Air bag suspension question?

trailerbikecamper wrote:
WHich brands seem to be the best. So far I have found quite afew. The ones I Like so far are AirLift, Firestone, Kelderman with a Drive-Right Controller for air on all four corners.

So far the 2 most popular seem to be Firestone and AirLift.

My system came from Airbagit. I can't comment on the others you listed. The Kelderman didn't seem like it would have the travel that I wanted so I didn't go with them. Firestone didn't have a system for my particular truck.

I don't tow a 5er but do put about 3K in the bed/hitch and have airbags on my 05 CTD.

They where one of my first mods and I really like them. I never have to use too much air, but they do help with leveling and stability.

I have the Firestone bags, no controller. If I where to do it over I would go with Firestone or PacBrake bags and an airlift wireless controller.

One thing to mention is I often see people running TOO much air in their bags and then complaining about the ride, so a couple of comments.

1. Don't prefill your bags, the air pressure will increase greatly. I have seen 30psi go up to over 80 once loaded. It also raises the hitch height for a bigger pain unhooking.

2. Don't return the truck to the empty height, let the truck suspension squat an inch or two. This spreads the load between the truck suspension and bags, making a smoother ride.

3. If you find you need a lot of air, over 50-60 lbs, then I would let some out prior to unhooking so the truck doesn't come up 2 or 3 inches when you remove the pin weight.

4. Be sure to plumb them separate, it will help with sway control. Plumbing them as one does nothing to help it and on long corners can increase the time it takes to return to level.

WHich brands seem to be the best. So far I have found quite afew. The ones I Like so far are AirLift, Firestone, Kelderman with a Drive-Right Controller for air on all four corners.

So far the 2 most popular seem to be Firestone and AirLift.

trailerbikecamper wrote:
Is the total air on all four corners or just the back end of the TV? I have seen boh systems.

What is the benefit of going all four corners over just the back end?

I just have mine on the back at the moment and it will probably stay that way now (bought a new TV to spend money on LOL!).There are a couple benefits for all four corners that I can see personally.

1. Better ride and adjustment of that ride per conditions

2. If you off road much you can get better clearance

3. You can lower the clearance and also drag on the highway (MPG ?)

I can already tell I'm going to miss my air ride on the back of my new one and have not even towed the camper yet other than out of the driveway to get my hitch height set right. This has been the first time in a few years that I have had to use the slow power landing gear on my 5er. I always use my air suspension to level the 5er front to rear and hook and unhook from it. My unloaded ride with the air on the rear is great and when the truck has the 5er on it the ride is 100% better. If you go with the add on bags your ride will also be a lot better loaded but not or not as much unloaded.

Also with all air and my truck not having a rear sway bar I can plant my tires to get optimal traction on uneven ground. Backing long 5er's in small tight sites that have ditches around them and or across from them really makes this feature shine.

You can really set up an all air system to do a lot with valves and accumulators if you think about it and plan it out. I've thought about doing the front on my '05 and removing the sway bar and doing a test like on the frame twist test that GM did with the F350 and the 3500 Chevy. I believe I could keep all 4 tires planted on the ground with the front done. LOL!

I run a similar size fiver at 14700, 06 Ram 3500 4x4,put a set of Pac bags on ,really like them,great quality.I put in 22lbs after being hooked up to approx 2800/2900 lbs pin scaled wt ,sits level and soaks up the bumps nicely.I have on board air with my pac brake,but have not installed the kit.I air them up once on a 1800 mile trip and thats it,a small compressor will air them up in a few seconds.

Is the total air on all four corners or just the back end of the TV? I have seen boh systems.

What is the benefit of going all four corners over just the back end?

trailerbikecamper wrote:
I was thinking of adding to existing suspension. I don't want to change my original ride. It's not so much the money, I have no problem with that its whether its worth it.

Does it make it that much better for both towing and when I'm not towing.

If I do decide to go this way I will go for the whole deal, including on board compressor and controller. I don't see any benefit from going half way with having to deal with outside compressor every time I need to adjust the pressures.

Is it worth going to air totally? Part of the reason I am asking is because of our road conditions. Most of our roads are in terrible shape. Quite often the gravel roads on the construction where I work is smoother than the broken, and rutted pavement.

I don't know about the add on systems because I have never had them but I do have total air on my truck and I love it empty or loaded.

Had bags on 3 trucks towing 3 different 5th wheels. Yes the ride quality improvement was worth it. The air means I can adjust out porpoising and the pin is not getting any shock from suspension bottoming on overloads or bump stops. Win win. As far as any benifits running empty --none. If you air up the bags empty it makes the ride more harsh. So you run them with 5-10lb.

I was thinking of adding to existing suspension. I don't want to change my original ride. It's not so much the money, I have no problem with that its whether its worth it.

Does it make it that much better for both towing and when I'm not towing.

If I do decide to go this way I will go for the whole deal, including on board compressor and controller. I don't see any benefit from going half way with having to deal with outside compressor every time I need to adjust the pressures.

Is it worth going to air totally? Part of the reason I am asking is because of our road conditions. Most of our roads are in terrible shape. Quite often the gravel roads on the construction where I work is smoother than the broken, and rutted pavement.

trailerbikecamper wrote:
I have a 03 CTD and tow a 03 Carriage Compass that has a GVW of 14,700lbs. I am thinking of putting in an air bag suspension. This is not to increase my tow capacity, it is only to help with the load levelling.

Does any have any experience towing fivers with an air bag suspension? Is it worth the expense?

Air you just going to add bags to your existing suspension or go totally with air only?