recommendations for rear air bag suspension support on 1500?

I'm sure there are threads addressing this, but I can't find them cause the search function eliminates most of my key words because they are too 'generic' or short or whatever.... all i can get it to search for comes back with only 'suspension' in the search. Arrrgh...

Anyway, wondering what recommendations for a rear air bag suspension kit?

I regularly, (all though not necessarily often...) have the need to load the bed of the truck in the range of roughly up to 2500 lbs (+/-). Not a daily thing, but for sure regular, which is why I stepped down from a 3/4 ton to the 1/2 ton. I also regularly, but again not daily, tow a 8 x 16 cargo trailer, loaded at various weights. By far most of the time the truck is unloaded, but at times will get a good workout. When it is loaded, it's usually pretty heavy. Probably a little less stress when towing the trailer, but even then, probably still more than healthy for a 1500.

Given my needs, I think the new Hemi, 1500, that I just bought, will work just fine, if I install air bags in the rear for use when needed.

Any insight from anyone who has installed them? From the bit of research I've done, the 9" air bags from Total Load Control look good, but maybe a system with smaller bags, but higher PSI , inside the coils is better?? Would think that the further out the airbags are, (in the springs) could be better, but the larger diameter, and lower PSI of the TLC system makes sense too.

What about auto leveling kits? Worth it? or just as good with something to be manually adjusted? Either way I'm going with something that has a compressor on-board so I can adjust when I need it. Don't like the idea of having to have, or find an air compressor every time I load up, or want to adjust the ride....

Thanks!

look up thor09 he runs the air lift 1000 and likes it, under his build thread in member trucks he has some pictures of install and loads on and what he noticed. That is the kit I am going to run, pretty cheap and seems like it works pretty good. Hope that helps and sure some other people will chime in.

Not sure if a 1500 is going to do it for you... Even with air bags, 2500lbs in the bed (I think I read that correctly) is going to break something.

I regularly load mine around 1400 lbs payload plus people in the cab, and 400 lb toolbox in the bed, and when I do, I drive like grandma over bumps, and believe me, the suspension is not happy. Throw another 700 lbs in there and I would be waiting for the wheel studs to break, or the wheel bearings to grind to a screeching halt.

What truck did you buy in order to fit 2500 lbs in the bed? SCLB?

I have a set of Timbrens, and the Airlift 1000 bags. I only installed the bags a few days ago so I haven't pulled the Timbrens yet, and have half a load on right now. Figure I have 800-900 lbs in the back of the truck counting my toolbox, and I am about at the unladen stock height. The bags lifted the back of the truck 3/4 of an inch (measured) over stock when fully inflated.

Be forewarned though, they do make some funny rubber shoes on a wooden floor noises whenever you drive in a place that has a echo like a parking garage.

Maybe i'm a bit off on my wieght calculation.... I'll be loading up sheet material, mostly particle board, which is heavier than plywood.

So if the average sheet weighs 70lbs, 30 sheets would be 18.75" high, and weigh 2100 lbs. The truck is is a crew cab, short box.

Lots of guys are running the Airlift 1000 or similiar bags.... What's the advantage of the Total Load Control Version? That system is can be had for 3 - 4x the price, so what's the differances? I don't mind the extra cost if it's got the benefit to justify.

I've been using my 3/4 ton for these loads for years. It's 15 years old, and has 450 km on it, so time to be retired. Before that I used a 1/2 ton, which wasn't great, since everything was stock. The new truck I don't want to overload like I did then. This would be the max payload I would take, (or could fit....), and only once every 6 weeks or so, for the hour drive back to the shop, pretty much all flat highway. Maybe 4 blocks of city driving till I'm on the highway.

If airbags aren't going to cut it, I'll invest in another trailer for this purpose.

Either way I may just put the airbags in for towing the trailer, but not sure If I'd need them or not. Not sure what the tongue weight would be.

I had close to 1400 lbs. in mine when I brought home my hardwood flooring. It may have been able to hold a couple hundred pounds more, but I wouldn't have felt comfortable with it.

If you have a CCSB then won't these sheets be at least as long as your box+tailgate down? This makes the weight even worse since the payload has to be shifted back, basically balancing it over your rear axle as opposed to adding weight to both the front, and rear suspension.

I think the TLC system is nice, and I would have been in the same boat as you, but I already had an on-board compressor for my air horn, and reserve air tank. I would definitely encourage you to add something to the back. These half tons are super washy in the back when loaded stock, although I am sure some of that can be attributed to "soft" tires compared to the tires they put on real trucks. I think the c rating on the 17in tires are as heavy as they come, but I am not toally sure how the p-rated 20inchers compare.

Well maybe best I just run half loads, with the air bags. I'm out there often enough that it wouldn't require an extra trip, just convenient to take all the sheet material I need for a job in 1 trip and be done with it.....but at the end of the day, not really that big a deal, since I'm regularly there anyway.

Either that or go with a second smaller trailer in addition to the 8x16 cargo....which could also work well as it would be handy for so many other things as well. Could save me from hauling around the 8 x 16 when something much smaller would work. Which the more I think about it, the more I wish I had another smaller trailer, for a lot of different reasons.

At the end of the day I think I'm still probably going with some air bag system, so any input is appreciated. Looks as though I may end up with another trailer as well. Don't see switching to a 2500 any time soon, as I'm sure I can work fine with the 1/2 ton, just don't load it up. Already got a heavy duty WD hitch, so can use that if I need for the big trailer.

....and yes, the sheets will hang over somewhat with the tail gate down.....

Air springs

I have a 1500 Outdoorsman that I use to tow my 32' camper with. Since the 1500's have coil springs, I bottomed out. I added better bump stop and the cheap bags that go in the coils. As soon as I move in Feb, I am replacing the coils with either Firestone or hellwig air springs. That's my opinion....Air springs with on board compressor. Ram figured that out. I think its stock starting in 2013 models.

Here is what 1600 pounds looks like in the back of my p/u. I have around 1,250 lbs of steel plus my tool box which has tire chains, recovery chains, shovels, etc. I also have the Airlift 1000 series bags at 35psi. One of my biggest complaints is the c rated tires. When I get new ones I will definitely go to at least d rated, probably e rated for puncture resistance, and side wall stiffness. With this much weight in the back the shocks do not provide adequate damping, and so caution must be exercised while driving.

Hellwig and Firestone both make air springs that replace the coil springs. Both are pricey but come with the compressor on board. Will definitely do the job. Truck spring.com sells the hellwig. Firestone's website can give you the specs on theirs. Worth the money....

What happens with those if you pop one? Do you just gently ride bump stops to the nearest dealer...? lol

Or do they have enough internal rigidity to let you limp home?

Buy an open trailer for the 2500lb loads. Don't mess about putting over a ton in what's classed as a half ton+ truck. It'll wear out all the bushings and bearings in a hurry.

Airbags or not, these trucks were NEVER designed for those loads.