air bag and compressor insall

[frosties snowremoval]

i finaly got the compressor put on my 04 and thought i would share the set up. this is the new system by air ride with the digital controller

first pic cab

[frosties snowremoval]

here is a closeup of the contoller its fusy, sorry. on the left is the driver side controls and the right is curb side. you can also preset it to maintain a certain setting and then it will adjust with the load

[frosties snowremoval]

pic three is the compressor and valve body mounted on the driverside fraimrail outside of the gas tank

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pic four is one of the airbags they have been installed for a couple months and i love them this is my third vehicle with them on and everyone from now on will have them you can tow a bobcat with out even sagging the truck

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pic 5 is empty

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pic six is with 80psig in the bags the max is 100

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pic seven is of the hole truck

[cat320]

Looks good .

How long did the install take ?I never had these on my truck how long do they last? Will they last say 20 years of constant use ? How much do they cost? I do like the idea of adjusting the load rate . How does it ride loaded and empty?

Ok I know I'm mr question guy today . :)

[frosties snowremoval]

1. i put the bags on a while ago they took about 6hrs. and the compressor took me about another six today.
2.my oldest pair was put on in 97 and they still work great not a single problem with them or the compressor. i have a set on my flatbed salt truck that was installed 4yrs ago and no problems with them either and that truck wieghs 9500 empty plus 4000 worth of salt
3.the bags were 225.00 from www.truckspring.com and the sure set compressor was 300.00 you dont need a compressor my flatbed does not have a compressor on it.
4. the ride is great with the on board compressor becuase i can let the air out when empty and when im towing my boat i put about 35psi and for the bobcat i put 65psi i love them and would reccomend them to anyone

[bud16415]

That’s the exact same set I put on my F150 2WD and they worked for ten years until I sold it. I never did the on board compressor but it would be nice to have but not a necessity it seems the price hasn’t went up at all if you can still get them for that price and that’s about the right time frame for a first time install I would say.
Good looking job Frosty

Bud

[Snowboy]

Did u ever look at the Firestone brand? I was thinking of installing the ones from them with on board controll.

[bud16415]

The air bags themselves are made by severl companies and most are in the tire bussiness or some related car rubber business. from what I have seen is they are all about the same as far as the bags go. they can be purchased thru industrial catalogs and are used for all kinds of uses in industry. What the companies do that sell these for car / trucks applications really do I think is put the parts together in kit form along with the special brackets and fittings required and match up a small compressor and control and call it a kit. What can vary a lot are the brackets. And how heavy they are and material and coatings etc the ones I bought had a black powder coat that didn’t hold up real great but the steel was so thick it didn’t matter for me. stainless steel would be great if offered. Most are powered by small nylon tubing and take a lot of care when running the lines to keep the lines zip tied away from heat and up in the frame somehow so ice wont build on them
The thing to keep in mind is how much force they can produce and not to use them under such high pressure that you actually put the trucks springs under a reverse force. You still want the trucks springs to do their job and these to be the assist.
I personally think they are a great product. I haven’t put them on the GMC because the springs that are on there with the trailer package are just so stiff as it is. But for a lightly sprung truck with springs that are getting a little weak I think they do a good job. As posted before keep in mind just because its sitting level don’t mean the drive train or bearings or brakes are any stronger.

Bud

[frosties snowremoval]

i have not used the firestone's i love the air-ride system and have had no problems so why change i feel that you won't relize how great the bags are until you install a compressor system.

[wyldman]

The Air-Lift is a nice setup,but the Firestone bags are much nicer.They are almost overkill for a pick-up.

[William B.]

Has anyone looked into the Kelderman Air Ride System? I have mostly seen it on lifted pickups, it is more of an adjustable lift that will raise the truck. I have seen them on stock hight trucks as well. I would imagine that this would also work for what Frostie did.

http://www.kelderman.com/

Frostie, that setup looks great on your truck. Nice looking truck as well

William

[wyldman]

Kelderman is a real nice setup,but huge $$$.They have just bags only (no springs),or a reciever hitch\bag setup that attaches to the end of the leafs,for a real nice ride.

There front airbag setup is nice too,would like to fab up something similar on my truck one day.

[Snowboy]

So Firestone bags but Air lift Controls? Hows the ARB stuff i like there bumpers.

[frosties snowremoval]

i think you should use airlift for everything atleast in my catalog the firestone bags look cheaper