The journey is the destination – this saying does not apply to any sector as well as it does to motorhome tourism. Spartan box cars have mostly given way to rolling hotel rooms which make the journey itself into an experience. “A comfortable suspension has truly become a key factor here”, explains Ron William Kiesewetter from BILSTEIN. Besides passenger vehicles, the renowned German suspension manufacturer also develops shock absorber systems for vans, which also serve as the basis for mobile homes. A real milestone in this area is the cooperation with German Goldschmitt techmobil GmbH, which also builds complete air suspension systems for these vehicles. BILSTEIN has already been delivering the right shock absorbers for several years. Right from the beginning the company from Ennepetal was predestined for Goldschmitt because of its experience in the field of air suspension systems, both in OE as well as in replacement.
“Precision fitting is the alpha and omega to ensure there are no leaks, even after thousands of kilometres”, says Kiesewetter: “This is a matter of tolerances on the micrometre level.” BILSTEIN delivers up to 20 different items to Goldschmitt, totalling several thousand sets a year. After all, Goldschmitt develops its products for the most varied suspension configurations, no matter whether it is the VW T6, Ford Transit, Iveco Daily, Mercedes Sprinter and Vito or Fiat Ducato. But for mobile homes, air suspension is much more than just a matter of comfort – it is a matter of safety.
Due to the heavy structures including the equipment, individual axles can have an additional load of up to 500 kilograms. With air suspension, this additional weight, which also causes a higher centre of gravity, can be dealt with confidently at all times. To optimally coordinate the particular overall system, all air suspensions are tested in a road test on Goldschmitt’s own test track and then readjusted as required. The resulting suspension solutions are not only popular for retrofitting. Large motorhome manufacturers like Hymer are also using them increasingly in original equipment. But BILSTEIN and Goldschmitt are already working behind the scenes on the next generation of mobile home air suspension which can be controlled entirely electronically.
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