Airbags installation for heavy 5th wheel

I never had a problem with the compressor but I did have a manifold go out once. The previous version did not have the water separator in front of it and some would fail due to moisture. Air Lift started adding them some time ago and they've been very reliable.

Any problems with the wireless air compressor? There's a truck accessories supplier here who won't install the wireless air controller. Said there's been too many reports of them not working proper. Only will install with dual air gauge controller placed in the cab.

Nice video. I installed a set of the same 5000 Ultimates on my 2003 F250 this past weekend. Picked them up on Etrailer and got a heck of a deal after their price pledge deal.

I had one issue with my kit. When I tightened up the bolts that go around the leaf stack it pulled the bag sideways off plumb. I ended up having to add a piece of 1/2" thick steal between the bottom plate and the leaf stack.

I've pulled our 37' triple axle toy hauler on two long trips (one about 3,000 miles) since we got it both without bags and looking back I should have put them on day one! I've only pulled it from our storage spot to the gas station and home with them installed but I can already tell the difference in every respect when it comes to handling. I've got Firestone load range E tires on the truck and run them at 80 PSI as per the side wall. So far I'm liking around 75 PSI in the bags. I do wish I had the money to add the compressor and gauge with adjuster but it's not in the budget right now. I will get away without it for now since the last project I did on the 5er was adding a hard plumbed and hard wired 115VAC air compressor with 4 drops. One is under the front near the pin box. I'm looking forwards to this weekend when we are taking a long weekend trip down to San Diego. Little over 400 miles round trip from my base.

My advice to anyone thinking about adding bags is 'stop thinking about it and just do it!' You'll thank yourself after.

boshog wrote:
Very well made video. I kept watching your hands looking for traces of blood. Guess I'm one of a dying breed that can't touch a vehicle with a wrench in hand without drawing blood.

Totally agree. Progress is not being made without the letting of some blood & pain.

Great Video - loved the donut part, i thought i would save money and do it myself installing airbags on my 2005 Duramax, it is a task on a creeper using esna nuts (Nylon Nuts) with very little room for tools and hands, if i were to do it again i would pay to have it done, much easier to have the truck in the AIR instead of creeper. AIR BAGS make a huge difference.

Thanks. On my last truck I had the Firestone bags also that were paired with the Air Lift wireless compressor. That worked fine and all but the AL bags are much more substantial. It will be interesting to see over time how they work out. It seems that they will do at least as well.

Great job! I have the same bags. It was my first set of AirLift, having been a die hard fan of RideRites on my last 5 trucks. So far, they have been great.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Just watched the vid, great job! Have you tried 65 psi for example. Wondering if the bags have a max height at a certain psi?

I did. At 65 psi the rear end was still a half inch low. After 85 psi it could still come up a bit but it's really splitting hairs at that point. The relationship to height vs psi decreases with more pressure. It's not linear.

Just watched the vid, great job! Have you tried 65 psi for example. Wondering if the bags have a max height at a certain psi?

tj548 wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

tj548 wrote:
To everyone saying 80 PSI, this is not the case. The tire sidewall says:
LOAD RANGE E MAX LOAD 1700 kg (3750 PSI) AT 450 KPA (65 PSI) COLD.

The tire is Toyo RT 37X12.50R20LT 126Q 10 P.R.

Note that it is a 10 ply, not a 12 ply. Regardless, we can't say "E rated means 80 psi" anymore.

Bounce, Bounce, Bounce!!! The "D" tires are NOT good for hauling a 5er. Carrying capacity, YES but sidewall stability NO!

Sounds like you made a stop at LesSchwab!

I think you misread the above. Note the tire sidewall. They are E tires, not D. I don't notice any bounce with the tires at 65 psi and the airbags at 85 psi. The bouncing was happening BEFORE I put the airbags on and is nearly non-existent WITH the airbags. I drove over some good highway rollers a few times on the last outing and was grateful for them.

Thank you! I stand corrected. My Son ran some Nitto's that were "E" and 65. We had friends that LS talked them into "D" tires that had more "capacity" then the "E" tires they were running. LS bought them new tires after they were completely worn out with no more than 10k.