Rear Air Bag for Load Carrying

[Bobby Pootz]

Hello,

I'm considering putting air bags in the rear for load carrying ability. I am planning on lowering my truck 4" in the rear with hangers and shackles and wanted to have the option of still doing handy man work with the truck.

Has anyone installed any air bags to help with the load? I have see Firestone Ride Rite for this application. Any others?

Thanks in advance!

Rob

[mongocanfly]

I had a set of firestones..they developed a slow leak...they worked good until that happened...my current trucks have airmaxx...much much better quality than the firestones...

[Bobby Pootz]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

I had a set of firestones..they developed a slow leak...they worked good until that happened...my current trucks have airmaxx...much much better quality than the firestones...

You have my attention! Can you please tell me more about your set up please? What is your rear drop? What components, I've seen their website and can't find a kit so I'm assuming it's pieced together. How low are you, how much load have you done, etc? Much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Rob

[jjzepplin]

Would these be installed on a lowered truck? Very interested in pics and part #'s.

[mongocanfly]

haha...I didn't mean to get you all excited...mines not lowered. .one truck has a package kit..the other I pieced together...
I did lower my 86 back in 86...I used air shocks on it to help when I hauled heavy or pulled a trailer..

[daddyjeep]

You could just go full 4 link and air bags instead of leafs with air assist. You might get yourself into some custom work to make the air assist work so might as well go all out and go air ride.

[SCOTI]

Ride Tech or Airlift each have god AOL kits.

[wilkin250r]

I don't want to get your hopes up too much because I haven't DONE it, but I've planned it.

From what I can see of air bag setups, the main things you need to keep in mind are:

1) Size. Your airbag travel has to match your axle travel. Down-travel probably isn't quite as important on a lowered truck as it would be on an offroad truck, but it still must be taken into consideration. You also need to consider ALL possibilities. You don't want your airbag to over-extend and blow out when you jack up the rear to replace a tire, or your garage puts it on a lift to change the oil.

2) Weight. Almost self-explanatory, but don't forget the weight of the truck. But most of the bags you would be looking at are rated for about 2500lbs, with top and bottom plates around the 5~6 inch range (diameter of the bag can vary from slightly larger 6 inches, to nearly 8 inches depending on make/model) Anything larger is probably made for a big rig. Ebay actually has a huge selection of just air springs, browsing through them and looking at specs can be very educational.

3) Direction. Suspension doesn't all travel in an exact straight line, make sure you mount the bag the same direction the suspension will travel. The bag will handle some lateral movement, but it's best to minimize it. Most air bags mount to the axle itself, but I've seen some mount to the spring, but always right next to the axle.

4) Mounting. Probably the most difficult, but if you're creative, might be where you have the most flexibility. Look at the mounts for some of the air bags setups, you can often get a good idea of strength as long as you remember a really nice piece of stamped and bent steel is usually 20-50% stronger than a piece of welded steel. So if I was recreating a bracket that the factory bent from 1/4" steel, but I was welding instead of bending, I'd probably make it out of 3/8.

[Bobby Pootz]

All very good and informative info, thank you for replying, I'll have to do some more research to be sure this is the way I really want to go. It's not often I carry super heavy loads but there are times when I do. I used Super Springs before which are awesome but they don't make one for our trucks.

Thanks again everyone!

[tucsonjwt]

I have considered Hellwig helper springs for my 83 C20. I prefer no air lines, leaking bags, etc. to deal with. I believe that all of the supplemental springs do not increase vehicle GVWR, but the air bags might improve ride quality. My interest in these springs is for load leveling in the rear when loaded to the max.
I have read that these Hellwig springs do not affect existing ride quality since the helper springs are only employed when under a significant load.

http://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index....oducts_id=5658

[Bobby Pootz]

Originally Posted by tucsonjwt

I have considered Hellwig helper springs for my 83 C20. I prefer no air lines, leaking bags, etc. to deal with. I believe that all of the supplemental springs do not increase vehicle GVWR, but the air bags might improve ride quality. My interest in these springs is for load leveling in the rear when loaded to the max.
I have read that these Hellwig springs do not affect existing ride quality since the helper springs are only employed when under a significant load.

http://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index....oducts_id=5658

This is exactly what I was looking for! I had lost hope when Super Springs didn't have this for our trucks. Happy to hear it's available from Hellwig. I had the Super Springs on my Tundra and it was perfect. It did an excellent job reinforcing the load. And for just $120, this is definitely worth a try. I'll do the rear 4" lowering by hangers and shackles so I can still use this properly with the leaf packs. Thanks again for the info!