# Burstner 747-2 so low - how do you cope with speed bumps?



## Snunkie

We're finding our Burstner 747 so low, it has really proved a problem getting into some sites as the bottom hits on many of the speed bumps. In fact, I couldn't even get it on my friend's drive, forwards or backwards as it hit on the edge of her drive which didn't even occur to me would be a problem

Has anyone got any useful tips? We tend to go diagonally over speed bumps where possible as this helps, but at one site we had to go through an industrial estate to bypass a speed bump that we just couldn't get over. It's getting a bit frustrating!


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## inkey-2008

Funny that I have a 2002 model, loads of ground clearance.

Andy


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## 747

No problem here.

Sounds like you need to have a clearout. :lol: Followed by a trip to the weighbridge. :?


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## cabby

thats not right, can you put up a photo of the vehicle. sideways on. is it the exhuast that catches.or can you measure the height from the road to the bottom of the van, front back and middle side.

cabby


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## travelsRus

We had a 2007 747-2 and got stuck on numerous occasions - we've had to reverse off ramps and unable to get off & on sites it was one of the factors in changing it.

Although the Rapido we've now got hasn't much more clearance. If we don't get the exhaust we get the step!!

Chris


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## 96299

Hi

I have scrapped the exhaust a couple of times in our 2007 argos, but most of the scrapping sounds we hear when going over certain bumps is caused by the mud flaps hitting them.

Steve


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## Snunkie

Definately not a weight problem as was empty when scraped first time.
Looking underneath the exhaust is the lowest point so I assume it's that, has loads of scrape marks on it. There are also 2 additional water tanks but these sit up under the chassis so the chassis is lower. We thought it could be the mud flaps but they're really floppy and it doesn't seem possible that they could produce that noise. Guess it will take one of us driving and the other looking underneath to see what's hitting

Surely this must be a known problem?


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## erneboy

If you van is Fiat based and it's the front which is too low this may help: http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-66812-front.html+springs

Though yours sounds too low both at front and rear. Air suspension might be better but much more expensive. Or air at the rear and springs at the front, Alan.

Give us some more info. please. Is it a Fiat? Is it an Alko chassis? A photograph would help as Cabby suggests.


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## inkey-2008

I can wiggle under or van on my back and I am not slim helps being on the back as the fat sinks in to my stomach.

Andy


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## Zepp

We looked at fitting air ride on our tag axle Alko chassis it was going to cost the best part of 3K 

Paul


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## olley

£3000!! Whats going on here, I can buy air suspension for my RV for around £550 inc. vat and fitting so why is yours so dear?

Ian


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## Zepp

olley said:


> £3000!! Whats going on here, I can buy air suspension for my RV for around £550 inc. vat and fitting so why is yours so dear?
> 
> Ian


Its because of the Alko chassis ,Im not a 100% sure but there is only one company that fits it in the UK ( maybe wrong )

price

http://www.as-airsuspension.co.uk/air_prices.html

Paul


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## lifestyle

When we had our gas tank fitted ,i believe there had to be a ground clearance of approximately 11 inches,the same as the water tanks.
The lowest point on our Bolero is the exhaust pipe which is 8 inches and is most likely what is grounding going over the bumps,which has happened to us on occasions .

Les


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## Snunkie

It's on a Fiat, have no idea about the Alko chassis though?
It doesn't look like we would have a problem from the sides really, the exhaust is probably the lowest point and does have marks on it so I'm assuming that is the scraping noise I can hear

Will check what the chassis part is


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## Snunkie

Ok I give up, how do I find out whether it is an Alko chassis?


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## 747

Snunkie said:


> Ok I give up, how do I find out whether it is an Alko chassis?


You vill listen very carefully because I shall only say zis once.

You have an AlKo chassis.


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## Remus

We had a similar problem with a Bessacarr E769. Rotating the 'U' bolts so they faced sideways or upwards rather than downwards saved about half an inch and that did the trick for us. Have a look at all the supporting brackets to see if any can be adjusted to lift the exhaust pipe a bit.


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## fdhadi

Lucy,

As 747 says you have an Alko Chassis. We also have a Burstner A747 and cannot for the life of me can see how you could scrape this. I can only think that your exhaust needs to be re adjusted.


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## Snunkie

Frank

Thanks for your reply. I've been underneath it today and can tell you that the actual chassis is only a slightly stretched hand width from the ground. I cannot even shuffle myself underneath it and I'm a size 12, although a bit erm 'big chested' and that's where I got stuck 

It has loads of scuffs on the chassis and having had a good look it doesn't appear to be the exhaust that is the problem. How can we be the only ones experiencing this, I don't get it? They must all be the same?

As I said, when first noticed this van was completely empty as had just collected it


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## erneboy

Our van chassis arrangement is roughly the same as yours. The front end of our Alko chassis used to ground all the time. Fitting longer front springs (as I posted earlier in this thread) cured that for us. Our Alko chassis drops a couple of inches right behind where it joins the cab and that was our main problem. The exhaust did too but it's higher now as a result of the new springs and that's cured.

The back being too low is a different problem. We live with it and it only grounds if we encounter a sharp upward slope. It can cope with most circumstances. Yours may be lower than ours. If you must cure that then it will have to be air suspension which is quite expensive.

We live with the back being a bit low because having cured the front we now ground very rarely, Alan.


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## ob1

Due to it's heavy front end weight Burstener had to replace the front end coil springs on the 747-2 with non Fiat parts. Perhaps these may be part of your problem and need replacing - as ours did a few years ago.

Ron


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## fdhadi

Hi again Lucy,

You say you noticed it when you first collected it. Where did you collect it from?

I'm sure ours would not scrape the floor if all 6 wheels were flat, I thinks there must be a ground clearance of at least 1ft & half.

There must be something seriously wrong.


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## chillbus

My 11-Month old Autocruise (9.5k miles) is now hitting the bump stops on front springs, a specialist has said it is a problem with the new X250 cab and usually the springs "go soft" after about 18-months, he showed me a M/H that had just had up-rated springs fitted and the gap between the top of the wheel and the wheel arch was 65cm greater than mine. I'm off the the dealers to compare mine with a new one and see if there is grounds for making a complaint. The up-rated springs are about £550 fitted from the specialist in Doncaster.


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## 747

chillbus said:


> My 11-Month old Autocruise (9.5k miles) is now hitting the bump stops on front springs, a specialist has said it is a problem with the new X250 cab and usually the springs "go soft" after about 18-months, he showed me a M/H that had just had up-rated springs fitted and the gap between the top of the wheel and the wheel arch was 65cm greater than mine. I'm off the the dealers to compare mine with a new one and see if there is grounds for making a complaint. The up-rated springs are about £550 fitted from the specialist in Doncaster.


Good luck with the dealer. A cheaper alternative would be air assist instead of buying new springs.

From what I read on another forum some time ago, there are a choice of springs available for converters and they usually just fit the commercial van springs instead of the ones with an extra leaf.

Also, if you were to contact Fiat UK, they will say that they are not 'bump stops' and it is OK for there to be no gap. 8O


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## Snunkie

fdhadi said:


> Hi again Lucy,
> 
> You say you noticed it when you first collected it. Where did you collect it from?
> 
> I'm sure ours would not scrape the floor if all 6 wheels were flat, I thinks there must be a ground clearance of at least 1ft & half.
> 
> There must be something seriously wrong.


It doesn't hit the ground on normal ground with all wheels flat. Whe we go over speed bumps the underneath scrapes. Or when we tried to go onto a friend's drive that didn't appear to have a steep slope there was no way we could get up it, forwards or backwards

I cannot stretch out my hand span underneath the lowest part of the chassis, it is about 8" from the ground at the most

We bought it from a private seller in Devon. What I meant was, it can't have been the weight of anything stored in it as I had just collected it empty

It's only a problem on really uneven ground, short slopes which do not span the distance between the wheels and speed bumps, but still I wasn't expecting it to be that low


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## Zebedee

Look on the bright side Snunkie.

If your Cat gets pinched the plod will easily find the culprit . . . he will be the thinnest bloke in town!!

Dave :wink: :lol: :lol:


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## Snunkie

ob1 said:


> Due to it's heavy front end weight Burstener had to replace the front end coil springs on the 747-2 with non Fiat parts. Perhaps these may be part of your problem and need replacing - as ours did a few years ago.
> 
> Ron


It's a 58 plate and has only done 4,000 miles - does this still apply?


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## Snunkie

Lol Dave!

The burstner up the road had its cat pinched not so long ago but they are on gravel so I think the culprits could have bedded down into it a bit.

We've had a warning poster through the door about CATs being stolen in the area but yeah they would have to be mighty thin to get under ours!


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