Air ride!
I just installed an airbag suspension on my new '15 F350 dually and took it on the first camper trip. I will put at the end of this post the reasons for doing it to save the long narrative for those i...
Forum Discussion
I like that the full air ride suspension kit you used uses the truck's original spring hangers and places the load fully on the hangers, which is where the truck frame engineers intended the load to be placed.
With the common add-on air-assist bag kits (Firestone, Air-Lift), they take load off the springs and place it in the middle of the frame, which is where the frame is weakest, particularly with '99-up F250-550 truck frames.
There is a half-circle scallop removed from the lower flange of the frame channel, above the axle, to allow for shock clearance. The scallop is so deep that there is practically no lower flange left on the frame in that area. That is where the frames crack.
That scallop is the same spot that the air assist bags place their additional stress on the frame.
With the common add-on air-assist bag kits (Firestone, Air-Lift), they take load off the springs and place it in the middle of the frame, which is where the frame is weakest, particularly with '99-up F250-550 truck frames.
There is a half-circle scallop removed from the lower flange of the frame channel, above the axle, to allow for shock clearance. The scallop is so deep that there is practically no lower flange left on the frame in that area. That is where the frames crack.
That scallop is the same spot that the air assist bags place their additional stress on the frame.
