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11-16's - Where Did You Mount Your Air Bag Controls?
I've been trying to find a place to mount this controller and gauge for my air bags. I can't seem to find anywhere that looks decent and doesn't get in the way when I get in or out.
I thought about separating the gauge and switches and mounting the gauge in place of the 12v outlet under the 4x4 ****. It will be a really close fit but I think it might work, and it would look great there. The switches can mount somewhere under the steering wheel or low on the dash.
Does anyone have any other suggestions?
This is a stock picture, not my truck. Mine doesn't have the center console or I would've considered mounting them in there. The red arrow is the location I'm thinking.
What about the cubby below the 4x4 switch? You could get a three way momentary switch and eliminate what I assume it one air up and one air down switch to reduce the space needed.
What about the cubby below the 4x4 switch? You could get a three way momentary switch and eliminate what I assume it one air up and one air down switch to reduce the space needed.
That would be cool, I didn't think of a momentary switch. Although I'm not too worried about the actual switches. I can mount them down low on the dash because they don't necessarily need to be seen as much as I would like the gauge to be.
I'm guessing that would take some type of solenoid to send an electric signal to open an air line. The switches I have take the air lines directly to them.
That empty pocket down low is just too small to do anything with unfortunately.
Interesting, the only bags I have ran were on a tractor which ran through a solenoid system and vented through the air tank system. I doubt it would be an issue for you, but I would be leery of a system that relied on the switches to maintain your airbag pressure. Make sure you mount them away from your natural body movements and you may also want to guard them from vibration.
Since you are willing to separate them, perhaps a Roush vent gage pod would be in order.
Thanks for the suggestion! I looked into them, but I was worried about the space between the vent and the duct because there are three 1/4" air lines to run through the back.
I ended up removing the outlet under the 4wd switch. I figured that I never use it and the gauge fit pretty nicely in the cutout.
I think it turned out pretty clean. The top part of the gauge is not completely visible when in the drivers seat, but it's not hard to look down to see if you had to.
I'm planning to mount the switches in the blank cubby below this.
JoeyCap - What kind of pressure are you running in your air bags? I have a 28' pull behind TT and it takes 20 LBS when towing but was told to keep at least 5 PSI at all times. The standard analog gauges I've found don't really read that low. I was thinking of something like this:
Those gauges look pretty cool I've never seen them before. I don't actually have the air bags installed. I wanted to get the gauge and switches done first so I can put some air in the bags once they're on.
You probably know better than I do because you already have the air bags, but I've read a few guys saying that the ride is better with 10-20 psi even unloaded. I will have to experiment when I get them on this week probably.
I'm sure those digital gauges work well to keep that minimum psi and they do look nice. I kind of wish I would've seen those before I installed mine.
Yeah, I kind of did things backwards. I got the air bags & brackets used - they came off an 05 F-250, I got an air tank for free from a 67 Kenworth just before it got scrapped. I got a used Viair 380C compressor but still don't have it all installed yet. For now just running separate airlines with schrader valves at the rear license plate frame. Barely noticeable with the valve stem caps on and the black dealer license plate frame on it. I just want to get it all inside you're doing so I can just hit a couple of switches to air up or down & go.
JoeyCap - What kind of pressure are you running in your air bags? I have a 28' pull behind TT and it takes 20 LBS when towing but was told to keep at least 5 PSI at all times. The standard analog gauges I've found don't really read that low. I was thinking of something like this:
Any thoughts on these gauges? I haven't talked to anyone running them.
One thing to really like about that gauge is the remote sensors. You don't have to run airline up into the cab of the truck. The shorter you can keep your airlines, the better.
I'm not a big fan of running the air bags separated. In fact, the only time I would recommend keep them separate is when carrying a slide in camper, since they are not always balanced from side to side evenly. Additionally, the air volume really is pretty small, most of the time, so trying to keep two bags with the same pressure can get tedious.
I have the Air Lift 5000 Ultimate bags with built in jounce cushion. The manufacturer states I can run 0 psi, but I keep around 15 psi empty. No tank, just direct fill.
Great idea!
What am I looking at here? Is this a King Ranch? Specifically, are those wood tone inserts on the steering wheel? I've not paid attention before, but these sure caught my eye.
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