big, big, big, boo boo!

[EMurillo]

live and learn, thats what my grandfather use to say. well here is the thing,

i just purchased and had installed the AIRLIFT air bags and sureset system

from capming world, which you can adjust the air pressure from the cab to the rear air bags. the problem is my truck is a ctd 2004. 5 4 x 4 so is already

very tall and i tow a f/er 27. 5 wanderer, well when i tow the f/er i have to

fill up the airbags to about 50/60 lbs pressure so that puts my f/er way higher

which i was already high to bigen, and i can not tow without putting some air

in the bags otherwise they get damaged. so i am going to get rid of the airbags and remove the 2- 5/8" spacers from the bottom of the leaf springs to lower the truck a little,. is this going to affect my ride as far as suspension travel or shock travel or even just the ride itself. ?



some people suggested that i raise my trailer to level both the truck and the trailer but i really dont like this idea. what do you suggest? :{



____________________________________________________________



2004. 5 ctd 325/600 4 x 4, 48re, 3. 73, rancho shocks w/incab controls, bf goodrich all terrain, westin step bars, airlift air bags-sureset syst. , billet grille,

gauges, pyro,trans, boost. , f/er 27. 5 WANDERER, f/er tairgate, bedliner,toolbox, deeptans oil pan,.

 

[GooseHunter]

I think you are using the same airbags I use. Mine are Airlift that I bought from Summit Racing. I installed them myself with help from a well stocked shop with knowledgeable help, following the directions sent with the bags.



Airbags are not the same as airshocks. The airbags are meant to carry the load, not lift the truck above its normal height. The brain in the airbag controller will maintain a minimum of 5 pounds in the bags. This keeps them from damage when not towing. I tow a Alfa See 'Ya 31' 5th wheel, heavy, heavy, heavy. Here is how I use my airbags; I take a measuring tape and measure the distance from the ground to a point on the rear of the truck. This is the normal height of the truck when unloaded. I load the 5th on the hitch and lower all it's weight onto the truck. Now I inflate the bags until I have raised the rear of the truck to the original level prior to loading. I record the pressure in the bags for later use when reloading the coach on at a later time.



As I read your post, I feel your may have a height differential between your truck and the preset hitch height on the trailer. Hope this helps.

 

[LEPage]

Why would you even need these bags to tow a 28' fifth wheel? I've been down the air bag route years ago, personally I don't feel they are engineered very well. Seems to me they can end up carrying to much weight to quick, leaving the springs useless. I've seen several of the brackets that bolt to the frame tore loose, & the bags trying to pound there way up through the truck bed. I'm no engineer, just personal experiance & years of full timing, having the chance to see nearly anything that can go wrong, limp into a campground waiting for repairs.

 

[viper700]

Get rid of the air bags and flop the axels on the 5er and be done with it. I did that to my 04. 5 and 5er which is 36' and 15k in weight. With 1750/2000 pounds pin weight the truck just sets down to the overloads and rides very smooth. Many people have done this as a lot of the newer 4x4 pickups set pretty high.

 

[jelag]

I had to change the axles on my trailer to clear... . I have the air bags to keep the truck level... . but both my work trailer and travel trailer needed to be changed to do this right..... and the right fix for me was to change both trailers so that they were level and would tow right...



BTW if you remove the spring spacers on your truck... . you'll have to pull the u-bolts and drop the axle to change the disc brake pads and service the calipers... . so for me it was easier to just fix the trailers... .

 

[GaryCarter]

What problem were you trying to cure before you installed the bags? Rear end sag on the truck? Hard to think a small fiver would have caused that.

And if it was low to start with, lowering the rear of the truck is going to make it even worse.

???



Gary

 

[frankram]

I agree with Goose Hunter. I use my air bags to keep truck level when I have my Lance camper on. They work great.