Air bags to increase pay load

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Hunter Rob

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2022
Posts
26
Reaction score
12
Location
calgary alberta canada
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.4 hemi
Hi. im getting a 2022 PW soon, just wondering about good and bad on putting on airbags,next year
i want to put a camper on for hunting and fishing trips. I need to pull my quad or a boat.
please let me know what you think.
Thanks
 

OC455

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Posts
3,047
Reaction score
2,624
Location
Central NY
Ram Year
2018, 2019
Engine
5.7 Hemi Big Horn, 6.4L Hemi 3500 Longhorn Mega cab
Air bags will not increase your payload. They can help with leveling and stabilizing your carried load. That's about it.
 

BowerPower

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Posts
111
Reaction score
97
Location
Arkansas
Ram Year
2021
Engine
Hemi 6.4
If by "put a camper on" you mean one of those slide in campers, the power wagon comes with specific instructions not to. It can be done, I saw one in town yesterday didn't lean or sway around turns. If you mean a topper thing to enclose the bed then ignore that.
Legally speaking, air bags can not change the door sticker payload unless it were to be recertified. Luckily for us there is no law (that i have found) that says you can't go over that number. If your truck is sagging badly, swaying, etc. while hauling stuff the police can sight you for that. Highway police look for over loaded axles. Axle rating on this truck is 9000 pounds or so in the rear.

Real life example of the payload silliness on a power wagon. One time I had 4 adults in my truck and a big cast iron furnace thing. If I had to guess the weight of the adults 2 were 250lb and 2 were 300lb, the furnace weight 500lb, add that up 1600lb. Subtract 150lb for the driver that is calculated into payload rating for a total of 1450 of payload, if I remember correctly for my truck that's over weight, yet it didn't squat a whole inch. It's a heavy-duty truck! How can 4 adults and a little weight in the bed over load it?
 

thkbaron

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2019
Posts
1,449
Reaction score
802
Location
Minnesota
Ram Year
2018
Engine
6.4 Hemi
There's plenty of smaller slide in campers that people toss in power wagons. I believe most of all of them are using bags though.
 
OP
OP
H

Hunter Rob

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2022
Posts
26
Reaction score
12
Location
calgary alberta canada
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.4 hemi
Thanks for the feed back everyone
The camper im going with is 8ft 11inch and about 3200lb dry
So with airbags im sure the will sit level and drive decent.
I put airbags on my half ton and what a huge difference towing big
trailer with 8ft flat deck on the front with quad on it. Had no sag
at all.
Time to move up in the world with a new PW
 

dhay13

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2015
Posts
3,226
Reaction score
2,820
Ram Year
2018
Engine
2500 6.4L Hemi 4.10's 'Off-Road'
At 3200lbs you will be way payload and likely GRAWR. Check your GRAWR on your door sticker. Probably 6000 or 6500?
 

retired

Votes republican and identifies as a he/him
Joined
Aug 19, 2020
Posts
2,172
Reaction score
2,778
Location
montana
Ram Year
2020
Engine
6.4
no way in hell should you put a 3200lb camper on. you are in 3500 territory. Air bags will not make it safe to carry a 3200lb camper. figure by the time you get you and a passenger and your gear you will be over 4000lbs...
 
OP
OP
H

Hunter Rob

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2022
Posts
26
Reaction score
12
Location
calgary alberta canada
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.4 hemi
Just had to recheck the camper specs. and its between 2600 to 2800 lbs
not 3200lbs sorry about that guys
Not sure if that makes any diff. but thats why im on here to ask some pros
before i get one.
I really appreciate your advise... thanks
 

Dinky

Senior Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2019
Posts
2,200
Reaction score
2,476
Location
Oregon
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.7
Just had to recheck the camper specs. and its between 2600 to 2800 lbs
not 3200lbs sorry about that guys
Not sure if that makes any diff. but thats why im on here to ask some pros
before i get one.
I really appreciate your advise... thanks
Screenshot_20220410-192757_Chrome.jpg
 

Dodge trucker

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2021
Posts
302
Reaction score
172
Location
Kankakee il
Ram Year
1985
Engine
225
My '12 1/2 ton came with airbags on the rear axle installed by a PO. They are completely flat right now I haven't had a need yet to air them up and see if they hold.
 

andymax

Senior Member
Joined
May 7, 2020
Posts
165
Reaction score
173
Location
Central Ohio
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
The debate should not be about "legality"...the real issues are safety and insurance. There must be a viable reason that RAM derates the payload on a power wagon...surely it has to do with the off-road suspension.

More importantly, don't think for a second that your insurance company won't investigate whether the vehicle was overloaded if you get into an an accident, especially if there are any injuries. Sure, they might cover the accident, but you will be dropped immediately and good luck finding a new company to insure you. I believe this based on an in-depth discussion with my uncle who spent 12 years in claims investigation at "Flo's insurance company".

There's this huge misconception that airbags correct the weights distributed between axles...they don't. They only level...giving one the appearance of not being overloaded. Not the case.

Not convinced? Google this phrase: do airbags increase payload?
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
195,437
Posts
2,870,248
Members
156,135
Latest member
2023RamWarlock
Top