Can rear airbags help with departure angle?

[Wikel]

I know there are a number of things to be concerned with related to "off-roading" a truck camper but I have seen quite a few pics of jacks and campers run into the ground while trying to cross streams, washouts, etc... Could rear airbags help increase the departure angle and if so, what's been the degree increase? I'm sure someone has looked into this or has some experience around this but I've been unable to find it through searching the site.

Thanks 🙂

[Grit_dog]

Bottom line, if you're boonie docking like that, get a camper that doesn't have an overhang issue.

[d3500ram]

If departure angle in a given situation is a concern I would (without admonishing) be aware if the situation before getting into such a predicament.

Other things to consider would be removing the jacks if there were a close encounter with the ground... then use any kind of blocking under tires to raise enough to clear (I carry several pieces of 2x, 4x and 6x for leveling that might come in handy) Look for adjacent rocks and fallen timber if needed. Adding blocking under tires might not be feasible in a rushing stream situation.

Not trying to detract from the OP's question, but if departure angle is a concern, then the concern should also be for the overall terrain traveled because such an angle is pretty darn steep to encounter. One has gotta' know the terrain before getting into such a situation... again, not flaming, but that is a pretty steep angle that the overall terrain will tell the camper the context.

Interesting topic for the conversation!

[burningman]

Airbags don't cost $1200, even with onboard air.

Yes, you CAN use airbags to gain extra clearance at the rear when you need it. I do exactly that. It works great. There are several situations where it's handy to be able to adjust rear end height by pushing a button. You'll like it.
I went with AirLIft because they offer a set with internal bump stops and you can run them with zero pressure when you're not using them, but I don't think there are any "bad" ones on the market.

They sell the onboard compressor setups as a slightly cheaper light duty model or with a slightly more expensive model with a heavier duty compressor. This is the wrong time to save a couple $, get the better compressor. It's much more durable, you'll be glad you did.

[_DJ_1]

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[Reddog1]

Anything you do will require compromises. Only you can decide which are acceptable to you.

Through the years, with the same truck and TC, I have mounted my 11.5 foot TC on the bed, and raised it as high as 5". On a 11.5 foot long TC, it obviously raises the rear of the TC 5 inches (4x4 on 2x6)with an additional 4" (aprox) airing up the airbags. I understand it effects the center of gravity, but I didn't find it uncomfortable.

I normally don't run that high cause I have no need.

[Wikel]

Grit dog wrote:
If you've ever driven a srw pickup with a big long heavy camper (or just heavy) I think you'd find that if you're in situations where departure angle is an issue, stability, gradeability and tire/suspension damage will be of concern before dragging @ss going through a creek bed.
On board air system is not a great bang for the buck for this condition IMO.
You're not going to get much more height than whatever your "correct" ride ht/suspension engagement is for normal stable travel.
If you plan on really off roading with a camper, IMO concentrate on having more truck than you would normally need for a given camper and find a model with that isn't enormously longer than your truck bed, but more importantly doesn't drop down vertically behind the trucks back bumper.
Example, my AF camper, while maxing out my truck payload wise and overhanging the back of the bed almost 3' has a good departure angle for what it is because there's no vertical overhang to reduce vertical clearance. I've run it out on some gravel bars on the Copper river and had no clearance problems with dips, holes, river banks. My limiting factors were not breaking, bending, tipping or sticking a 12000lb rig in the middle of the river in remote territory. An ideal setup for those trips would be a camper, even of the same length, but considerably lighter, or a much heavier suspension/truck than stock springs and airbags.

Was looking at an eventual 2017+ F350 DRW LB CC but also noodling around with a flatbed which adds permanent height which is an advantage and disadvantage at the same time.

[Wikel]

Reddog1 wrote:
Wikel, I think you have it figured out. I think the ability to use or not use the air bags is great. I suggest using the air bags with built in bump stops. They are less likely to get be damaged when running without air.

Wayne

Saw that was an issue with the Firestone's but not the Airlift's. Thanks!

[Grit_dog]

If you've ever driven a srw pickup with a big long heavy camper (or just heavy) I think you'd find that if you're in situations where departure angle is an issue, stability, gradeability and tire/suspension damage will be of concern before dragging @ss going through a creek bed.
On board air system is not a great bang for the buck for this condition IMO.
You're not going to get much more height than whatever your "correct" ride ht/suspension engagement is for normal stable travel.
If you plan on really off roading with a camper, IMO concentrate on having more truck than you would normally need for a given camper and find a model with that isn't enormously longer than your truck bed, but more importantly doesn't drop down vertically behind the trucks back bumper.
Example, my AF camper, while maxing out my truck payload wise and overhanging the back of the bed almost 3' has a good departure angle for what it is because there's no vertical overhang to reduce vertical clearance. I've run it out on some gravel bars on the Copper river and had no clearance problems with dips, holes, river banks. My limiting factors were not breaking, bending, tipping or sticking a 12000lb rig in the middle of the river in remote territory. An ideal setup for those trips would be a camper, even of the same length, but considerably lighter, or a much heavier suspension/truck than stock springs and airbags.

[Reddog1]

Wikel, I think you have it figured out. I think the ability to use or not use the air bags is great. I suggest using the air bags with built in bump stops. They are less likely to get be damaged when running without air.

Wayne

[Wikel]

Sorry let me be a bit more clear. In-cab control with on-board compressor. Only set all the way up when it looks to be needed (i.e. stream crossing, washout, maybe large dip going into parking lots, etc...). Every inch helps from what I've seen. While not a slam-dunk, it would be more in conjunction with a spotter to watch the clearance to see if it's enough.

This would be in addition to top and bottom stable loads.

[jimh406]

The angle depends on the overhang and length of of the TC. It's possible to inflate the airbag to the extent that it decreases the stability. That's why many of us use bump stop extensions. The maximum reasonable lift would be the unloaded height.

If you were going to make this work the best, in cab air controls would be very helpful, so you wouldn't have to run high pressure all of the time.

[Kayteg1]

Sure they can. Depends on your setup, but if you have 11' camper, with rear 7 ft behind the axle, the 2" lift at the airbag can give you 4" rear lift.