Shock absorbers

[Cruzer]

Have been reading a few threads talking about stability and shock absobers and was wondering if it's something I should consider. The first question is, without crawling under the van (because I'm at work) can anyone tell me if a Bailey Pageant Bretagne S6 already has them fitted, I don't believe it does?

Secondly, are they a simple DIY job that you average home mechanic could tackle?

Last question, what would it cost, grazed knuckles aside?

 

[PaulRT]

Hi Cruser
I fitted shock absorbers to my 2006 Swift Challenger 480 about three years ago and it was well worth it. Altho' the rig (towed with a Mondeo estate) was perfectly stable, it was definitely improved further with the S/As fitted - no trace of a wobble when white van man came charging past on the motorway and a smoother ride on bumpy roads. They are a simple DIY fit. They then cost about £75 a pair.
I would recommend it, if they are not already fitted.
Cheers
Paul

 

[Cruzer]

A quick crawl under the van tonight confirmed it doesn't have them fitted aleady.
Thanks for the reply Paul. ANy Bailey owners care to comment if they are as easy to fit? I guess its more to do with the chassis than the box on top so probably no ddifferent to a Swift.
Oh, second question, my van has a mover fitted to the front of the axle, will this be a prroblem?

 

[forestgump]

it is not a prob but you will need the brackets to go in the swinging arm you will to squeeze them together and they should gointo the blanks in the place where the plastic blanks are.

 

[chrisbee1]

Hi Cruzer, I fitted shocks to my S6 Burgundy with no problems. In fact, when I found how easily the first one went on I didn’t even remove the wheel for the second. Mind you, I don’t have a mover fitted.

 

[JTQ]

Oh, second question, my van has a mover fitted to the front of the axle, will this be a prroblem?

Ask your mover manufacturer for a definitive answer; I found both Reich and Powrtouch were very helpful on queries.

 

[ValA.]

We have shock absorbers, which were factory fitted as standard, to our 2001 Swift Speedbird (a wrong-side van, built for the Dutch market, but sold here) and we have an E-Go motor mover which we fitted ourselves last year. There were no problems fitting it in front of the axle to avoid any problems with the shock absorbers. I suppose it will depend on the exact size and tolerances of the motor you've got, as JTQ says, best to ask the manufacturer, or have a look at vans with both shock absorbers and a mover to see exactly what goes where.

 

[BigTim]

Hi Cruzer
We had "schocks" fitted to our 06, S5 Bailey Senator Arizona by a local dealer during the annual service a couple of years ago, after reading about the benefits on various websites.. No problems other than they fitted the WRONG ones, Alko shocks are painted different colours for different weights. The dealer changed them when I pointed out the mistake. You can check for the correct size on the Alko website, fortunately I had.
A year ago we had Powrtouch HD motor mover fitted in front of the wheels. No problem with fitting the mover as far as the "shocks" are concerned.
Tim

 

[Cruzer]

A year ago we had Powrtouch HD motor mover fitted in front of the wheels. No problem with fitting the mover as far as the "shocks" are concerned.

Our mover is the PowrTouch HD so it's looking promising. I'll maybe have a word with the chap who fitted the mover to see what he thinks.

Do I need to consider any impact on the MTPLM or is the weight insignificant?

 

[casey12]

Hi, we fitted a pair to our S5 Pageant with a powertouch mover no problem. very quick job.

 

[mauron]

Hi Cruzer,
I think you will find a pair of Al-ko red shockers and fittings weigh in at about 3.6kg.