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Old 11-13-2014, 06:16 PM   #1
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Air suspension advantage or not

I have a 2011 Ford F250 XLT 6.7L Diesel and I pull a FR Silverback LTDTS 33 foot fifth wheel. I am a little below max weights for truck and trailer. I was thinking about adding rear air suspension to help stabilize the ride.

Is this money well spent, and what would the advantages be?

Thanks In Advance
Dick
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Old 11-13-2014, 06:32 PM   #2
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I'm a huge fan of the airbags! You will love em


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Old 11-13-2014, 07:04 PM   #3
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Air bags are the best. I have Firestones on my Ford and the AirLift WirelessOne compressor system. It makes a ton of difference with chucking and it keeps the rear from sagging and banging the jounce stops.
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Old 11-13-2014, 07:29 PM   #4
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The first time I hooked up to my 5r, my TV squatted more than I expected. Firestone Air Lifts were the first addition I added to my truck. With 20 to 25 lb of air, my truck now sits level. I never regretted spending the money. Maintain no less than than 10 lb at all times and when up on a hoist with rear wheels hanging free, all air needs to be bled according to Firestone.
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Old 11-13-2014, 07:38 PM   #5
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They seem to be more popular with the Ford crowd, as most all end up putting air bags on them. I on the other hand, had them on my Chevy 2500 pulling a 42' 14k 5er and didn't like them at all. I absolutely won't put them on my 3500. In fact I usually add weight to the bed of my truck to get the ride to a more acceptable level, and that's with 2400lb pin weight.
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Old 11-14-2014, 09:26 AM   #6
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Thanks to everyone for the replies. My truck does squat about 3 inches and I had not thought about the headlights. I can see where riding level might be an advantage. I found a set of Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs - Double Convoluted on ETrailer and now I'll have a project to keep me busy this winter. I found this info on their site. It talks about some of the advantages of air bags and it would appear that it will help stability I my original post I did not include the fact that my F250 is a SRW


  • Maximize safe load-carrying capacity, increase stability and improve ride quality
    • Install between your Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty's frame and its rear suspension
  • Keep your Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty level when you are hauling a heavy load
    • Improve steering control and braking when you are hauling or towing
    • Level your headlight beams
    • Reduce tire wear
  • Maintain even load distribution with air pressure, leveling off-center loads
    • Air bags adjust manually, side to side, with individual inflation valves
  • Reduce strain on rear suspension
    • Prevent permanent sagging and excessive friction in leaf springs
  • Increase stability
    • Absorb road shock for a smooth ride
    • Soften contact between axle and frame to prevent bottoming out
Thanks for the replies
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Old 11-15-2014, 10:42 PM   #7
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I have the same truck, same year. Ford went with a softer 3-leaf spring pack on the F250 in 2011+ for a softer ride. The problem is any weight tends to make the truck drop. I went with Super springs and my truck stays level with the fifth wheel.
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Old 11-16-2014, 08:04 AM   #8
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I have the same truck, same year. Ford went with a softer 3-leaf spring pack on the F250 in 2011+ for a softer ride. The problem is any weight tends to make the truck drop. I went with Super springs and my truck stays level with the fifth wheel.


I had seen the springs while looking for air bags but just passed over them. Now that I have looked at the install instructions it appears that this may be a good alternate way to go. Do you have any photos of the install on your truck? If so could you post them or send me a link so that I can see them installed?Did you install them yourself or have someone install them for you? When the trailer is not connected how much do they affect the ride? With the air bags I was thinking that I could take the pressure down to 15lbs when not towing and the ride would be very close to normal.

The fact that ford eliminated a Leaf or two does not make any sense If anyone wanted a softer ride they should buy a F150 gasser. These trucks are designed to be a work horse

Any input you furnish would be helpful

Thanks in advance

Dick
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Old 11-16-2014, 04:13 PM   #9
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I found out today that the Firestone air bags I was thinking about buying will not work with the custom frame rail kit that I used to install my fifth wheel hitch as it covers the hole in the truck frame that is used to connect the top flange of the air bag kit to the frame. from the inside. This is the frame rail kit







Has anyone had this problem and were you able to solve it? According to Reese it will void the warranty if I drill a hole for the new Air Bag installation.

All of this is making me look to another way to solve the problem. Has anyone had any experience with Super Springs?





Thanks

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Old 11-16-2014, 06:56 PM   #10
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Old 11-16-2014, 07:12 PM   #11
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I drilled all the holes in the ride rite bag setup on my 2000 f 250 4x4 7.3.So they have been on there 14 years now without a lick of attention or problems.I put the leveling valve , compressor,and tank on as well,and no problems with those. My Reese 10 bolt rails came with different brackets than you have , there was no interferance except with the most rear brackets that couldnt be bolted up beacause of the shock mount rivets,I made some spacers so the reese bracket would go over the top of the rivets and welded them on.I liked the way that looked so I went back and welded all the brackets.
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Old 11-16-2014, 07:31 PM   #12
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I have SuperSprings on my F250, but it is a lot older than your truck. I really like them and don't have to fiddle with air pressure settings. Solved the sag problem and I don't notice it being any bouncier. Super easy install as well. I just set them up to keep the truck level with the pin weight of my 5er and forgot about them. Problem solved.


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Old 11-18-2014, 06:28 PM   #13
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I had some of the same thoughts you had about the springs and based on some of the responses I decided to call ETrailer and talk with one of their tech reps. After a long conversation we came up with a way to accomplish installing the Firestone Air Bags.There was only one problem and that was attaching the upper air bag bracket on the passenger side thru a hole in the truck frame, which was covered by the bracket, without drilling a hole in the Fifth wheel custom frame rail bracket , which according to Etrailer would void the warranty on the hitch. I ordered the bags today and they said they will be here on Wednesday.When I get it done I will post some pictures just in case someone else comes up against this problem.

Thanks for the replys


PS Go back to post #9 and take a look at the brackets. Most people who replied to this topic were talking about the traditional fifth wheel brackets that for the most part are just two angle brackets about 3 inches wide. The hole in the frame is behind the frame bracket, not on the bottom but on the face right behind the words ETrailer.
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Old 11-18-2014, 06:35 PM   #14
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I installed Sumo Springs on my Tundra to fix the porpoising we experienced on interstates (bumper pull with 900 lbs on the tongue). I've had air bags before but this just seemed like a more simple fix.

It fixed our problem and reduced rear sag by 30% when connected without the WD hitch. Much less expensive and installed in 20 minutes.

May not be strong enough for your situation, but when I talked to them they said the loading was custom designed for each truck application.
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Old 11-20-2014, 06:04 PM   #15
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Old 11-20-2014, 06:16 PM   #16
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if more people would buy 1 ton trucks, they wouldn't need this stuff. I have a single wheel 1 ton, and truck still sits a tad high in rear with 5th wheel on and bed full of wood. Rides great
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Old 11-21-2014, 09:08 AM   #17
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if more people would buy 1 ton trucks, they wouldn't need this stuff. I have a single wheel 1 ton, and truck still sits a tad high in rear with 5th wheel on and bed full of wood. Rides great

The new Ram 3500's are available with an air suspension now too, from the factory. It's not about capacity, just ride comfort.

2015 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty Trucks - Capability & Performance
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Old 11-21-2014, 08:48 PM   #18
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The new Ram 3500's are available with an air suspension now too, from the factory. It's not about capacity, just ride comfort.

2015 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty Trucks - Capability & Performance
true, but in most cases, people are compensating for not having a truck with enough payload capacity.
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Old 11-21-2014, 09:22 PM   #19
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true, but in most cases, people are compensating for not having a truck with enough payload capacity.
Big mistake. The truck is what it is and all the air bags in the world will not change that fact
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Old 11-21-2014, 09:47 PM   #20
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Big mistake. The truck is what it is and all the air bags in the world will not change that fact
exactly. Every time someone posts a pic online (here or elsewhere) and the truck is sitting low in rear, everyone starts commenting "AIRBAGS, AIRBAGS". How about get a heavier truck. That's the fix
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