Broke my add-a-leaf, anyone running airbags up front?

[Darrin Tosh]

So quick thought here...What if I were to add the air bags, then just cut off the front section of leaf spring? Essentially make the front end air ride. Or does this have amazing failure written all over it?

WOW,..Not sure on that one, just getting the visual now and it kinda scares me,...


Too bad your add a leafs broke, I have had them on every truck that I have owned, Been on Big Ed for 10 years and Droopy the plow truck for 5 years and have never had a problem.

I have to admit that I have been wanting front air bags as well,..Bags on all 4 corners makes for a nice adjustable setup fo sure!

 

[bike-maker]

What if I were to add the air bags, then just cut off the front section of leaf spring?

While this is similar to some rear air suspension setups out there - like the rear suspension on the older ambulances - this sounds like a dangerous idea.

If you are going to add air bags to the front, take the add a leafs out. The more load you put on the air bags instead of the leafs, the better it will ride.

 

[Jake_IN]

WOW,..Not sure on that one, just getting the visual now and it kinda scares me,...

Too bad your add a leafs broke, I have had them on every truck that I have owned, Been on Big Ed for 10 years and Droopy the plow truck for 5 years and have never had a problem.!

I didn't say it wasn't gonna be scary . I'm still trying to figure out why this one broke considering that they are not even two years old yet. Yeah the truck sees a fair amount of off road use, mostly just driving through fields to get wagons, or just to get to a tractor. I never was rough on it in the fields though It broke on me pulling onto a road from a parking lot. I was making a right turn and when that wheel hit the little dip where the parking lot meets the road i heard the bang followed by metal hitting the ground.

 

[snaponprofile]

Reviving a old thread here but ......how much will a set of front air bags ACTUALLY raise the truck? Has anyone measured their trucks before and after?

I know it varies with pressure but at 80 psi(for example), how much higher is the truck than stock?

thanks.

 

[Hoss6.9]

Put my 2223 kit on a couple of weeks back. They are not designed to be a lift kit. To get that amount of lift out of. I am sure that at 80 to 100 psi. I can get 3 inches plus out of mine. It makes an amazing difference on ride quality too... I bought mine on fleabay for a make an offer deal. I made a fair offer and they took it. Brand new in the sealed box too... It wasn't near as much as the kits are selling for outright. Bout' an hour and a half and a few holes punched later. And I am air ride on the front. And soon for the rear too with a central air system too.... I love them... It is on my '97HD...

 

[snaponprofile]

All I need is like 2 inches, it will do that and not feel like rock hard suspension?

 

[SparkandFire]

If I put more than 50 PSI in mine it rides pretty rough, but it does give me about 1.5" of lift, which levels the truck out nicely...

 

[snaponprofile]

What is pretty rough feel like to you?? I drove with add a leafs on a TTB for awhile and it seemed normal.

any other experiences with front airbags??

 

[Hoss6.9]

If you have the money and the time. I would do it. I was told by SparkandFire that it would be the best money spent on your truck. And he is exactly right. I would do it again easily and I am because I am putting them on my '96 F350 too and rears on both too....

 

[Brad S.]

A little cheaper way to go, I put air shocks on the front. Did some figuring from some of the books and found out that air shocks for the back would work on the front.(mounting type, ride height, etc)
Did mainly to help out with sagging leaf springs helped a little, not as much as what I'd hoped.

 

[Exekiel69]

If I put more than 50 PSI in mine it rides pretty rough, but it does give me about 1.5" of lift, which levels the truck out nicely...

Thank You for the pic, I've wanted to install one of this on My 93 with 89d60 for some time. Any updates on this upgrades?

 

[SparkandFire]

What is pretty rough feel like to you?? I drove with add a leafs on a TTB for awhile and it seemed normal.

any other experiences with front airbags??

Pretty rough is when my wife's complaints about how terrible my truck rides becomes loud enough that I can't drown them out by turning the radio up...

MY brown truck had the add-a leaf up front and it seemed to ride rougher than the truck with the airbags.

I've found that between 30-40 psi of air in the bags raises the truck an inch or so, but it greatly improves the ride quality. 60 PSI raises the truck up a good 1.5-2" but the ride quality is more "truck-like"

 

[RANOVRU]

This makes me want to do the front bags so bad. Im suprised at how much it raises the truck though, going by what people are saying on here. I would think at 2-3" youre changing alignment properties enough to be an issue?

I wouldnt want it that high anyway. If it smoothed the ride out as much as people are saying at 30-50psi thats what Id be going for.

 

[Ididriver]

How expensive would it be to convert the rear to air bags?
Looking for abetted ride not any lift for the back.
And can I do the front of a 2wd truck? I wouldn't think so. Would like some lift on the front tho to sit level.

 

[Goofyexponent]

Wow, that broke right off in one clean snap....hardly any rust in there indicating a fracture from before.