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  1. #1
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Just a little Project underway....

    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.....
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
    2018 Momentum 394M...Heavily Modded!
    2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT+
    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

    "If it ain't fast....It ain't Fun"

  2. #2
    Seasoned Camper
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    I am interested in hearing your comments on truck ride quality before and after airbag installation both empty and with the trailer.
    2020 Reflection 337RLS
    2020 F350 Dually

  3. #3
    Site Sponsor
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    Best of Luck.
    You guys who tackle these projects have my respect.
    I would not ride in a vehicle I had worked on, I am not mechanically inclined.
    Let us know how it turns out:
    Bob A.
    Bob & Alice
    2020 Ram 3500 Limited Megacab SRW Aisin
    2020 Grand Design Imagine 2450RL
    ProPride 3P 1400 lb. bars WDH
    Micro Air easy start, Goodyear Endurance Load rated "E" Tires
    Titan 50 gallon diesel replacement tank
    Previous: 2019 Ram 1500 Limited

  4. #4
    Long Hauler geotex1's Avatar
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    Good luck with the weekend "work"! IMO, every dually should have bags. Just a little residual pressure in them when the truck is empty really cuts the jounce of the otherwise stiff 1-ton suspension.
    Rob & Nikki + Cloverfield
    2020 Grand Design Solitude S-Class 3350RL
    2015 RAM 3500 Longhorn Laramie Crew Cab, Long Bed, 4x4 Dually Cummins/AISIN

    Mountains of Pennsylvania

  5. #5
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Always Learning View Post
    I am interested in hearing your comments on truck ride quality before and after airbag installation both empty and with the trailer.
    I'm not unhappy with the way it drives or handles when empty....yes, it's a 1 Ton truck, but to be honest, it actually rides better empty than my previous F250 with 4x4 and a short bed and diesel. I'm also not at or over any of the truck's weight limits, even though I'm towing a 20K GVWR trailer, but I did have to adjust my headlights so that when I'm hooked up, they didn't affect oncoming traffic. The air bags will allow me to put the headlights back to where they should be and I can then adjust the air bags to get back to pre-loaded ride height on the truck. As it is now, the headlights shine too low when I'm not towing and are perfect when the trailer is hooked up. As a side benefit, the bags should smooth out the ride when both loaded and unloaded, so hopefully it will work out well for me.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
    2018 Momentum 394M...Heavily Modded!
    2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT+
    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

    "If it ain't fast....It ain't Fun"

  6. #6
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Thank you.....I'm certainly not a mechanic, but I've been a Journeyman Electrician since 1980, so working with tools is something that my father taught me at a young age and I've obviously continued using a variety of tools over my lifetime. I can honestly say, I was seriously thinking about having them installed instead of doing it myself. I'm pretty anal about doing things perfectly with the utmost craftsmanship, but I still didn't want to spend that much time on my back on an old wooden creeper and under the truck. When my neighbor offered the use of his lift, I decided to do it myself, because I know I can (did it on the last truck myself)....I just didn't want to do it while laying on the ground or the creeper. Being 66 years old, doing stuff like that is a lot more painful than it was when I was younger, so the lift was the ticket for me doing it.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
    2018 Momentum 394M...Heavily Modded!
    2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT+
    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

    "If it ain't fast....It ain't Fun"

  7. #7
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by geotex1 View Post
    Good luck with the weekend "work"! IMO, every dually should have bags. Just a little residual pressure in them when the truck is empty really cuts the jounce of the otherwise stiff 1-ton suspension.
    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.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
    2018 Momentum 394M...Heavily Modded!
    2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT+
    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

    "If it ain't fast....It ain't Fun"

  8. #8
    Rolling Along cfowler55's Avatar
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    I run 5psi empty and 28 loaded. Really like the wireless remote controlled compressor. This puts the truck level , or a couple of inches lower than empty ride height in the rear. I’m running just north of 3000 lbs pin weight.
    Charlie
    Vickie & Charlie
    2019 310GK-R
    2020 RAM Longhorn DRW Cummins /Aisin

  9. #9
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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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.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
    2023 Momentum 398M-R
    2023 Ford F-450

    SOLD - 2021 Reflection 311BHS
    SOLD - 2017 Momentum 399TH

  10. #10
    Site Sponsor
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    I had...an F250 diesel about 4 or 5 years ago and it was a total pain in the butt job.
    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.
    2021 Solitude 310GK: Linen/DP windows/gen prep/slide toppers/king bed/EOH disc brakes/Cooper-H tires
    2019 F-350: Lariat/CC/LB/Diesel/DRW/4x4/Bakflip MX4/B&W 20K/AirLift 5000
    Other stuff: TST 507 TPMS/2x BB batteries/Victron BMV-712/Champion 3500 dual fuel gen/Garmin 780 GPS/22" Blackstone

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