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Old 08-12-2012, 01:55 AM   #1
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I'm thinking of putting rear air bags in my Dodge Ram 1500 to help with vehicle squat when hooking up the trailer. Anybody else have these and do they make a big difference.



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Old 08-12-2012, 02:22 AM   #2
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I have them on my Duramax. (Firestone brand)
Yes they make a difference. You can level the truck with them.
Just remember, they are no excuse for to big of a pay load for the TV.




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Old 08-12-2012, 03:46 AM   #3
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Badwin are you using a WD hitch?
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Old 08-12-2012, 10:33 AM   #4
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I have the Firestone ones on the back of my Dodge 2500. They make a huge difference in the ride. You wont be disappointed if you buy them. I put them on my truck in less then 2 hours, pretty easy install. The best price I found was from Auto Anything. Good luck



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Old 08-12-2012, 11:15 AM   #5
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Use them on 3500HD and last two truck. Help with the ride and levels out the truck. Will be a big help with the sagging.
I use Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 air bags - run at 5-8 lbs empty and 45-50 lbs when towing.</span>

Edited by: NorskeNY
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Old 08-13-2012, 05:38 AM   #6
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Thanks for the replies. Yes I do have a WDH. We recently uprgaded our truck from an 03 GMC Sierra to a 12 Dodge Ram. Both are 1/2 ton trailer equipped 4X4's. When I hooked up the new truck for the first time I could not believe how much more the truck squatted over the GMC. This is of course before the Torsion bars are attached. I have since been told that it is because Dodge use coils springs while GMC uses leaf springs. I have been told by lots of people who pull RV's that putting airbags on their trucks makes the pulling experience 100% more enjoyable so I thought I would toss it out here on the forum for more input.

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Old 08-13-2012, 12:33 PM   #7
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I have installed Firestone airbags on my old Dodge 3500 and my new F-350. As long as you get the "No Drill" version they are extremely easy to install.
You will not be disappointed in the resulting ride quality.




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Old 08-18-2012, 12:11 AM   #8
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love mine, i also have the on board air compressor. the bags are rated for 5000lbs. this is my second truck with them. we towed with my wifes light duty suburban for a year and i installed timberens in her truck. they worked pretty good also. (copy and paste link)



http://timbren.com/Edited by: spinella
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Old 08-18-2012, 03:31 AM   #9
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I have Timbren's on the back of my truck. Had them installed by the dealer when I had a Palomino truck camper. The only complaint I have is the ride is a bit stiff when running empty, because I added the spacer, but the truck only drops about 1/2 inch when I had the camper on or with the trailer hooked up.
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Old 08-19-2012, 01:02 AM   #10
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We have been reading all the posts on airbags. They are a new concept to us. Can someone give us the quick intro on the benefits? We have an 03 Chevy Silverado 1500, and tow a Sunset trail 24rb. Thank you.
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Old 08-19-2012, 01:11 AM   #11
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Here is a link with a video. I don't know if I agree with all this guy says or not, but this will let you at least see what they are. If you Google Firestone air bags you will get a lot of info.

https://www.google.com/search?q=video+on+firestone+air+bags&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;aq=t&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&amp;client=firefox-a



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Old 08-22-2012, 10:38 AM   #12
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Firestone brand here. Won't own a truck again without them.. HUGE difference with those big loads.





Edited by: danskool
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Old 08-22-2012, 10:56 PM   #13
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OK, get out your crossbows.
Adding airbags to a squating truck is sort of like trying to polish a turd, it isn't happening. Your truck is either sufficient for the RV or not. If you have that much squat then you have too little truck. When an RV is attached to a proper towing vehicle there should be little squat. If you look at my profile picture below you will see what I mean.
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Old 08-23-2012, 12:28 AM   #14
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Art, I don't fully agree with you. I do agree if you have a, say 1/2 ton PU and you are trying to pull a rig like yours, yes, then I will agree with you. If you are just trying to raise the rear of your PU an inch or two just to level it, then I don't agree with your theory. 3/4 ton trucks like yours or mine have overload spring/springs. They are going to squat when ever you put weight in the back. Normally it stops when it hits the overload spring, if it isn't a tremendous amount. They are made to ride comfortably when empty. But I don't care what you have for a truck, if you put weight in the back, it's going to squat.
I use my air bags to bring the rig back to "level" which raises the back of my truck about 2 in.



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Old 08-23-2012, 01:31 AM   #15
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I just went from a Dodge 3500 SRW with Timbrens to a Chevy 3500 DRW stock. I needed the Timbrens on the SRW with our current unit to make it ride level while towing our PP. I upgraded the truck to a DRW because our next unit will be a more upper end unit and I know the pin weight will increase above what my old SRW could have handled. I may end up with air bags on my current truck once we move up to a new unit just to level it while towing.
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Old 08-23-2012, 01:44 AM   #16
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I have a friend that has a 2012 Chevy 3500HD dually - pin weight is about 3000 lbs and when loaded it runs on the overloads. Air bags will help with leveling and improve the ride.

Went camping and forgot to air up the bags and I could tell it - aired them up and it improved the ride.
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Old 08-23-2012, 02:32 AM   #17
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We would probably be looking at a pin weight of between 3k and 3500 lbs.
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Old 08-23-2012, 03:25 AM   #18
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I have a 2011 Dodge 1500 that I put Air-Lift bags on. It made a big difference when pulling my 30re. I would not be without them.
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Old 08-23-2012, 05:49 AM   #19
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I maintain that if you hitch up and your headlights point to the Mars rover you have too little truck and too much RV. I cannot argue with Lloyd or Keith as I trust their experience. It is my personal belief that if I need to help my truck be that much level I have too much in tow.
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Old 08-23-2012, 06:17 AM   #20
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Art, have you ever had any personal experience with air bags. One benefit is it will help with bucking. Did you ever go down a concrete roadway and at every joint the truck squats and bounces....hitting a couple of hundred joints and the truck and trailer can feel squishy. The air bags stiffen the suspension therefor eliminating the bucking. Surely you don't think my f350 is not adequate for towing my 8500lbs trailer with tounge weight of 1000lbs.
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