Front gross weight???

["Mad Max"]

Anyone out there know what the front half of one of our rigs weighs? I'm talking gross weight as if just the front wheels were on the scale.



I'm trying to figure out air bag suspension possibilities with my upcoming W350 project as compared to my Ramcharger project. The RC is sitting on 4 air bags, each rated at 2000 lbs, and I'm wondering if I can use the same bags in the front as I am on the RC. I already know the rears will have to be, um, bigger .



Thanks,

- M2

 

[CSchafer]

Mine has 1500lb bags in the front but I still run the springs, they are a little soft so the bags hold it up. If you were gonna run just bags as the only thing holding it up I think you would want at least a 2000 lb bag. The bags I have in the back are 2800 I believe.

 

[Steve Graham]

I would think you'd want to size the air bags accordiing to the GVW listed for the front end. My tag says the front axle is rated for 4500lbs, but mine is a w250.



Steve

 

[TWorline]

I have my winter weight in the front of the bed & am grossing 7250 total with 4200 on the front axle.

 

[EZeis]

May not help, but my 2wd with full fuel tank and me (231 lbs) was 3400 on the front axle on CAT scales.





Earl

 

[Flexiheep]

truck in sig was 4300 front and 2500 rear empty bed two people and half a tank of fuel last time I was coming out of the dump.



I believe our GVWR is 8800 lb, 2000*4= 8000, seems a little light to me. I know that with the 2500 lb empty rear I have loaded 4500 lb of tile in the bed, put me right at the tire rating for the 6 miles home. Not sure that 4000 lb of air bags would hold it up well.....



BTW I will be watching this as I want to go crew with bags front and rear some day.



How do you figure spring rate in an air bag, is it a published number?

 

[Kartracer]

Mine is a W250, I weighed in at 5800 lb with 3700 on the front axle with me in it. I am not sure how much a 350 would be different, so I am not sure if that helps or not.



-Steve

 

["Mad Max"]

Thanks for the replies fellas.



Dale, I'm using AiRock bags (from Firestone) - they're rated from the factory at 2000 each, and I got them from ORO - Off Road Only:



http://www.offroadonly.com/products/suspension/airock/



There's lots of bags on the market but I needed a bag that both handled weight and had good articulation, and these AiRock bags are amazing. They're not super wide but have 14" of travel (7" compression, 7" drop). They're not designed for 'lowrider'' applications as much as full truck suspension. The bags can be deflated and the rig will drop, but not driven while deflated. So they're designed to be at psi all the time.



Hope that helps .

- M2

 

[KOG]

You can get the Firestone airbag product and design catalogs for free by calling them. Your front bags need to be rated at the total weight the front end carries on 2WD because they will mount in the same position as the stock springs which are about 1/2 the way out on the lower A frame. On the 4WD solid axle they carry 1/2 the weight, but need twice the travel. That's why you see a double convex bag of about 9" diameter on the 2WD front, but normally see a smaller diameter rolling sleeve type on the 4WD front or on the rear axle of both trucks.

 

[glhs]

My ext. cab 5 spd W-250 ususally weighs around 3850 on the front.