Suspension Mods end with Kelderman!
#1
07-06-2013, 06:48 PM
Suspension Mods end with Kelderman!
First, some background history on my trucks and trailers and suspension mods:
In April, 2011, I purchased a 2011 Ford F-450 King Ranch pickup. This is my only vehicle, so it is not only a daily driver, but since I am a full-time RV'er, I had a 2007 Nuwa Champagne Edition 37CKRD weighing in at 19,000 lbs with 3,500 lbs of pin weight. The F-450 replaced a 2006 F-350 that was getting weaker with time. In April, 2012, I traded the HitchHiker 37CKRD on a new trailer, same floor plan, a 38CKRD which is 3 feet longer and 2,000 lbs heaver. Pin weight went to 4,000 lbs.
The 2007 HitchHiker was originally equipped with a Demco Glide-ride pinbox which we swapped out for a TrailAir pinbox with airbag and shock, but not the fore-and-aft isolator available with the new Tri-Glide TrailAir pinbox. We made this swap because the Demco made a horrible clanging noise everytime I started and stopped with the heavy trailer. Ride and comfort level from the noise improved tremendously. When we traded trailers, the TrailAir pinbox was swapped to the new trailer. The 2007 HitchHiker had stock springs from the factory, we had the TrailAir Centerpoint suspension installed as soon as we could get to the TrailAir facility in Goshen, Indiana. The 2011 has Mor-Ryde IS installed from the factory. Both of these suspensions provide a marked improvement over the stock spring suspension, both in the ride in the truck cab and the movement of stuff inside the trailer.
During negotiations for the F-450, I took a test drive and dropped the trailer on the factory installed fifth wheel hitch without actually moving the trailer. The rear end dropped about 1 1/2 inches, so I figured this truck was hoss enough to handle my big trailer. After the purchase, I found I had more than enough power and torque for the job. Ride was acceptable, although I was experiencing a very faint shudder on launch when towing, but it was nothing I couldn't live with. Unfortunately, within 5,000 miles, I had ripped out three sets of the rubber bump stops at the ends of the rear springs where they cushion contact with the overloads. Ford replaced them twice under warranty, but going to Ford every couple thousand miles was getting old. They measured the rear end (without the trailer) and said the height was within specifications. I was worried that they would start asking questions about how I was using the truck and eventually find some reason to void the warranty.
So, I installed a set of Firestone Ride-Rite no-drill airbags with a Firestone automatic leveling kit which included a small compressor rated to 120 psi, three gallon tank and a single leveling valve with a 20 second delay. I set the leveling valve to inflate the bags so that the end of the springs were 1 inch above the overloads when hooked up to the trailer. Without the trailer, the bags deflated to the recommended 5 to 10 psi and I was back to the stock suspension for the most part. The compressor rarely ran because of the delay in the leveling valve - once the bags are set, they hold the same pressure regardless of road conditions. Ride improved about 10 fold when towing. After about a year, the Firestone compressor quit, so I replaced it with a Viair 480C - 200 psi. As a side note, that extra air pressure makes a big difference in the volume of the train horns.
Now for the big news:
One of my big gripes about Kelderman Air Ride is that I could never find anybody who has it, so I could never take a test ride. I wasn't about to drop several grand on something I had no experience with even though their reputation says a lot.
I finally found a fellow with a 2001 F-450 with Kelderman's 4 link. I asked him if he he would take me and the wife for a ride and he handed me the keys to his truck. There is a section of road not far from the campground where I usually slow to about 25 mph to avoid bouncing off the roof of the cab in my truck. I hit that at 45 mph and hardly felt the jolts. I called Kelderman the next day and asked Casey, the sales rep, for a quote for my truck. That afternoon, I had a heart-stopping price on a four link rear suspension, 2 link front suspension and all the bells and whistles - electronic controls, remote key fob, three ride-height settings, etc, etc. I called Casey back and we discussed my situation and I got a second quote with a much more reasonable price on a four link rear, 2 link front with mechanical leveling valves on all four corners and electric dump valves for the rear (connected to upfitter switch 2, so there is no extra stuff on the dash. I asked them to use my 200 psi Viair compressor and install a second compressor (I had purchased a double kit from Summit Racing when the Firestone compressor failed). The installation also includes an air dryer which is limited to 120 psi, so I lost my 200 psi capability. The plus side to that is that the Viair 480's are rated at 100% duty cycle at 100 psi, 50% at 200 psi, so I don't have to worry about duty cycle when airing up tires, and at 120 psi, I can still fill the G-rated tires on the trailer to 100 psi and the horns are still loud enough to get attention.
My wife and I discussed the pros and cons of a new suspension and I called and made an appointment for a Monday a few weeks away (Kelderman requires at least 2 weeks notice) and gave them a deposit of 20%. Then we hooked onto the fifth wheel and headed for Iowa. We arrived on Sunday afternoon to find a level concrete pad long enough for my truck and trailer, 30 and 50 amp electric hookups, water and sewer. Got the trailer situated and hooked up, and Monday morning at 7 am, I went to the office, where I was told to back my truck into one of the work bays. In the meantime, they provided us with a car in case we decided not to sit around for the two days it would take to perform the installation.
Tuesday afternoon, we saw the truck pull out and take off down the highway. About 30 minutes later, the truck parks in front of the trailer and Jeff Kelderman knocks on the door and says "Let's go for a ride." It was like the state had layed down a fresh coat of asphault on Highway 92. If the Firestone system had improved the stock ride by a factor of 10, the Kelderman system improved over the Firestones by a factor of 100.
Jeff asked us to spend one more night at his facility so he could check for leaks the following morning. Wednesday morning, we found no problems, so we hooked onto the trailer and took the same test drive as the previous afternoon. Having a load on the truck is where the Kelderman system really works well, and the ride improved yet again. Where I had been slowed to 25 mph coming in, I was now running at 60 mph and not feeling any of the frost heaves or other defects in the concrete slabbed highway. I did have some chucking from the trailer that I had never experienced before, but a few extra pounds of air in the TrailAir hitch solved that problem.
We left and headed up Highway 163 to Altoona. This is a good road, fairly smooth, but rough enough to keep me down around 50 mph towing on the way down to Oskaloosa. On many of the overpasses, I would slow to 40 or 45 mph. On the way back, I set the cruise on 60 mph and never let off. Even with the extra speed, the ride was much, much smoother, even on the overpasses.
Kelderman installs a small tank on each side of the rear suspension which connects directly to the airbags and after the leveling valves. These extra tanks effectively increase the capacity of the airbags, which eliminates some compressor run time. While the compressors run more often than before, the sound isolation is great and you can't hear them in the cab. The compressors are installed in the bed of the truck, along with the three gallon air tank. Normally, they would install everything in boxes hanging off the frame under the bed. The dryer is mounted on the frame on the right side under the bed. It was a bit disconcerting when we took the truck into town Tuesday afternoon and heard some strange noises coming from the system. Thinking I had already sprung a leak, we hurried back to the Kelderman facility and Jeff explained that the air dryer will spit every 20 minutes or so when the compressors are in use. That was the strange noise we heard.
After a couple hundred miles, while driving solo, I've noticed that the steering is a tiny bit more sensitive to high cross-winds, but not enough to negate the advantages of the system.
I've seen comments that said improving the rear suspension without doing anything for the front will make the front end more noticeable. I can say those comments are accurate, having driven that 2001 with Kelderman on the rear and my truck with Kelderman on front and rear.
I had asked them if they could lower the rear of the truck during the installation since my trailer tows slightly nose high. They set the airbags at the lower limits and they feel pretty good. But after arriving in Altoona, about 70 miles, the airbags had "settled in" and in the stop and go driving, I am getting a little shudder on launch. I went back and asked them to make an adjustment. They adjusted the new system in small increments with a short test drive between each adjustment. They were concerned that too much adjustment would cause a high speed vibration. After four small adjustments, I'm happy with the ride, the shudder on launch is gone and there is no vibration at speed.
We took the trailer from Oskaloosa to the Amana Colonies RV Park for our first extended drive. At highway speeds on the interstate, all the bumps have pretty much disappeared. There is an occassional bridge approach with a built in speed bump that gets through, but overall, the ride is tremendously improved. Highway 151 from I-80 to Amana is a concrete pavement with expansion joints at the perfect spacing to create a horseback ride, with or without the trailer. My point here is that, while the new suspension is fantastic, there are some things that only more taxes will correct.
And about the reputation of Kelderman Manufacturing: During our trip, I had several people ask where we were headed. When I told them we were going to Oskaloosa, Iowa to get a Kelderman Air Suspension installed on the truck, you could see their faces light up. People know who they are, what they do, and the reputation of their products.
My one complaint: Fuel Mileage. Now that I can tow comfortably at a higher speed, I expect to see a small drop in fuel mileage, but I'll be comfortable using that extra fuel.
In April, 2011, I purchased a 2011 Ford F-450 King Ranch pickup. This is my only vehicle, so it is not only a daily driver, but since I am a full-time RV'er, I had a 2007 Nuwa Champagne Edition 37CKRD weighing in at 19,000 lbs with 3,500 lbs of pin weight. The F-450 replaced a 2006 F-350 that was getting weaker with time. In April, 2012, I traded the HitchHiker 37CKRD on a new trailer, same floor plan, a 38CKRD which is 3 feet longer and 2,000 lbs heaver. Pin weight went to 4,000 lbs.
The 2007 HitchHiker was originally equipped with a Demco Glide-ride pinbox which we swapped out for a TrailAir pinbox with airbag and shock, but not the fore-and-aft isolator available with the new Tri-Glide TrailAir pinbox. We made this swap because the Demco made a horrible clanging noise everytime I started and stopped with the heavy trailer. Ride and comfort level from the noise improved tremendously. When we traded trailers, the TrailAir pinbox was swapped to the new trailer. The 2007 HitchHiker had stock springs from the factory, we had the TrailAir Centerpoint suspension installed as soon as we could get to the TrailAir facility in Goshen, Indiana. The 2011 has Mor-Ryde IS installed from the factory. Both of these suspensions provide a marked improvement over the stock spring suspension, both in the ride in the truck cab and the movement of stuff inside the trailer.
During negotiations for the F-450, I took a test drive and dropped the trailer on the factory installed fifth wheel hitch without actually moving the trailer. The rear end dropped about 1 1/2 inches, so I figured this truck was hoss enough to handle my big trailer. After the purchase, I found I had more than enough power and torque for the job. Ride was acceptable, although I was experiencing a very faint shudder on launch when towing, but it was nothing I couldn't live with. Unfortunately, within 5,000 miles, I had ripped out three sets of the rubber bump stops at the ends of the rear springs where they cushion contact with the overloads. Ford replaced them twice under warranty, but going to Ford every couple thousand miles was getting old. They measured the rear end (without the trailer) and said the height was within specifications. I was worried that they would start asking questions about how I was using the truck and eventually find some reason to void the warranty.
So, I installed a set of Firestone Ride-Rite no-drill airbags with a Firestone automatic leveling kit which included a small compressor rated to 120 psi, three gallon tank and a single leveling valve with a 20 second delay. I set the leveling valve to inflate the bags so that the end of the springs were 1 inch above the overloads when hooked up to the trailer. Without the trailer, the bags deflated to the recommended 5 to 10 psi and I was back to the stock suspension for the most part. The compressor rarely ran because of the delay in the leveling valve - once the bags are set, they hold the same pressure regardless of road conditions. Ride improved about 10 fold when towing. After about a year, the Firestone compressor quit, so I replaced it with a Viair 480C - 200 psi. As a side note, that extra air pressure makes a big difference in the volume of the train horns.
Now for the big news:
One of my big gripes about Kelderman Air Ride is that I could never find anybody who has it, so I could never take a test ride. I wasn't about to drop several grand on something I had no experience with even though their reputation says a lot.
I finally found a fellow with a 2001 F-450 with Kelderman's 4 link. I asked him if he he would take me and the wife for a ride and he handed me the keys to his truck. There is a section of road not far from the campground where I usually slow to about 25 mph to avoid bouncing off the roof of the cab in my truck. I hit that at 45 mph and hardly felt the jolts. I called Kelderman the next day and asked Casey, the sales rep, for a quote for my truck. That afternoon, I had a heart-stopping price on a four link rear suspension, 2 link front suspension and all the bells and whistles - electronic controls, remote key fob, three ride-height settings, etc, etc. I called Casey back and we discussed my situation and I got a second quote with a much more reasonable price on a four link rear, 2 link front with mechanical leveling valves on all four corners and electric dump valves for the rear (connected to upfitter switch 2, so there is no extra stuff on the dash. I asked them to use my 200 psi Viair compressor and install a second compressor (I had purchased a double kit from Summit Racing when the Firestone compressor failed). The installation also includes an air dryer which is limited to 120 psi, so I lost my 200 psi capability. The plus side to that is that the Viair 480's are rated at 100% duty cycle at 100 psi, 50% at 200 psi, so I don't have to worry about duty cycle when airing up tires, and at 120 psi, I can still fill the G-rated tires on the trailer to 100 psi and the horns are still loud enough to get attention.
My wife and I discussed the pros and cons of a new suspension and I called and made an appointment for a Monday a few weeks away (Kelderman requires at least 2 weeks notice) and gave them a deposit of 20%. Then we hooked onto the fifth wheel and headed for Iowa. We arrived on Sunday afternoon to find a level concrete pad long enough for my truck and trailer, 30 and 50 amp electric hookups, water and sewer. Got the trailer situated and hooked up, and Monday morning at 7 am, I went to the office, where I was told to back my truck into one of the work bays. In the meantime, they provided us with a car in case we decided not to sit around for the two days it would take to perform the installation.
Tuesday afternoon, we saw the truck pull out and take off down the highway. About 30 minutes later, the truck parks in front of the trailer and Jeff Kelderman knocks on the door and says "Let's go for a ride." It was like the state had layed down a fresh coat of asphault on Highway 92. If the Firestone system had improved the stock ride by a factor of 10, the Kelderman system improved over the Firestones by a factor of 100.
Jeff asked us to spend one more night at his facility so he could check for leaks the following morning. Wednesday morning, we found no problems, so we hooked onto the trailer and took the same test drive as the previous afternoon. Having a load on the truck is where the Kelderman system really works well, and the ride improved yet again. Where I had been slowed to 25 mph coming in, I was now running at 60 mph and not feeling any of the frost heaves or other defects in the concrete slabbed highway. I did have some chucking from the trailer that I had never experienced before, but a few extra pounds of air in the TrailAir hitch solved that problem.
We left and headed up Highway 163 to Altoona. This is a good road, fairly smooth, but rough enough to keep me down around 50 mph towing on the way down to Oskaloosa. On many of the overpasses, I would slow to 40 or 45 mph. On the way back, I set the cruise on 60 mph and never let off. Even with the extra speed, the ride was much, much smoother, even on the overpasses.
Kelderman installs a small tank on each side of the rear suspension which connects directly to the airbags and after the leveling valves. These extra tanks effectively increase the capacity of the airbags, which eliminates some compressor run time. While the compressors run more often than before, the sound isolation is great and you can't hear them in the cab. The compressors are installed in the bed of the truck, along with the three gallon air tank. Normally, they would install everything in boxes hanging off the frame under the bed. The dryer is mounted on the frame on the right side under the bed. It was a bit disconcerting when we took the truck into town Tuesday afternoon and heard some strange noises coming from the system. Thinking I had already sprung a leak, we hurried back to the Kelderman facility and Jeff explained that the air dryer will spit every 20 minutes or so when the compressors are in use. That was the strange noise we heard.
After a couple hundred miles, while driving solo, I've noticed that the steering is a tiny bit more sensitive to high cross-winds, but not enough to negate the advantages of the system.
I've seen comments that said improving the rear suspension without doing anything for the front will make the front end more noticeable. I can say those comments are accurate, having driven that 2001 with Kelderman on the rear and my truck with Kelderman on front and rear.
I had asked them if they could lower the rear of the truck during the installation since my trailer tows slightly nose high. They set the airbags at the lower limits and they feel pretty good. But after arriving in Altoona, about 70 miles, the airbags had "settled in" and in the stop and go driving, I am getting a little shudder on launch. I went back and asked them to make an adjustment. They adjusted the new system in small increments with a short test drive between each adjustment. They were concerned that too much adjustment would cause a high speed vibration. After four small adjustments, I'm happy with the ride, the shudder on launch is gone and there is no vibration at speed.
We took the trailer from Oskaloosa to the Amana Colonies RV Park for our first extended drive. At highway speeds on the interstate, all the bumps have pretty much disappeared. There is an occassional bridge approach with a built in speed bump that gets through, but overall, the ride is tremendously improved. Highway 151 from I-80 to Amana is a concrete pavement with expansion joints at the perfect spacing to create a horseback ride, with or without the trailer. My point here is that, while the new suspension is fantastic, there are some things that only more taxes will correct.
And about the reputation of Kelderman Manufacturing: During our trip, I had several people ask where we were headed. When I told them we were going to Oskaloosa, Iowa to get a Kelderman Air Suspension installed on the truck, you could see their faces light up. People know who they are, what they do, and the reputation of their products.
My one complaint: Fuel Mileage. Now that I can tow comfortably at a higher speed, I expect to see a small drop in fuel mileage, but I'll be comfortable using that extra fuel.
#4
08-28-2013, 02:10 PM
It's been about 2 months and several thousand miles of towing and running solo since I had the Kelderman system installed on the truck and I'm still loving the new ride.
Whenever I hit a good speed bump on the road, I think back and say to myself, "I hate to think what that would have been like with the stock suspension." And my dear wife is enjoying the ride a lot more now - I don't have to lift off the go pedal everytime I approach a bridge with an expansion joint at each end.
One feature I did get was dump valves on the rear. I had first decided I wouldn't need them because my trailer has a feature that remembers how high the pin was when I unhooked from the truck. What I didn't remember was that when I pull out from under the trailer, I'm removing the 4,000 lbs of pin weight that are keeping the bags compressed. As soon as the pin clears the hitch, the bags unload and pop to their full height. That means the bed rails of the truck jump almost 8 inches. I came close to smacking the underside of the front of the fiver with the bed rails of the truck that first time. Now I religiously use the dump valves.
As an added advantage, it makes unlatching the fifth wheel hitch easier. I have the factory installed Reese Elite 25K hitch in the truck. It tends to bind and often I have to jockey the truck forward and backward a couple times to find the sweet spot where the hitch will release. I've discovered that the bind is not so much in the horizontal as it is a vertical bind. Dumping the air to lower the truck makes it easy to release every time.
Whenever I hit a good speed bump on the road, I think back and say to myself, "I hate to think what that would have been like with the stock suspension." And my dear wife is enjoying the ride a lot more now - I don't have to lift off the go pedal everytime I approach a bridge with an expansion joint at each end.
One feature I did get was dump valves on the rear. I had first decided I wouldn't need them because my trailer has a feature that remembers how high the pin was when I unhooked from the truck. What I didn't remember was that when I pull out from under the trailer, I'm removing the 4,000 lbs of pin weight that are keeping the bags compressed. As soon as the pin clears the hitch, the bags unload and pop to their full height. That means the bed rails of the truck jump almost 8 inches. I came close to smacking the underside of the front of the fiver with the bed rails of the truck that first time. Now I religiously use the dump valves.
As an added advantage, it makes unlatching the fifth wheel hitch easier. I have the factory installed Reese Elite 25K hitch in the truck. It tends to bind and often I have to jockey the truck forward and backward a couple times to find the sweet spot where the hitch will release. I've discovered that the bind is not so much in the horizontal as it is a vertical bind. Dumping the air to lower the truck makes it easy to release every time.
#5
09-04-2013, 08:47 PM
It's been about 2 months and several thousand miles of towing and running solo since I had the Kelderman system installed on the truck and I'm still loving the new ride.
Whenever I hit a good speed bump on the road, I think back and say to myself, "I hate to think what that would have been like with the stock suspension." And my dear wife is enjoying the ride a lot more now - I don't have to lift off the go pedal everytime I approach a bridge with an expansion joint at each end.
One feature I did get was dump valves on the rear. I had first decided I wouldn't need them because my trailer has a feature that remembers how high the pin was when I unhooked from the truck. What I didn't remember was that when I pull out from under the trailer, I'm removing the 4,000 lbs of pin weight that are keeping the bags compressed. As soon as the pin clears the hitch, the bags unload and pop to their full height. That means the bed rails of the truck jump almost 8 inches. I came close to smacking the underside of the front of the fiver with the bed rails of the truck that first time. Now I religiously use the dump valves.
As an added advantage, it makes unlatching the fifth wheel hitch easier. I have the factory installed Reese Elite 25K hitch in the truck. It tends to bind and often I have to jockey the truck forward and backward a couple times to find the sweet spot where the hitch will release. I've discovered that the bind is not so much in the horizontal as it is a vertical bind. Dumping the air to lower the truck makes it easy to release every time.
Whenever I hit a good speed bump on the road, I think back and say to myself, "I hate to think what that would have been like with the stock suspension." And my dear wife is enjoying the ride a lot more now - I don't have to lift off the go pedal everytime I approach a bridge with an expansion joint at each end.
One feature I did get was dump valves on the rear. I had first decided I wouldn't need them because my trailer has a feature that remembers how high the pin was when I unhooked from the truck. What I didn't remember was that when I pull out from under the trailer, I'm removing the 4,000 lbs of pin weight that are keeping the bags compressed. As soon as the pin clears the hitch, the bags unload and pop to their full height. That means the bed rails of the truck jump almost 8 inches. I came close to smacking the underside of the front of the fiver with the bed rails of the truck that first time. Now I religiously use the dump valves.
As an added advantage, it makes unlatching the fifth wheel hitch easier. I have the factory installed Reese Elite 25K hitch in the truck. It tends to bind and often I have to jockey the truck forward and backward a couple times to find the sweet spot where the hitch will release. I've discovered that the bind is not so much in the horizontal as it is a vertical bind. Dumping the air to lower the truck makes it easy to release every time.
Great write up. One question, do you get a bouncing effect in the rear of the truck when unloaded? Truck feels great with a load on it but when not towing and having an empty bed, I get this pogo stick like bounce on the rear. Is worse on concrete than asphalt. Kelderman's response was sometimes you have to add weight to the rear of the truck to tame the air springs. Some builds have added up to 7-800 pounds. I was just wondering what your experience has been.
Thanks,
#6
09-05-2013, 04:48 AM
Nope, no bounce unloaded, but I have 4 large bins full of "stuff", a Honda 2000 generator, lawn chairs and a mobility scooter in the back end all the time, so I probably have several hundred pounds in the truck at all times. And then I drop the 4000 pin weight of the trailer on it for towing and it really smooths out.
#7
09-05-2013, 07:33 PM
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#8
09-05-2013, 07:37 PM
I've got the single shocks - stock Ford that came with the FX4 on the truck.
I don't know if it makes a difference, but I see you've got the 8" lift - mine is stock for towing the fiver, but I think they raised it a bit because I'm going to have to adjust my pinbox to get the trailer back down to level. I'd like to adjust the leveling valves to soften the bags a bit more and see if it improves the empty ride a little more (Not that I'm complaining!)
I don't know if it makes a difference, but I see you've got the 8" lift - mine is stock for towing the fiver, but I think they raised it a bit because I'm going to have to adjust my pinbox to get the trailer back down to level. I'd like to adjust the leveling valves to soften the bags a bit more and see if it improves the empty ride a little more (Not that I'm complaining!)
#9
03-30-2014, 06:43 PM
Still loving the ride. I did have to raise the pinbox on the fifth wheel to get the nose of the trailer out of the air (not that it is stuck up, but it is a "Champagne Edition") and level out the trailer. It now sits perfectly level on the truck after the bags inflate to carry the load. I've noticed that the TrailAir pinbox is not bouncing around nearly as much as it used to.
It's been about 7,500 miles since I had the Kelderman system installed and it has been absolutely trouble free. The only thing I have to remember is that I can't let a shop put the truck on a body or frame lift without strapping up the axles. If they lift it by the frame, the dangling axles could rip the airbags apart, leaving me with no suspension at all.
It's been about 7,500 miles since I had the Kelderman system installed and it has been absolutely trouble free. The only thing I have to remember is that I can't let a shop put the truck on a body or frame lift without strapping up the axles. If they lift it by the frame, the dangling axles could rip the airbags apart, leaving me with no suspension at all.
#10
03-31-2014, 12:12 AM
Fleet Mechanic
Greg,
Great writeup on the new suspension!
i had a possible suggestion on how to strap your axles so a shop cannot mess up the airbags.
the off-road desert racing trucks use these limiting straps on there suspension when they jump the trucks to keep from maxing out the downward suspension.... i don't think they cost much and might be a fail safe solution if you happen to forget to tell a shop to strap the axles before lifting the truck up....
these are some generic pictures i borrowed from the internet.
Great writeup on the new suspension!
i had a possible suggestion on how to strap your axles so a shop cannot mess up the airbags.
the off-road desert racing trucks use these limiting straps on there suspension when they jump the trucks to keep from maxing out the downward suspension.... i don't think they cost much and might be a fail safe solution if you happen to forget to tell a shop to strap the axles before lifting the truck up....
these are some generic pictures i borrowed from the internet.
#12
07-14-2014, 08:33 AM
Hi Greg,
Nice to see the K system works for you. Wish I had gone that route instead of the firestone half baked air ride.
You mentioned the truck jumping up when disconnecting. Does it level back in a reasonable amount of time?
When I unhitch I have never noticed any heigh jump. By the time I get out of my truck and walk back the truck is level again.
What did you do to the front? My first ride with the rear air and the front was noticeable right away.
Nice to see the K system works for you. Wish I had gone that route instead of the firestone half baked air ride.
You mentioned the truck jumping up when disconnecting. Does it level back in a reasonable amount of time?
When I unhitch I have never noticed any heigh jump. By the time I get out of my truck and walk back the truck is level again.
What did you do to the front? My first ride with the rear air and the front was noticeable right away.
#13
07-14-2014, 09:28 AM
Hi Greg,
You mentioned the truck jumping up when disconnecting. Does it level back in a reasonable amount of time?
When I unhitch I have never noticed any heigh jump. By the time I get out of my truck and walk back the truck is level again.
What did you do to the front? My first ride with the rear air and the front was noticeable right away.
You mentioned the truck jumping up when disconnecting. Does it level back in a reasonable amount of time?
When I unhitch I have never noticed any heigh jump. By the time I get out of my truck and walk back the truck is level again.
What did you do to the front? My first ride with the rear air and the front was noticeable right away.
I had the Kelderman front suspension installed. They removed the coil springs and replaced them with air bags and leveling valves. They also installed the Rancho 9000 shocks set at "3". Big difference in ride comfort from the front end as well as the rear.
#15
05-22-2015, 05:22 AM
Another short update on the Kelderman system.
Recently, I had to add an electric lift to carry a mobility scooter on the back end of the F-450. When towing the fiver, I move the lift and scooter to the back of the trailer. With the extra 350 to 400 lbs hanging off the back end of the truck, the ride smooths out even more, so the more weight you are toting around, the better the ride with the Kelderman system.
In the process, I also added a Sync Lockpick and backup camera/center brake light combo to the back of the lift. I need to get that review posted soon.
Recently, I had to add an electric lift to carry a mobility scooter on the back end of the F-450. When towing the fiver, I move the lift and scooter to the back of the trailer. With the extra 350 to 400 lbs hanging off the back end of the truck, the ride smooths out even more, so the more weight you are toting around, the better the ride with the Kelderman system.
In the process, I also added a Sync Lockpick and backup camera/center brake light combo to the back of the lift. I need to get that review posted soon.