I would like to put on a set of Airlift Superduty bags. Any plusses/minuses to doing this? Does it negatively affect the ride? What pressure do you run when not loaded. This would be to offset hauling dirt, once in a while, and probably when pulling a trailer (that hasn't yet been bought).

Any other suggestions on better methods for controlling a load? The dirt or gravel I haul in the bed weighs roughly 3000 lbs (this isn't for a living/commercial, but stuff around the house, so it's not all the time).

Any difference between Airlift and Firestone?

 

They wont affect the ride at all when your unloaded becuase you can deflate them. I could imagine the ride would be better while loaded.

 

My understanding is you have to keep "some" air in them, like 5 psi ????

 

well yeah I would think that some air would be kept in them, but 5 psi is only going to change the weight carrying capablility a very miniscule amount.

 

The plus is that they help the truck carry the load better. If I were in your position I wouldn't bother putting them on unless you want bragging rights. The set that I had on my '95 F250 were nice, but I found that they limited suspension travel when empty. It didn't ride any worse because of it, but I was always paranoid of yanking one apart if I ever hit a big dip in the road that I couldn't slow down for. And yes, I followed the install instructions to the letter.

 

Huh, I never thought of the suspension travel as an issue. I use my truck to drive some bad dirt roads and I wouldn't want to pull them apart. Maybe it's not the best idea then.

 

I put the Airlift bags on my F250 for towing my 5th wheel. The difference is night and day. Without them, my truck was constantly bouncing driving down the road. The air bags took out almost all of that. You still get some bouncing going across bridges or series of bumps, but it is nothing like before.

You are supposed to keep 5psi in them at all times. You will notice the difference even at 5 psi. But it's not like an add-a-leaf.

I highly reccomend a set if you're doing much towing/hauling. One of my best purchases.

 

Do you know if it limits your suspension articulation at all? Would the rear wheels not droop as they should?

 

To be honest I don't know. I can't imagine I've ever hit anything big enough that there wouldn't be enough travel. I would make an uneducated guess that you would have to be off-roading or something like that to have a problem w/ travel.

I do know that if you put your truck on a lift, that you are supposed to let out all the air.

 

I never had a problem with the set that were on my '95, but during the install I had to put the weight of the truck on the bottom of the axle, remove the tires to gain access. If I let the weight of the truck sit on the frame and let the axle droop down to the end of the travel of the shock absorbers then the air bags would not reach or get too compressed when loaded, I cannot remember that exact detail right now. It's been three years+ since I did that job. I remember clearly that the air bags were shorter than the total suspention travel and I didn't like that. They carried the weight very well and I never had any issues with them.
The intructions were explicit about having the weight of the truck on the axle to get the proper ride height when empty.

 

I have a set Air Lift air bags on my 05 F250 and wouldn't trade them for anything else. I also installed the smart air on-board compressor, so whenever I add weight to the truck it airs up the bags, remove the weight and it blows off the air to lower the truck back to the pre-installed height. I have never had a problem with suspension articulation on this truck or my last truck with Air Lift bags. My truck weight is 7780 empty, this is a regular cab with the 6.0 PSD. I also have tool boxes mounted on the bed rails, (see gallery) and pull my construction trailer with no problems.

 

I like the airbags I have on my truck as well. I am usually on fairly maintained roads and dont do any offroading so articulation is kept to a minimum. But I really haven't been concerned with it. I guess if one lets loose because of it then I will know. Stewcon's setup is the best way to go. My last truck was completely automatic, even side to side leveling. I strongly recommend them if you are thinking about it. I love mine.

 

I'm very happy with my set of AirLifts, I recommend them.