Tell me about your air bags!

[Powerwagon Nut]

I have been looking at adding some air bags to my 2005 Powerwagon. I've searched this site, only to find a lot of great information spread through several threads. I have looked at the Carli long travel, very nice but pricey, and at the DayStar cradle kit, which looks like a great option. I also read the new style Air Ride 5000 air bags won't fit into the DayStar cradles...experiences? Opinions?

I have a 1600# wet slide in camper, and it sags a little bit. It rides fine, sways a little bit more than without the camper, but nothing dangerous or scary. I would like to level the truck and have a little stiffer ride loaded, especially because I want to tow my 18' boat behind the truck and camper.

What kind of air bags do you have? Do you like them? Do the DayStar Cradles work with the Firestone or Helwig airbag kits? Thanks in advance, even if you have posted the info before.

[05PWrockcrawler]

I have Firestone airbags with daystar cradles that work great.


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[Powerwagon Nut]

Another shot of the big rig with the camper on...

[R0NAN]

I have the Carli long travel air bags and very much like them. Yes they are pricey but you get a very well made product. The bags are specially made for Carli by Firestone. The air volume of the bags are much higher than your standard air bags so you end up having a much nicer ride. The brackets are made of thick aluminum. Nice welds. You won't tear the bags articulating your suspension. My only complaint is that they didn't come with grade 8 hardware so I went out and bought my own(+12$).
The day star cradles are another good option. 2/3rds the price but it is possible to get debris / mud in between the bag and the cradle and the bags air volumes are a fraction of the Carli option, resulting in a rougher ride under load.
Those are the only two options I would consider other than looking at helper springs.

[JBM Power Wagon]

I've got the Air Lift 5000 (have an internal heavy duty bump stop as a back up if the air bag ever fails) and the Daystar cradles. So far the set up has worked great for me!

[Powerwagon Nut]

Do your airbags have the metal disc attached on both ends? I am afraid to order something from the internet and not have it work when I install it.

05pwrockcrawler - What model firestones do you have?

[05PWrockcrawler]

The regular 2500 ram bags. Yes metal on both ends. I flex mine a crap load and air bags still holding up great.


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[05PWrockcrawler]

I'm working offshore so don't have a part number for them on hand.


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[JBM Power Wagon]

Mine don't have the metal and I have heard they can wear out with the friction between the bag and the Daystar cradle. However I can always replace just the bags if I need to.

[Powerwagon Nut]

Thanks for the info! I think I'm going to order some.

[olyelr]

Do your airbags have the metal disc attached on both ends? I am afraid to order something from the internet and not have it work when I install it.

That is the benefit of paying for a pre-built, all in one type kit like Carli's.

[Cactus Red]

The above info is incorrect. If you order the parts listed in many threads on this forum, including my build thread, you will get an extremely functional, relatively low cost system that works better, yes, better, than the Carli setup. Spend the extra on something else like synthetic rope for your winch...

Repacement parts are available anywhere without the hassle and delay of ordering from a single source. The Carli bags fail - I personally know of three that leaked in less than a year. One of those was a friend on a 7 week trip to AK. He had a cascade of failure once the bag wasn't working - the shock on that side went as well trying to control the extra weight. He could probably have gotten a replacement Firestone in either Anchorage or Fairbanks - no chance of the Carli without waiting for days or paying huge shipping costs to get it second day.

I beat the crap outta my DayStar/Firestone setup, and never give it a thought.

Dennis Miller "You can't order black coffee anymore. It's un-creamed..."

[fbenross]

Speaking of quality of ride: The only time I notice this is when I (hardly ever) take my camper off. Then the ride sucks, like riding a buck board. I put Firestones on 9 years ago and tortured them off road with camper the whole time w/o any problems with stretching them at full flex. When the daystars came out I got them cuz I feel It's a no brainer and they made the Carli air bags a good looking dinosaur. One thing I like to tell guys with campers is-get the firestone kit so you can raise and lower the individual bag press. from in the cab. I wont ever go w/o this option again. But it is over $300.00 now I think. And that's U.S. dollars not whatever they use north of the wall.

[azracer]

I'm happy with my Firestone bags with the Daystar cups. The only negative I have found is the bottoming out is harsher when compared to the OEM bumps. Otherwise they make it possible to level my PW out with any load I can put in it.

I also lost about an 1" of up travel but thats because I modified my truck to get more up travel with the Thuren LT leafs and shackle. That allowed me to run without the spacer block under the OEM bump stop. The Firestone w/ Daystar cups seem to be exactly the same up travel as the OEM bump with the factory spacer.

[FirerescuePW]

Guys with the Daystar cradles- do any of you have vacuum plumbed so you can basically retract the bags? I read a short post about this on DTX, but that was the only thing I have seen. Is this even a reasonable idea? To me, it sounds a little shaky. Uncontrolled, even. Thoughts?

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[azracer]

I just dump all or nearly all the air (3>5psi) and the truck articulates as if it were essentially stock.

I see no need to put them in a vacuum. However the instructions clearly state to keep them at a minimum of 5psi. I assume this is so they will act more like a progressive bump stop and to maintain the shape of the bags. The 5psi may be too much for doing high speed stuff because once the bag is compressed all the way the air bag may give you some kick on rebound. For all other uses on road or off road 3>5psi is fine IMHO.

[Cactus Red]

I leave mine at 15 PSI every day. At 8000 lbs, that's what it takes to level the truck. It still flexes extremely well.

Dennis Miller "You can't order black coffee anymore. It's un-creamed..."

[JBM Power Wagon]

I deflate my Air Lift bags completely when not towing or hauling. By they have the internal bumpstop.

[JBM Power Wagon]

Here's a photo with my truck loaded with my ATV, ramps, jerry cans, water jugs, my sons mini ATV and my trailer fully loaded. The air bags levelled the truck out and it road great for the 250km drive.

[Powerwagon Nut]

Thank you again for the info and pictures. I just went on no weekend jaunt down the Oregon coast and some of the roads are pretty narrow and rough for 'highway' driving. The airbags seem like a great idea for going around curves and also (just thought if this) leveling my camper!

I have decided to go with the Firestone bags and the DayStar cradles for the same reason I bought TOYOs instead of BF Goodrich tires...I can stop anywhere along the coast and get replacement parts.

[yagovomaltmoor]

I recently bought an older Sun Lite truck camper to use with my 2015 Wagon. It's right at about 1400# loaded. Used the cheap method of securing the camper to brackets through the bed stake holes to get it home. Had a bit of sway when hitting uneven, bump pavement mid-corner. Not downright scary but not happy with potential for sway during long trips.

My first priority is to secure the camper to Wagon using Torklift frame mounted tie-downs. Also need to inflate my tires to 60/65 (had been running at around 50). Do you think this will help cure the sway?

If not, will installing the Daystar/Firestone combo help? Will I need to install onboard air along with the cradles and bags?

Sorry for the rudimentary questions - want to improve the situation and not waste money

[Powerwagon Nut]

I did exactly the same thing! I ordered the torklifts and they are awesome. My camper doesn't move an inch (literally) and I upgraded to heavier load rated tires.

After a weekend camping trip this weekend I decided to order the Firestone airbags and Daystar cradles. The Firestones arrived today (I ordered them at 11 am yesterday). When I went out to inspect the bump stops I'll be removing to install the new airbags I was amazed...they were shiny and clean and so were the axles right where they land.

Good thing I'm putting in the airbags as soon as the DayStar cradles arrive! I have to give a lot of credit to Cactus Red, his build thread (page 3 for me) gave all the info you need...product numbers, pictures, explanations, etc. I was concerned that what I was buying might not fit, but after seeing his build I am glad I went that route. I'll post pics as I install the airbags.

[cruz]

My $0.02 ...
I'm on my third pickup/camper combo and all three have/had airbags , all three were daily drivers without the camper on the truck . Airbags are a relatively inexpensive upgrade , easy to install , there when you need them and not there when you don't . They will greatly improve the handling when driving at speed , they will help , but not eliminate sway/rocking when traveling at very slow speeds , like when going over speed-bumps or driveway approaches at an angle . When the rear end of any vehicle begins to sag , the steering axle begins to lose contact with the road producing vague handling , coupled with the sway of the camper , it can get pretty scary . After you get them on , you'll wonder why you waited .

On board air is a nice addition but not necessary , after I load my camper I just set the pressure and leave it alone.
I also have Rancho 9000 adjustable rear shocks , but would probably use a custom valved non-adjustable shock if I left the camper on my truck full time. I also remove the four , 30lb. each jacks .

When you install them , wrap the air lines with flexible wire conduit for cheap extra protection , on my previous truck I used the conduit at chafe points , on the PW I covered the entire length end to end , the stuff is cheap !

As far as Carli airbags go , I have no personal experience , I'll agree that they look very well made and that they are expensive .
Right or wrong , my logic is that for CAMPERS , their inboard mounting location would provide less leverage to help with side to side sway , but would work just fine for adjusting ride attitude when carrying heavy low center of gravity loads or towing trailers .

[yagovomaltmoor]

Thanks guys. I order the Firestone/Daystar combo. Hope that setup works.

My real issue is that the camper's COG is too far aft. I bought it because it has a wet bath and the previous owner had it on a shortbed. The COG is about 12-14 inches behind the axle. Didn't realize until got it on the truck and deal was done. I'm hoping a few upgrades make it useable until I find one designed for a shortbed.

[fbenross]

My $0.02 ...
I'm on my third pickup/camper combo and all three have/had airbags , all three were daily drivers without the camper on the truck . Airbags are a relatively inexpensive upgrade , easy to install , there when you need them and not there when you don't . They will greatly improve the handling when driving at speed , they will help , but not eliminate sway/rocking when traveling at very slow speeds , like when going over speed-bumps or driveway approaches at an angle . When the rear end of any vehicle begins to sag , the steering axle begins to lose contact with the road producing vague handling , coupled with the sway of the camper , it can get pretty scary . After you get them on , you'll wonder why you waited .

On board air is a nice addition but not necessary , after I load my camper I just set the pressure and leave it alone.
I also have Rancho 9000 adjustable rear shocks , but would probably use a custom valved non-adjustable shock if I left the camper on my truck full time. I also remove the four , 30lb. each jacks .

When you install them , wrap the air lines with flexible wire conduit for cheap extra protection , on my previous truck I used the conduit at chafe points , on the PW I covered the entire length end to end , the stuff is cheap !

As far as Carli airbags go , I have no personal experience , I'll agree that they look very well made and that they are expensive .
Right or wrong , my logic is that for CAMPERS , their inboard mounting location would provide less leverage to help with side to side sway , but would work just fine for adjusting ride attitude when carrying heavy low center of gravity loads or towing trailers .

Never realized the carlis were inboard of the shocks ! That would be less effective. Cruz how do you level your camper when camped, if you don't adj. your air pressure ? and have the jacks off ?