Air Bags Question

I have a 2004 F350 4X4 SRW and will be towing a 13-14,000lb fifth wheel-Will I need air bags? Which ones should I consider if so? Do I need a compressor or is it just for convenience? Thanks to all!!

I do not have a F350, but I am buying the air lifter 5000 Wednesday. I measured my bumper hitch to the ground before and after I put my 14,000 lb toyhauler on the fifth wheel hitch and my 2500HD dropped 3 inches. When I looked at my springs under load they were slightly inverted. I have read that airbags are not necessary, but will make for a better tow and will keep your headlights out of on coming traffics eyes, Less bounce, more stable. You have stronger springs on your F350. I am sure a F350 owner will chime in, everyone is very helpful on this site. I feel that I am maxing out my 2500HD with my toyhauler by legal numbers. I have read it will pull a 42 ft three axle, 18000lber, but I will limit my towing to two axles for safety, even though I am dreaming of a 4000 king. I have also read that once you have the on board compressor with ability to adjust pressures from the cab, you will never go back to manual, but my brother-in-law is happy with the cheaper option. Right now, if you buy just the airbags, air lifter is giving $50 mailin rebate, $100 if you do the compressor and bags. The shop doing mine is charging $1050 for both, after mailin rebate it will be $950 for me. They said about three hours labor, which aligns pretty well with other posts I have read from people who did their own install. Good luck.

I to have a 2004 F350 DRW, and I use it to pull our Landmark. When I first hooked up the 5ver I found that my truck dropped a couple of inches but handled well on the road and the rear springs seemed to be adequately handling the load. However, I was concerned with the front end being a little high and that my headlights would be blinding drivers coming at me so I installed the Airlift bags. Initially I installed the bags only and had the air line coming out the back bumper next to the license plate holder. That setup worked well for awhile, but I found it a little inconvenient to have to use the compressor in the 5ver to air up the bags while watching the truck rise up to the appropriate level and then letting air out manually when not pulling the 5ver, then doing it all again the next time I camped. Perhaps laziness, or something else compelled me to order the compressor package to make all of this a lot easier to do. I installed the compressor on the inside of the frame on the drivers side and cut into the air line just in front of the rear wheels to make the connection for air. I installed the gauge into the dash in the empty spot to the right, next to the steering wheel and kept the air valves in the rear bumper, just in case I needed to air up something. I love this setup. I've found that I can just air up the bags to a predetermined pressure before hooking up and the truck stays level while pulling the 5ver. The ride is superb, and when I unhook, all it takes is a push of a button to get back to the street setting. By the way, I just could not justify the extra $$ for a remote or automatic setup since the whole process of adding or subtracting air only takes a 30 seconds and one finger. I did watch the online dealers for their best price on the units, and took advantage of the Airlift rebates which saved me over $ 100. I also did the install myself which only took a couple of hours and saved another couple $100.
Good luck with the decision and the project.

Before you add the bags why not hook up and see where you stand first. If you tow alot I would think the on board compressor would be very convenient. Good luck.

Redrider007 said:

I have a 2004 F350 4X4 SRW and will be towing a 13-14,000lb fifth wheel-Will I need air bags? Which ones should I consider if so? Do I need a compressor or is it just for convenience? Thanks to all!!

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If you're with in the towing capacities of the truck, you will not/do not need air bags. Air bags are a choice to improve ride and stance.

You don't "need" air bags but if you want to keep your headlights out of approaching drivers eyes, yes.

You might also consider installing Timbrens to replace the OEM bounce stops. They keep my truck from setting too far with the BH on the back. Simple to install, no maintenance and less expensive than airbags and a compressor.

Redrider007 said:

I have a 2004 F350 4X4 SRW and will be towing a 13-14,000lb fifth wheel-Will I need air bags? Which ones should I consider if so? Do I need a compressor or is it just for convenience? Thanks to all!!

Click to expand...

I don't have air bags and pull a heavier trailer with no problems while being level and is in Ford's specs. My truck is completely stock with all the Ford upgrades. To me if one needs air bags or other suspension helpers they need a heavier rated truck. However, I don't know about model year 2004.

dave10a said:

I don't have air bags and pull a heavier trailer with no problems while being level and is in Ford's specs. My truck is completely stock with all the Ford upgrades. To me if one needs air bags or other suspension helpers they need a heavier rated truck. However, I don't know about model year 2004.

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My 2500HD pulls great with 5er, but bounced when not loaded. A flaw in some year models. Tried timbrens, but changed to air bags for the flexibility and the bounce is gone. I don't need a heavier rated truck, just better suspension. The air bags were a lot cheaper than replacing whole suspension.

I have a 12 F250 SRW 4x4 with the Air Lift 5000. It makes a nice ride with our big toy hauler. The compressor and gauges doubled the cost of my system so I just have the stems sticking out the back. I carry a compressor in the camper with a 50 ft hose.


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DuaneG said:

My 2500HD pulls great with 5er, but bounced when not loaded. A flaw in some year models. Tried timbrens, but changed to air bags for the flexibility and the bounce is gone. I don't need a heavier rated truck, just better suspension. The air bags were a lot cheaper than replacing whole suspension.

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I put the Timbrens on before ever loading the rig on the truck, based on information I found on the forums before we took delivery. Maybe I didn't need them, but the cost wasn't prohibitive and I didn't want to go with airbags. Since we don't move the rig a lot, they work for me.

Heathcote4 said:

I have a 12 F250 SRW 4x4 with the Air Lift 5000. It makes a nice ride with our big toy hauler. The compressor and gauges doubled the cost of my system so I just have the stems sticking out the back. I carry a compressor in the camper with a 50 ft hose.


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Same here, but Firestones.

If I were to add the compressor, I would also add a frame mounted air tank, to make it dual purpose, and leave the other air compressor at home. It would be nice to push a button to air it up or let it down, but like everything else, there is a cost for convenience.

DocFather said:

AirLift or Firestone, they are both great and in my experience, equal. I currently have the AirLift Loadlifter 5000 with the WirelessOne Compressor system.

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I just went through the same exercise of selecting which Airbags to use on my Silverado 2500HD and finally went with the AirLift 5000 bags mainly because they are widely stocked and pricing is more competitive. I got the kit from AutoAnything.com for just over $300. without any compressor or gauge. I am planning to use two of my TST TPMS sensors for monitoring the pressure in the airbags...

Airlift 5000 on my 2500HD. I carry a compressor in the front storage area of the rig and air them up before towing. It's not much trouble but the on board compressor would probably be pretty nice. I opted to use that money for some 19.5's.....a real piece of mind.

You might also consider installing Timbrens to replace the OEM bounce stops. They keep my truck from setting too far with the BH on the back. Simple to install, no maintenance and less expensive than airbags and a compressor.

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X2. I have them on my current truck and used them on the two prior to it. They have no effect on ride unless you are loaded. They make my truck ride level towing and improve the ride.

The problem I had with my Timbrens was they did OK with the heavy weight of the Cyclone, but they were horrible with something intermediate, like an equipment trailer with a light load. It was heavy enough to engage the Timbrens, but not heavy enough to keep from bouncing down the road.