# <07 Ducato rear suspension



## Pudsey_Bear

I've been meaning to ask for a while but kept forgetting.

Why do Fiat based vans seem to always crash and bang at the rear over even the slightest rough roads, every van we've had has been like this, and I find it does spoil our enjoyment of the more rural parts of the country.

Why no fit coil springs as the front seems to ride them a lot better.

I know you can fit air, but from what I have read, this is more to make the ride more stable in cross winds and to help level the back end a bit better, rather than give a better ride.


----------



## Mrplodd

Kev

Air ride does improve the ride a fair bit because it stiffens the suspension up it "bottoms out" a lot less. (I had it on a Merc based Autotrail a while ago and very good it was too) The cost, in the scale of things, is not that bad, (about £300 I think) especially if you fit it yourself. Its not a difficult job at all if you are DIY competent

One of the main causes is the fact that many motorhomes have large rear overhangs which tend to act like pendulums. It might be worth checking to see if the bump stops are still in place ??? Its not unknown for them to become dislodged.

Also what sort of age/mileage is yours???? Leaf springs "sag" after a while, especially MH ones because they are nearly always very close to their max designed weight (unlike white van mans van) Replacement springs might be the answer rather than modifying old and tired ones????? (Cant tell the age of your MH 'cos your signature says you is MH less !!!!)

Andy


----------



## powerplus

hi kev
if its a ducato based van with leaf springs

with age the leaf springs sag and the axle sits on the rubber buffer a lot of the time

this has been spoken about many times fiat say the buffer is part of the suspension

if this is so i would definitely look at air bags for the back that replace the buffer.

the air bags do work well and smooth out the ride and lift the rear 

is the van a x244 or x250

even different make vans with leaf springs can benefit from air bags if the springs have sagged




barry


----------



## cabby

We have no idea Kev, there is no info as to what you have at the moment. Does it have a Fiat chassis or Alko one.Mine is a 2007/2008, but it has an Alko chassis built onto the cab.

cabby


----------



## Pudsey_Bear

No one read my new van thread then :crying::crying::crying:

it is a 2002 2.8 Ducato on an Alko chassis.

I've not put it in my profile yet as it has not been decided to keep it or sell it yet


----------



## cabby

And you have the cheek to say keep up at the back to me. Lets have some decent photos and full info.Then we will of course want to see the after photos so we can all say what a great job you have done yet again, well you usually do a great job.:serious::serious:

cabby


----------



## Pudsey_Bear

cabby said:


> And you have the cheek to say keep up at the back to me. Lets have some decent photos and full info.Then we will of course want to see the after photos so we can all say what a great job you have done yet again, well you usually do a great job.:serious::serious:
> 
> cabby


This must be Mrs cabby posting, what a bloody nag :roll: :roll: thanks for the compliment though   I do my best which often isn't that good close up


----------



## Sprinta

as said above the rear does ride low because of the habitation weight over the rear suspension, basically it is because the 'white van' part is being loaded to its upper limit all of the time. The 'bump stops' that the axle then sits on are actually a part of the suspension rather than a stop. The cure, as fitted to my 2003 X244, was a pair of air bags which raised the back end several inches and stiffened the rear ride and transformed the old girl. My X250 which is also on the Fiat chassis has a very similar arrangement and while it also sits low at the rear it doesn't bang and crash around, perhaps because it's 10 years newer and not yet quite as slack


----------



## cabby

Perhaps then using sprinta's idea this would improve the ride, kev. As you said close up might be different.> you could always name the van Alice.( just in case it is slack).

cabby


----------



## Gretchibald

Another vote for air bags. En route to our favourite campsite in Ireland there is a long section of a really bumpy road, was really uncomfortable at anything over 20mph, false teeth would have been out. After fitting air bags we were able to do 40mph -but have implants now.


----------



## cabby

You have a 2002 van that you are unbodging you said. So why are you asking about the rear suspension on a 2007 van chassis.

cabby

Just asking like:grin2:


----------



## Pudsey_Bear

cabby said:


> You have a 2002 van that you are unbodging you said. So why are you asking about the rear suspension on a 2007 van chassis.
> 
> cabby
> 
> Just asking like:grin2:


You need to either increase or come of those meds Phil, I don't recall mentioning a 2007 van at all except the self build.


----------



## cabby

Maybe you should go back to your OP and put your specs on, 07 Ducato rear suspension, also stop trying to blame errors on predictive text, we know that you northerners(Leeds) have problems with the Queens English.


cabby.just replying like.innit.


----------



## Pudsey_Bear

cabby said:


> Maybe you should go back to your OP and put your specs on, 07 Ducato rear suspension, also stop trying to blame errors on predictive text, we know that you northerners(Leeds) have problems with the Queens English.
> 
> cabby.just replying like.innit.


Go back and read it properly.:serious::serious:


----------



## talogon

Hi Kev, we had air bags on the first van when we bought it. and I had it fitted to the second van. The mrs said at the time that it did not need air assist and that it was just me being me. After it was fitted we were driving along and she said is it me or is it a lot quieter in here?
The ride was definitely improved and it was also much quieter, well worth the money in my opinion.
I got the header meaning pre 07 by the way.
Brian


----------



## barryd

Kev, if its on an Alko chassis I assume it has an Alko axle and therefore wont it have Torsion bars rather than leaf springs. It shouldn't crash about. How does it sit at the rear? The wheel arch should be at the top of the tyre. Ours is on the Alko chassis (with the newer rear axle fitted 4 years ago) and it handles brilliantly with no crashing about.

I dont want to send alarm bells ringing but remember way back when my original Alko Axle failed as the bars started to snap? The van was visibly lower at the back end, the arch was almost down to the wheel trim. If its an Alko Chassis it should have been raised (both wheels off the ground at the same time) and greased pumped in every year. Do you know in the history if this has been done? If not get it looked at and done as this is what did for mine. I suspect it had never been done and two or three years of use from us without knowing about this requirement was enough to make the axle start to fail. I cant remember the cost to replace it but it was about £2800.


----------



## powerplus

hi kev

i seem to remember that a friend had a hobby tag axle that was sagging and the tyres hit the whee larch

from memory there was a recall but not sure if it was hobby or alko

barry


----------



## eurajohn

Kev, I suspect cabby doesn't know the meaning of the < symbol.
.


----------



## cabby

Oh sh*t, just thought that was one of kev's predictive text faults. Yes sorry Kev my mistake I suppose. Must increase dosage on those funny shaped ones:wink2:
I do understand the symbols thanks eurojohn. I am of the generation not afraid to ask if we do not know or understand, hence my signature.

cabby


----------

