Airbags installation for heavy 5th wheel

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.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

tj548 wrote:
I agree. Inflating to 80 psi levels the rear end and removes the bounce.

Are you serious? 80psi? You must be AZZ high with your truck with those pressures.

Check out the pictures at the end of the video. It shows the truck's rear end height at 5 psi and 85 psi in the airbags. They need 85 psi to level the rear end. I only run that pressure with the trailer attached of course and 5 psi when not. No need to put any pressure in the bags with no load.

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!

tj548 wrote:
I agree. Inflating to 80 psi levels the rear end and removes the bounce.

Are you serious? 80psi? You must be AZZ high with your truck with those pressures.

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.

I agree. Need to be running 80 PSI cold.

Correct, if they are E rated they should be inflated to 80 with that much load.

Great job on the video and really nice truck. :C

IdaD wrote:
Are you within your tire ratings? I'd worry about that more than being 120 lbs over the axle rating.

I agree, tires are usually the most vulnerable point. The Toyo RT 37/12.50/20 are 3,750 each or 7,500. I'm good there but I still pay attention. I've learned to watch the tire psi on the dash as I tow. I set them all to max (65 psi) before I start in the morning and then watch the psi creep up to 71 -73 ish as the day goes on. Front tires were about 2 psi less than the backs which means more heat in those. They bear and drive the load so they do almost all the work. I find this an interesting way to keep track of tire temps. If one or more of the tires started reaching 75 psi I'd know something is wrong.

Are you within your tire ratings? I'd worry about that more than being 120 lbs over the axle rating.

tj548 wrote:
I made a video of my airbags installation on the truck a few weeks ago. My 5th wheel tows much more confidently, less bouncy with the extra support. For any interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2QWCouORTk

Nice video. Thats the identical system I put on my Ram. Nearly three years now. Best features is it maintains whatever air its set at, and air adjustment on the fly.

I hear it adjust occasionally , Mine runs for a couple seconds or so on start up. Just curious if that is the way yours is. Thinking I had a small air leak I checked everything a couple times, and it checked out okay. I called AirLift thinking I had a small air leak that I couldn't find, was told that is normal.

As said nearly three years ,and it works great. Must be us Utah guys that like AirLift . This is my second compressor system . My first system was AirLift compressor, and firestone airbags. I would recommend either brand of airbags.

I like the idea with the jounce system on the AirLift , can say I have seen much difference in performance over the Firestone. Where you are towing they probably come into play a lot more.