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Old 07-15-2018, 06:33 AM   #1
Bsorge
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Airbags needed??

I have 2016 Ram 2500 4x4 pulling my 2008 Monty 3500RL. My question is do I need to put airbags on my truck? The rear suspension drops almost 4 inches when I hook up.
 
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Old 07-15-2018, 06:51 AM   #2
jeffba
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What is the carrying capacity of your truck ? The 3500RL is almost 2000lbs. It may be that you are over weight. Have you hit the scales to see what your pin weight loaded is?
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Old 07-15-2018, 07:18 AM   #3
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Ouch!


Your 5er weighs in at just under 12,000 pounds with a pin weight of just about 2000 pounds and that's as shipped and empty. Add a bunch of 'stuff' to the truck, the 5ers basement, a washer dryer, some water to the tanks along with all of your groceries and personal things and that weight just keeps climbing.



You can add air bags and it can level the combo. Unfortunately, your truck will probably not have the rated capacity listed on the 'B' pillar. The max capacity of a so-called 3/4 ton truck is 10,000 pounds, regardless of brand, with many rated lower. It depends on what suspension was supplied with the truck. That rated capacity of the truck includes everything - fuel, your sig other, kids, dogs, hitch, -- anything in the cab and bed whch includes the pin weight is what I'm saying.


Can you tow with this setup - many do, some with add ons like another spring leaf, air bags, etc. Is it safe? Maybe, depending on what is done to uprate the suspension, brakes and most importantly, tires. Is it legal - no clue in your state, depending on how they title and register pickups but your insurance company might get upset.
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Old 07-15-2018, 07:21 AM   #4
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We needed airbags on our current dually because of rear drop. Not caused by a pin weight issue with our 350 dually. Glad I installed them, problem solved.
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Old 07-15-2018, 07:25 AM   #5
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Ditto what Dave said. IMHO 3/4 ton trucks from any year or any brand have no business towing these heavy units. You would need a 1 ton SRW at the least, with a dually being the best choice.
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Old 07-15-2018, 07:42 AM   #6
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Chances are it is legally overloaded. If the truck looks squished, then you will need some type of load leveling assistance. There are several out there. Good luck!
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Old 07-15-2018, 08:09 AM   #7
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We did airbags on out 2008 F-350 to level the rig out . IMO a level rig makes for better towing. We dropped 2 1/2 inches when hooked up and this is a heavy duty truck.
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Old 07-15-2018, 09:08 AM   #8
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2X what richfaa said. Mine did the same as his did. Set of Firestone air bags and all is well.
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Old 07-15-2018, 12:21 PM   #9
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I pull a 3121RL with a 3/4 ton Ford with 0 issues. Mine only dropped truck about 2” when hooked. I added Air Lift 5000 bags for a better ride, it not only leveled truck but the main benefit was a better ride. The ride difference is night and day. It takes the shock out of bridge abutments, I would airbag any truck used to pull a fiver just on ride improvement alone.
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Old 07-15-2018, 03:32 PM   #10
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I had a set of AirLift 5000 Ultimate bags installed on my F250turbo. It made a huge difference in ride quality and leveled the headlights to the proper angle. I purchased the manual bag set with out the compressor & control system. I use a 12v compressor to air them up. They are super easy to use. I am a full timer living in the oil-filed. I do not tow that often so it is not a big deal for me to check my bag pressure. If you tow frequently, I would get the compressor system and maybe the auto-leveling system.
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Old 07-15-2018, 04:28 PM   #11
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Thanks everyone. Much appreciated info.
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Old 07-15-2018, 07:37 PM   #12
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I am looking at the Firestone red label bags with the compressor and digital gauge. I have done some research. Anything better than the Firestone set up? I want the ease of having the compressor set up, as my better half is a traveling nurse and I am not always around to help her out.
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Old 07-15-2018, 09:53 PM   #13
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Air bags will get the sage out and make for a better ride.
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Old 07-16-2018, 05:05 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bsorge View Post
I am looking at the Firestone red label bags with the compressor and digital gauge. I have done some research. Anything better than the Firestone set up? I want the ease of having the compressor set up, as my better half is a traveling nurse and I am not always around to help her out.



Firestone or Air Lift are the two major brands. I'm using Firestone which work just fine. Air Lift - others are just as happy. Your choice, your bucks. You can mix and match with on board air pumps too though many like me just use a manual fill though I do carry a little 12VDC air pump JIC I need to air up in a boondock CG
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Old 07-16-2018, 07:05 AM   #15
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I had a Duramax 3/4t overloaded with a Montana once. I installed the Firestone air bags and that is just how it rode, like stones. Poor ride quality happens if you are bouncing off of the factory bump stops. In my experience, the improvement in ride came from not bottoming out on those stops while loaded. The ride otherwise was noticeably stiffer, loaded and unloaded, with proper air pressures at all times. These bags are not an actual air ride suspension, nor have I ever seen a vehicle ride better unloaded with them.
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Old 07-20-2018, 01:13 PM   #16
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Air bags WILL help level your truck. Airbags WILL NOT increase the capacity of your truck. If the trailer weighs more than the rated capacity of your truck........get a bigger truck. Don't make the mistake of thinking you'll be ok if you over load your tow vehicle.
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Old 07-20-2018, 02:15 PM   #17
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First off … trucks that can adequately pull the larger RV's will ride stiff air bags or not compared to say a half ton … you can't have a velvet ride and be able to pull heavy trailers. I run about 30 - 34# of air in my Air Lift bags. They absorb the jolts from the road and bridge abutments but don't really make it ride any stiffer loaded. I let the air out to about 5-10# empty which returns it to the ride quality it always had empty … a bit stiff.
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Old 07-20-2018, 04:21 PM   #18
Hblick48
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My F250 drops about 2 1/2 inches with my Montana hitched. Mine has the factory installed "camper package" which adds an upper overload leaf spring (like the F350). Airbags installed with this setup negate the overload springs. The airbags never allow the overload springs to engage. I just ordered Superspring SSS-2 Bump Stops which will engage the overload springs sooner. I contacted the factory and there is no problem using these stops without airbags. Hope this helps my leveling problem. Based on the sticker, I just figured out that I'm overloaded when I include the pin weight plus all of our stuff in the truck. Who would have thought that because I'm well within the maximum fifth wheel towing limit for the truck. Bought the truck and trailer setup together from the previous owner, would have thought that everything was within the limits. Due to financial restraints, I'm stuck with this setup, so I'll have to make do. Last year we went cross country and put on 8,500 miles, no issues. Plannng another cross country trip in Sept.
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Old 07-20-2018, 04:56 PM   #19
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I used Timbrens on my F250.
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Old 07-20-2018, 06:01 PM   #20
Hblick48
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I just learned that GVWR does not include pin weight of the 5er per Etrailer.com:

"The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), or gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers and cargo but excluding that of any trailers."

I was including the pin weight in GVWR calculation. That means that I am not overloaded, just tilted. Whew, I feel better.
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