June 16, 2023 Bob was up early. I tried to sleep in, but it was difficult worrying about what would happen today. Dale, the repairman, called in the morning and showed up as promised. He had two new suspension airbags that he would replace today.
Dale proceeded to get to work. He removed the first bad airbag. Bob was there to assist with the repair. He went to the office to get more SAE tools that were needed. Luckily, the campground was more that willing to give them to us to use. Dale had done work here before and he had a good reputation with the Office.
Once Dale took the first one off, we could see that the flexible air bag was completely separated from the lower housing. These are compression fittings similar to tires on a rim.
Dale worked hard. Here is what the old one (left) looked like compared to the new one (right).
Dale has worked in this business for many years and the only thing he could tell us that he thought could cause the problem from his experience was if the jacks over-extended themselves. That has not happened in the 4 years that we have owned this bus. So once again, everyone has told us, “We have not heard of this happening before, You are the first one.” I wish I had a dollar for every time we’ve heard that before! Dale worked diligently until both airbags were replaced. He was working against the storm that was approaching. We gave him some extra money for his time and effort to get the work done for us in a short period of time. He was amazing!
After the bags were installed, Bob started up the engines and tried to inflate the airbags! Halleluia! They inflated and everything worked fine! Job well done! We wished Dale a good day and sent him on his way. We would wait for his invoice $$$ for the work that was done. Bob and I were relieved that everything was working again. We called our friends, Pam and Don, in Jersey City to let them know about our plans. We would not be going to Jersey City for a visit or to tour the Statue of Liberty. It was too late to be leaving today. We would have to make a stop for fuel and with the approaching storm Bob didn’t want to drive in the storm or reach Jersey City at rush hour. I was very disappointed as I was SO looking forward to a visit with Pam and Don. Missing the tour was disappointing too, but someday I’ll come back and see Lady Liberty. Pam and I chatted on the phone for over an hour and got caught up on the time that has passed between us. It was good to talk to her. With good friends, it’s easy because it seems like no time has passed between us at all. I could hear thunder off in the distance as the storm got closer. Eventually, the rain started and the winds blew and even rocked the bus a little. The rain lasted for about an hour and then the sun popped out. It cooled off nicely after the storm went by. We took it easy for the rest of the day. I think we were emotionally worn out. We watched the movie “Titanic” for the rest of the afternoon. Bob and I walked Auggie after dinner. We plan to get an early start tomorrow because we have a little longer to go since we are leaving from Cape May and not Jersey City. Fueling up would add a little time to our trip, but we have prepared for that. It will be Saturday, so we won’t have to contend with rush hour in New York. Keep your prayers coming for a safe trip without any more problems.