Firestone Ride Rite Air Bags

jwalker1

Active Member
Okay, I know that there has been a ton of discussion out there about these air bags. I am about to have a set put on my 2008 F350 Dually (4.30) LS rear end. I currently own a 2011 Heartland Cyclone 3950 (H-D Edition) GVWR 18,000 current weight 14,600 pounds. How much air should I put in these things? Should I put the air in before hooking up? How much air should I use when not hooked up? Should I even put these on?

:cool:
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
You should put enough air to keep the unit and truck level. Usually somewhere between 40-80 psi.
 

jwalker1

Active Member
Mr. Gratz,

Where abouts in Texas are you located? I live in Elmendorf just south of San Antonio.....

;)
 

scotty

Well-known member
Okay, I know that there has been a ton of discussion out there about these air bags. I am about to have a set put on my 2008 F350 Dually (4.30) LS rear end. I currently own a 2011 Heartland Cyclone 3950 (H-D Edition) GVWR 18,000 current weight 14,600 pounds. How much air should I put in these things? Should I put the air in before hooking up? How much air should I use when not hooked up? Should I even put these on?

:cool:
I don't thiink it matters when you air them up, just as jmgratz says, airing them up to stay level. Bear in mind that I believe the max pressure for the bags is 100PSI. I have a BH 3400 and start mind with 20 PSI and go up if needed. If you start at say 50, the weight og the 5er could put you at or close to 100.
 

BHEWITTJR

Active Member
I have them on my 2006 F250 and tow a BH 3400RL and run 25 pounds in them. It's enough to keep it level and still rides smooth. Just went from Pa to Memphis to Charlotte and back to Pa last week and no problems. nice and comfortable ride.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Mr. Gratz,

Where abouts in Texas are you located? I live in Elmendorf just south of San Antonio.....

;)

Right now we are in Willis, Tx (Thousand Trails) but our home is in Sebastopol just outside of Trinity (east Texas)
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
I don't thiink it matters when you air them up, just as jmgratz says, airing them up to stay level. Bear in mind that I believe the max pressure for the bags is 100PSI. I have a BH 3400 and start mind with 20 PSI and go up if needed. If you start at say 50, the weight og the 5er could put you at or close to 100.

I would not air up for towing until AFTER you are hooked up. When not towing you should only run 5-10 psi unless hauling something (a bed full of dirt etc). How much you need depends on how heavy the pin weight is. I towed with 65 psi in my previous TV. I have yet to install air bags on this truck.
 

beardedone

Beardedone
I have a Dodge dually and a Landmark. I found I needed anywhere between 50 and 60 lbs. Now I just put fifty in it and leave it. Looks level every time. I usually put the air in first because I dump air out when I park it before unhooking which makes splitting easier. So I just reverse the procedure to hook up.
 

beasleyrl

Well-known member
I don't thiink it matters when you air them up, just as jmgratz says, airing them up to stay level. Bear in mind that I believe the max pressure for the bags is 100PSI. I have a BH 3400 and start mind with 20 PSI and go up if needed. If you start at say 50, the weight og the 5er could put you at or close to 100.

Do not put air in before you hookup! With mine, if there is 10 pounds in and no trailer attached, it suddenly changes to nearly 50 pounds with the trailer on the hitch. If you have more, you could easily exceed the 100 pound rating of the bags. As others have said, the amount of air is personal preference. With my Cyclone, I would run anywhere from 60-90 pounds depending upon the road conditions.
 

porthole

Retired
The wireless controller sure makes setting the bags easy and it keeps the pressure constant.
I set mine so that the truck stayed at about 1" below the unloaded weight. I then adjust the pressure based on what is in the toy box.
My bags have a recommended minimum pressure of 5 psi.
 

debh

Member
i just picked my truck up today with new air bags on it. the place that put them on comfirmed my 1st thoughts of how to know what pressure.............

measure your bumper height from the ground with NO weight. this is the factory height. hook up and add enough air to bring it back to that height.

this brings you back to factory specs on your TV.
 

porthole

Retired
i just picked my truck up today with new air bags on it. the place that put them on com firmed my 1st thoughts of how to know what pressure.............

measure your bumper height from the ground with NO weight. this is the factory height. hook up and add enough air to bring it back to that height.

this brings you back to factory specs on your TV.


I think if you do that you will not like the ride. The truck is designed to have some weight in the bed and is expected to drop a little. That is why I picked the 1" drop to start.
 
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