Air bag suspension worth it?
 

Asking all you guys and gals out there with air bags. Are they really worth the cash? I have ridden in a friend's hummer with air ride and loved it. I will be buying a 1 ton truck pretty soon and would like a better ride than they give. I know it isn't supposed to be a perfect ride in a 1 ton, but I would like some improvement. Anyone have complaints or compliments on their air ride?

Most here I think have helper bags, completely different from true air ride. I have the firestone helper bags with on board compressor and I love them. :c:

Do they help ride quality? I will be doing stuff from pulling a heavy gooseneck to riding through town to grab a burger. About half and half of that.

Nope they're for increased hauling capacity, you still retain stock springs. I guess if you went to half ton springs with bags they would improve ride, but it would suck if you punctured a bag loaded. :c:

Would the half ton springs go in the factory 1 ton mounts? I buy and sell trailers, so it really wouldn't be loaded down very often.

I seen in a diesel mag were you take out your leafs and put in a 4 link air ride in the back.. suppose to make it ride amazing n i guess your suppose to haul more.. but it ran bout 3000 for just the kit.. amd right now id rather have more power.. one day.. but i want to do the helper bags.. cause of my lift and maybe even out my truck so it ain't bulldoggin no more

Well it is unfortunate despite having knowledge of cars I have no information about this topic. I think that I have to polish my skills.

I have been around air bags in semis for years and my brother has for many, many miles and as many years. Very rarely have issues with them. I only remember ever losing 2 bags and since I was part time for the vast majority of those years I drove and pulled a whole lot of different pieces of equipment. My brothers current equipment is in excess of 1.3 million miles on both the tractor and trailer and he never mentions any trouble with the bags.


I have '67 W200 I put bags on the rear and only has 2 leaves in the spring pack. While I do need to do some changes to make things work even better it has been about 12 years since I did them and my only issue with the bags is a fitting with a slow leak.

I don't think having a punctured bag is a real big worry although it can happen but so can broken springs. They are pretty tough.

From what I have heard, 1/2 ton springs won't work. They are 3" wide, where as 3/4 and 1 ton springs are 3.5". Before asking, spacers are a bad idea.

I pulled a few leafs out of my spring packs, only 3 per side now, and have air bags. Ride quality is similar to a half ton, but I can still pull around my trailers with the air bags.

:humm::humm: So RAW and RAWilliams, any complaints with your setups?

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Sorry, not RAWilliams, I meant Russ Roth

Good info, I wonder if half ton springs would work if you used the half ton hangers :humm:

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You're absolutley right a punctured bag is uncommon. :c:

They work good and overall I am pretty happy with them. This is on the PW and not the Ram so it is something I put together and built. No bags on the Ram. I would do it a bit different next time and have a couple changes I intend to make to improve the way they currently work. Ride is better because most of the weight carrying is done by the air spring.

Would it work?
 

So 3/4 ton springs would fit without modification? My local junk yard has plenty of 3/4 ton trucks.

I have a kelderman kit under mine, it's a true 4 link and bags, no leafs at all.

-It's pricey!

It rides great, handles great. Hooking and dropping trailers is fun, no cranking loaded jacks. drop, back under, lift up.

The kit is not designed to increase load capacity, just to improve the ride. you are still limited by the strength of the axle, tire rating, brake capacity, weight transfer off fronts, etc.

I have put a scale verified 4000 lbs in the bed (sand from a landscape supply) it aired up, rode like a Cadillac. I was about 120 psi.

If it goes below freezing, or you are going to be where it does, you need to put the valves inside the cab, or under the hood. I didn't, mine freeze up. make sure you have bump stops that will hold it up enough to drive it if you blow a bag or the compressor quits.

all in all, I think it's one of the best mods I ever did to my truck.