I've had the load lifter 5000 in two trucks. The springs are great but the compressors are crap. I live in the northeast and have replaced 3 compressors between the two vehicles. When I traded my last truck in for a newer one I will be putting the air lift bags in it as well. This time I won't use any onboard air compressor due to their propensity to fail up here in Mass.
Have had airbags on my 2005 3/4 Chevy Crew Diesel for 170,000+ miles. I haul loaded gooseneck floats, a custom gooseneck stock trailer, and a 32' 5er. My truck has 6" lift since right after I bought it. The only thing I have replaced on the air system is the pump. The old one did not quit, it just got noisy. That pump lasted close to 10 years. Mine does not have the wireless. I highly recommend airbags to everyone who tows, 5ers, goose, or bumper pulls.
I've had these bags on my 2500 HD for three years and they are great. I have a custom aluminum bed with a B&W Companion slider. I tow a 34' 2015 Open Range 5th wheel and have never had any issues. The ride is much better as well.
Great video and you answered one of my questions, which was it worked well in conjunction with the Sulastic Shackle. My next question is to understand if Airbags are right for me or if something else would be better. I have an F350 dually. Bought it for my boat and for my horse trailer. HOWEVER, 95% of my driving is on the road with no loads. With the OEM suspension kit on it I swear I am going to shake a filling loose or need some spinal alignment sometime in the near future. ;-) Wanted some advice on how to smooth out my ride given the type of driving I do. Would airbags help?
Man, my F-450 beats me to death without a load. Road imperfections are magnified to an unmerciful degree. With a load of dirt, it softens the ride a bit, but it still has a lot of room for improvement. Will these airbags help stop the jolts to my back?
i installed a set of 5000 series bags on my 99 f250, and I can say that by isolating the bags from one another does help. And with pressure in them they act as a sway bar which is nice because my truck didn't come with a rear sway bar.
Excellent choice! I installed a set of manual Firestone bags on a 2014 Ram 2500 to help level out after attaching my fifth wheel. Still was a hair over my payload and gross so I got a 17 Ram dually with alt ride height. Love the system. Thx for the vid and enjoy!
Good video, and I am glad you went with bags. Like I mentioned in your other video you will notice a better control of carrying a load plus it makes your rear end more stable and confident. The system I went with automatically adjusts. It has eyes and once I adjusted both sides to level with a 1/2 tank of fuel they stay that same ride height no matter how much weight I haul in the truck. I had to put more air on the driver side due to the 36 gallon fuel tank being on that side to level out. Between this set up and the Sulastics I am super pleased on how my F350 LWB CC rides. Thanks for your video's..they help the guy trying to make a informative decision on which parts to purchase.
Big truck, another great video. I've been using load lifter products for over 10 yrs. the wireless air is a great system. However, plan on replacing the compressor a few times and the receiver as well. I'm up in the salt belt somewhat, so the compressor will corrode and seize. not sure why my receiver unit went bad tho. In any case, as you mentioned, their customer service is excellent and they replace 3 compressors and the receiver at no charge and overnighted me all parts each time. I finally jumped up to the VIAIR compressor and the problems went away. it's much beefier and able to handle the elements much better. The bags just filled faster. That compressor is much louder tho. I had mentioned in another video of yours that I had ordered a 2017 450. I was away on vacation this past week and found a 2015 that was exactly what I was looking for and bought it. So, I plan to make many of the upgrades you have done. Thanks for leading the way!
I have this same kit on my 2016 Ram HD2500 CTD crew cab. I love it. The wireless is a great option. It keeps you from having to run air lines to the cab. It makes for a much simpler install. I installed it myself up inside the passenger panel of the bed. there is a nice cavity right there opposite the fuel input on the driver side that keeps it out of the elements. There is one caveat that I do dislike about the wireless system - The remote chews through batteries like crazy for me. When it goes to 'sleep' it still displays the airlift logo. Which means the screen is not really asleep. Keep an extra set of batteries with you or buy a set before every trip if you tow less frequently. Other than that one issue these bags are great! I tow a 30' gooseneck and 2 36' 5th wheels. These bags make it very easy to level these loads out and smooth out the road tremendously.
Good video. Went with Air Lift 5000 bags twelve years ago. No issues with the bags and so far never looked back. The one thing that I lost early on was the heat shield. Since my lines are far from the exhaust I never bothered to replace it. On your fifth wheel the pin is basically centered left and right and just over or immediately behind the rear axle. Carrying a truck camper with 4000-5000 pounds the side with the slide or refer is typically heavier so the bags are great to level out the weight differences. It is also advantageous to be able to level the truck for the crown in the road, wind, and at the end of the day dump the air (except the last five psi) and go back to basically stock. I live in Nevada, the driest state, so air moisture in the bags is almost a moot point. In Texas you might have to deal with some moisture in the system. To be fair I never tried Timbrens largely since they are not adjustable so I can't compare them with bags. I do also use Energy Suspension Spring bumpers in conjunction with air bags. I air the bags just until the overloads touch the springs. It makes a very stable ride with a cabover camper. I can only guess that since your Timbrens are going on a different truck, not owned by you, that you are not going to use them again. I think you will be very happy with the Air Lift bags. Depending on how much you tow, especially if you get a heavier fifth wheel, you might want to look into a F550 next time. That would give you another 4-5000 pounds GVWR (typically around 19000) with a resultant increase in payload, and the ability to carry the 's pin without any suspension upgrades. Anyway, good video, keep em coming.
I've had those on my 2014 Ram 2500 Megacab towing a 32' 5th wheel toy hauler. Off and on Road and they work fantastically. I also tow offroad a lot and they are keep me from bouncing.
Airbag are strong and they work too, I work on large bus and they only used airbags for suspension, a lot of them has close to 500,000 miles on them too.
Although a different situation, I had in-coil airbags in 2" lift spring on my 2001 Jeep Wrangler for 6 years. Ran great and flawless. I only needed it for when I put a lot of weight on my hitch mounted toolbox & 500lbs off the rear. And YES too much weight on one side forces air to the other unchecked in a splitter. But in a Jeep, that's a good thing off-road.
I've had Air Lift on my Tundra for years for pulling a travel trailer and it's a great product. Eliminates sag and improves ride quality. Highly recommend
I've got the same system absolutely love it but a great spot to mount the compressor instead of on the frame is on the spare tire Carrier protect it from road debris and crap for hitting it
I built a full air bag 4 link off road truck at first I had the bags T'd side to side until I got on a side hill and all the air went to the high side and left me listing hard to Port. Separated them that afternoon. I also use a compact CO2 bottle from a beer tap system instead of running a compressor. You have to protect the regulator but there's no electricals or motor to fail. All manual valves and guages.
I put a set of these (minus the compressor) on my 2014 Ram 2500 with a leveling kit. The hardest part was getting the brackets to slip between the brake lines, axle, and frame. First time towing the 5th wheel with it I aired it up to 60 psi and within 30 miles decided that it was very rough and aired down the bags to 45, then after so far 35psi. Since then I usually run 25 to 30 psi and run under the theory that instead of going to pure level (full height of the suspension travel due to the leveling kit) let it squat just a little so there is some movement for suspension to...well...suspend. A different way to look at it, instead of airing the bags to hold all of the 2000 lbs, let the truck handle 300 to 500 lbs and the bags take up the difference.
Great video bud! We have a dodge 2500 with air bags. The different points that were covered regarding compressor placement and other points are good things to know...
Love this channel and thank you for all the insights as they are invaluable to the customers out there. I just got an email from Air Lift and wanted to give you a heads up on their new stainless upgrades. Hopefully, a good topic for a follow-up video and review? Thx. Sam
I added the master track tires to my 37 foot travel trailer. I was funny listening to the guys who put them on complimenting me on how beefy they were and were did I get them. Thank you for the nugget about them. I was looking high and low for something like the sailun tire.
Have you ever heard of Road Masters? I put them on my pickup and love them. They are a coil spring that mount horizontal on top of the leaf spring. They are progressive so don't effect the ride, act like a big sway bar a lot more stability, no maintenance. Installed myself in less than an hour and only cost $380. Look at their website pretty impressive video of 2 identical trucks,1with and 1 stock going through a road course.
Good video if get the air compressor can you also add a air tank for other uses. I have seen on you tube where people have added compressor and air tanks for inflating tires, some add air horns. I did not know if you could use this like those.
With that heat shield laying flat on the muffler I can't see how that would dissipate the heat. There needs to either be a space between the two for air flow or a heat absorbing material sandwiched between the muffler and the shield ,imo. Good video ..
Hey bud, I've watched a lot of your videos (especially your towing and safety tips) and have always found you to be very professional and thorough. I just thought I could add a little something here regarding towing with airbags. I am not sure how the truck would react with a fifth wheel or goose neck hitch with airbags in use, but for a tag hitch (A.K.A. Bumper pull), if you use airbags INSTEAD of a weight distribution hitch, you are actually making the problem worse. Airbags being inflated actually forces the rear axle to carry MORE of the combine weight of the trailer and truck, and takes more weight OFF the front axle, making steering and braking more "adventurous". I also don't know how the weight situation would react if you inflated your airbags in addition to using a weight distribution hitch, but I'm sure it's still better than the bags alone. Bottom line is: In a some states, you are actually legally required to use a weight distributing hitch (class IV) above a certain trailer weight. Here is a link to a very helpful video about this subject: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XBZu39pQ8Gg.html
Excellent. What I would like to know from your experience comparing the Timbren gear and the air bags is whether it changes the character of your ride with no payload. I know the main purpose is going to be leveling the vehicle, but an air cushion in the suspension system would, I think, impact the characteristics of the ride.
Walter Willis: the Timbrens has no effect while unloaded until you hit a really large bump. The Airbags, when dialed in with the correct amount of air, feel pretty nice even when unloaded.
I need a 450 4×4 diesel to move my rv I never use . My 12, flat bottom John boat . That I use 2 times a year . It mainly used for taking the kids to school, . I just like to blow money to make it look like I do something
I put those same Air Lift bags on my dodge but I'm having to upgrade to a dually dodge so I think I'll get one with the air leveling system already on it and save time. Great system. I got to say I'm surprised your F450 squatted as much as it did. I looked at one thinking it would be a great investment for pulling my 40' XLR which has a tongue weight dry of 2750lbs but after watching this video, the dodge is my better choice.
James Trapp around 2008 Ford lengthened the rear springs etc to give I assumed a nicer ride unloaded. What changed was if you put designed weight on the truck squats a lot. Been using air bags since then
Only because the F450 has larger rear axel, brakes, rims and tires, heavier leaf springs and providing the F350 also has the Diesel engine and not gasser. It affects gross vehicle weight and by that it affects the amount you can carry. It is not a squat factor under load between F350 vs F450.
Another awesome video. I learn a ton from your channel! Question, did you scrap the Anderson Hitch already? I see your Companion in there. I am about to pull the trigger on the Anderson.
Jeff Campbell: i will be doing a video on that topic soon. I have no problem with the Anderson hitch from a performance or safety perspective. But ill explain more in a video.
Great Video? I differ unless you are just doing a loose overview. You digress with the trailer for over 3 minutes and spend less than 1 minute on the install of the air bags themselves. You need to get under and just show how it mounts to the axle. More like a news story that carrys info to make you more interested. Not really a good youtube instructional video. Sorry but thats my opinion
At least in theory, I prefer the Timbren product, just because there isn't numerous potential failure points. However, very looking forward to seeing how the bags perform in use compared to the Timbrens. One question though; does fitting upgrades to suspension components void the truck manufacturers warranty at all? I can see 'customer services' getting very difficult and using deviations from standard spec as an excuse not to honour the truck's warranty. And these are not people one can reason with in my experience. A customer services manager is usually someone who can not managed to provide a customer with any service. IMHO.
How did you decide which air bag system to choose in the first place? Airlift, Kelderman, Link Management, etc. etc. What research did you do in order to determine which system was the highest quality, and would be the most reliable? Are there head to head reviews out there which were done well?
No sir. They both serve different purposes. Airbags are not designed to improve the ride comfort, they are designed to level the truck and cushion the impact after hitting a bump while towing heavy. Sulastics are designed purely to improve the comfort of the passengers inside while unloaded. They are both outstanding at what they are designed to do.
Very informational. Great job on video. One question as I'm only learning all of the towing stuff. Would you not want to know that tongue weight before you drove off. Keep reading that it should be 10-15 percent of trailer weight. You unless you are guessing that with how much squat you truck did. Seems that putting that truck back on trailer would have fixed the inch or so squat it did where the air bag fixed. But even then how would you know that you have the proper tongue weight. Love to see a really good video on Proper Way to get that done. Know you can run to a scale, but that's not always an option depending where you are. So is buying a tongue weight mechanism the only way. Guess many people have just figured out what one inch of squat is maybe...... You do a great job of explaining these things. Thanks again.
NonRev: determining tongue weight can be difficult with out a scale on your hitch. We purposely drive the truck forward to increase the weight significantly. 10-15% is a good place to be though.
BFerry10: depending on the tongue weight. However, a WDH does more than just raise the back of the truck. It transfers the load across the frame. I know Fords claims but I would have to tow without a WDH to see how it really feels
So since they have their own bump stop inside, if the bag gets punctured or compressor dies I'm assuming you can still drive and don't have to repair immediately
Just a word for the budget conscious ones out there. Getting the built in compressor is really overkill unless you tow every day. These bags are so small you can literally fill them up with a bicycle pump in 10 seconds. So save yourself the $500-$800 and just fill the bags up yourself.
When I trailered with my half ton Silverado, I had the bags without on board compressor; same reason, budget. I carried a small, $10 air pump that I plugged into the in error when I needed it. But having the on board compressor allows you feel the difference on the fly. Example, driving down the road, you can inflate/deflate to find the perfect ride. My new ride (ram 2500) has the bags and the onboard compressor.
I have a 2002 Chevy Silverado LT crew cab i have only 85,600 original miles she has the 6.6 LB7 turbo desiel love the truck i heard the Firestone with the timberence inside were the best what is your professional opinion what's the best for me.. My 28 hydrasport vector i trailer every weekend is over 10900lbs she it a beast Thank you T
I don't find it to be overkill. I work insane hours and to grab my 5th wheel in storage and hit the button for air is fantastic, Depending on my load I even adjust it ie: full water 120 gallons or empty (to storage which in winter is 100 miles of mountains) to each his own, but the compressor is great. BTW live at 8000' feet sw Colorado mountains... no problems with moisture. (I have full system)
@BigTruckRV: It doesn't seem that your truck will be used to haul dirt, rock, etc. So, why not mount the compressor in the bed where it's clean enclosed and out of the weather?
TexasScout Noneofyourbusiness I've been researching systems to do one on my truck and I've seen several cases where the compressor is mounted in the cab behind the rear seat
Can you advise how much the compressor adds. if I have a Air Horn system installed with a compressor can that compressor do double duty filling the airbags? Great video and keep them coming....
Big Truck Big RV that's really not as as much as I thought it would be. I had been looking into the Firestone ride rite system but am thinking the timbrens might be the way I go because the simplicity, cost, and I can install them myself. How do you think these airbags compare to the ride rite?
is the 15lbs, or even 5 lbs noticeable? in theory even at 5lbs you are adding spring rate to the truck. I currently also have timbrens and i also thinking about upgrading. It's just hard to determine whether its worth the hassle and money. (not to mention extra maintenance item)
Thanks for the videos. I just recently bought my first truck (2017 Tundra) and my first travel trailer (grand design 2800bh). You videos helped me evaluate these options. I do have a question though. When I hook up my trailer the truck has zero sag. The equalizer WD hitch performs perfectly. With that said, what benefits could air bags offer?
Jeff Easley: less body roll when cornering, improvemented ride going over rough roads, and the ability to adjust the rear for different towing applications
Jeff Easley if your truck has no squat with your trailer on and wd hitch is being used , you more than likely have less than 15 or 20% tongue weight. Your going to have sway issues because of that. If your looking for that level ride while towing then go air bag so you don't gepradize your safety.
