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Old 10-14-2018, 11:55 AM   #21
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I installed Firestone bags in mine...
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:01 PM   #22
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I installed Firestone bags in mine...
Thanks Jim... Did you order from Amazon?
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:06 PM   #23
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I believe I did, if my memory serves me correct. When installing I took a shortcut and piped them through one needle valve, thinking air loss from one would balance out the other. When I did it on my 2009 Ram I installed 2 separate lines. You decide which way, but either way they work.
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:09 PM   #24
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I believe I did, if my memory serves me correct. When installing I took a shortcut and piped them through one needle valve, thinking air loss from one would balance out the other. When I did it on my 2009 Ram I installed 2 separate lines. You decide which way, but either way they work.
Thanks Jim... I will head over to Amazon and check it out.
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:43 PM   #25
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3/4 ton truck will not fit in my garage, too wide for my garage doors.
Ram uses the same body for all of their pickup lines, so they're about the same width. A 2018 Ram 1500 is 79.4" wide, and the Ram 2500 ("3/4 ton") is 78.9" wide. The updated body is only in the lighter truck so far, and as a result of the endless race to build the most ridiculously large pickup, the 2019 Ram 1500 is 82.1" wide; I don't know how they are getting away without wide vehicle ID lights on these things. All of those are excluding the mirrors, but you would presumably fold the mirrors of any model.

The situation at General Motors is the same. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is listed as 80", while the 2500 HD must have a bit of fender flare and is listed as 80.51".

At Ford they use different cabs for the F-150 ("half ton") the SuperDuty pickups, but even then they're the same width - right at the 80 inch legal limit to not be classified as a wide vehicle (needing the extra lighting). An F-150 Raptor has wide track and wide fenders, so it's wider than any other single rear wheel, including a SuperDuty.

A dual-rear-wheel truck (available only in "one ton", so Ram 3500+, GM 3500, Ford F-350+) is much wider, of course. The medium-duty trucks that use the same cab (Ram only 4500+, Ford F-450+) have wider front axles and fender flares to cover the tires. Not many Escape owners choose either dual rear wheel pickups or medium-duty trucks.

So width is not a reason to choose a "half ton" over a "3/4 ton". And of course those names don't reflect load capacities at all.
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Old 10-14-2018, 01:13 PM   #26
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I'm beginning to think air bags inside the coil springs are the way to go after seeing your photo.
...
Also, do you know the name and model No. of the air bags your using?
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I installed Firestone bags in mine...
The Firestone bag which installs inside a coil spring is called Coil-Rite; for a 2014 Ram 1500 4X4 that's part #4185. The common competitor is the AirLift 1000 and now the AirLft 1000HD; for that Ram these would be parts 60818 and 60818HD.

The Firestone air spring which replaces the spring is called Ride-Rite; for a 2014 Ram 1500 4X4 that's part #2595. For trucks with leaf springs, a Ride-Rite is installed in addition to the leaf spring.

There is an AirLift equivalent called the LoadLifter 5000 (available in multiple versions depending on materials and whether or not an internal bumper is included) which installs separately from the spring. It replaces the original bump stop, so it sits beside the coil spring.

Either one installs without drilling any holes. I used Coil-Rites for years and they worked well... until one leaked. The coils also rusted, aggravated by the rubbing of the air bag and the retention of grit and water due to the bag in the coil. I think the Ride-Rites (or similar from other brands) would be more durable, and would probably use them in a vehicle where they would fit. In the Ram pickup I would only replace the coil with an air spring if adding an onboard air compressor and control valve; for manual inflation I would probably go with the LoadLifter in addition to the coil (as long as it doesn't limit suspension travel). Since the LoadLifter replaces the bump stop, I would get the version with an internal bump stop.
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Old 10-14-2018, 02:12 PM   #27
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The Firestone bag which installs inside a coil spring is called Coil-Rite; for a 2014 Ram 1500 4X4 that's part #4185. The common competitor is the AirLift 1000 and now the AirLft 1000HD; for that Ram these would be parts 60818 and 60818HD.

The Firestone air spring which replaces the spring is called Ride-Rite; for a 2014 Ram 1500 4X4 that's part #2595. For trucks with leaf springs, a Ride-Rite is installed in addition to the leaf spring.

There is an AirLift equivalent called the LoadLifter 5000 (available in multiple versions depending on materials and whether or not an internal bumper is included) which installs separately from the spring. It replaces the original bump stop, so it sits beside the coil spring.

Either one installs without drilling any holes. I used Coil-Rites for years and they worked well... until one leaked. The coils also rusted, aggravated by the rubbing of the air bag and the retention of grit and water due to the bag in the coil. I think the Ride-Rites (or similar from other brands) would be more durable, and would probably use them in a vehicle where they would fit. In the Ram pickup I would only replace the coil with an air spring if adding an onboard air compressor and control valve; for manual inflation I would probably go with the LoadLifter in addition to the coil (as long as it doesn't limit suspension travel). Since the LoadLifter replaces the bump stop, I would get the version with an internal bump stop.
Brian: That is a wonderful analysis and valuable info to go on. Never thought air bags inside coil springs could be a problem. Thanks for taking the time to pass brands, model numbers and links my way. I will go check this out today.
Sincerely
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Old 10-14-2018, 03:23 PM   #28
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Brian: That is a wonderful analysis and valuable info to go on. Never thought air bags inside coil springs could be a problem. Thanks for taking the time to pass brands, model numbers and links my way. I will go check this out today.
Sincerely
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Hi: tannerls... I believe mine are Airlift 1000's I didn't put them in... the previous owner did. All I know for sure is they're red bags in the coil springs. If the Ram had the compressor suspension it would have made it difficult to locate the 5th wh. hitch rails in the box. Dodged a bullit there so to speak. I just checked the pressure in the bags and they're at 30psi. The air valve is located beside the rear lic. plate in the black bumper insert.
I also have my vehicles Krown undercoated to protect from rust and salt damage. We live in the rust belt of Canada!!! Alf
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Old 10-14-2018, 04:25 PM   #29
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Hi: tannerls... I believe mine are Airlift 1000's I didn't put them in... the previous owner did. All I know for sure is they're red bags in the coil springs. If the Ram had the compressor suspension it would have made it difficult to locate the 5th wh. hitch rails in the box. Dodged a bullit there so to speak. I just checked the pressure in the bags and they're at 30psi. The air valve is located beside the rear lic. plate in the black bumper insert.
I also have my vehicles Krown undercoated to protect from rust and salt damage. We live in the rust belt of Canada!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
Thanks Alf... I appreciate the info. I'm now looking at the Airlift 1000HD version on Amazon. About 150 bucks. Still a little nervous about installing it myself (shad-tree mechanic method).
Larry
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Old 10-14-2018, 06:05 PM   #30
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Very easy to install if you can raise the frame and allow the rear end to fully extend or do one side at a time.
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Old 10-14-2018, 06:06 PM   #31
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when I put ride-rite on my Tacoma, I followed multiple recommendations to plumb them seperately, this adds some antisway to the system, so the vehicle leans less when heavily loaded and going around a turn.
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Old 10-14-2018, 06:38 PM   #32
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... I believe mine are Airlift 1000's I didn't put them in... the previous owner did. All I know for sure is they're red bags in the coil springs.
That's probably right - Coil-Rites are usually blue, and AirLift 1000HD are black.
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Old 10-14-2018, 07:34 PM   #33
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Timber Grove air bags are very popular for towing on the Ram Eco Diesel Forum. The company gives great support if needed and they have great installation videos.
Eddie
https://timbergroveenterprises.com/
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Old 10-14-2018, 07:47 PM   #34
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Timber Grove air bags are very popular for towing on the Ram Eco Diesel Forum. The company gives great support if needed and they have great installation videos.
Eddie
https://timbergroveenterprises.com/
Their Coil Replacement Mount (or CRM) products are like the Ride-Rite kit which replaces the coil with an air spring.

Their Air Spring Assist Mount (or ASAM) products are like the AirLift LoadLifter which mount separately to add to the spring setup. Like the AirLift, it replaces the bump stop.


Timber Grove appears to use compression fittings for the air lines instead of the push-on O-ring sealed fittings used by Firestone. I don't like the push-on fittings, and would prefer compression fittings.
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Old 10-17-2018, 08:55 PM   #35
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Air bags are the only extra our truck did not have, the dealer forgot to order them, (our truck was a show room display) 200 k on the odometer.
When we bought our trailer, we also burchased the load leveler hitch.
With our 19 loaded, as well as the battery, and three 20 pound propane tanks on the hitch, we do not have tail end slump.
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Old 10-18-2018, 12:13 AM   #36
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I know this is not what you wanted, but the $99 set of airbags on Amazon works great. You can pump them up with a bicycle pump.


https://www.amazon.com/LIFT-60818-10.../dp/B001OMVCIC

Changing coils will impact your suspension geometry and ride quality when unloaded, and will be undesirable for that reason. While an equalizer hitch would also solve your issues, it is optional with that truck and your trailer weight.

It goes without saying, but moving the contents in the bed to the front does also assist.
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Old 10-24-2018, 11:11 AM   #37
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Air bags or better springs will not change weight on the rear axle. They will only level out the body position. An equalizer hitch will transfer some of this weight to the front axle thus giving better handling and ease the rear axle weight.
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Old 10-24-2018, 11:16 AM   #38
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Air bags or better springs will not change weight on the rear axle. They will only level out the body position. An equalizer hitch will transfer some of this weight to the front axle thus giving better handling and ease the rear axle weight.
Springs are generally highly tuned to their specification, which includes ride quality and weight range for compressing. There are 4-5 different spring part #'s for the Ram 1500 alone which are used for varying truck configurations, empty weights, and GVWRs. Engineers have them down to a science.

Perhaps there's an upgraded progressive spring out there that does better around an increased load weight range, but most likely it will simply be a stiffer spring, which will reduce ride quality when unloaded even it it rides at the same height and rides better with a load.

Air bags can be "disabled" by not putting air in them, springs generally can't. This makes them the best solution. It's also what the factory does for load leveling on the Laramie models.
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Old 10-24-2018, 11:48 AM   #39
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This video is very informative on this subject
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Old 10-24-2018, 12:39 PM   #40
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I had kinda been wondering if I really needed my Andersen WD system, since my particular Ram has factory auto leveling air bags.
Now that I see how the numbers actually work, I’ll definitely keep using the Andersen.
Besides it feels like it ties the vehicles together, possibly contributing to the safe result Dave and Rita had.
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