Finally installed! Airlift 5000s on my 2012 Ram 2500

Power247 · May 28, 2017

Installed Airlift 5000s today. I am really impressed with the completeness of this kit. It is a little different then the install video I found on YouTube. They have upgraded the components some but still only 3 out of 10 for difficulty. Using the manual fill valves for now but can see onboard air in the near future.

'Lil Guy' · May 28, 2017

I installed the same on my 12 2500 ram. I traded it in on a 3500 and took them off. I also had the manual fill on the plate.

Dawnnira · May 28, 2017

Remember, towing capacity doesn't change because of air bags...it just makes you think your ok

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ramdually4100king · May 28, 2017

Why do you need these? My dodge squats to level with my 5000lbs hitch weight. With these my back end would be 5" higher then the front end towing.

Power247 · May 28, 2017

Dawnnira said:
Remember, towing capacity doesn't change because of air bags...it just makes you think your ok

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No worries there... I am well within weights with my current truck and trailer and always use a WDH. I just like the extra stability and load leveling capability. An added pluss is less axle wrap when off road.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

Power247 · May 28, 2017

ramdually4100king said:
Why do you need these? My dodge squats to level with my 5000lbs hitch weight. With these my back end would be 5" higher then the front end towing.

My truck is leveled so 'normal' squat with this new camper has me sitting nose high. I can bring it back to near level with the WDH. Added airbags will help with the rest.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

JWalker · May 28, 2017

I had the same kit on my last RAM and now have it on my current RAM. It is amazing what a few psi of air in those bags will do. Enjoy!!

Gary521 · May 29, 2017

The reason that I have the air bags is ride quality pulling the trailer. The ride quality is also affected with the trailer off. You will soon tire of manually filling and emptying the air bags.

Gaffer · May 31, 2017

ramdually4100king said:
Why do you need these? My dodge squats to level with my 5000lbs hitch weight. With these my back end would be 5" higher then the front end towing.

A 3500 SRW will ride a little nose high with 3k pin weight. I am sure a 2500 will be more so.

BigGuy82 · May 31, 2017

ramdually4100king said:
Why do you need these? My dodge squats to level with my 5000lbs hitch weight. With these my back end would be 5" higher then the front end towing.

I'd be very surprised if the nose didn't raise a little. Have you measured it before and after hooking up? It only needs to go up a couple of inches to throw the headlights out of whack.

I thought my Ford was level without airbags until driving down a country road one night. I couldn't see anything and I kept getting brights from oncoming traffic. No to mention steering that will be slightly lighter which translates into less control.

ramdually4100king · Jun 1, 2017

BigGuy82 said:
I'd be very surprised if the nose didn't raise a little. Have you measured it before and after hooking up? It only needs to go up a couple of inches to throw the headlights out of whack.

I thought my Ford was level without airbags until driving down a country road one night. I couldn't see anything and I kept getting brights from oncoming traffic. No to mention steering that will be slightly lighter which translates into less control.

I have a rwd so my front end is 2" lower than a 4wd. That and I rebuilt the leaf springs with heavier springs and added a leaf. So now my truck unloaded is higher in the rear and the same in the front. When I drop my 4500lbs cyclone (verified on scale) my truck squats to level and has plenty of room between axle and frame. All without having to play around with air settings in bags that can fail.

I consider this setup much safer than air bags. I also don't have axle wrap like I did with stock leafs.

Power247 · Jun 2, 2017

ramdually4100king said:
Why do you need these? My dodge squats to level with my 5000lbs hitch weight. With these my back end would be 5" higher then the front end towing.

Sweet setup. Your earlier question/statement makes much more sense now....

ramdually4100king said:
I have a rwd so my front end is 2" lower than a 4wd. That and I rebuilt the leaf springs with heavier springs and added a leaf. So now my truck unloaded is higher in the rear and the same in the front. When I drop my 4500lbs cyclone (verified on scale) my truck squats to level and has plenty of room between axle and frame. All without having to play around with air settings in bags that can fail.

I consider this setup much safer than air bags. I also don't have axle wrap like I did with stock leafs.

I can agree that upgraded leafs are a more permanent option but not the right option for me. I only pull the camper 4-5 times a year and it is no where near as heavy as yours is. I do not want the harsh ride that would come with them the other 10 1/2 months of the year.

For those that may be wondering... These bags have a built in bumpstop which allows them to be run at 5psi. At this pressure the height of the truck remains unchanged, 25 psi raises about 1 inch, 50psi about 2 1/2 inches. I haven't had a chance to hook to the camper yet but I am thinking that 25 will be my place to start.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

LBR · Jun 2, 2017

This does show how all our trucks can be so different and unique .....

Ours got both leaf springs removed completely and recycled as scrap, then 2 self leveling air bags put in their place. When the 4000# pin weight is dropped onto the hitch, the truck raises back up ready for another 2000# more.

Power247 · Jun 2, 2017

LBR said:
This does show how all our trucks can be so different and unique .....

Ours got both leaf springs removed completely and recycled as scrap, then 2 self leveling air bags put in their place. When the 4000# pin weight is dropped onto the hitch, the truck raises back up ready for another 2000# more.

BigGuy82 · Jun 2, 2017

Power247 said:
Sweet setup. Your earlier question/statement makes much more sense now....

I can agree that upgraded leafs are a more permanent option but not the right option for me. I only pull the camper 4-5 times a year and it is no where near as heavy as yours is. I do not want the harsh ride that would come with them the other 10 1/2 months of the year.

For those that may be wondering... These bags have a built in bumpstop which allows them to be run at 5psi. At this pressure the height of the truck remains unchanged, 25 psi raises about 1 inch, 50psi about 2 1/2 inches. I haven't had a chance to hook to the camper yet but I am thinking that 25 will be my place to start.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

Your choice was solid. I've got the 5000 Ultimates with bumpstops. They are reliable and I love them for the ride enhancement. Additional leafs are fine and we all have our preferences, but according to the fine folks at Thruway Spring in Rochester, NY, an additional leaf will stiffen the ride and won't eliminate squat, although it will reduce it. This is why I went with Air Lifts.

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Power247 · Jun 19, 2017

Finally got to pull the camper yesterday. Took some measurements before hooking up with the bags completely deflated. Hooked up, set the WDH bars and started adding air till the back end got to the height I wanted. Took 45 psi in the bags. Man what a difference in ride quality. I only regret not doing this sooner.

Greg
2012 | RAM 2500 | CCSB | Custom tuned by Double R Diesel
2016 | Heartland Pioneer | DS310

JWalker · Jun 19, 2017

Let see some pics!!

Power247 · Jun 24, 2017

JWalker said:
Let see some pics!!

Here's one as we were dropping off from our trip this week. Camper looks nose high but that is just from the odd grade of our parking spot. This is also why I used measurements at the wheel well to verify I had the right amount of air in the bags.

Dawnnira · Jun 24, 2017

45 PSI is a lot of air for the bags to need to ride level you might want to check your rear suspension of your truck from my experience from travel trailer days I only towed with about 15-18 psi-max

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Dawnnira · Jun 24, 2017

2006 f150 tow pkg

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Finally installed! Airlift 5000s on my 2012 Ram 2500

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