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New Air Suspension Footers for VPI TNT

During November of last year, I ordered the air suspension footers for my VPI TNT Mk. 3.5 turntable, and I patiently awaited the arrival of the upgraded footers until they finally arrived yesterday. As has been rumored here in this forum, the design of the footers has been upgraded to a sealed design that no longer requires air to be pumped into the footers. The new design should solve the tweaky issues relating to air leakage, periodic re-inflation and periodic re-leveling adjustments. So, for all who are interested, I think you will find that VPI now has the upgraded air suspension footers in stock and available to ship.
cincy_bob
norfish's avatar
norfish
77 posts
 
Got my suspension "upgrade" a month ago or so. Had to insert a stiff felt pad above the foam inserts as otherwise there was not enough clearance. This may be because my platter is the original TNT platter, which was heavier. Mike was good about sending out more of the foam inserts, but turns out I didn't need them after putting in the felt.

Is this really an upgrade? Hard to say. More of an upgrade IMO was removing the tripulley assembly, which I finally got around to doing after Mike sent the plugs for the holes in the table. This produces a quieter, more stable sound. But the suspension upgrade is worth it just to avoid having to fiddle with pumping up your bladders every month!

Randy
socoaste
53 posts
 
I have a TNT V HR
& My Original Air bladders have been leak free for
3 months since installing a 2nd set of O rings in the
bleeder caps. (dual o rings per cap).
BEFORE installing the extra o rings, The caps would
bottom out on the threads. & there would be no preassure
against the o rings for sealing.

The Bleeder screws WILL leak over time at the rubber seal, So it is important to have the caps act as a secondary seal. I also applied a small amount of silicone
spray to the bleeder screws (rubber seal) & I think this
will help them seal a little better.

I used to have to refill my TNT with Air every 2 weeks,
so far they are holding and it's been 3 months! total
cost for the remedy is under 5 bucks.
a little cheaper than the VPI upgrade.
downunder
1,329 posts
 
Socoaste, Could you please provide a little bit more information on how you did this.

What do you mean a 2nd set of O rings in the bleeder caps?.
I know you can replace the tire valve cores.

thanks Shane
socoaste
53 posts
 
My TNT has Metal caps (like the ones used on tires, but
made of metal not plastic).
Instead of just a single o ring inside of the cap, I use
two o rings per cap. Before with just 1 o ring, the threads would bottom out before any pressure could be put
against the o ring. Also applying a rubber conditioner to
the bleeder screw seals should keep them fron drying out &
hardening which would make them prone to leakage.

The main reason I like the stock TNT air suspension is that
it is adjustable. The height can be matched on all 4 legs
AND the amount of air used can be set as needed.
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