Air bags

[viol8r]

Which air bags do you recomend for towing? Seems that everyone has Air Rides or Firestones?? Whats the difference and is one better than the other?? Thanks Duane

[Duluth Diesel]

I've heard good things about Firestone Ride Rites, but I haven't personally used them. My friend had them and swears by them. I run Timbrens, which are a rubber spring that replaces your bump stop. I like Timbrens since there are no air lines to route or freeze up or leak. The Timbrens are pretty simple, but you don't have to tinker with them. Just load the truck and go.

-Chuck

[willy]

I run Air Rides on my F-250 wk truck. They work pretty well. I have no complaints. Just remember to run them on seperate lines, regardless of whether you install an onboard compressor or not. If it were my personal rig, I'd go ahead a cough up the extra $$$ for the compressor. It's just a nice convience, as you'll want to adjust the pressure depending on whether you're carring a load or not.

[bruceatlam]

I'm running Firestone Ride Rites --- so far so good. Seem to hold pressure fine. So far, no complaints.

[AlaskaCub]

I've got the Air Rides and so far they have worked well. Even after sub zero nights they still hold air. The only thing I dont like is that if you have any air what so ever in em and you hit a big dip in the road its like your truck is bottoming out.It literally launches chit thats in my bed into the air. My roads suck so I have to veer to avoid what we call frost heaves to avoid the bang clunk and seeing the chit in my bed mid air in my rear view mirror. They kinda bypass your existing suspension. I try to keep right at 5psi (give or take a lb) in em, with much more its a crazy bumpy ride on my chitty roads.

[TundraBay]

I'm still on the fence, bags or extra spring.
I intend to overload my truck when towing (5th wheel)
(I know I know axle breakage etc.)
But I think these trucks are tougher than the 1500 lb rating they have.
If not, you'll be hearing from me cautionary tales in early summer,
and I'll be looking for a 3/4 tonner.

Anyway, I don't have to worry about it until April, so I'm
just going to keep thinking about it

[emjohnso]

I would believe the 1500# payload, I had a little over 2000 and was bottomed out. Tundra's payload is just average, nothing special, really sucks. I will get a 1 ton for my next truck.

[cwit]

I haul a 5th wheel with my truck 1240 lbs. pin weight, settles the truck 2inches. My truck handles the load like a dream. I will air bag my truck only because I,m planning on keeping it for quite a while. Firestone air bags.

[TENTundra]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the air bag manufacturers. Most of them have been in the business of manufacturing air bag equipment for decades and on way more extreme applications than most of us will ever need. Where the difference really lies is in the design and construction of the kit itself. There have been some kits where the engineering wasn't all that great, and in some cases resulted in bag failures, which wasn't the bags fault to begin with. It was the bracket/mounting system used.
Hellwig has a nice new kit for the Tundra that is worth looking into. There will be others out shortly I'm sure.

[Only Toyota for me]

Originally Posted by cwit

I haul a 5th wheel with my truck 1240 lbs. pin weight, settles the truck 2inches. My truck handles the load like a dream. I will air bag my truck only because I,m planning on keeping it for quite a while. Firestone air bags.

5th wheel also about the same weight, truck does well.

I may airbag in the future.

[TundraBay]

The fact that this truck bottoms out with a ton in the bed is no surprise. This is more a function of springs than anything else. With either a helper spring or air bags you can prevent the bottoming out issue.
I'm more interested in seeing what will happen if you put a ton in the back, [with either air bags or springs] and then drive 800 miles down the highway (or 100 miles down a dirt road to our favorite hunting hangout). Will I be buying a new rear end? New rear bearings? New attachments from the springs to the frame?
Whatever happens, I'll post pics next May when I haul the beast (34', 9000 lb 5er).

I am aware that GVWR and payload capacity is an engineered solution, and is driven by a lot of considerations, not the least of which is there are areas where you're not allowed to drive (or park) a vehicle over a certain rated weight. I know my old Dodge was not allowed into the condo development of my in-laws. There was a road I think in New York State that had a sign reading something like: "Vehicles rated above 7,500 lbs not allowed". I drove my Ram on it anyway, planning to plead ignorance in case I got pulled over. I didn't get pulled over.
.
.
I'm not an engineer so I know this doesn't count for much but I have looked at the mounting and the rear end and it looks damn near as heavy duty as my '99 Dodge 2500 V10 rear end which had GVWR of like 8,800 lbs and a payload of 3,000 lbs and a towing capacity of about 13,000 lbs.
.
.
.
Now that I think about it, that truck is still sitting on the lot. . . maybe I should just keep it, in case this Toyota "expeerment" don't work out.

[viol8r]

Thanks for the info giys.. Duane

[cwit]

For as long as there has been trucks people have been overloading them. This is why I think they under rate their truck carrying cap. This thuck is a light duty 3/4 ton. Just my opinion.

[TundraBay]

cwit,
.
I'm probably just obsessing.
.
My 5er trailer hitch weight is 1525.
.
Dry weight 8350.
.
Carrying Capacity 3335.
.
So (to demonstrate I'm not an idiot) if I'm fully loaded I' over capacity any which way you measure it.
.
Especially if I add my 120 lb honda generator to the bed of the truck, about 4 or 5, 5 gallon cans of fuel, chainsaw, etc., etc.,
.
I'm thinking that airbags were designed for situations like this. But in other threads and other forums I'v read about wheel bearing failures, bed warping, vehicle stablity issues, yadda yadda.
.
From the looks of your trailer you're probably running about 1100 lbs pin weight, am I right? How does it tow? And I'm curious, did you get airbags?
.
Thanks
.
Never mind, I read your post above. Tows 1220 lbs in bed fine, no A/B yet

[pdc_rnr]

When going to put some Firestone RideRites on my Tundra D-Cab LB and the 5th wheel hitch is mounted to the holes that the air lines are supposed to run through. Anyone else run into this and how do you mount them?