Air Bags or Not for My Truck--- already sits level

[bowler1]

Hi,
I have a 2018 Ram 3500 Diesel long bed and tow a new Open Range 371mbh which is about 13k loaded (12.5K dry) and probably has about 2700 pound pin weight loaded (2400 dry). I am well within the payload of the truck which is 4250 and the truck sits pretty level when hooked up.

It handles okay towing, but I know it’s back there and I get chucking and harsh bounce over overpasses and bumps.

I am putting on a TrailAir RotaFlex (much like the Morryde) to address the chucking and am considering putting on some Firestone air bags as well.

Will air bags improve my ride quality and handling even though I my truck is not squatting below level? It does squat a couple of inches but there is enough rake in the rear to keep the truck above level. I have heard some say that air bags are really just to bring your truck back up to level if it is squatting too much, and have heard others say that it cushions the ride regardless of whether you experience excessive squat.

Just wondering what your opinions and recommendations are. I would like to improve my handling and ride quality, but don’t want to waste my money if I don’t need air bags.

thanks for your help

Matt

[ford_truck_guy]

Grit dog wrote:
^^ that is a sweet looking setup Cummins 12V98!

*** AND thats his “OLD” rig !! The newer one is been sweeter

[Grit_dog]

Bowler, it's easy and relatively cheap way to stiffest up the rear end, so go for it.
I'd do that and the hitch thing you're planning on separately though so you can see which mod helps what condition more. Just to help dialing it in.

[Grit_dog]

^^ that is a sweet looking setup Cummins 12V98!

[bowler1]

Actually measured things and I might be just a tad below level. Truck squats 2.5 inches when I put trailer in but I think I only have about 1.5 inches of rake....which seems low to me but that’s what I measured as the difference between front and back measured from ground to top of fender well unloaded except for 5th wheel hitch in the back

I am going to try a set of Firestone air bags and report back

Matt

[Cummins12V98]

11 HO RAM Dually first pic without bags second with. Pin weight 4,500# each pic. Pressure set to 30# loaded, no ride height difference.

[Cummins12V98]

bowler1 wrote:
Quick update...I got the Rota-flex pin box put on. It helps a lot with the chucking. Still there, but much less harsh. Still is a bit bouncy on big bumps.

Also measured the amount of squat I get when hooked up. It's about 2.5 inches(not sure if this is good or not) Truck is still pretty level though because of factory rake.

Matt

Blistein 4600’s n bags will do wonders. Don’t change ride height. Level is good

[Cummins12V98]

Grit dog wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
4,500# pin with 30psi in bags loaded did NOT raise the ride it just controlled the movement.

But don't you already have the factory air assist? Or are you talking about a different truck.
Otherwise I believe it's pretty much physically impossible to exert approximately 2000lbs of upward force to a 4500lb downward force that has compressed the suspension ___ inches and not have it recover a little less than half the height it lost.
Or at least it is how it has worked in every air bag truck I've had.
Its a simple calculation. Existing ride height unloaded + load = new ride height. Air pressure * x sectional area of airbags = upward force.
Now if your suspension was stout enough that it didn't compress alot, less than half of not alot isnt much.
When the pressure returns the loaded truck back to original ride height, the air bags are taking 100% of the added load.

Either way, the bags do smooth out the harsh suspension compression with some air in them.

Post #7 I mentioned the bags were on my 11 HO RAM Dually.

Tomorrow I will show pics with and without bags.

[bowler1]

Quick update...I got the Rota-flex pin box put on. It helps a lot with the chucking. Still there, but much less harsh. Still is a bit bouncy on big bumps.

Also measured the amount of squat I get when hooked up. It's about 2.5 inches(not sure if this is good or not) Truck is still pretty level though because of factory rake.

Matt

[Grit_dog]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
4,500# pin with 30psi in bags loaded did NOT raise the ride it just controlled the movement.

But don't you already have the factory air assist? Or are you talking about a different truck.
Otherwise I believe it's pretty much physically impossible to exert approximately 2000lbs of upward force to a 4500lb downward force that has compressed the suspension ___ inches and not have it recover a little less than half the height it lost.
Or at least it is how it has worked in every air bag truck I've had.
Its a simple calculation. Existing ride height unloaded + load = new ride height. Air pressure * x sectional area of airbags = upward force.
Now if your suspension was stout enough that it didn't compress alot, less than half of not alot isnt much.
When the pressure returns the loaded truck back to original ride height, the air bags are taking 100% of the added load.

Either way, the bags do smooth out the harsh suspension compression with some air in them.

[Cummins12V98]

4,500# pin with 30psi in bags loaded did NOT raise the ride it just controlled the movement.

[Grit_dog]

BarneyS wrote:
Based on the way my new 2019 Ram rides with the air suspension, I would go with the bags.
Barney

That is pretty much an apples to oranges comparison except for the fact that the words Ram and air are common to both.
To the OP, yes a little extra support from the dynamic loads will help (adding airbags). But whatever weight you take up with the bags will raise the truck back up.
God forbid this be spoken on rvnet, but sometimes the right "balance" is offset by having too much suspension.
For the bags, 15psi supports roughly 1000lbs. So even with a low 15psi in them if it squats 3" with 2700lb pin, 15psi will bring it back up about an inch. Just food for thought. The bags don't stiffen up dynamic loads as well until you get a little higher psi. Just food for thought.

[BarneyS]

Based on the way my new 2019 Ram rides with the air suspension, I would go with the bags.
Barney

[Cummins12V98]

Adding bags WILL improve ride dramatically! On my 11 HO Dually it sat level with 4,500# pin weight but some of our wonderful roads were not very forgiving. I added Bilstein 4600's and air bags, what a difference!!! I only ran 30psi LOADED as that was just enough to dampen the roughness and did NOT increase the rear ride height. I would do this before wasting money on the RotaFlex!

[IdaD]

BurbMan wrote:
Air bags are like supplemental springs, they work alongside the factory springs to help resist body motion and therefore can help to stabilize the ride. You dial in how much additional stiffness by what psi you run the bags at. You can keep them at nominal 5 psi when not towing and dial them up to take some of the bounce out with the trailer hitched.

It's common to use air bags to help level a rig, but that's not all they're for...

Try the Rota Flex hitch first, that may be all you need. If it still chucks more than you like air bags will probably help.

Agreed. Your truck may not "need" bags but you might prefer the ride with them. My truck sat level loaded with my setup and didn't need any supplemental help but I prefer the way it goes down the highway with Timbrens. The rear suspension feels more planted and it handles bumps at speed better. Bags would have the advantage of being adjustable, with the trade off of higher cost and more complexity. Same concept, though.