Just a little Project underway....

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I'd love if a neighbor, friend or myself had a shop with a 10k lift. When I lived in my Momentum, I lived on an Army base at their campground, less than a mile from the auto hobby shop, their lift maxed out at 8k. I did the air bags on the ground, wasnt the most fun I ever had.

I like how you have everything staged in your picture. Excellent choice on the Milwaukee tools.

Good plan on the valve setup, let us know how it turns out.

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I'm pretty fortunate to have that lift available, and certainly very appreciative too. I love the Milwaukee tools. I sold everything I had DeWalt a few years back and started building back with the Big red M stuff. As far as the valving goes, I did the same exact thing on the first one (the F250) and it worked out well, so I'm doing it again.

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It's always easier the 2nd time! Took me about 7 hours total - there were one or two bolts/nuts that were very difficult to access (plus I'm just pretty slow anyway). Otherwise the basic installation is fairly simple.

I run 5psi when empty and 35-40 when loaded. My trailer rides a little nose high so I inflate the bags just until the bed starts to go up. I found it gives a nice/solid feel when driving.

I also started with 2 independent filler valves then later added a "T" and now use just one filler valve. I couldn't see the need for me to keep the 2 bags separate and it's just easier to fill them both with one filler valve.

Thanks for the tip on starting pressures. I'm going to be right at 3800-3900 lbs on the pin weight, so mine might need a bit more, but I'll have an almost 1800 mile (one way) trip coming up later this year to play with the settings and see what works best. I do appreciate you letting me know your pressures....it might be a good place to start.

[Sportsdad60]

Fun project! I call it "Automobile Yoga" based on the stretches you're doing to attached them!

I put them on my 2000 F350 SRW last year. I also have a 10k lift in my garage but unfortunately it is a 4 post, meaning I can't get my new DRW on it.

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Fun project! I call it "Automobile Yoga" based on the stretches you're doing to attached them!

I put them on my 2000 F350 SRW last year. I also have a 10k lift in my garage but unfortunately it is a 4 post, meaning I can't get my new DRW on it.

That would really suck, to have a lift that is more than enough capacity, but not being able to use it on a Dually........sorry man, I feel your pain.

[JCR GD]

Any suggestions for a starting point on empty truck air pressure in the bags. When loaded, I'll just add air until I'm back at the unloaded height on the fender wells......or slightly less.

I adjusted mine as you suggest when I first installed it and ended up at 78lbs. (when hitched) with 3800lbs. on the pin.

JFWIW it is really nice to be able to adjust while on the road. Have done it many times to fine tune on rough roads. The on-board compressor and in-cab controls are well worth it... IMHO

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I adjusted mine as you suggest when I first installed it and ended up at 78lbs. (when hitched) with 3800lbs. on the pin.

JFWIW it is really nice to be able to adjust while on the road. Have done it many times to fine tune on rough roads. The on-board compressor and in-cab controls are well worth it... IMHO

Very good to know some real world pressures....thank you for posting that info.

[FT4NOW]

JFWIW it is really nice to be able to adjust while on the road. Have done it many times to fine tune on rough roads. The on-board compressor and in-cab controls are well worth it... IMHO

I agree. My last truck had manual fill bags, my current truck has on board air with the remote in the cab. It has memory options, so I keep one setting for unloaded and one for loaded, plus I can adjust as necessary if needed for any other loads.

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[BumbleZ]

So I put airbags on a previous truck I had...an F250 diesel about 4 or 5 years ago and it was a total pain in the butt job. That truck is gone and I now have a F350 Dually diesel and I'm getting ready to add some airbags to it. The only reason that I'm not going to be crawling around on the ground under this one, my neighbor built a new garage a few years back and had a 10,000 lb lift installed in the garage and offered to let me use it when I put the bags on the Dually. So here is what is going on the Dually, hopefully this weekend.

I'm also not doing a "standard" hookup as far as the airlines to inflation valve. I'm adding two "T" fittings and an "Open/Closed" valve in the lines. This will give me the ability to be able to fill both bags using either one of the inflation valves. More importantly though, if I close the open/close valve off, I can then inflate one bag to a certain pressure and the other bag to a different pressure. That might come in handy if a load that is placed in the bed of the truck is heavier on one side than the other. Probably a bit of overkill, but hey, I'm retired and have time to do it any way that I like!. Here's a pic of the air flow schematic.....

I installed the Airlift 7500XL with the onboard wireless controlled compressor on my 2500HD Duramax a couple of months ago. It was a royal pain doing it on my back/on the garage floor but it does a fantastic job at smoothing out your ride and practically eliminating any trailer chucking. However, I have a couple of tips that could save you hours during the install.

First, if you have after market bed rails for your hitch installed, you will not be able to use the included U-bolts to mount the bags to the frame. You will have to drill into your bed frame and use the included self-tapping bolts. I had the aftermarket rails and did the drilling. It was nearly impossible to drill through that thick steel frame using regular drill bits. Off to Home Depot and purchased a 3/16 in hex shank impact drill bit, https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...4609/205879004 and a 1/8 in to 1/2 inch step drill bit https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...9201/204312636. After taking nearly an hour trying to futilely drill a single hole through the frame with a regular bit, these two bits did the job in less than 2-3 minutes per hole. Use the 3/16 bit in your impact drill to do a pilot hole, then use the step bit to make the hole big enough (just barely) for the self-tapping bolts. Be careful with that step bit or you'll make the hole too large. I made that mistake just once then it was off to Ace Hardware to find the next size up bolt to use.

Next, after putting your swivel elbow connectors on each of your bags, take a small length of the included hose, put one of the schrader valves in it and put maybe about 10lbs in the bag. Then soap water spray the fitting that threads into the air bag and watch for leaks/bubbles. I check all my T connectors when installing but did not check the airbag fittings before installing. Guess what? One the air bag fittings leaked after I installed and of course there was no way to get a wrench or socket in there to tighten it. I then loosened and removed the bag, tightened the fitting, then tested before attaching again. No leaks this time.

I've put over 3000 miles on these airbags since pulling my 310RLS from Denver up to Glacier NP in Montana, then to Wyoming and Yellowstone as well as a 1000 mile round trip to Montrose, CO without any problems. They do not leak and I measured the normal ride height of the bed, hook up my trailer, and add enough air to get the height to within an inch of empty right height. For me that is around 50 PSI. Without the trailer, the onboard compressor always maintains minimum of 5 PSI but I ride around daily driving with 7 PSI as that seems to be the sweet spot as far as ride comfort for my truck.

Good luck with your install and you'll love the air bags afterward.

[xrated]

I installed the Airlift 7500XL with the onboard wireless controlled compressor on my 2500HD Duramax a couple of months ago. It was a royal pain doing it on my back/on the garage floor but it does a fantastic job at smoothing out your ride and practically eliminating any trailer chucking. However, I have a couple of tips that could save you hours during the install.

First, if you have after market bed rails for your hitch installed, you will not be able to use the included U-bolts to mount the bags to the frame. You will have to drill into your bed frame and use the included self-tapping bolts. I had the aftermarket rails and did the drilling. It was nearly impossible to drill through that thick steel frame using regular drill bits. Off to Home Depot and purchased a 3/16 in hex shank impact drill bit, https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...4609/205879004 and a 1/8 in to 1/2 inch step drill bit https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...9201/204312636. After taking nearly an hour trying to futilely drill a single hole through the frame with a regular bit, these two bits did the job in less than 2-3 minutes per hole. Use the 3/16 bit in your impact drill to do a pilot hole, then use the step bit to make the hole big enough (just barely) for the self-tapping bolts. Be careful with that step bit or you'll make the hole too large. I made that mistake just once then it was off to Ace Hardware to find the next size up bolt to use.

Next, after putting your swivel elbow connectors on each of your bags, take a small length of the included hose, put one of the schrader valves in it and put maybe about 10lbs in the bag. Then soap water spray the fitting that threads into the air bag and watch for leaks/bubbles. I check all my T connectors when installing but did not check the airbag fittings before installing. Guess what? One the air bag fittings leaked after I installed and of course there was no way to get a wrench or socket in there to tighten it. I then loosened and removed the bag, tightened the fitting, then tested before attaching again. No leaks this time.

I've put over 3000 miles on these airbags since pulling my 310RLS from Denver up to Glacier NP in Montana, then to Wyoming and Yellowstone as well as a 1000 mile round trip to Montrose, CO without any problems. They do not leak and I measured the normal ride height of the bed, hook up my trailer, and add enough air to get the height to within an inch of empty right height. For me that is around 50 PSI. Without the trailer, the onboard compressor always maintains minimum of 5 PSI but I ride around daily driving with 7 PSI as that seems to be the sweet spot as far as ride comfort for my truck.

Good luck with your install and you'll love the air bags afterward.

Thank you for taking the time to write that up....much appreciated. Well, my plan didn't go as planned on the install. I got the truck over to the neighbors house and we started to put the lift arm under the truck and had the first problem. On mine, since it is a 4x4 with the FX4 package, there is a fuel tank skid plate/shroud that covers up the the driver side frame rail of the truck. I wasn't exactly sure about how to remove it and gain access to the frame rail, so I decided to just do it without the lift. My neighbor offered to help me do the install (I had not planned on him being there, but he was off that day and pitched in. So the install took place with me (and him) on our backs on creepers doing it. Since I had the factory 5th Wheel prep package, everything fit just fine and I didn't have to modify anything or drill any holes. We used his heavy floor jack to raise the back end of the truck (under the frame mounted receiver hitch, then added some jack stands on both sides and then rested the truck on them. There was enough room to work under there, as I had previously removed the spare tire/wheel and he had two creepers for us to be on. Once installed, I ran the air lines, including my modified hook up with two extra "T" fittings and the On/Off valve. Once aired up, I checked for leaks and it turns out that the On/Off valve I had purchased was leaking around the stem where the knob is at to turn it on or off. I returned it and have another (higher quality) valve that will be here tomorrow and I'll put it in when it arrives. No other leaks than the defective valve and everything looks good under there. So, it went better than I remember on my previous install, but still not exactly perfect. I'm headed out for a few days of camping next week, so I'll get a chance to see how I like them, now that they are installed.

[Boogiejack75]

So I put airbags on a previous truck I had...an F250 diesel about 4 or 5 years ago and it was a total pain in the butt job. That truck is gone and I now have a F350 Dually diesel and I'm getting ready to add some airbags to it. The only reason that I'm not going to be crawling around on the ground under this one, my neighbor built a new garage a few years back and had a 10,000 lb lift installed in the garage and offered to let me use it when I put the bags on the Dually. So here is what is going on the Dually, hopefully this weekend.





I'm also not doing a "standard" hookup as far as the airlines to inflation valve. I'm adding two "T" fittings and an "Open/Closed" valve in the lines. This will give me the ability to be able to fill both bags using either one of the inflation valves. More importantly though, if I close the open/close valve off, I can then inflate one bag to a certain pressure and the other bag to a different pressure. That might come in handy if a load that is placed in the bed of the truck is heavier on one side than the other. Probably a bit of overkill, but hey, I'm retired and have time to do it any way that I like!. Here's a pic of the air flow schematic.....

Great that you have a lift!! That will make a world of difference.

For those that don't, at least on the Fords, remove the spare tire before beginning work. It gives you a vertical area that I was able to sit upright in. Much better than a creeper.

The bolts that hold the top mount to the lower are a bitch no matter what you do.

Good luck.

I was running 35 psi in mine. Much better ride at 15-20 psi now. YMMV