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One fantastic feature that the Fontaine Classic Traveler bed has... that is sorely lacking on all new present day pickup trucks, regardless of brand, is illustrated by the problem presented in the photo below:
If you have a Fontaine, then you already know that you DON'T have the above problem, and won't, no matter what trailer you tow.
As you no doubt know, Reyco-Granning discontinued manufacturing the 345P air suspension system in June of 2003, and over the 18 years since, has distanced themselves of providing any support for it, even removing archived information from their website, which used to remain available for reference, but no longer (as of more than a decade ago).
As Fontaine was the exclusive supplier/reseller, to the extent that any 2004-2006 units had the Reyco Granning... it would be from remaining inventory already manufactured. By the 2004 model year, Fontaine had turned to Link Air Ride suspension.
So any hope of finding a Reyco-Granning part number 25220-01 replacement air bag is fairly non-existent... but the bag itself is an outsourced part, which I believe is still available from various truck air spring vendors who sell Firestone air bags.
The cross referenced part number that you will find this particular air spring listed under is W013588907 . This is an industry air spring SKU, not a RecyoGranning part number.
Because you have an F-450, and not an F-550, and because you have a 2003, which is a year when Ford ran some F-450's with the very first production run of the then brand new Dana S110 AdvanTek axle that would eventually replace the Dana S135 in the F-550's, but prior to that was "tested" in the field by replacing the Dana 80 round tube Salisbury style axle in the F-450s around that time... I'm having some misgivings about saying, yes, go ahead and order the W013588907 air spring... before you measure some reference points on the top and bottom of the spring... where you say the attachment hardware corroded.
As I recall, the air spring itself was the same for the F-450 and the F-550 (despite a ton and a half difference between rear axle ratings... 11,000 lbs vs 13,500 lbs), but obviously there were some hardware differences to attach the parallel arm assemblies to a round tube versus a square tube axle, and I no longer remember the impact of these differences, and if they propagated to any difference in the base of the reversible sleeve bag.
The bag bellows itself is the same regardless... a reversible sleeve Firestone 1T5L-2. But there are several models of air springs that use the 1T5L-2 bellows (eg, W013589447, W013589448, etc). The difference is in the top cap and the bottom base, which dictates mounting and other factors like minimum height, maximum height, maximum diameter when loaded and underinflated, load rating at various pressures, natural response frequency, percent of isolation at designated forced frequencies, and dimensional differences to meet the envelope of space in which the air spring was specified to operate.
Here are some reference diagrams for the aforementioned spring W013588907:
I recommend using the three diagrams above, especially the bottom two diagrams (the top diagram is provided for context and specs) as comparison references as you measure the same distances on the top and bottom caps of your existing air springs.
Any dealer in Firestone commercial truck air springs should be able to order what you need, especially when you have this informational head start in hand to direct them with.
Consider Reyco-Granning's frame mounted updated air supply solution, consisting of a 12vdc pump, two height control valves (for lateral stability when cornering) a built in air dryer, frost proof air lines, and other goodies...
Wow!! Thank you sir. You are definitely a wealth of information in regards to these Fontaine conversions. I figured air springs would be available, but having this info will definitely help. I'll be looking into the frame mounted compressor system you recommended tomorrow.
To be able to read your response, I was forced to scroll past your quote of my post, and in so doing, I discovered a typo that should be corrected.
I corrected it in my original post, but your quote of my post remains uncorrected. The Firestone are bladder part number should be 1T15L-2 , not "1T5L-2" as quoted.
I had typed the 1, and then thought I had already typed the 1, so I didn't type the second 1... or basically I'm just getting old and senile. The exact part number will make a huge difference in your searches, as the number of applications that use this bag are somewhat limited compared to more commonly used air springs.
Thank you sir,, I will get the suspension checked this weekend and I'll take the brackets to Ford for a match up. Also I located all the recall information and have it printed, I don't see any paperwork to indicate the recall was done. I will see if I can call Fontain and see if they have a record of the recall being done. Have a safe week.
Tommy
Hi, I’m new here so glad I found this thread… I have a 1999 f450 Fontaine package truck and I’d like to know if my truck has a recall.. I called ford and they said it didn’t but after seeing this I didn’t know I could contact Fontaine.. do you have a number for them or how did you contact them because I can’t find a number… I’d really appreciate any help.. thx in advance This is how it sits currently… I’ve owned it about 8 months and replaced the rear air springs and put the flatbed on.. Before. Before. Before replacing the bags and painted the frame Before. Before.
ance
Thank you sir,, I will get the suspension checked this weekend and I'll take the brackets to Ford for a match up. Also I located all the recall information and have it printed, I don't see any paperwork to indicate the recall was done. I will see if I can call Fontain and see if they have a record of the recall being done. Have a safe week.
Tommy
Originally Posted by Y2KW57
We agree that double bending commercially obtained brackets, which fatigues the metal, is not optimal. But it might be the lesser sin, when compared to an impact with the frame or parking brake cable.
I like your idea about rounding the angle iron. I was going to suggest that, but wanted to wait until you verified that you had an issue first. But now that you've brought up a willingness to trim the bracket, I would suggest substantially trimming them, within 1 or 2mm of the edge of the commercial brackets you bought, and include the diagonal cuts (or round over equivalently, as you said.) Here's why:
Another test that should be done is an offset angular test, where the truck frame is supported by jack stands, high enough for the axle to hang all the way down to the bottom of its suspension travel, (the limit of the limit straps), and then keep going up to leave additional 4" of clear space below the tires to make room for the downward angular sweep of the outermost shoulder of the outermost tire in the dually pair. Note that the frame should be properly and substantially supported, with multiple jack stands, sufficiently rated, on level ground, with the both front tires chocked from in front and from behind if only the back end of the truck is raised. Release the air pressure from the bags. Then use a floor jack under only one side of the hanging rear axle. I'd chose the driver's side, since the clearance is less there. Position the floor jack as near as possible to the wheel end of the driver's side, and raise that half of the rear axle all the way up as high as it will go. If your bracket hits the brake cable, then that must be addressed.
Ford calls for second unit body builders like Fontaine to consider body clearances assuming that the axle is in full jounce on one side of the vehicle, and full rebound on the other side of the vehicle. The angular positioning encroaches more space above the axle the further away from the centroid of the lateral pivot point. Your brackets are much closer to the center than the outermost tires, but still, the wider your brackets are, without cutting off the corners, the higher those corners will approach the frame when the axle is tilted at an angle. Think of maintaining clearances in a spherical zone between two potential collision points, and consider those zones throughout the entire dynamic range of movement, which will not always be level and even.
My guess is that you might find the brackets as currently configured too close for comfort at the extreme possibilities of movement. But it is yet close enough to work that it isn't an obvious slam dunk decision without testing. And with air suspension... full air suspension like you have... one most always plan for a sudden loss of air, not just in both bags, but in just one bag. Running over some freak piece of metal on the highway that turns out to be a samurai sword whose previous owner, now deceased, but whose ghost wanders the earth, was fired from Yokohama or Bridgestone (Japanese tire companies). All right all right I'm entertainingly reaching there... but the point is... to really consider worst case scenarios. Usually one bag fails at a time. These bags have an internal bump stop in them. Consider the durometer of that internal bumpstop. How much will it compress when 5,000 lbs of pin weight drops on it? That kind of thing.
When I raise and support vehicles of this size and weight, I use up to eight (8) jack stands, rated at six (6) tons each. I use up to four (4) long reach floor jacks, and usually use the floor jacks in pairs. On my personal truck, I bolted support cleats for jackstands permanently through existing OEM holes in my truck frame, that I designed (using a combination of tractor parts and Ford parts) to permit pitch angle changes along the length of the truck, to raise or support the front higher than the rear, or vice a versa.
So when I say raise and support the truck, I do not mean cinder block and timber. I'm not assuming that you will use cinder block and timber, but since some people do, I wanted to make sure to disclaim that specfically . I put an excessive amount of care and caution in raising and supporting 12K lbs + trucks, and I'm sure you do the same. Without sufficient tools to do it safely, consider taking the truck to the service bay of a local alignment shop to have the airless offset angular suspension travel evaluation done to check that clearance.
One more thing... those elastomeric stop nuts you used (nylocks)... I would suggest that you consider replacing those with all metal grade C lock nuts or prevailing torque flange nuts on the passenger side (where the exhaust runs). The issue with nylock nuts under a vehicle chassis is that elevated temperatures can soften the nylon or whatever plastic it is that is supposed to provide the resistance of the nut from backing off. When that plastic is exposed to heat, the softening reduces its grip around the threads cut into it, and combined with jiggling vibration typical of a live axle, and the potential "dethread jacking" from thermal cycling, there is more potential for nylocks to lose their torque over time when in proximity to exhaust heat, when compared to all metal options.
Hi, you seem like the guy to talk to about the Fontaine’s lol - How do I contact Fontaine because I have a 1999 f450 and I’d love to know what suspension package I have on mine.. and if there is any recall’s I’ve owned the truck about 8 months and replaced the rear air springs and put a flatbed on it.. Before. Before. Before replacing the bags and painted the frame Before. After. After. This is how it sits currently… I’ve owned it about 8 months and replaced the rear air springs and put the flatbed on..
Obviously, since your truck is 23 years old, and since Fontaine hasn't manufactured the Classic Traveler in over 17 years, and since Fontaine discontinued offering the particular air suspension you have under your F-450 about 22 years ago.... expect supply, service, and support to be limited.
The air suspension you have was made by a small company in Iowa called Silent Drive, which specializes in lift axles for cement mixer trucks and heavy dump trucks.
While the particular suspension model you have can be loosely defined as the ALD-320, you should know that Silent Drive made many running changes to that axle. I recall seeing two ALD-330 axles (same design as the ALD-320, just rated to 13,600 lbs for the F-550, instead of 11,000 lbs for the F-450) ordered and delivered within the same 30 day period (back in late 2000) that were rated the same, but built with different hardware and parts.
The ALD-320 / 330 were built to order, as the sales volume of this family of air suspension systems appeared to be quite low, which would be hard to justify building to have stock on hand. Hence, it is unlikely that you will find much, if anything, in terms of parts inventory.
This was the first air suspension system that Fontaine chose for the Classic Traveler, but Fontaine quickly dropped it within the first year, and adopted the Reyco-Granning 345P parallelogram rear air suspension with lateral control arm instead. It was the Reyco-Granning 345P air suspension that was subject to a Safety Recall, not the Silent Drive. The 345P suspension was then dropped, and Fontaine finished the Classic Traveler production using a Link Air Ride system (of an earlier design that has also been discontinued).
Everyone should exercise their own due diligence when it comes to determining if their vehicle is subject to a safety recall, so any opinion or observation read on this forum in that regard should not be relied upon, as the reader and owner of the vehicle bears all responsibility for researching their own vehicle. I am unaware of any recalls for Silent Drive suspension products in the ALD-320 / 330 family of non steerable axle suspensions for light and medium duty vehicles with GAWRs under 15,000 lbs.
Silent Drive has subsequently been acquired by an investment group who combined two trailer axle companies, Dexter and AL-KO, which has become DEXKO, which is now the parent company of Silent Drive, also a principal producer of trailer lift axles for Class 8 heavy trailer applications.
Obviously, since your truck is 23 years old, and since Fontaine hasn't manufactured the Classic Traveler in over 17 years, and since Fontaine discontinued offering the particular air suspension you have under your F-450 about 22 years ago.... expect supply, service, and support to be limited.
The air suspension you have was made by a small company in Iowa called Silent Drive, which specializes in lift axles for cement mixer trucks and heavy dump trucks.
While the particular suspension model you have can be loosely defined as the ALD-320, you should know that Silent Drive made many running changes to that axle. I recall seeing two ALD-330 axles (same design as the ALD-320, just rated to 13,600 lbs for the F-550, instead of 11,000 lbs for the F-450) ordered and delivered within the same 30 day period (back in late 2000) that were rated the same, but built with different hardware and parts.
The ALD-320 / 330 were built to order, as the sales volume of this family of air suspension systems appeared to be quite low, which would be hard to justify building to have stock on hand. Hence, it is unlikely that you will find much, if anything, in terms of parts inventory.
This was the first air suspension system that Fontaine chose for the Classic Traveler, but Fontaine quickly dropped it within the first year, and adopted the Reyco-Granning 345P parallelogram rear air suspension with lateral control arm instead. It was the Reyco-Granning 345P air suspension that was subject to a Safety Recall, not the Silent Drive. The 345P suspension was then dropped, and Fontaine finished the Classic Traveler production using a Link Air Ride system (of an earlier design that has also been discontinued).
Everyone should exercise their own due diligence when it comes to determining if their vehicle is subject to a safety recall, so any opinion or observation read on this forum in that regard should not be relied upon, as the reader and owner of the vehicle bears all responsibility for researching their own vehicle. I am unaware of any recalls for Silent Drive suspension products in the ALD-320 / 330 family of non steerable axle suspensions for light and medium duty vehicles with GAWRs under 15,000 lbs.
Silent Drive has subsequently been acquired by an investment group who combined two trailer axle companies, Dexter and AL-KO, which has become DEXKO, which is now the parent company of Silent Drive, also a principal producer of trailer lift axles for Class 8 heavy trailer applications.
- Another question for you - my transfer pump is out and a mechanic said that he knows the transfer pumps/Gauges they put in the fontaine trucks don’t last very long so he said he’s gonna look for a upgraded kit to replace the setup Fontaine did… do you know of a kit? I tried looking but couldn’t find anything… the guy I bought it from took the fuse out of the electronic gauge so I’m only using the 30gallon factory tank and it’s running off the cluster gauge right now because the fuse is out of the electronic gauge - hopefully I made sense….. thank you so much
- Another question for you - my transfer pump is out and a mechanic said that he knows the transfer pumps/Gauges they put in the fontaine trucks don’t last very long so he said he’s gonna look for a upgraded kit to replace the setup Fontaine did… do you know of a kit? I tried looking but couldn’t find anything… the guy I bought it from took the fuse out of the electronic gauge so I’m only using the 30gallon factory tank and it’s running off the cluster gauge right now because the fuse is out of the electronic gauge - hopefully I made sense….. thank you so much
A few things...
The factory fuel tank is aft of axle, and is either 37 gallons (if early 1999) or 40 gallons (far more common, encompassing all model years from mid 1999 to current production (as far as the aft of axle factory fuel tank size for narrow frame chassis cabs is concerned). The point being, you have at least 20% more fuel capacity with just the OEM tank than the 30 gallons you've estimated... unless something ELSE has gone wrong too.
The "electronic gauge" is called the "TRAX UFS" fuel tank management system module, made by @Transfer Flow , a current FTE Sponsor, whom I have tagged just now to get them in on this part of the conversation. Transfer Flow (website link) actually manufactured the entire fuel tank, and supplied the transfer pump and all of the wiring for the secondary fuel tank kit, located midship. The Transfer Flow midship tank can be either 30 gallon (earlier design) or 34 gallon (from at least 2000 to current) in that application.
Exclusive to Fontaine Modification Company for the Classic Traveler, Transfer Flow made a bezel panel for the Super Duty dashboard, that fit where the ESOF switch is typically located in lighter duty pickups of that era. Since ESOF was not offered in chassis cabs back then, not even as a special order option, not even with the highest Lariat trim... locating the Transfer Flow UFS system via a built in bezel on the dashboard presented no conflict with Ford OEM components on the instrument panel real estate. Since that time, Transfer Flow updated the Trax UFS system at least 3 times... eg Trax-II, Trax3, Trax3 oem specific (Ford or GM), and now Trax4, including Trax4 mobile app.
So it could be that the "better" system you are looking for is actually made by the same company who built the system that you have now. That's why I've tagged them in here, and provided you the link to their website, so you can get your questions answered by the horse's mouth, so to speak.
In the meantime, while waiting for a representative from Transfer Flow to chime in, you can download and review a vintage TraxUFS user manual here:
The "electronic gauge" is called the "TRAX UFS" fuel tank management system module, made by @Transfer Flow , a current FTE Sponsor, whom I have tagged just now to get them in on this part of the conversation. Transfer Flow (website link) actually manufactured the entire fuel tank, and supplied the transfer pump and all of the wiring for the secondary fuel tank kit, located midship. The Transfer Flow midship tank can be either 30 gallon (earlier design) or 34 gallon (from at least 2000 to current) in that application.
Exclusive to Fontaine Modification Company for the Classic Traveler, Transfer Flow made a bezel panel for the Super Duty dashboard, that fit where the ESOF switch is typically located in lighter duty pickups of that era. Since ESOF was not offered in chassis cabs back then, not even as a special order option, not even with the highest Lariat trim... locating the Transfer Flow UFS system via a built in bezel on the dashboard presented no conflict with Ford OEM components on the instrument panel real estate. Since that time, Transfer Flow updated the Trax UFS system at least 3 times... eg Trax-II, Trax3, Trax3 oem specific (Ford or GM), and now Trax4, including Trax4 mobile app.
So it could be that the "better" system you are looking for is actually made by the same company who built the system that you have now. That's why I've tagged them in here, and provided you the link to their website, so you can get your questions answered by the horse's mouth, so to speak.
In the meantime, while waiting for a representative from Transfer Flow to chime in, you can download and review a vintage TraxUFS user manual here:
I contacted Transfer flow regarding options as my display works intermittently (perhaps occasionally would be a better word), unfortunately the response wasn't great, they unsurprisingly don't offer support or parts for the original system & my enquiry about upgrading to a later system was dismissed as not possible, I'm guessing that as they only list stuff for later trucks now that there's compatability issues with the electronics.
My system still works fine & the factory dash cluster gauge reflects what's going on, I've run the truck until the low fuel light came on and got 250 litres (66 US gallons) into the tanks but I did like seeing the readings on the lcd screen.
A quick update as this thread popped up whilst trying to research some parts for my Reyco Granning 345P suspension (sway bar bushes and brackets......) I shall be getting the bushes & brackets as mentioned by @best2drive, I also resolved my intermittent Transfer Flow display issue, a broken wire in the connector between the control module below the steering column & the display........it now functions as it should.
I've put around 15k miles on the truck & apart from a failed O ring on the HPOP it has run faultlessly.
Y2KW57: Do you know how to adjust the pressure in the compressor that is in the box hanging from the frame? I'm at 111 PSI and would lie to drop it to 100..
Thanks
Tommy...
Found the new models: DC Voltage
TA-3101-DC (270024)
(12V DC)
TA-4101-DC (270025)
(12V DC)
Articulated Piston
TA-4102-DC (270047)
(24V DC)
TA-5102-DC (270058)
(12V DC)
Its a Fixed pressure switch at 100 PSI"sm-1b-100r/wl154" made by NASON... 
Where is your hi pressure cut off switch located? I have a problem with mine, when my truck hasn't been used & the air has bled down the first time it "airs up" the compressor won't cut out, it will keep going with the pressure relief valve popping off to relieve the over pressure. After a couple of minutes, or if I turn off the truck & leave it for a few minutes then restart, it will function normally. I've been unable to locate the switch, I can hear it from the driver seat & it sounds like it's somewhere at the back of the motor on the passenger side but my mobility isn't what it used to be & although I've laid underneath the truck & climbed on the front panel I've so far drawn a blank....
There's a gauge in front of the driver side battery & what looks like a pressure switch underneath, but that's not the one.
Mine was placed on the drives side, in front of the battery just to the left of the pressure gauge with the black and blue wire coming from it.. It's 100 PSI factory set, and my pump blows the release valve at 111psi. Mine stays open all the time.
Last edited by best2drive; Nov 30, 2022 at 09:15 PM.
Reason: add picture
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