To bag or not to bag?

[steemin_ehman]

Hey guys,

As posted in http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=429616, I found what I think is a good deal to the start of an air-ride system - something I've been wanting since I've started my build. Now, my girlfriend doesn't seem to like the "bagged" look... she put me up to a challenge. She thinks she can find more people that would agree with her (she says "it looks better as is, not worth the $$") than I can find that agree with me.

So, naturally, a poll is in order. What do you guys like better? Bagged, or not bagged... Eventually, if I bag it, some 22" bonspeed quasars will be in the works as well (as pictured).

[DaSchlange]

Should have put a poll at the top of the thread. Easier to keep count. I say not to bag. I have never liked the bagged look. Doesn't look natural. Plus I am more of a practical guy. You could never use a bagged truck for anything other than shows.

[sandnuriz]

Bag it go all the way

[steemin_ehman]

Poll is now included!!

My truck is basically a glorified car anyway... I gave up using it as a truck long ago. Where I'm from, it's not a common thing (which makes me want to do it more). And it would be nice to have the adjustable height, raise it to get over speed bumps, lower it for the smooth cruising and shows.

[S10Fan]

Originally Posted by DaSchlange

You could never use a bagged truck for anything other than shows.

Mine is bagged and I'm constantly hauling stuff. Kitchen cabinets, several bags of sand, several bags of QuickCrete, lumber, parts parts and more parts. Adding a little more air allows me to pretty much haul whatever I want. Throwing a rubber mat over the wood bed protects the wood floor.

Original question.........If your truck rides and sits the way you want it, leave it alone.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by DaSchlange

... Plus I am more of a practical guy. You could never use a bagged truck for anything other than shows.

Not true at all. Actually a bagged truck is more versatile than on with a static drop. You can increase the air spring pressure to accommodate the load.


I think it looks great like it is, but you know I voted to bag it.

[justpball]

Originally Posted by DaSchlange

Should have put a poll at the top of the thread. Easier to keep count. I say not to bag. I have never liked the bagged look. Doesn't look natural. Plus I am more of a practical guy. You could never use a bagged truck for anything other than shows.

my bagged burb does work

[steemin_ehman]

Originally Posted by S10Fan

...If your truck rides and sits the way you want it, leave it alone.

I love the way it sits... It rides ok considering its a static drop on pretty stock suspension. I would also be getting the dropmember, or modifying my crossmember to not only allow it to go that low in the front, but to gain some ground clearance for normal driving at the height it currently sits (Which would also be my "ride height" if I do bag it)

The crossmember it literally between 3-4" off the ground... I can't get a floor jack under it without driving on 2x6's.

[mooseknuckles]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Not true at all. Actually a bagged truck is more versatile than on with a static drop. You can increase the air spring pressure to accommodate the load.


I think it looks great like it is, but you know I voted to bag it.

I agree as well....so bag it!

[mooseknuckles]

Originally Posted by steemin_ehman

I love the way it sits... It rides ok considering its a static drop on pretty stock suspension. I would also be getting the dropmember, or modifying my crossmember to not only allow it to go that low in the front, but to gain some ground clearance for normal driving at the height it currently sits (Which would also be my "ride height" if I do bag it)

The crossmember it literally between 3-4" off the ground... I can't get a floor jack under it without driving on 2x6's.

mine was that low as well....real PITA to get a jack under it. now I just air it up and slide the jack under.

[nbpro]

i like the bag look. think it would look sweet on my longbed. what exactly is the cost in doing this? is there a more economical way of doing it? because what i've looked at has been pretty costly. the truck looks nice as it is. but i did vote bag it.

[joe1982]

If you could afford i(or afford hearing about it from the wifey....haha) go for it man, i would if i could!!, btw. youre ride already looks pretty slick

[Leedogg]

It's never low enough...bags all the way. I've static dropped every truck I ever owned...my next one is getting bagged.

[steemin_ehman]

Originally Posted by nbpro

i like the bag look. think it would look sweet on my longbed. what exactly is the cost in doing this? is there a more economical way of doing it? because what i've looked at has been pretty costly. ....

If your very conservative, you can accomplish bagging a truck for pretty cheap, especially if you have good mechanical skills. The biggest cost in a cheap system is bags and lines. You can go to an auto wrecker, pick up a york a/c compressor ($10-$50) to use as an air compressor, use any pressure rated tank, and just modify the stock suspension components to fit the bags. Then just attach mechanical air regulators and guages on the lines and your good to go. Total cost would be between $1000 and $2000 IF you did all the work yourself.

For a good, brand new reliable system, ranges between $5000 and $10000, depending on the gadgets you opt to go with. I'm looking at the low end of that range!!

[MrDude_1]

Originally Posted by DaSchlange

Should have put a poll at the top of the thread. Easier to keep count. I say not to bag. I have never liked the bagged look. Doesn't look natural. Plus I am more of a practical guy. You could never use a bagged truck for anything other than shows.

bagged truck makes it much easier to load and unload motorcycles..thats primarily what i use it for.

it also does light towing, and you can still throw pretty much whatever you would want in the bed.. only you can level the truck out afterward.

[justpball]

yea i have about 1200.00 in my system

[West Texas Z]

bag it.

[lakeroadster]

If you bag it with a system worthy of your truck you are about to spend a lot of money for what will arguably not be much of an improvement.

Looks good as is IMO!

The other thing to consider with using a "poll" is none of the people responding are laying down their hard earned cash, so it's easy for people to say "bag it". As the old adage goes: talk is cheap.

[DaSchlange]

Well for everyone that retorted at my argument, if I was new to all of this, I would say bag it. I am new to most of this, and my cousin had a bagged truck. Piece. Of. S***. Period. It was cool and all when it worked, but he ended up going in the hole after a while. The air compressor would constantly blow fuses, it was extremely loud and obnoxious, every single bag at one point or another ended up with a hole in it. You know where a bagged truck with bad bags can go? You guessed it, no where. Well, I guess you can try, but do it at your own discretion. For what it's worth, if you're gonna show it and not use it as a daily driver, bag it for show maybe. To use it as a daily or common driver, do not put yourself through the misery and avoid another money bucket. If you want to tell me that you have a bagged truck and its not a money bucket and yours works just dandy. Fine, I'm just giving you my two cents.

[MrDude_1]

Originally Posted by DaSchlange

Well for everyone that retorted at my argument, if I was new to all of this, I would say bag it. I am new to most of this, and my cousin had a bagged truck. Piece. Of. S***. Period. It was cool and all when it worked, but he ended up going in the hole after a while. The air compressor would constantly blow fuses, it was extremely loud and obnoxious, every single bag at one point or another ended up with a hole in it. You know where a bagged truck with bad bags can go? You guessed it, no where. Well, I guess you can try, but do it at your own discretion. For what it's worth, if you're gonna show it and not use it as a daily driver, bag it for show maybe. To use it as a daily or common driver, do not put yourself through the misery and avoid another money bucket. If you want to tell me that you have a bagged truck and its not a money bucket and yours works just dandy. Fine, I'm just giving you my two cents.

while im all for bagging it, i also somewhat agree with you.
alot of bagged trucks are total crap.

first off, the compressors 99% of people run annoy me to no end. if you can weld a damn suspension linkage.. if you can weld a notch, why the hell cant you weld up a bracket for a $50 York compressor?
in a daily driver, there is little excuse not to run an engine driven compressor.. in my personal opinion of course.

next is the bag locations.. people put bags on the axle. people put bags on overbuilt overcomplicated cantilever systems... if they just went about doing it with a simple, but properly designed bag on bar system, they would have the proper spring rate, at a normal driving height, and the truck would ride fine.
next they go and put the bags where they can rub on things. that annoys me to no end. sure it just bearly rubs, but 3,000 miles from now, one night, probably when you least want it to happen, that bag will blow. period.

next thing that annoys me is how they run their lines. dont stress them. run them neat. DONT LET THE LINE RUB ON THE BAG. dont let the line rub on anything. use the proper tools to cut the line. THINK about your line routing.


there are 100s of 1000s of bagged trucks on the road everyday that do not have issues. semis. work trucks. real hard working machines, and they prove airbags CAN work.. but only if you go through the effort to do it right.
doing it right does NOT mean spending alot of money. it may mean cutting up your truck a bit. it will not bolt in perfect, but it must be made perfect before it will be reliable.

so i say bag it, but bag it right.
if you think you're going to do it in a weekend or two your first time.. just dont do it.

[82gmc_sb]

bag it

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by DaSchlange

Well for everyone that retorted at my argument, if I was new to all of this, I would say bag it. I am new to most of this, and my cousin had a bagged truck. Piece. Of. S***. Period.....

And that is not uncommon to see happen. This is exactly why I DO NOT recommend bags to anyone that put cost as a priority. Those guys are probably going to end up with a lesson in frustration.

On the other hand a well designed and properly installed air spring system can put in millions of trouble free miles. Don't take my word for it, just look around you on the highway. Almost every 18 wheeler, dump truck, bus and motorhome on the road has air springs. The difference is their suspension system was engineered with air springs, so they usually have very little failure.

[Davidmichael]

If you can bag it correctly and do it on the cheaper side, I say do it. you will get a lot more improvement in the ride over a static drop. If you got deeper pockets and can do it with the proper equipment I say do it.

I like the static drop the way it sits now but I also prefer bags over static.

[justpball]

My burb is my daily and i have put thousands of trouble free miles on it...like the others have said...if you have the vision to do it right the first time, then do it...if not pay someone who does. This was the first Bagged truck I have ever built, now i will always have something bagged...common since goes a long way, if the work is done shoudy then you will have problems.

[babyJay]

If you have the money I vote YES! Do yourself a favor though and buy everything you need to finish the job before you disassemble the first part, as this stuff isn't cheap.