Air Bags deflated...are they salvageable?

bobbing up down
sounds like you need new shocks
air bags allow for leveling and balance, and a certain amount of softening
but bouncing/bobbing after going through a dip
me thinks is a shock problem

navegator wrote:
Inflate to 30 psi to check them out, do not go beyond 90 psi under any circumstances, have some soapy water adn check for air bubles on the bags, fittings, lines and schraeder valves, any leaks will be seen instantlly.

navegator

Great idea. I just inflated them to 60 psi and definitely can see that the rear of the truck came up. I'll probably study the manufacturer's website and call their support to get the exact PSI dialed in to avoid damaging them.

Really excited to see these working now. Driving without the proper suspension has been a nightmare.

One typical guide for how much to inflate supplemental air bag helper springs, which is what I think these are, is to inflate them to the point where the ride height with the load is the same as that when unloaded or lightly loaded. In other words, measure the distance from the wheel to the fender (or some similar convenient reference), attach the trailer, and then inflate to get back to the same spot. If they're Ride-Rite air bags, they probably have an inflation range specified as 10-90 psi.

These sorts of air bags do not take much air volume. It's not hard to inflate more than you wish using a normal large compressor if you aren't paying close enough attention, and checking the pressure with a tire gauge will extract enough air to affect the reading somewhat. The ones on my class C tend to go down by about 1 psi for each pressure check, which can be handy for fine-tuning the pressure (such as when getting it equal between the two sides).

Inflate to 30 psi to check them out, do not go beyond 90 psi under any circumstances, have some soapy water adn check for air bubles on the bags, fittings, lines and schraeder valves, any leaks will be seen instantlly.

navegator

ScottG wrote:
I have seen airbags sit deflated and crshed for 5 or more years at a time without any damage.
Those bags look fine. Just follow the red lines that come off of them until you find the schrader valve (like a tire valve) and air them up.

Thanks for the response. I figured those red lines would probably be the ones feeding in.

So regarding air them up, how do I know how much to air them up?

I've got a 2004 keystone outback sydney 29fbhs. It weighs roughly 10K loaded. Not sure how much weight of that is directly coming down on the rear suspension.

Again, thanks for your response on this one.

I have seen airbags sit deflated and crshed for 5 or more years at a time without any damage.
Those bags look fine. Just follow the red lines that come off of them until you find the schrader valve (like a tire valve) and air them up.