Air bags: Yea or Nay?

[NETim]

Do you recommend air bags? That's the question I'm posing. I'm going to be dropping an 11 foot Lance on my 3500 soon and I'm still not sure whether I want air bags on the rig or not.



Here on TDR and other camper/truck forums I frequent, there seems to be a little controversy concerning air bags, i. e. , whether they're actually needed vs maintenance/reliability issues.



Here's your chance to contribute to science!?



What's the verdict?

 

[Turbo Horseman]

Have them on my 2500. Stabilized the truck and balanced the load. Have had no maintenance problems with them after 2 years.

 

[BigFun]

NE Tim,



I have the Lance 1161 on my dually with air bags. Also have the compressor and controls. Run about 70-80 psi loaded and almost zero unloaded. With the swaybar, RS9000s, and bags, the ride is comfortable and handling is very good. As long as you drive reasonable, the bags are a good investment in my opinion. They've worked well for me for both local and cross country trips.



You'll find many discussions here about this very topic. Do a search on "air bags. " You should be able to discover a lot of information and different opinions.



BF

 

[DPelletier]

There is nothing wrong with using air bags as they have some advantages. The primary advantage is adjustability. If you have a continuously variable load on the truck and ride is a concern, then air bags are hard to beat. I do believe, however, that air bags do not control side to side sway as well as an appropriate spring pack. This problem can be worstened by a tendency to over-fill the bags. Motorhomes are generally recognized as an inappropriate application for air bags. why? Because the load is constant and the right way to fix the problem is by addressing the springs, not by applying an air bag "band-aid". You have a 3500 and so side to side sway may not be as big a concern for you. In my case, with a 2700 lb slide-in, sway was the biggest concern. I had my factory single leaf overload replaced with a custom five leaf overload pack that has been arced to engage sooner than the factory set-up. The truck rides the same empty, but is much stiffer with the camper loaded. Where my set-up is less than ideal is at partial load (i. e. overloads just shy of touching). I didn't consider this as a major concern as I am usually running completely empty or fully loaded. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to your question, I think you need to weigh what is important to you when you consider the importance of ride, adjustability, sway control, cost, etc. I haven't had my springs on long enough to give you an honest opinion on whether or not I consider them to be " the answer".

My "way more than 2 cents" worth.

Dave

 

[NETim]

Well

Well BigFun, it seems like every thread concerning airbags contains pro/con opinions and while I admit I haven't actually done the math, it seems like that for every "pro" there's a "con".



I've read quite a little about them here and on places like irv2.com and again, I was left with the feeling that maybe airbags aren't what they're cracked up to be. Hence this "scientific" poll.



Personally, they sound like a good deal to me, but I've never run 'em.



Besides, I wanted to post a poll.



Tim

 

[MGordon]

NETim



You already now my feelings on airbags (yea) from a previous post. Since you wanted to post a pole, it be selfish not to vote!



Besides, I really want to see the results.

 

[cwienenga]

airbags

I have a 66 f250 camper special that I used for gravel and a 91/2 ft eldorado. I installed sway bars and airbags, mainly because the camper was heavy on one side and I could compensate. I then installed the compressor. The key is to use two good gas shocks to stabilize the bags and suspension, (not air shocks),I used monroe" gas magnum truck".

Since then I got the dodge dually and a 5th wheel. I removed the o-load leafs and moved the bags to the dodge, (same part no. ) they work fine and especially if you haul gravel or bark also. Note;always run at least 15-25lbs in bags or they can be damaged.

Also,you can raise and lower the bed a little to help hooking up.

cliff

 

[tgrfan2]

Love them on my 95 and getting ready to put them on my 98. I don't have to use the equalizer hitch with the 95 and the equalizer will not level either truck when I carry my usual stuff like generator, cooler, and gas grill.

 

[dewdo]

I have the air bags and they are great in my case. When I hook up the fiver or load the slide in the headlights were linding aircraft pilots. Now all I do is blow a little air into them to put my beams back where they should be.



With a slide in they are handy loading and unloading, as well as leveling the rig from side to side. Wouldn't be without them.



Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[BigMike]

I'm with dewdo. I am able to trim my truck up with the airbags such that I can sit perfectly level with my 5er. Before, the headlights were shooting too high. I also have the onboard controlls. That's really nice.

 

[DIESELMAN]

I level the truck with the bags and the onboard compressor, about 80 psi, then I apply the bars, best ride I've ever had.

 

[Casey Balvert]

You might consider Timbrens which are a rubber overload spring of sorts. They do not effect the ride empty and provide the needed support loaded. They cannot leak and are guaranteed for the life of the vehicle. They install in minutes and need no maintenance. I know a friend who is very happy with his and I just ordered a set for my truck after bottoming out several times on a rough section of interstate in Michigan.



Casey

 

[BigMike]

Looks like the only shortcoming of Timbrens is they aren't adjustable i. e. , can't adjust height on the truck. Otherwise, sure look like they'd do the job and I'm sure are a lot cheaper.

 

[Dean Upson]

I really like the Timbrens on mine and I had the air bags on my 98. 5 3500. No adjustment, no compressor. They are just there when you need them and they are not in the picture when you do not have a load on.



Dean

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

BTDT!

A no-brainer IMHO. I have had a similar set-up (details in truck profile below left) to the one you're considering for more than 2 years and 30k+ miles. No regrets! The in-cab remote control to control deflation/inflation is a real bonus!

 

[MCrossley]

I have them on my 2500 and although even with a 3200# king pin weight with my 5th wheel I never did really sag much but after adding the bags it is nice to just not anoy oncoming traffic when you hit a small dip. Also great with heavy bed loads like gravel and things, one day I loaded 2 full pallets of porcelan tile in my truck with a forklift and it was level with no air added about 60 psi and it was the nicest ride I am not one of the people that think they detract from teh ride if you set the preasure at around 18PSI I noticed no difference between them being there and not.

 

[Diesel Nut]

I had aset of Air Lifts and compressor on my truck for my slide in camper (around 4200#). Loved how I could throw anything in the bed without droping on the axle. Hauled lots of dirt with no problems. Had to take them off when I sold the slide in and bought the new 5er, g/n hitch had to be mounted where the bags were. Noticed the ride empty improved quite a bit when they were removed, but with how light my truck is in the back with the bed empty, thats not a surprise. Bottom line - I'm working on making em work with the g/n hitch. Love em!

 

[RVPILOT]

air bags

This subject has come up several times before. when you say air bags, are you referring to overload bags or like the ones I have on my 96 3500, a complete air ride system that does not use the rear springs as bump levelers. the springs are used like a trailing arm the bags mounted at the rear and the ride is adjusted loaded or empty making it ride like a car when empty, I wouldn't't be without them. when I bought the truck 6 years ago it was the roughest riding vehicle I had ever been in. Stormy