kelderman air ride 4x4 front picture

[Jeff Kelderman]

here is a picture of the front air ride kit.

 

[David Muench]

I guess mine shipped today, I can't wait.



I am still trying to track down the correct rear shock part number for the RS9000's, I think Doug (at Kelderman) is checking into that for me. I did finally decide to go with the RS9000X's, but I am going to get all 4 and get the buy 3 get 1 free at Summit deal.

 

[Sawbones]

David, were you unhappy with the daystar lift kit you had, or does this system simply add to it?

 

[David Muench]

I never had a front spacer kit, my truck is stock suspension-wise. I was about to order one when Jeff posted that their air-ride was out, and I decided to go that way instead.

 

[azcummins]

Will there be any TDR discounts?

 

[David Muench]

I figured out the shock part numbers for the RS9000X's (I hope) and put them in the FAQ. I managed to dig it up from Kelderman, a few posts in the forum, and talking to Rancho themselves (they were the least helpful of all).

 

[mr plow]

how are they adjustable?

can the ride height be changed on the fly. do you set it and forget it? how does this work on the front only? is there a compressor hook up?



what is the weight rating for this setup? i have a plow on the front of my truck 4 months of the year that weighs close to 900 lbs. my springs are rated at 5200 lbs. can these bags handle at least 6000 lbs? what happens in the event one is punctures?



as you can see i have lots of questions. any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.



also, is there any one locally that sells the kelderman products? i

am located in toronto canada.



thanks in advance.





oren.

 

[Duck]

Re: how are they adjustable?

Originally posted by mr plow

can the ride height be changed on the fly. do you set it and forget it? how does this work on the front only? is there a compressor hook up?



what is the weight rating for this setup? i have a plow on the front of my truck 4 months of the year that weighs close to 900 lbs. my springs are rated at 5200 lbs. can these bags handle at least 6000 lbs? what happens in the event one is punctures?





oren.

Ditto for me. I'v heard of these things in the rear, but never the front. Is there a compelling reason to go this way vs. a spacer kit?

 

[David Muench]

Jeff can no doubt answer better than me, but I'll give it a shot. .



I just ordered the bag kit for the front end. Since I don't have a plow yet, I plan to just inflate them to level out the truck and then leave it there.



However, I do have an eye towards the rear system and an onboard compressor down the road. Then I should be able to adjust them on the fly. I see they also have a self leveling kit, which does it all automatically.



If one punctures (I am thinking of picking up an extra bag just for spares), I think it will deflate and rest on the internal "bumpstops" inside the bag. The truck would look silly, but probably still be drivable to some degree. But they use these things on semis, I don't see them as likely to fail. The way I think about it is we've already got air ride - our tires. They're rubber, and if they can hold the same amount of weight while being rolled over rough ground and sharp stuff, air bags should be fine.



Compelling reasons? I've always wanted an air suspension. The 5 link design is just made for it. I had a Jeep TJ and never got around to air bagging it, but I had thought about it (5 link front and rear). I think it'll ride better, it's adjustable in height, and I don't think bags sag over time like springs. I also do plan on a snow plow in a few years, and the bags should help carry that better.



All my stuff should be here by the end of the week, so maybe I can get them installed Saturday. . But I think I might have the wrong rear shock part number (Jeff thinks so at least), so don't order RS99267 until I compare them to my existing shocks. That won't stop me from doing the front end though.

 

[Jeff Kelderman]

if you go with an onboard compressor kit you can adjust the pressure on the bags as you go. if you don't get the compressor kit you have to add air to the bags like you would a tire. once they are set, they don't need adjustment unless you add your plow. you then would add air and be fine until you remove the plow. you then would let the air out until you reached the pressure that you run empty.



the front does not need to be adjusted when you add a trialer like the rear kits.



typically the kits run around 60 psi of air when empty. the max bag pressure is 110 psi, so you will have plenty of carrying capactiy left for the snowplow.



if you loose a bag, (very rare) you will be riding on the rubber bumper inside the bag. i would not worry about loosing a bag because there is nothing even close to it that could rub a hole in it.



not only do you get an adjustable ride with the air, but you get a smoother ride.



jeff

 

[Duck]

Thanks David and Jeff. I'm starting to see the light. Couple more questions...



I'm wondering what the height of the bag will be if has to rest on the rubber bumpers? Those of us with oversized tires would be SOL if we lost a bag and couldn't turn the wheels to limp home



How high up will they go? Or am I thinking about it the wrong way? Do the bags raise the truck at all, or do they just increase the pressure in the bags for stiffness? If the latter, than how much higher than stock are they?



Jeff, do you make an all-in-one Edge EZ Comp, Digital EGT/Pyro gauge, brake controller, XM Radio box with a map light and oil filter holder attachment, that would be able to also control the air-ride and and Rancho shock pressures? If you could get all that to fit into the dash cubby, that would be ideal.

 

[David Muench]

I intend to test what the truck looks like with no air in the bags, with my BFG 315's, so I know if I can limp home if one were to go. I'll take pictures (they should be funny ).



Jeff has said there's a 0-2" kit (what I'm getting, just bags and mounts and shocks) and there's a 0-4" kit that also has longer control arms.



Adding pressure in the bags either will raise the truck or compensate for adding a heavier load to it. . Hope that makes sense.

 

[Duck]

Ya, let us know how that goes this weekend. Real interested to see if it improves the ride over stock. It's hard to imagine a 1 ton truck riding smoother than it already does.



Yes, that makes sense about the height.



If one wanted to, I'll bet you could integrate the on board air that would come with the rear kit with air horns, E-Brake, and emergency compressor... ?

 

[David Muench]

Everything is supposed to be here tomorrow, and the weather is supposed to be good Saturday, so I've got plans.



I'm not expecting a dramatic ride improvement with just front bags, but I am looking more towards the future. . I hope to do the rear setup someday (the 2 stage system, not the 4-link) and once you do that, I am told the front becomes more noticable.



That's my thought, a general purpose air system like I had on my Jeep. I figure I can work that out over the summer.



BTW, did you see the new page Kelderman put up? Some really nice pictures. .



http://www.keldermanairride.com/new_air_ride/2003_dodge_lift_kit_link_page.htm



Sweet.

 

[CRegal]

Jeff,

I am interested in this system for my truck. My truck is really stiff & bounces me all over the place when I drive it. How much better is the air suspension?



Right now I have no body roll when turning & I like that, but compensating for that with my Rancho 9000's set all the way stiff drives me nuts in everyday driving. I tried them on the softest setting & it still isnt good enough. I guess what I am asking is:

Will this turn my truck into a Caddy? & if so, will it then have annoying bodyroll?



TIA,



Cole

 

[Jeff Kelderman]

i can't make your truck ride like a caddy, maybe more like a mercedes!



there is a significant difference when the air ride is added, both when empty or loaded. where do you live?



i tell people our goal is to make a 2500/3500 ride like a good riding 1500.



jeff



with the air ride, i tend to run my ranchosl on setting 2. setting one is to soft, meaning you get almost to much travel. (like driving down the road with no shocks).

 

[CRegal]

Jeff,

I live in PA & the roads here are well, not so smooth. When I am towing on the highways its not a problem, just everyday driving that is just plain lousy.



How much better is the 4 link system for the rear over just the rear additional supports? Which do you prefer?



Thanks,



Cole

 

[David Muench]

Got all my stuff today. It all looks great. Except the instructions. . They need work to be honest. They look like a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy, and the pictures are so grainy that they are almost useless. But this should be an easy install.



They're a little scraped up from shipping, so I think I'm going to disassemble them tonight and put another coat of paint on them. But they look great.



Jeff - is there any easy way to tell left from right? I think it'll be obvious once I get started, but I didn't see any markings on them. .

 

[David Muench]

I found all the L and R stamps once I took it all apart, nevermind. The only thing without stamps is the upper spacer, but they look close to identical.



The only other odd thing is that one of the lower mounts has a normal hole in the middle for the bottom of the airbag to connect to, and the other has a long oval groove for some adjustment (?). .

 

[Jeff Kelderman]

the passenger side lower bracket is the one with the slotted oval. the pass. side coil sets in there at a different angle than the drivers side coil, so we have some bag adjustment. sorry about the instructions, there are a couple of good pictures of the front on our website. of cource, if you have any questions you can call us at 800-334-6150



jeff