Full Air ride

[Ipkyss]

Has anyone here done anything with full air ride on these trucks? Building the suspension is not an issue. Just trying to figure out what bags to start with for the rear. Would rather not do the trial and error way. Don't really plan to lift it. Maybe an inch over a leveled F-350 at most. I plan to use a basic leveling valve like you have on a big rig. Electric compressor and 5 gallon or larger tank if I can fit it/ Main use is towing. Its not a show truck.

I have done a lot of searching and everything comes back to a few guys that did it a while back.

 

[Shootingstar]

Air bag it.com. Has a full air system for our trucks. Ya might look at their stuff for ideas!

 

[Big Calo]

You can search me2 on the nation, and he had a full thread on it. I think he is on here to if you want to shoot him a pm.

 

[Curtis@Vision Diesel]

kelderman.com

 

[Ipkyss]

What I am planning we be a lot like the airbagit set up, Just a lot stronger. I think I am going to do the back first, then the front if I think it needs it.

 

[displacedtexan]

A buddy of mine built a 4 link with bags for his Dakota, used bags from a big rig place. Didn't want any issues... He tends to over build though.

 

[eastern]

I will keep it short. DO NOT BUY THE AIRBAGIT KIT. Nothing but problems. Was looking into a kit by Trveor @PMF. My wife got me the kit before I mentioned PMF. They sent me the wrong kit and did not want to take it back because I had the parts painted to match my truck. Over A year with the kit and still trying to get it to work right. I changed all the lines, fittings and had the compressor rebuilt already.:cursing: Also installed semi load levelers to maintain ride height. For this I could have installed a simple air bag kit. I am ordering the smart ride system so I can have some sort of adjustments on the ride height. One day I will have this system working and have something good to say about air ride. Sure as hell is not going to be about airbagit.

 

[Layson]

Seen several air bag setups come off trucks mainly due to drive ability issues. The steering was not setup properly and it makes the truck VERY difficult to drive.

How do the automatic leveling systems actually work for air bags? Our combines are setup with a automatic leveling system. You can not drive with it on over 4-5 mph. Otherwise the suspension corrects and bounces you all over the place. Very dangerous to drive. So I am curious how the aftermarket kits handle this?

I think Kelderman has a couple lawsuits over deaths with their kits and front bags blowing out.

 

[eastern]

As for taking it off my truck don't think that didn't enter my mind. I have to much money invested. The leveling valve I used is the same as a semi uses . When I want a soft ride I lower the truck height witch lowers the pressure in the bags. The only thing is this is done by climbing under the truck to do the adjusting. Had the system in my truck(working) for about 3-4 months. Towed my 5th wheel camper and now 4 place snowmobile trailer and works good even at higher speeds. Hell I hope my bags don't blow while driving usually going 70-80 on the highway.

 

[Layson]

As for taking it off my truck don't think that didn't enter my mind. I have to much money invested. The leveling valve I used is the same as a semi uses . When I want a soft ride I lower the truck height witch lowers the pressure in the bags. The only thing is this is done by climbing under the truck to do the adjusting. Had the system in my truck(working) for about 3-4 months. Towed my 5th wheel camper and now 4 place snowmobile trailer and works good even at higher speeds. Hell I hope my bags don't blow while driving usually going 70-80 on the highway.

So can you feel it adjust while you are driving? Is it very subtle? Is it a bubble or is it just equalizing pressure front or rear? Just curious!

How does the steering handle the ride height changes, is it always straight? Or is there a limit of adjustment that you stay in to keep the steering wheel straight. No bumpsteer or anything like that? Just curious how your system is set up.

 

[eastern]

I don't feel any changes when I am driving. The only time I felt a diff. in ride is when my comp. **** the bed and the pressure dropped in the bags. It just seemed to float like a big caddy. That is why I am getting there smart ride system so I can adjust the pressure while driving to a softer ride when I am not towing anything. One of the reasons I wanted the system is to raise the truck when running my 22.5 then drop it in the winter when I have stock rims on. The kit is set up as a 4" up 4" down from stock height.

 

[Ipkyss]

Eastern. What compressor and tank are you using? Does the compressor run a lot using the simple level valves? I would then have to get a dump valve to drop the truck to get into my garage. I am thinking about doing the Firestone dual switch, dual gauge set up for simplicity. I would then be able to adjust the ride height from in the truck. Only problem is it would take some time to figure out what pressures give me what ride height. I really don't want to deal with the electronic stuff. There is just too much to go wrong IMO.

I have no plans of buying a kit. The suspension is already laid out. Just need some time (which I'm really lacking right now) and decide on what bags to run. There is really just an endless amount of choices.

 

[eastern]

My wife bought the 4 link kit (from the company I don't wish to give any advertising). It came with the compressor and manifold in a plug and play box(so they call it). And yes the compressor runs alot more than I. would like it to. I think this is from the leveling valves releasing air every dipp or bump I hit in the road. I think if I get the smart ride system from them it will fill the bags to a preset pressure and it won't release air unless there is a leak or I change the preset pressure, This hopefully means less compressor run time.

 

[me2]

You could plumb a solenoid into the air line between your bag and your ride height control valve so that it only adjusts when you want it to. Sounds like that would eliminate a lot of your problems.

 

[GTOKILLER]

Build your own!! Its way easy. I used a 5 gal tank & the elec. compressor & digital air ride control so I have control over each not just front or back like most kits. I think it was around $500 for the tank, comp, electronics kit from Airlift Co.

 

[GTOKILLER]

Just scale this down a lot or even make it a 4 link if you want my 2 link with a pan hard bar is a very simple system.

 

[Ipkyss]

You could plumb a solenoid into the air line between your bag and your ride height control valve so that it only adjusts when you want it to. Sounds like that would eliminate a lot of your problems.

Thats actually as really good idea.

 

[me2]

Just scale this down a lot or even make it a 4 link if you want my 2 link with a pan hard bar is a very simple system.

That setup has zero articulation. Its going to flex the truck frame a lot, ride poorly and someday it will break an axle tube.

Before I did that, I would steal the radius arm front suspension off an 06+ Superduty. The Ford setup mounts the radius arms to the diff with 2 big rubber bushings on each side, thus allowing articulation.

 

[me2]

Thats actually as really good idea.

If it was me, I'd get a double acting 3 way valve which has 1 "inlet" and 2 "outlet" ports with both ports closed in the center position. This is the sort of valve that the air ride pickup guys use.

I'd connect the "inlet" to the air bag.

I'd connect 1 of the "outlets" to the ride height valve. When you actuate the solenoid to open this port, the truck will raise or lower to whatever setting the ride height valve desires.

I'd connect the other "outlet" port to nothing. When you actuate the solenoid to open this port, it will dump air from the air bag. This will allow you to drop the bag whenever you want, for hooking up to trailers or for setting the ride height lower than what the ride height valve wants.

I was going to set the air ride on my truck up this way, but it was very difficult to fit the ride height valves on mine, so I skipped it.

I am going to go with a totally different setup on my 08.

 

[GTOKILLER]

That setup has zero articulation. Its going to flex the truck frame a lot, ride poorly and someday it will break an axle tube.

Before I did that, I would steal the radius arm front suspension off an 06+ Superduty. The Ford setup mounts the radius arms to the diff with 2 big rubber bushings on each side, thus allowing articulation.

Uhmmm not at all actually there is 0 frame stress this thing handles very well on the highway & backroads, and it has about 18 inches of articulation. Im not sure what pic U were looking at :doh: Its been air born a couple times on the dunes 239,000 miles on stock axle tubes. Do you build air ride lifts & suspension for a living??? If so maybe you could teach me a couple things or vise versa. Just saying. Thus giving me more articulation then any 4 link could ever dream of.