Airlifter 5000 Ultimate airbags w/ Daystar cradles '14+

[Tejas]

I asked for better pricing on the air bags and cradles and auto anything took off another $20-ish off of the combo. So the air bags and cradles have been ordered, I hope to get them installed next weekend if they arrive by then.

[Idaho RC]

Thanks a bunch for taking time to post this. I have the Airlifter 5000 Ultimate airbags and Daystar cradles installed on my 2017. I am working on the airlines now. The post was really helpful!

[olyelr]

Thanks a bunch for taking time to post this. I have the Airlifter 5000 Ultimate airbags and Daystar cradles installed on my 2017. I am working on the airlines now. The post was really helpful!

Heck yea!

Only thing I would do differently is start right off with a compressor and dual path auto air setup.

[trailerpup]

Right bag blew out the other day. Leaking out of the center hole in the bottom under the label. Replacement was 150-ish. Swapped out in 15 minutes. I'm going to keep at least 5lbs in them from here on out and see how it goes. Cheers.

[pw1601]

Great thread guys!
Wondering if anyone upgraded their swaybar along with bags?

[TankerZak]

Great thread guys!
Wondering if anyone upgraded their swaybar along with bags?

Rear sway bar? It's fine. But I would do the rear trackbar with a Thuren unit. That'll make a big impact.

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[DamageWagon]

One of the OG PWIM guys did a Currie AntiRock swaybar in the rear and said it was a big improvement. That rear bar sits fairly narrowly so it makes sense that adding a wider bar with adjustability is helpful. Don’t know how much that really applies to most guys unless you’re running top heavy or jamming hard in the dirt.

[pw1601]

Has anyone experienced problems with mud and stones getting into the cradle over time?

[Oilbrnr]

I really don't do much mud, and will go out of my way to avoid it if possible, but I do 2-3k of desert dirt/sand a year. And it's been a year since I put mine in. I had it on my lift this past weekend eyeing available real-estate for some future mods, and I gave them a good once over. My concern was wear from abrasion where the bag settles in the cradle. So far so good.

[pw1601]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm gonna go with the bags, cradles, and track bar.

[HeavyDuty]

Has anyone thought of connecting the airlines together before the fill port? I really don’t haul uneven loads. And if one bag is leaking for some reason I’d like them to stay the same pressure. My two thoughts

[ScubaSteve]

Has anyone thought of connecting the airlines together before the fill port? I really don’t haul uneven loads. And if one bag is leaking for some reason I’d like them to stay the same pressure. My two thoughts

The problem with that would come from stability. On a level, static surface that might work. Differences in the elasticity of the two bags due to manufacturing tolerances would effect side to side level in that scenario. Once you start throwing any sort of lateral force into the body of the truck, like driving through a curve or a turn, you compress one bag and where does the air go in that bag? It doesn't compress with the bag, but it travels through the line to the other bag, that is currently being unloaded and "inflates" that bag further, making the truck lean further and decreasing stability.

If a bag is leaking then that needs to be addressed, not covered up with a bandaid.

[Bill2014]

Has anyone thought of connecting the airlines together before the fill port? I really don’t haul uneven loads. And if one bag is leaking for some reason I’d like them to stay the same pressure. My two thoughts

The problem with that would come from stability. On a level, static surface that might work. Differences in the elasticity of the two bags due to manufacturing tolerances would effect side to side level in that scenario. Once you start throwing any sort of lateral force into the body of the truck, like driving through a curve or a turn, you compress one bag and where does the air go in that bag? It doesn't compress with the bag, but it travels through the line to the other bag, that is currently being unloaded and "inflates" that bag further, making the truck lean further and decreasing stability.

If a bag is leaking then that needs to be addressed, not covered up with a bandaid.

And that is a very good point when the bags aren't independently controlled... Awesome catch!
Don't increase the air line sizes between the bags - or on a long sweeping turn, air will rush to the turn inside bag and cause extra tipping. This doesn't happen with spring suspension because an extended spring exerts less force than a compressed spring. Air pressure at equilibrium between an extended and compressed bag exerts the same force.

[HeavyDuty]

That is a very good point. That’s why I throw the questions out to other people. Thanks again.

[HeavyDuty]

Well the install went great thanks to this write up. Loaded up the box with a full load of Douglas fir. And instead of being bottomed right out I was level as can be. And no more wobbling on the highway. A very successful install. Thanks guys.

[olyelr]

Heck yea!

[olyelr]

I didnt even add air to the bags here...mainly because I dont have onboard air (and I wasnt traveling very far).

[pw1601]

I finally got around to doing this. In my case (a 2019) I didn't have to tap the hole for the cradle. There was plenty of room to get a nut on the bolt and get a wrench in there to hold it. So far it's working great!

[Chubbs]

Mine arrived Sunday. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to install them this week.