Super springs vs. custom springs
I've been running air bags on my last 2 trucks for carrying my camper. I currently have them on my '05 Chevy dually. They've worked pretty well but I'm always chasing leaks it seems. Lately as soon as...
Forum Discussion
KD4UPL,
I have to ask why you had and/or having so many leaks with airbags or their lines? Our first airbags were put on our 93 2500 Chevy truck in the fall of 93 and are still on and have never leaked at all. Always had a 9-1/2' Lance on it while we owned it. We sold the truck to a friend in 2004 and he has over 400K miles on it now and we see him and the truck and talk several times each year. He's an asparagus farmer and works the truck hard on his farm which it next to some acreage we own in Michigan. These airbags are now nearly 23 years old and still do not leak and work fine!
Our 2004.5 Chevy D/A 2500HD CC LB 4X4 truck with over sized tires and Rancho 9000X shocks and the same Air-Lift Systems model airbags that were put on less than a month after the ordered new truck came in have never leaked at all and now have close to 200K on them. The truck is only used for RV'ing carrying our 11'4" highly optioned out Lance TC or our heavy Carriage Carrilite 5th wheel behind and usually with our 100 Gal diesel aux fuel tank in the bed. These airbags are now 12 years old this month and still not one leak!
Also, none of our RV friends who have airbags on their trucks have ever said they have had any leaks. Some even have the Firestone airbags also. Not knowing which brand of airbag you have, I'm thinking it's a line clamp type issue used on yours or something simple to correct as leaks are far from normal if installed and line clamped properly. I'd never go back to any type of hard overload spring add-ons like we used to use or the rubber type overloads we had on a couple of my business pickups. Very stiff jolty unpleasant riding when lightly loaded and NOT adjustable with out getting under the truck and wrenching and moving things around. Our 52nd year of carrying of TC's and/or pulling RV trailers so we're not novices.
Meanwhile, airbags are infinitely adjustable for needs or side to side lift variations wanted or needed with any even simple cheap 12VDC or 110VAC air compressor or even with an onboard pressure control. OEM ride when unloaded or 5,000 lbs of additional rear suspension lift in seconds max! You control any and all variations. We had the Air-Lift onboard in cab control/compressor system on the 93 truck and bought one for our diesel truck but have never installed it and probably never will. New and still in the box because the truck is always loaded with either the very heavy big Lance TC or has the 5th wheel and aux fuel tank on. When wintering in Florida, simply drop the bag pressure to 5-10 lbs for a fine ride going to grocery stores etc and then inflate back to 70 psi for the long return trip home and switching back to the big Lance TC for nimble summer and fall use anywhere/anytime and for also taking one of our boats along. We're long retired and it's "The best of both
worlds!"
I have to ask why you had and/or having so many leaks with airbags or their lines? Our first airbags were put on our 93 2500 Chevy truck in the fall of 93 and are still on and have never leaked at all. Always had a 9-1/2' Lance on it while we owned it. We sold the truck to a friend in 2004 and he has over 400K miles on it now and we see him and the truck and talk several times each year. He's an asparagus farmer and works the truck hard on his farm which it next to some acreage we own in Michigan. These airbags are now nearly 23 years old and still do not leak and work fine!
Our 2004.5 Chevy D/A 2500HD CC LB 4X4 truck with over sized tires and Rancho 9000X shocks and the same Air-Lift Systems model airbags that were put on less than a month after the ordered new truck came in have never leaked at all and now have close to 200K on them. The truck is only used for RV'ing carrying our 11'4" highly optioned out Lance TC or our heavy Carriage Carrilite 5th wheel behind and usually with our 100 Gal diesel aux fuel tank in the bed. These airbags are now 12 years old this month and still not one leak!
Also, none of our RV friends who have airbags on their trucks have ever said they have had any leaks. Some even have the Firestone airbags also. Not knowing which brand of airbag you have, I'm thinking it's a line clamp type issue used on yours or something simple to correct as leaks are far from normal if installed and line clamped properly. I'd never go back to any type of hard overload spring add-ons like we used to use or the rubber type overloads we had on a couple of my business pickups. Very stiff jolty unpleasant riding when lightly loaded and NOT adjustable with out getting under the truck and wrenching and moving things around. Our 52nd year of carrying of TC's and/or pulling RV trailers so we're not novices.
Meanwhile, airbags are infinitely adjustable for needs or side to side lift variations wanted or needed with any even simple cheap 12VDC or 110VAC air compressor or even with an onboard pressure control. OEM ride when unloaded or 5,000 lbs of additional rear suspension lift in seconds max! You control any and all variations. We had the Air-Lift onboard in cab control/compressor system on the 93 truck and bought one for our diesel truck but have never installed it and probably never will. New and still in the box because the truck is always loaded with either the very heavy big Lance TC or has the 5th wheel and aux fuel tank on. When wintering in Florida, simply drop the bag pressure to 5-10 lbs for a fine ride going to grocery stores etc and then inflate back to 70 psi for the long return trip home and switching back to the big Lance TC for nimble summer and fall use anywhere/anytime and for also taking one of our boats along. We're long retired and it's "The best of both
worlds!"
