air bags vs air bags with tank

Question

I tow a 16,500lbs toy hauler , pin weight about 3800 loaded with my 2014 ram 2500. Come to find out the 2500 had coils not springs. Long story short, I ordered a 2016 ram 3500 SWD that will be here in a few weeks... Did not get the ram level air kit.

On the 2500 I have air bags and the airlift wireless air compressor 7200. The bags will not fit on my 3500 and since I have to get new bags I'm thinking about getting a system with a tank. Leaning to the airlift bags 88295 that have a bump stop inside the bag and the dule path quickshot tank set up. Will want to air down in the sand and air back up, also use it to put air in my dirt bikes, inflatables....

Here's where I'm stuck..... Anyone put a airbag tank combo on? Firestone or Airlift? Firestone has a wireless tank system. Airlift Quickshot tank set up has to have the controls in the cab. What size tank makes sense? Is a tank even worth it when you have a Lowes all in one jumper/ air compressor...

Any other ideas?

geno92308 · Answer

I like my Firestone setup with manual independent controls and gauge in the cab. Air compressor works off a pressure switch with an attached small tank 1 gallon (?). Tank keeps itself at 80 psi. Without the small tank, the typical bleed of air lines and reduced pressure due to temp changes would likely bump the compressor frequently.

It's nice just to lift the valves in the cab to get air in the bags or to dump air. If I need to add air to bikes I drag out a coiled up air line with fittings already attached. I keep a spare mini compressor in the Rv, just in case - I could back feed into the tank

My on board compressor is small and not recommended to fill truck tires, but has done the job, just takes longer than the duty rating.

sin_cal_hd · Answer

If you're going to use air supply just for bags, 1 gallon tank is plenty. I use a 5 gallon tank for my quick connect setup I have on both sides of my truck to air up tires and use for my train horn. The larger the tank the more volume of air you will have for airing up tires. Diffently put a pressure switch to shut down the compressor when it reaches the max psi.

wcjeep · Answer

Does the new 3500 have overload springs? Have you considered bump stop extension to engage the overload springs sooner?

rkortes · Answer

I've been using Firestone Air bags for the last 10 years.  I use external air as I always carry a compressor in my rig.  I try to keep things simple and don't want too much redundancy so this works for me.  Heck, the bags have such little volume that a bike pump can get the job done quickly in a pinch.

fly-boy · Answer

Get a continuous duty Viair system either on board or portable. I used the portable for years before putting the onboard system on the new truck. The portable Viair will fill tires up to 110psi and 35-37" tires is no problem.

I ran the Firestone airbags for years and had very good luck with them. I always had their onboard system with a small tank- maybe 1 gallon? It was okay but not great for filling anything large.

So if it was me I would get the Firestones which you can easily install and then grab a Viair system and be done with it.

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air bags vs air bags with tank

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