New truck - need airbags?
- Thread starter Skcamper
- Start date
Jim.Allison
Well-known member
I used airbags on 2013 RAM 2500 to achieve the rake that I wanted. The easiest way to tell is load her up and take her for a ride. You definitely need airbags or overloads if you get any undesirable squat, you know that much already. But you may want a little rake, like I do. Or you may want to achieve a level position where your rig is level bumper to bumper. Personally I like the ride that airbags provide, 10 lbs of air will get you off those springs and make the ride a little better when not loaded. I have a 3500 now and I'm thinking that I might install airbags on it. Not really sure yet. Remember that airbags also provide some shock dampening on these rough roads that seem to be so prevalent. I was on I-10 eastbound between El Ft Stockton and Sonora; I encountered about 70 miles of rough potholed interstate, I could not win, the left lane had major humps, and the right lane was basically un-usable. I know my airbags, reduced speed and "Trailer Saver Hitch" were contributing to protecting my BC3650RL. Many people that I'm talking to are talking about deteriorating infrastructure, so I thinking seriously about the airbags. ------ IMHO
I've got Firestone bags with a Airlift wireless compressor.
IMO any 2500 needs airbags when towing a 5er or large trailer. Just the ability to tune the ride while going down the road is worth the money.
Also loading conditions change, just the other day I had a load on my equipment trailer that just had to be tongue heavy do to the dimensions. It was seriously squatting the springs, so I just pumped it up to about 60 and everything leveled out nicely.
IMO any 2500 needs airbags when towing a 5er or large trailer. Just the ability to tune the ride while going down the road is worth the money.
Also loading conditions change, just the other day I had a load on my equipment trailer that just had to be tongue heavy do to the dimensions. It was seriously squatting the springs, so I just pumped it up to about 60 and everything leveled out nicely.
SNOKING
Well-known member
What happen to the tires, were they rated for the load?
Shortest Straw
Caught In A Mosh
I have installed air bags on the last three pickups I have owned. I cannot remember the brand I have now but they go from the axle up to the frame. Makes a huge difference in ride especially when going over the transition from highway to bridge and back. I went with the manual in cab firestone gauge and controller and compressor.
Skcamper.
I've got the same truck. Installed Airlift 5000 Ultimate with WirelessOne...and I couldn't be happier. Leveles the truck nicely and really improves the ride when loaded. Two thumbs up!
C-Haert
I also have the same truck (2015) and have the same Airlift system and love it!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Well nothing happened and I was over the tire ratings. Sometimes I hate to comment, but IME trailer towing outside the very predictable world of towing our personal RV's is not always the way we want it to be. Farming I have towed some super crazy heavy loads that I shouldn't have, because I absolutely needed to get the job done and no one else was going to do it. In this case I had to move my Cat loader with some other things and the only way they would fit on the trailer resulted in a lot of tongue weight maybe 5k out of a load of 15K.
farside291
Well-known member
I just bought a 2016 Ram 3500 Dually. I noticed when hooked up and I check the Level Up system it said I was -1.5 degrees low. I'm wondering in inches how low the nose of the trailer really is. I looked at the truck and trailer from the side and it looks level to me. I am thinking about putting them on to make the ride better. Before I put them on my Chevy 3500 I would hit the expansion joint at the beginning of some bridges and it would hit in the back so hard it would cause the cruise control to disconnect. I put the Air Lift bags on the Chevy and the ride quality was night and day and the expansion joints were not nearly as harsh. Now, the new Ram definitely tows smoother than the Chevy ever did but I think the air bags will only improve the ride quality of the Ram. And, for the price it really is a easy, inexpensive modification to the truck.
Jim.Allison
Well-known member
I think the reason that you notice that is because the airbags lift some of the load (loaded or not) off the springs. So because of this some of the shock is eliminated.
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
Mine looked level, too . . .
But as it turns out . . . it is not.
The best way to check this is to hitch up the trailer and find a flat surface, then measure each corner of the trailer frame to the ground.
That will tell you if you are towing level or not.
I took this photo just after we arrived home from the Vegas Rally last month in the parking lot of the neighborhood Kohl's store where I measured the corners and discovered it is towing 4 1/2 inches high in the front:
We are now getting ready to replace the rear axle (and all five tires) with roughly 5000 miles on it because of this . . .
By the by . . . I had it weighed last week and it is not overloaded . . .
