat etc.
        I know a guy who owns a '78 Airstream (original owner), and has over 250K mi on it and has never had a tire fail. He only uses LT tires on it and uses them till the wear out. That thing is still on its original wheel bearings, and the only replacement/repair it ever needed was the hot water heater (owners fault). A very impressive camper, with an impressive history.

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 7:20 PM, lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Hey John,

        I have those Chinese tires Samsun, I think it is. I had a frank talk with those guys that just balanced them for me. I was asking pointed questions about Goodyear Vs, Michelin. He asked me if I Armoral'd my tires. I said no. He said GOOD! Don't! He said it is very hard on them. Best advice I got which I already knew was keep them out of the sun, and when storing it, keep the weight off the tires. He said they will last years. Even the Chinese ones should be okay. I'm looking forward driving down the highway without them hopping!

        I wonder if different parts of the country have varying lives based on temps. The phoenix weather seems to be VERY hard on them. 4-5 years seems about it. Or so I'm told.

         Lorne Shantz
        Phoenix AZ.
        2001 Safari Panther Class A 425 Cat C12, Allison 4000, 40'


        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

        Lorne,

        From my experience, Goodyear G670RV tires hold up amazingly well to weather checking. My last set did not have one tiny crack after 10 years, the inside of the tires looked great too.
        Last summer I talked to a fellow RV owner two sites down from me, and he stated that his GY tires were 13+ years old! I personally think that is way pushing it, especially at the speed he travels at, but for what its worth, the tires looked amazingly well.
        I have also read a lot of positive things about Toyo tires, they also seem to have a reputation to tolerate the sun and age, but I myself have no experience with them.

        I am now running GY G661HSA, and so far I like them. Time will tell how they hold up to the sun. I hope the do as well as the last ones...

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 5:49 PM, Lorne Shantz lshantz@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Mel,

        It seems really bad form for Michelin to make you pay money for tires that are defective!? How did they justify it? Makes me think I should go with Goodyear when the time comes. 

        Lorne

        Sent from my iPhone

        On Dec 11, 2014, at 11:49, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        John
        The "other coolant leak" was "operator error"... (caused by a cold stiff 1" ID hose and my fear of over tightening a hose clamp).

        As for my sidewall cracked Michelins ,,,Michelin Customer Care replaced a 6 tires for $485, (+ mounting labor and 6 new valve stems), but the "warranty process" took 7 weeks.

        If I replaced everything on my coach that should be replaced because of age I wouldn't have enough $$ to buy fuel... (or time to travel)....
        BTW, those are the 2 main reasons that I "choose" to "live on the edge".  <smile>

        Thanks for the good wishes!

        Mel
        '96 Sahara, (leaving northern MS, (where it's 55 degrees), for Fountainebleau State Park, in Mandeville, LA, (and maybe even warmer temps), on Sunday.



        ---In Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com, <sdjhtm@...> wrote :

        Mel,
        I'm glad to hear that you are on the road and heading south, that is great!!! The last note I got from you, was that it didn't look good. What was the other coolant leak that you had, and how were you able to fix it?
        How did you make out with the Michelin tire warranty claim?
        As far as your view/comment on brake hoses, I'm kind of scratching my head...
        You replace your tires after an x amount of years (or earlier in your case) because the rubber ages out and you don't want a dangerous and destructive blowout to happen. So, would not the "rubber" brake hoses fall under the same safety category??? Would you want to risk waiting till you have a failure to replace the item??? Usually old brake hoses fail catastrophically during a panic stop, right when you need the brakes the most. Brake hoses can also fail in a passive way. They can start to disintegrate internally and block the brake fluid from releasing the caliper.
        In any case these type of rubber items (including radiator/heater hoses too) should be replaced due to age, but at a minimum should be inspected often. Any signs of cracking (small or big) those brake hoses should be replaced.
        Believe me, I am also of the schooling "if it isn't broke don't fix it", but when it comes to safety and/or potential of super expensive repair due to a small dollar item (relatively speaking), I consider it a cheap insurance policy and a must for safety, to replace those kind of items. It's no different than tires. (just my humble opinion)

        I hope you have a wonderful trip and a joyous and Blessed Christmas!

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.












        Group: Safarifriends Message: 27470 From: TD Date: 1/27/2015
        Subject: Re: Where has everybody gone?
        Gerald,

        I did a yahoogroup search of swaybar bushings, and found my post I sent to you back in November. The post number is: 26735

        See below, I copied and pasted the conversation and link.

        Safe Travels,

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Safarifriends/conversations/messages/26735

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 11:21 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Got a question I know has been answered, but I lost it.  Where do I get bushings for my sway bars. I have a 97 Seren 40' velvet ride.

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Jan 26, 2015, at 10:06 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Is anyone still here?
        (I've seen no new posts since Jan 20th).
        ??
        Mel
        '96 Sahara





        Group: Safarifriends Message: 27473 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 1/27/2015
        Subject: Re: Where has everybody gone?
        Thanks again for your help. 
        Enjoying the warm AZ sun, so I'll order them now. 

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Jan 27, 2015, at 8:37 AM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,

        I did a yahoogroup search of swaybar bushings, and found my post I sent to you back in November. The post number is: 26735

        See below, I copied and pasted the conversation and link.

        Safe Travels,

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Safarifriends/conversations/messages/26735

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 11:21 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Got a question I know has been answered, but I lost it.  Where do I get bushings for my sway bars. I have a 97 Seren 40' velvet ride.

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Jan 26, 2015, at 10:06 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Is anyone still here?
        (I've seen no new posts since Jan 20th).
        ??
        Mel
        '96 Sahara





        Group: Safarifriends Message: 27476 From: TD Date: 1/27/2015
        Subject: Re: Where has everybody gone?
        Gerald,

        You're welcome!

        Lol. I'm in central NY, we are at 5 deg right now, and too far from AZ, but I don't mind the cold, as long as it's not damp. My Serengeti is hibernating right now...

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.


        On Tue, Jan 27, 2015 at 2:48 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks again for your help. 
        Enjoying the warm AZ sun, so I'll order them now. 

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Jan 27, 2015, at 8:37 AM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,

        I did a yahoogroup search of swaybar bushings, and found my post I sent to you back in November. The post number is: 26735

        See below, I copied and pasted the conversation and link.

        Safe Travels,

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Safarifriends/conversations/messages/26735

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 11:21 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Got a question I know has been answered, but I lost it.  Where do I get bushings for my sway bars. I have a 97 Seren 40' velvet ride.

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Jan 26, 2015, at 10:06 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Is anyone still here?
        (I've seen no new posts since Jan 20th).
        ??
        Mel
        '96 Sahara








        Group: Safarifriends Message: 27479 From: Gerald Larsen Date: 1/27/2015
        Subject: Re: Where has everybody gone?
        WOW!!!

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Jan 27, 2015, at 3:33 PM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,

        You're welcome!

        Lol. I'm in central NY, we are at 5 deg right now, and too far from AZ, but I don't mind the cold, as long as it's not damp. My Serengeti is hibernating right now...

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.


        On Tue, Jan 27, 2015 at 2:48 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Thanks again for your help. 
        Enjoying the warm AZ sun, so I'll order them now. 

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Jan 27, 2015, at 8:37 AM, TD sdjhtm@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Gerald,

        I did a yahoogroup search of swaybar bushings, and found my post I sent to you back in November. The post number is: 26735

        See below, I copied and pasted the conversation and link.

        Safe Travels,

        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.

        https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Safarifriends/conversations/messages/26735

        Gerald,
         
        I purchased my swaybar link kits from PMW (Pioneer Metal Works).
         
        Front Sway Bar Kit: 7139-R  $50.00
         
        Rear Sway Bar Kit: 7128-R  $50.00
         
        They are great people to deal with.
         
        You sound unhappy with you Koni shocks. May I ask why?
        When you had them installed, were the shocks set at the most firm setting??? It is very important to have all four shocks set on the most firm setting, otherwise the results are not that great. In your case it is especially crucial, because you have the old style shocks up front. It should not cost that much to have a shop or a friend to adjust them.
         
        Sorry to hear that the time is nearing that you will be needing to quit the RV life style.
         
        John
        '95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, 300 Cummins 8.3CTA, Allison
        6spd.



        On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 11:21 PM, Gerald Larsen jerrylarsen38@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


        Got a question I know has been answered, but I lost it.  Where do I get bushings for my sway bars. I have a 97 Seren 40' velvet ride.

        Sent from Jerry's iPad

        On Jan 26, 2015, at 10:06 AM, stuplich@... [Safarifriends] <Safarifriends@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

         

        Is anyone still here?
        (I've seen no new posts since Jan 20th).
        ??
        Mel
        '96 Sahara