Not very compelling arguments against airbags. I wish you had tried compressing a coil springs or a leaf spring using only your body weight. That might have been instructive. Heavy trucks have relied on airbag suspension for decades. They are a valid alternative whether replacing steel springs or supplementing steals springs for load control. You're doing a disservice to the public by keeping this video up.
You are completely right....BUT Notice you're talking about "heavy trucks". We are talking vans, and what most OUR customers are using them for which is off-roading in the desert and such. Therefore bags are not ideal for what our customers are doing. We aren't doing a disservice to anyone, you just aren't aware of what we are doing and why. No one is pulling semi truck trailers in their van (at least non of our customers), on top of that our custom springs perform great with towing normal trailers which we've shown in numerous videos.
If your hauling heavy loads down the road they are ideal. If your using them for ground clearance off road you loose suspension travel and articulation the higher you go.
@@WeldtecDesigns airbags are perfectly fine for off roading, and give a much smoother ride than springs. And they offer a much more consistent ride height Airbags are not like balloons.
I agree totally. I have a 40' RV with a stock air suspension. I was just pondering redoing the suspension on my 4wd SUV. Mostly looking for people who have converted that vehicle. I found this video instead. I have seen passenger car sized custom cars with basically the RV or heavy truck suspension on a smaller scale. This video was useless. Sorry that his customers didn't have realistic expectations, but done right they can be great. I'll keep looking for someone who goes over the options, to keep in mind if I do end up converting it.
If you want a high-travel constant rate suspension for off-roading, your arguments are valid. If you want a standard height and travel suspension with rising rate compression and better sway control for variable cargo loads and freeway driving, air bags are superior.
@@benjaminlhargrave race cars and motorcycles have been using rising rate suspensions for decades. Both the spring rates and the damping are lighter when extended and heavier when compressed.
@@benjaminlhargrave they’re called “rising rate suspensions”, and yes, they are highly adjustable. F1 car suspensions are tuned for each particular track.
Yeah. If you have 125PSI than is bad but if its normal pressure like 35PSI than in my opinion it’s awesome. I have on my Mercedes sprinter and it’s working perfectly. 👍
You are correct that you don't want to use those for lifting your rig. For towing or hauling heavy loads they are a must if you want a nice comfortable ride while driving without the extra weight. The trick with the airbags is the daystar air bag cradles so that you don't have to have your suspension connected like a limit strap. They allow the suspension to droop away from the air bag so you have full suspension travel still. So I run mine totally empty while normal driving and you can't even tell they are back there. When towing I fill them up and Van sits level and handles great.
What a nonsense! what you mean it does not compress, you just pumped it with compressed air, it is a bloody property of the air that it can be compressed ( just like a spring did't you go to school?), In fact it is working better then metal springs and it is cheaper and lighter. Have you heard about Citroen DS from 60's , only the best suspension in the world other than that it is complicity crap. There are no Buses or Trucks made without air suspension, even better! air suspension allows cheap and effective of self levelling with some simple sensors. The only Issue with air suspension fitted as extra is an incorrect design or calibration for particular car as a some part of after market thing! I have a fleet of recovery trucks all custom made all on air suspension, all brilliant, cheap and easy to repair if there is a need. I have studied pneumatics in university and I have been well impressed with it from start, to the point that I am an expert of hydro-pneumatics for 20 years - nothing even comes close to it .
Absolutely right dude...BUT you are missing our point. You're comparing vans to busses and recovery trucks. 2 very different things. Our customers are using these vans to offroad. You aren't offroading busses. You don't get nearly the ride with bags offroad in these vans that you would our custom leaf springs,. We've had numerous customers come in with blown airbags because they can not handle the abuse from bashing through the desert. You're comparing 2 completely different things if you can understand that. Did you go to school?
I've never driven anything smoother than DS and when I tell that to people (especially millennials) they think I'm full of b.s. You Sir are absolutely on point.
Ah, is that why every single off road truck has adopted that suspension style? Didn't think so. There are luxury cars that have air suspension because it's comfort on road, but never trucks or vans that were designed for off road use.
Also you pushing on that airbag it would feel like a 2x4. If I stick 5000 lbs on it it will bounce up and down like a ballon. A very strong bouncy ballon. It is not a "rock" like you said. It is a ballon. So how much did you charge that guy for them new leaf springs and installation? Lol business is good I’m sure cause peeps don’t want to do that type of work, I under stand.
Sure! Appreciate the view! Our progressive leaf springs have become so popular with our kits we have had an endless backorder so I guess you could say business is great :)
You over inflated that bag using shop air where in the vehicle it is only filled to about 30 to 40 psi. Sure you can't compress them by pushing down on them with your hand at what 150 lbs. Vehicle is about 5000 lbs. You said you don't know all about air bags but it sounds like you know nothing about them
I added air bag assist on my Class C and it improved the ride night and day better even at 75 psi added. No more banging on the bumpstops or sagging rear end.
I remember my first Adderal script. I get what you’re saying but I don’t think the average person looking for guidance gets what you’re saying. Airbags are extremely helpful and every application should unique to each vehicle depending on what you’re regularly hauling
I get what your saying, its a good arguement against a dedicated off roader, but being able to dial in your resistance with a heavy load such as a camper or trailer is way more important. And i can tell you, once you've unloaded that vehicle, you'll want to be able to purge your bags so your springrate goes back to normal. Hard to do that with springs.
Top brand manufactures also use leaf springs lol. Don't have to take my word, we are just offering our knowledge based off the hundreds upon hundreds of vans we lift to be bashed through the desert in as that's what our customers are looking for. Therefore bags are NOT a good option for off-roading.
I don't really think that's how it works off-roading? You would definitely not want the bag to be full of air bouncing back there. Thanks for that... interesting suggestion :)
I added airbags on my 2018 Thor Quantum WS31 because it was to low and it would dragged coming out of my driveway. I deflate the bags down to about 25lbs depending on the load and let me tell you it improved my ride. My ride is so much smoother!!
The title of this misinformation says why not to use air ride suspension. what this guy is talking about is air lift to help spring suspension. To totally different things so if you use the air lift correctly just to help the spring ride suspension it will help to dampen or absorb the rough jolts that you get from rough roads and it will help Carrie the load you’ve got on the suspension. But you don’t fill the air bags up so that they are hard as a rock.
Air bags are not intended to "dampen or absorb the rough jolts from rough roads" that is the job of your shock. A air bag is meant to assist your heavy load while towing or with heavy cargo. The point in overfilling the air bag is to show the amount of air need to support the load we were working with. A lot of people recommend air bag for vehicles that sit lower with out a load and that is not the idea. Thanks for your comments.
If you don't understand air suspension, then maybe you should refrain from making videos and spreading more nonsense around the interent, on the subject.
@@SC-nv8ve You have had our suspension? If not, please check out our website at weldtecdesigns.com and get some on order, there's a long backorder currently :)
@@SC-nv8ve It's the very reason in the UK the max gvw was allowed to rise from 32t to 38t and subsequently to 44t if tri axle trailers were on air. Air suspension is less damaging to road surfaces. Steel springs over undulating bumpy surfaces have the tendency to allow an axle to rise and crash back down on the road surface whereas air bags will keep constant pressure. Air is far less damaging to tarmac.
You have to have air ride suspending not air bags over leaf springs because you don’t have it set up for air ride with no leaf springs with bump stops inside air bags so if you blow a air bag it will set on bump stops and not on the frame so you can not move it !
Thats a ballon you are holding in your hand, a baloon that suports the weight on a few tons. And you want to squeeze it with you hands, trying to demonstrate that is rigid like a stone.🤣
Sorry mate. It is a bit bullshit. I have Hilux 4x4 just fitted them. The car is rather heavy at the back. And The ride is fantastic. On the road i use 3 bar when off road i use 1.5 bar so rear axle can work fully. Its absolutely briliant. But on vehicle you just showed. Right. Absolutely useless
That was an awful lot of black shiny new springs on there that you used for your example rv. So, how much did you charge your costumer to put those on there for them? Cause I see the airbag kits for like 300$ and I can put them on myself. When I need to put my motorcycle on my hitch I need extra strength it’s an extra 500 lbs hanging on the rear end. If I put helper springs on then when I take off the bike my rv will pop up in the air and knock my wife out of the bed. I think this video is a bit miss leading. If you show me an rv that uses the 10" of travel, I show you an rv that is stuck lol
The spring packs themselves are about $1400 + shipping, and that's to do all the work yourself. No comparison in price with the cheapo kits that have all mysteriously disappeared after some damaged vehicles and lawsuits. But compared to properly done air suspension it is still much cheaper. (the real air suspension kits from Europe are about $7-8k, going up to $15k, and that is before installation)
@@nickopedia5669 I do not disagree. I just wish the video would have specifically talked more about the way suspension works, what leaf springs do and how they do it, why the cheap air bag system seem like they work but can be dangerous, and also how time on an old suspension being worn out is normal and what to do. Or have a shop do. I have a 1990 Damon Escaper ultra sport 24’. It sways down the road and I won’t let anyone else drive it. I know what parts are worn out and I know what to do. Myself. I was just looking at all the airbag system available on the market and watching a lot of videos when I came across this one. I would honestly recommend complete new suspension to any one who can afford it including anti sway bar kits aftermarket or OEM replacement. BUT ALL THIS SAID WITH MY OWN PERSONAL SKILL I HAVE PURE JOY WITH MY NEW CHEAP AIR BAGS. I’m just saying.
@@mrlarrybobjr I plan on designing on a real air suspension kit for my parent's T1N sprinter because just like yours, it is terribly worn out after 15 years at or near GVWR. I found the firestone airide catalog on firestoneIP, and am working on finding bags that have the correct weight capacity, dimensions, and travel to convert from leaf sprung to simple trailing arms with bushings (off the front leaf spring mounts) and a new cross member just behind the axle. And the cheap air bag issues are only for certain vehicles, such as the NCV3 sprinter vans which can have the bumpstop mounting plates bent up into the floor. 3 airbag companies discontinued their kits for that vehicle and no longer offer a new version, because to do it right it needs a new crossmember which is too expensive for the cheap kits. For 99% of vehicles, they're perfectly fine.
Your analogy is wrong. If you want to lift a truck, you add a longer spring or more curved leaf spring (which is longer), not to add a stiffer spring. Same as airbag lift, you add longer bag (3 bellows), not adding more air (stiffer spring).
to be clear ur only talking about air bags as far as a lift. Because there is a legit use of airbags when towing, to keep the back of the vehicle from sagging too much.
Yeah we specialize in lifting vans hence why we made it about lifts. A good set of custom leaf springs will help with towing sag as well, but we didn't focus on that because we were talking lifts as that's what most of our customers are looking for info on. 👍
Ya no they are not for a lift kit . They are more of a bump stop or additional spring rate adder definitely not to be over inflated or they will feel like they're full of concrete. Airbags can work extremely well for the right use auxiliary air volume tanks help them stay plush as well
how about an air bag for lowering your van that is just a bit taller than the 2m expected at the entrance of a parking?, you can use them normally afterward like hard needed to get fuff suspension and enjoy riding the van (thinking about a VW T3 Westfalia that is 10 cm higher than normal)
Great video, thanks a lot. I have a Mecedes Sprinter XXL, longest version, with done in air suspension at rear. Last visit in workshop for changing filters and oil was the information of the boss there, that my frame is broken left half and right side fully broken. All is because of stupid workshop did not install me some more metal sheet for security, because of less knowledge, so my bad luck. - Perhaps your advice is the better solution, stronger springs.
No it shouldn't be used in place of a lift, yes they are excellent for load leveling and support on a stock suspension or lift. There's a reason tractor trailers use AIR BAGS.😉 Air bags also compress progressively like so they do act like a leafpack would, ie as they compress they resist more because you are increasing the pressure like trying to squeeze a balloon or ball. I do agree that one should have a leafpack lift that appropriately accommodates regular traveling weight. Also I'm speaking from a truck perspective, my bags aren't much taller than a bump stop, but it's possible they have too much stack on a lifted RV?
I've specified air suspension on many articulated lorry trailers. It's essential to have self-levelling, the airbags are meant to sit in mind position at the set ride height. Then they can easily accommodate the required travel. They also give a nice smooth ride, preventing known damage to vehicle contents during delivery. Find a company that designs and make these, chat to one of their tech guys, and he'll certainly point you in the right direction, and prevent you from putting in a duff system
Lol every one bashing this poor dude who just wanted to help and had a good point from experiance. What he means to say is Air suspension = very comfortable but only for road as offroading causes it to burst Offroad springs = not very comfortable but very durable and will not break while offroading
Exactly... That's exactly what I got from this video too.. However this video didn't help me in my quest to lift my van...😂🤣 I've been watching the journey kid for years... It was what I wanted... Now that I've been saying problems with people that have them... I'm looking at other ways of lifting my van... For one I don't need a three and a half inch lift kit That's just too much... I just need a good 2 in roughly...
@@tracybrayton6800 wow made this comment 8 months ago. Hope u find what ur looking for. But it all comes down to endurance vs comfort. My friend drives like a hooligan on bumpy roads bc his car has leaf springs whereas i have to drive slowly bc mine has shocks. Mine is more comfy his is more rugged
You are disgrace to automotive industry, thanks god, that now-days you do not have to understand how things works and just change the part. Screwing bolts together and apart could learn even ape ..never ever give any advice to anyone..ever!
Who are you talking to? Try to form a coherent sentence with evidence as to what you're saying because as of right now you're talking out of your ass. You have no understanding of what were doing and why. I know this because if you did your panties wouldn't be in a bunch like they are. Go take that shitty attitude somewhere else. You wasted your own time commenting on something you simply don't like. I'm almost sorry for you.
@@WeldtecDesigns Apologies for my grammar, English is not my first language and based from what I read in your response, yours probably isn't too. I guess, I was too drunk watching your video, as I do not remember it at all. However, watching again first 4 min, I have to stand behind my first comment. Also, you are right. I have no understanding of what you are doing, because your explanation makes no sense and therefore I would not care further. "Air-springs" are direct spring replacement. Adjustable pressure can modify spring strength. It is not suitable for height adjustment, where specific spring performance is required. For that purpose, mechanical or hydraulic height adjustment would be preferred. Also true, that I wasted my own time to write a comment for this video. I simply felt, that it would be appropriate, since you put [love] on my original comment. Otherwise, I would not give a shit...
@@lukaskorcak5583 Thank you for watching it again and taking time to comment :) RUclips has subtitles if it helps your comprehension too. Hope that helps!
As someone that's been doing air suspension since the 90s that's not the right air bag you would use a large roll Bellow on the back and eliminate the springs with a 4 or 3 link
It's obvious the guy in this video has no idea what he's talking about. Comparing an air bag to a 2x4 is ridiculous. You don't even know which side is up and down and you say "it doesn't really matter". Jesus, son. I sincerely hope you reconsider removing this video instead of trying to milk bad information for a few ad dollars. Have a little bit of shame.
I think the problem lies in the fact they put a small ass bag on a very large truck.kelderman has been making air ride kits for ton trucks and it works because they use bags that have a bunch of travel and their not fighting a leaf spring.
Surely you only need the height for self leveling when stationary? Or tilting the vehicle(motorhome) when say emptying the grey water tank? I don't see any reason to increase the height, and therfor effect the comfort of the drive whilst moving? Or am i missing something here? In the uk, motorhomes have plenty of clearance anyway, and i doubt they need to be increased in height at all, unless they are stationary.
Sorry Dude . Your arguments are WRONG . Airbags are only for Supplementary load carrying . 5 psi in one od those makes a marked difference . You do , of course , need to MATCH the Bag type to the application . It's Poly-Air springs that are a Bad idea , because they actively bind the Coil they are mounted in .
Yeah there definitely is, thing is you're comparing a 80 thousand lbs semi to a to a 5 thousand lbs van, as that's what we build. Hence the tittle of the video. 👍
Let’s not use straw man, explanations. I wouldn’t recommend a nitrous fuel system for RV travel either. Just like sway-bar pins on a jeep. Adjustments must be made for more extreme off-road conditions.
Unfortunately these are the only airbags we encounter on Class C RVs that come to our shop. These particular airbags are inadequate and don't do anything in terms of ride comfort and load carrying capability. To be clear we don't dislike all airbags just these ones that are sold to fool the RV consumer into thinking they are getting airbags like on a semi truck. Hey, you would be surprised at how great a coach will preform/handle with a set of leaf springs built to the weight of your RV.
I just watched this old clip. "why not to use airbags on your RV'. I call it all a load of crap, you inflate an airbag and try to push it down by hand, and say you just should a piece of 4 by 2 there instead, are you kidding me, try that any RV spring. Then Read the other comments, they are what I thinking, I think you just want to sell springs,
I know you dont do Astro,s but I'm thinking of getting coil spring shocks in the back with the Timbren airbumpstops and an add a leaf kit, Do you think maybe with a rear swaybaralso ,it will help with towing my 19ft camper!???by the way when I'm done building it ,I would love to bring it down to show and maybe shoot a video ! Your a van celebrity and expert, my favorite to watch
I honestly couldn't educate much on the astros, we have never built one or worked on one so I have no knowledge when it comes to them sorry about that. Wouldn't want to give you false info!
@@WeldtecDesigns ,did u understand it ? Of course u did. & second English is not or language, it come from the Colonizers,u know ,pilgrims who steal everything?
On a vehicle that spends part of its life towing and the other part just driving with nothing more than it’s stock weight your argument doesn’t apply. When towing you find the sweet spot for air and they work perfectly. If it’s not articulating you are over pressurized.
Your customers are overfilling for the load they are applying. Its a helper spring not a full suspension spring. Also.. That spring may be universal and not correct for the application. But even then.. Customers are probably overfilling them because they dont understand. Just like the tires might say max 42 psi or max 75psi.. doesnt mean that is what you fill it to. My small car specs 32psi ( tire max is 44). My tires wear properly and car rides like oem intended.
What about adding them to an already lifted leaf spring system for when on road. Didn't realize just how overly top heavy my B190 would be. Plus the wind can be difficult. It really seemed to do the job on road. I haven't really had a chance to do some good off-roading yet. Will once i get back west, heading now.
Imo. If you are looking for height or aesthetics in general. I would stay away from Air ride. If you are looking for improved suspension and carrying capacity. Airbags are definitely the way to go.
Well the point of them is to take stress off of The Springs in the spring Hangers On overloaded vehicles. I can send you pictures of what a K 2500 pulling a gooseneck will do to a set of Springs when you're hauling hay out of the field with them. They throw them out at break them off at the frame it is a safety device if people are putting too much air in their airbag suspensions that's because they are morons not they're doing what it is not designed to do
That's only when all the air bags are connected to each other, so the air (or fluid) can travel around and make it level. Like in DS Automobiles. When separate like this it's just plain air ride suspension.
Contacted you guys three times via phone and email for a 6” Rv lift. No response. Bummer. Ended up getting a 3” lift by new coils and rear leaf springs. Rides nice but would have rather had the added clearance, bummer
Sorry to hear that, we're jam packed at the moment receiving back to back calls and emails as well as having a hard time getting fox shocks as they're on a global back order so getting back to people is difficult right now, we've mentioned it numerous times on our social media. We're also booked for the next 2 months. You're not the only one. Some are just willing to be patient. It's a bummer.
WeldTec Designs you just confirmed my suspicion about your company...only reply when social media is involved and then make excuses. Should have been a simple “sorry to hear that” “we are super busy but that is no excuse for not responding to your phone call, hopefully we can do business in the future”. I live in San Diego and I was willing to take a chance on you even though Ujoint offers a superior product. I’m glad I didn’t
They have been super easy to work with and always return e-mail inquiries. Weld Tec is blowing up and scaling can be tricky. When you have a ton of business you can ignore tire kickers. It's a bummer!
@@drevere78 I do t think Weldtec meant to ignore anyone. I’ve emailed and called them and didn’t get a response right away. Finally called a 3rd or 4th time and talked to Jeremy. Small shops that do quality work just get busy. Unfortunately some customers fall through the cracks. Most shops want your business whether small or big.
The air suspension bags on my Ducato RV when decompressed are about the same height as the original bump stop. I run my system at about 2.5 bar and the ride quality is very much improved when travelling. No banging or rattling as I drive over pot holes and is much more compliant than leaf springs alone. The thing is, all these “B” class RV’s are built on a chassis that was designed to carry the weight of a certain load, this weight., after conversion is very nearly at the maximum capacity of the suspension, giving little room for wheel travel. A correctly fitted and pressurised air suspension kit gives back the compliance of the vehicle with the associated benefit of a softer ride. In my opinion they are a very worthwhile modification to any class B motorhome.
How much do you usually load your vehicle? Do you ever exceed the total permissible weight? I have a Citroen Jumper / Relay on which I would like to install an air suspension. The problem is that I am overloaded most of the time.
You should never run at more that the permissible weight as it’s not just the suspension that is affected but the steering and brakes are badly affected. If you are constantly over the gross vehicle weight there is a fault somewhere in the design. If, on the other hand, you become overweight only when you’re packing, why don’t you get a towbar fitted. With my Ducato I can legally tow 1.5 tonnes (braked trailer) or 750kg unbraked I’m lucky enough to have bought a “Smart for two” which I load most of my equipment into when travelling. The car was converted for towing by “Towtal” so is braked automatically. I could never load all the equipment I take within the 3,5 tonne limit. So beside giving me enough capacity for everything, it means that when I reach my destination, I can leave the motorhome set up and still go sightseeing. This option isn’t as expensive as you might believe, as my car is very cheap to insure and has zero road tax. Hope this rather long winded reply was of help, but I emplore you never to risk driving an overweight vehicle.there again you could just use a trailer to gain you extra(1500kg) of payload.
and whats that? We are talking about Air Suspension when it comes to lifting your van and how springs will be much better for offroad use. Thats a question we consistently get so that's why we aren't necessarily talking about air lift for towing or grocery getting.
They added Springs to Steel for the suspension on some of our work trucks where I were to haul heavier loads. The result of adding more Leaf to leaf springs is the ride quality is so bad you can't even hold them in the road and you can't steer them it pushes itself sideways. You cannot over are an airbag
you really need to use longer brake lines or relocate the mount of the brake line as it is under a lot of tension when at full drop on that vehicle.. huge safety issue you will want to fix
I do. I have a Class A diesel pusher, it uses leveling jacks that work just fine. Thing is, my class a isn't a van that's 9k pounds that is used to do heavy off-roading in, as that is what most of our customers are doing with their vans which is why we do NOT recommend them bags - a product that will fail when straining the suspension out in the desert or on a trail.
@@WeldtecDesigns im looking at using them on my dodge ram 2500 4x4 with truck bed camper. Want to add a work utility bed and dual rear axle as well. I have helper springs already and sway bars already. Think i need to start by having my rear suspension accessed by suspension specialty company with camper on vehicle.
Yeah it is funny. Comparing a SEMI TRUCK to a VAN that's going to be doing off-roading. Hence why we don't recommend bags for off-roading after having 20 years experience in the industry, what do we know though huh? Comparing Apples to Baseballs. Two completely different things buddy.
That's true! We recently had a customer who had rubber coil spacers that needed to be switched and boy was it crums everywhere when we pulled it off. Rubber is no bueno lol
I have a F250 cargo van that I made into a travel van. I am looking for a smoother ride because I feel every bump in the road. I am not looking for height.
only downside is cornering performance. Thats why expensive cars use active suspension to counteract this disadvantage. If you pair active damper with air ride is it GLORIOUS. comfort AND cornering all together
@@hansdomke89 yes. height sensors on each suspension arm to mesure eight. Then a microcontroller opens valving to raise the bags to the level you want. That's how it works on cars. Otherwise commercial trucks use a mecanical valve hooked to the axle
I don't want to lift the van, I gta sienna, my girl had Walmart try to change tires... They fcked it up.. her right tire broke like 4 studs out one night..$600 later she's fine. My maine question is if I used a smaller airbag setup and put her on would that give some pressure of the suspension?
I am neither pro or con for air bag use on an RV or Off road vehicle. Depending upon application, air bags and or springs need to be right sized for the application. Many people ad either helper springs or air bags as supplemental support elements to their suspensions. Range of lift or travel is dependent on the spring or airbag configuration. The one you showed had a operational range of around 5 inches. Probably adequate for most situations. If you want more lift, you need an airbag set up to accommodate that additional lift. Not just over inflate one which is too short. Springs are great for simplicity of use. Install it and your done. They have a fixed range of motion and support. Air bags are more complicated but offer the opportunity to vary their capacity (or ride height) based on demand by changing the volume of supporting load carrying material contained in the bag. In this case, air. And that is their primary. Advantage.
Not very compelling arguments against airbags. I wish you had tried compressing a coil springs or a leaf spring using only your body weight. That might have been instructive. Heavy trucks have relied on airbag suspension for decades. They are a valid alternative whether replacing steel springs or supplementing steals springs for load control. You're doing a disservice to the public by keeping this video up.
You are completely right....BUT Notice you're talking about "heavy trucks". We are talking vans, and what most OUR customers are using them for which is off-roading in the desert and such. Therefore bags are not ideal for what our customers are doing. We aren't doing a disservice to anyone, you just aren't aware of what we are doing and why. No one is pulling semi truck trailers in their van (at least non of our customers), on top of that our custom springs perform great with towing normal trailers which we've shown in numerous videos.
If your hauling heavy loads down the road they are ideal. If your using them for ground clearance off road you loose suspension travel and articulation the higher you go.
@@WeldtecDesigns airbags are perfectly fine for off roading, and give a much smoother ride than springs. And they offer a much more consistent ride height
Airbags are not like balloons.
I agree totally. I have a 40' RV with a stock air suspension. I was just pondering redoing the suspension on my 4wd SUV. Mostly looking for people who have converted that vehicle. I found this video instead.
I have seen passenger car sized custom cars with basically the RV or heavy truck suspension on a smaller scale. This video was useless. Sorry that his customers didn't have realistic expectations, but done right they can be great.
I'll keep looking for someone who goes over the options, to keep in mind if I do end up converting it.
Listen to Jeremy! End of Story. Or get your own channel and create your own content. Peroid!!!!
If you want a high-travel constant rate suspension for off-roading, your arguments are valid. If you want a standard height and travel suspension with rising rate compression and better sway control for variable cargo loads and freeway driving, air bags are superior.
@@benjaminlhargrave race cars and motorcycles have been using rising rate suspensions for decades. Both the spring rates and the damping are lighter when extended and heavier when compressed.
@@benjaminlhargrave they’re called “rising rate suspensions”, and yes, they are highly adjustable. F1 car suspensions are tuned for each particular track.
Yeah. If you have 125PSI than is bad but if its normal pressure like 35PSI than in my opinion it’s awesome. I have on my Mercedes sprinter and it’s working perfectly. 👍
The point was, people want to lift their vehicles with the airbags, 35PSI is not gonna lift the vehicles.
You are correct that you don't want to use those for lifting your rig. For towing or hauling heavy loads they are a must if you want a nice comfortable ride while driving without the extra weight. The trick with the airbags is the daystar air bag cradles so that you don't have to have your suspension connected like a limit strap. They allow the suspension to droop away from the air bag so you have full suspension travel still. So I run mine totally empty while normal driving and you can't even tell they are back there. When towing I fill them up and Van sits level and handles great.
THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHEN TO USE AIR BAGS AND THE BEST OPTION FOR TYPE OF AIR BAG. Thank you for your feedback.
What a nonsense! what you mean it does not compress, you just pumped it with compressed air, it is a bloody property of the air that it can be compressed ( just like a spring did't you go to school?), In fact it is working better then metal springs and it is cheaper and lighter.
Have you heard about Citroen DS from 60's , only the best suspension in the world other than that it is complicity crap.
There are no Buses or Trucks made without air suspension, even better! air suspension allows cheap and effective of self levelling with some simple sensors.
The only Issue with air suspension fitted as extra is an incorrect design or calibration for particular car as a some part of after market thing!
I have a fleet of recovery trucks all custom made all on air suspension, all brilliant, cheap and easy to repair if there is a need. I have studied pneumatics in university and I have been well impressed with it from start, to the point that I am an expert of hydro-pneumatics for 20 years - nothing even comes close to it .
Absolutely right dude...BUT you are missing our point. You're comparing vans to busses and recovery trucks. 2 very different things. Our customers are using these vans to offroad. You aren't offroading busses. You don't get nearly the ride with bags offroad in these vans that you would our custom leaf springs,. We've had numerous customers come in with blown airbags because they can not handle the abuse from bashing through the desert. You're comparing 2 completely different things if you can understand that. Did you go to school?
I've never driven anything smoother than DS and when I tell that to people (especially millennials) they think I'm full of b.s.
You Sir are absolutely on point.
Ah, is that why every single off road truck has adopted that suspension style? Didn't think so. There are luxury cars that have air suspension because it's comfort on road, but never trucks or vans that were designed for off road use.
@@WeldtecDesigns man you should have made it clear in the title of the video. Unless your entire goal was click bait.
Also you pushing on that airbag it would feel like a 2x4. If I stick 5000 lbs on it it will bounce up and down like a ballon. A very strong bouncy ballon. It is not a "rock" like you said. It is a ballon. So how much did you charge that guy for them new leaf springs and installation? Lol business is good I’m sure cause peeps don’t want to do that type of work, I under stand.
Sure! Appreciate the view! Our progressive leaf springs have become so popular with our kits we have had an endless backorder so I guess you could say business is great :)
You over inflated that bag using shop air where in the vehicle it is only filled to about 30 to 40 psi. Sure you can't compress them by pushing down on them with your hand at what 150 lbs. Vehicle is about 5000 lbs. You said you don't know all about air bags but it sounds like you know nothing about them
I added air bag assist on my Class C and it improved the ride night and day better even at 75 psi added. No more banging on the bumpstops or sagging rear end.
I use airbags to help on my recovery truck and it drives 1000% better than sitting on the bump stops
I remember my first Adderal script.
I get what you’re saying but I don’t think the average person looking for guidance gets what you’re saying. Airbags are extremely helpful and every application should unique to each vehicle depending on what you’re regularly hauling
I get what your saying, its a good arguement against a dedicated off roader, but being able to dial in your resistance with a heavy load such as a camper or trailer is way more important. And i can tell you, once you've unloaded that vehicle, you'll want to be able to purge your bags so your springrate goes back to normal. Hard to do that with springs.
Top brand manufacturers like Merc and Porsche use the air suspension, I remain to be convinced this chap has superior knowledge
Top brand manufactures also use leaf springs lol. Don't have to take my word, we are just offering our knowledge based off the hundreds upon hundreds of vans we lift to be bashed through the desert in as that's what our customers are looking for. Therefore bags are NOT a good option for off-roading.
@@WeldtecDesigns title of the video does not say "offroad" and is the RV an offroad RV?
This video is extremely misleading. He is throwing shade at airbags wiithout proper explanation and understanding of their function, purpose and use.
the bags for lift would be used just to get you through the rough road areas... then let out most of the air/height for normal driving.
I don't really think that's how it works off-roading? You would definitely not want the bag to be full of air bouncing back there. Thanks for that... interesting suggestion :)
I added airbags on my 2018 Thor Quantum WS31 because it was to low and it would dragged coming out of my driveway. I deflate the bags down to about 25lbs depending on the load and let me tell you it improved my ride. My ride is so much smoother!!
The title of this misinformation says why not to use air ride suspension. what this guy is talking about is air lift to help spring suspension. To totally different things so if you use the air lift correctly just to help the spring ride suspension it will help to dampen or absorb the rough jolts that you get from rough roads and it will help Carrie the load you’ve got on the suspension. But you don’t fill the air bags up so that they are hard as a rock.
Air bags are not intended to "dampen or absorb the rough jolts from rough roads" that is the job of your shock. A air bag is meant to assist your heavy load while towing or with heavy cargo. The point in overfilling the air bag is to show the amount of air need to support the load we were working with. A lot of people recommend air bag for vehicles that sit lower with out a load and that is not the idea. Thanks for your comments.
If you don't understand air suspension, then maybe you should refrain from making videos and spreading more nonsense around the interent, on the subject.
Air suspension is far better for the road surface rather than steel springs
@Will Swift a could be wrong, but as far as i know sleeves are more comfortable and bags are not
Stock leaf springs are not comfortable, however the progressive style leaf springs we have designed are definitely more comfortable than bags.
@@WeldtecDesigns Sadly not True
@@SC-nv8ve You have had our suspension? If not, please check out our website at weldtecdesigns.com and get some on order, there's a long backorder currently :)
@@SC-nv8ve It's the very reason in the UK the max gvw was allowed to rise from 32t to 38t and subsequently to 44t if tri axle trailers were on air. Air suspension is less damaging to road surfaces. Steel springs over undulating bumpy surfaces have the tendency to allow an axle to rise and crash back down on the road surface whereas air bags will keep constant pressure. Air is far less damaging to tarmac.
You have to have air ride suspending not air bags over leaf springs because you don’t have it set up for air ride with no leaf springs with bump stops inside air bags so if you blow a air bag it will set on bump stops and not on the frame so you can not move it !
Thats a ballon you are holding in your hand, a baloon that suports the weight on a few tons.
And you want to squeeze it with you hands, trying to demonstrate that is rigid like a stone.🤣
It's still trash in a rv however you run it!
I think air bags if u get the right ones, are good for helpers for when you have a heavy load and you can deflate them when not needed..
Sorry mate. It is a bit bullshit. I have Hilux 4x4 just fitted them. The car is rather heavy at the back. And The ride is fantastic. On the road i use 3 bar when off road i use 1.5 bar so rear axle can work fully. Its absolutely briliant. But on vehicle you just showed. Right. Absolutely useless
That was an awful lot of black shiny new springs on there that you used for your example rv. So, how much did you charge your costumer to put those on there for them? Cause I see the airbag kits for like 300$ and I can put them on myself. When I need to put my motorcycle on my hitch I need extra strength it’s an extra 500 lbs hanging on the rear end. If I put helper springs on then when I take off the bike my rv will pop up in the air and knock my wife out of the bed. I think this video is a bit miss leading. If you show me an rv that uses the 10" of travel, I show you an rv that is stuck lol
The spring packs themselves are about $1400 + shipping, and that's to do all the work yourself. No comparison in price with the cheapo kits that have all mysteriously disappeared after some damaged vehicles and lawsuits. But compared to properly done air suspension it is still much cheaper. (the real air suspension kits from Europe are about $7-8k, going up to $15k, and that is before installation)
@@nickopedia5669 I do not disagree. I just wish the video would have specifically talked more about the way suspension works, what leaf springs do and how they do it, why the cheap air bag system seem like they work but can be dangerous, and also how time on an old suspension being worn out is normal and what to do. Or have a shop do. I have a 1990 Damon Escaper ultra sport 24’. It sways down the road and I won’t let anyone else drive it. I know what parts are worn out and I know what to do. Myself. I was just looking at all the airbag system available on the market and watching a lot of videos when I came across this one. I would honestly recommend complete new suspension to any one who can afford it including anti sway bar kits aftermarket or OEM replacement. BUT ALL THIS SAID WITH MY OWN PERSONAL SKILL I HAVE PURE JOY WITH MY NEW CHEAP AIR BAGS. I’m just saying.
@@mrlarrybobjr
I plan on designing on a real air suspension kit for my parent's T1N sprinter because just like yours, it is terribly worn out after 15 years at or near GVWR. I found the firestone airide catalog on firestoneIP, and am working on finding bags that have the correct weight capacity, dimensions, and travel to convert from leaf sprung to simple trailing arms with bushings (off the front leaf spring mounts) and a new cross member just behind the axle.
And the cheap air bag issues are only for certain vehicles, such as the NCV3 sprinter vans which can have the bumpstop mounting plates bent up into the floor. 3 airbag companies discontinued their kits for that vehicle and no longer offer a new version, because to do it right it needs a new crossmember which is too expensive for the cheap kits. For 99% of vehicles, they're perfectly fine.
These kits are designed to handle the abuse of intense off roading. If you don't plan on off roading then air bags are a good option.
You can tell this guys is non sense he doesn’t know what he talk about he don’t even know how to speak
You'd think when going to talk bs on someone about how they speak, you yourself would form a coherent sentence but you failed to do so lol
This is why I'm lifting the suspension itself and adding airbags only to adjust for extra load.
Your analogy is wrong. If you want to lift a truck, you add a longer spring or more curved leaf spring (which is longer), not to add a stiffer spring. Same as airbag lift, you add longer bag (3 bellows), not adding more air (stiffer spring).
to be clear ur only talking about air bags as far as a lift. Because there is a legit use of airbags when towing, to keep the back of the vehicle from sagging too much.
Yeah we specialize in lifting vans hence why we made it about lifts. A good set of custom leaf springs will help with towing sag as well, but we didn't focus on that because we were talking lifts as that's what most of our customers are looking for info on. 👍
WeldTec Designs 👍
I wish you tubers would would script and edit.
Also, the point of airbag suspension is to absorb shock. Not as a poor man’s lift kit
Insufficient analysis to dismiss airbags. No recommended alternative?
Ya no they are not for a lift kit .
They are more of a bump stop or additional spring rate adder definitely not to be over inflated or they will feel like they're full of concrete.
Airbags can work extremely well for the right use auxiliary air volume tanks help them stay plush as well
You're seeing vans with the wrong bags fitted.
Nothing wrong with bag use, at all.
I thought i saw new pickup trucks with raising lowering suspension for towing trailers
Airbags for leveling out a heavy load=good. Airbags for any other purpose=bad (in my experience)
how about an air bag for lowering your van that is just a bit taller than the 2m expected at the entrance of a parking?, you can use them normally afterward like hard needed to get fuff suspension and enjoy riding the van (thinking about a VW T3 Westfalia that is 10 cm higher than normal)
Well, YOUR experience worst shit because let's say in my experience going 200kmh never led me to a crash and this means it's ok, right?
@@AntonySimkin yep, that’s exactly what I said champ...keep trolling
Great video, thanks a lot. I have a Mecedes Sprinter XXL, longest version, with done in air suspension at rear. Last visit in workshop for changing filters and oil was the information of the boss there, that my frame is broken left half and right side fully broken. All is because of stupid workshop did not install me some more metal sheet for security, because of less knowledge, so my bad luck. - Perhaps your advice is the better solution, stronger springs.
We have air bags in our 2500 Ram Pro Master and do not like them. The rim varely clears the tire. How much does leaf springs cost to put in?
We currently do not have a ram promaster spring,,,possibly soon
Gracias amigo great video+ fun💪😁
I did not watch the whole clip but airbags are mainly for the rear differential of the Ute etc when towing a caravan or trailer
So what about the airbag that is attached right next to spring on the axle I'm surprised your that naive 🤔
Guy took it off the vehicle and can't even remember how it goes in.. and I'm supposed to believe he knows what he's talking about?
Its an Air Bag... It works the same both ways and all the mounting for these are different.
No I don't agree, the whole point I thought was to pump up for off-road vehicle clearance when needed, and on completion it would be lowered ...
No it shouldn't be used in place of a lift, yes they are excellent for load leveling and support on a stock suspension or lift. There's a reason tractor trailers use AIR BAGS.😉 Air bags also compress progressively like so they do act like a leafpack would, ie as they compress they resist more because you are increasing the pressure like trying to squeeze a balloon or ball. I do agree that one should have a leafpack lift that appropriately accommodates regular traveling weight.
Also I'm speaking from a truck perspective, my bags aren't much taller than a bump stop, but it's possible they have too much stack on a lifted RV?
Airbags are good for adjusting for weight. The springs for leafs will not cover all ranges of weight in the rig.
I've specified air suspension on many articulated lorry trailers. It's essential to have self-levelling, the airbags are meant to sit in mind position at the set ride height. Then they can easily accommodate the required travel. They also give a nice smooth ride, preventing known damage to vehicle contents during delivery. Find a company that designs and make these, chat to one of their tech guys, and he'll certainly point you in the right direction, and prevent you from putting in a duff system
Great advice for people looking for off road suspension for their vans..
If airbags are so bad why do Mercedes and high end cars use it for a smoother ride of course
That is different then adding them to a vehicle with springs. There are good applications just not on a van....
Lol every one bashing this poor dude who just wanted to help and had a good point from experiance. What he means to say is
Air suspension = very comfortable but only for road as offroading causes it to burst
Offroad springs = not very comfortable but very durable and will not break while offroading
Exactly...
That's exactly what I got from this video too..
However this video didn't help me in my quest to lift my van...😂🤣
I've been watching the journey kid for years...
It was what I wanted...
Now that I've been saying problems with people that have them...
I'm looking at other ways of lifting my van...
For one I don't need a three and a half inch lift kit That's just too much...
I just need a good 2 in roughly...
@@tracybrayton6800 wow made this comment 8 months ago. Hope u find what ur looking for. But it all comes down to endurance vs comfort. My friend drives like a hooligan on bumpy roads bc his car has leaf springs whereas i have to drive slowly bc mine has shocks. Mine is more comfy his is more rugged
You are disgrace to automotive industry, thanks god, that now-days you do not have to understand how things works and just change the part. Screwing bolts together and apart could learn even ape ..never ever give any advice to anyone..ever!
Who are you talking to? Try to form a coherent sentence with evidence as to what you're saying because as of right now you're talking out of your ass. You have no understanding of what were doing and why. I know this because if you did your panties wouldn't be in a bunch like they are. Go take that shitty attitude somewhere else. You wasted your own time commenting on something you simply don't like. I'm almost sorry for you.
@@WeldtecDesigns Apologies for my grammar, English is not my first language and based from what I read in your response, yours probably isn't too. I guess, I was too drunk watching your video, as I do not remember it at all. However, watching again first 4 min, I have to stand behind my first comment. Also, you are right. I have no understanding of what you are doing, because your explanation makes no sense and therefore I would not care further. "Air-springs" are direct spring replacement. Adjustable pressure can modify spring strength. It is not suitable for height adjustment, where specific spring performance is required. For that purpose, mechanical or hydraulic height adjustment would be preferred. Also true, that I wasted my own time to write a comment for this video. I simply felt, that it would be appropriate, since you put [love] on my original comment. Otherwise, I would not give a shit...
@@lukaskorcak5583 Thank you for watching it again and taking time to comment :) RUclips has subtitles if it helps your comprehension too. Hope that helps!
As someone that's been doing air suspension since the 90s that's not the right air bag you would use a large roll Bellow on the back and eliminate the springs with a 4 or 3 link
It's obvious the guy in this video has no idea what he's talking about. Comparing an air bag to a 2x4 is ridiculous. You don't even know which side is up and down and you say "it doesn't really matter". Jesus, son. I sincerely hope you reconsider removing this video instead of trying to milk bad information for a few ad dollars. Have a little bit of shame.
I think the problem lies in the fact they put a small ass bag on a very large truck.kelderman has been making air ride kits for ton trucks and it works because they use bags that have a bunch of travel and their not fighting a leaf spring.
Makes sense now. Thanks for saving me the mistake of using those!
actually, it doesn't make any sense, because there are different types of airbags. He picked up one that doesn't match the application.
Surely you only need the height for self leveling when stationary? Or tilting the vehicle(motorhome) when say emptying the grey water tank? I don't see any reason to increase the height, and therfor effect the comfort of the drive whilst moving? Or am i missing something here?
In the uk, motorhomes have plenty of clearance anyway, and i doubt they need to be increased in height at all, unless they are stationary.
Sorry Dude . Your arguments are WRONG . Airbags are only for Supplementary load carrying .
5 psi in one od those makes a marked difference . You do , of course , need to MATCH the Bag type to the application .
It's Poly-Air springs that are a Bad idea , because they actively bind the Coil they are mounted in .
There's a reason why big semi trucks use air bags
Yeah there definitely is, thing is you're comparing a 80 thousand lbs semi to a to a 5 thousand lbs van, as that's what we build. Hence the tittle of the video. 👍
Let’s not use straw man, explanations.
I wouldn’t recommend a nitrous fuel system for RV travel either.
Just like sway-bar pins on a jeep. Adjustments must be made for more extreme off-road conditions.
He always shows the worst possible airbags is his videos. Oh, in case you don't know he sells springs for a living. Lol
Unfortunately these are the only airbags we encounter on Class C RVs that come to our shop. These particular airbags are inadequate and don't do anything in terms of ride comfort and load carrying capability. To be clear we don't dislike all airbags just these ones that are sold to fool the RV consumer into thinking they are getting airbags like on a semi truck. Hey, you would be surprised at how great a coach will preform/handle with a set of leaf springs built to the weight of your RV.
I just watched this old clip. "why not to use airbags on your RV'. I call it all a load of crap, you inflate an airbag and try to push it down by hand, and say you just should a piece of 4 by 2 there instead, are you kidding me, try that any RV spring.
Then Read the other comments, they are what I thinking, I think you just want to sell springs,
I know you dont do Astro,s but I'm thinking of getting coil spring shocks in the back with the Timbren airbumpstops and an add a leaf kit, Do you think maybe with a rear swaybaralso ,it will help with towing my 19ft camper!???by the way when I'm done building it ,I would love to bring it down to show and maybe shoot a video ! Your a van celebrity and expert, my favorite to watch
I honestly couldn't educate much on the astros, we have never built one or worked on one so I have no knowledge when it comes to them sorry about that. Wouldn't want to give you false info!
I put add a leaf ony last Astro to make it level , worked good but I'm going to cool over shocks ony newer Astro
And this folks is why you don’t always believe what you hear on You Tube. This guy know absolutely nothing about air bags
Educate me, I'd really like to hear you give the rundown....
It's airbags on 18wheelers ,fk wat u talking about
We were thinking spelling classes?
@@WeldtecDesigns ,did u understand it ? Of course u did. & second English is not or language, it come from the Colonizers,u know ,pilgrims who steal everything?
On a vehicle that spends part of its life towing and the other part just driving with nothing more than it’s stock weight your argument doesn’t apply. When towing you find the sweet spot for air and they work perfectly. If it’s not articulating you are over pressurized.
Your customers are overfilling for the load they are applying. Its a helper spring not a full suspension spring. Also.. That spring may be universal and not correct for the application.
But even then.. Customers are probably overfilling them because they dont understand.
Just like the tires might say max 42 psi or max 75psi.. doesnt mean that is what you fill it to. My small car specs 32psi ( tire max is 44). My tires wear properly and car rides like oem intended.
What about adding them to an already lifted leaf spring system for when on road. Didn't realize just how overly top heavy my B190 would be. Plus the wind can be difficult. It really seemed to do the job on road. I haven't really had a chance to do some good off-roading yet. Will once i get back west, heading now.
Imo. If you are looking for height or aesthetics in general. I would stay away from Air ride. If you are looking for improved suspension and carrying capacity. Airbags are definitely the way to go.
Well the point of them is to take stress off of The Springs in the spring Hangers On overloaded vehicles. I can send you pictures of what a K 2500 pulling a gooseneck will do to a set of Springs when you're hauling hay out of the field with them. They throw them out at break them off at the frame it is a safety device if people are putting too much air in their airbag suspensions that's because they are morons not they're doing what it is not designed to do
Man, you're pushing on it with your 200lb, do you really think it won't compress further with 1500lbs on it ?
Ok why are all semi’s all have air bags tractor and trailer and rides really good the bags are to rugged that they need to be !!
I have a 1993 Jayco, Ford 350. Is that to old for a lift? All the comments below support airbags, confused!
I think it's more for leveling not really lifting it cheating like you say
That's only when all the air bags are connected to each other, so the air (or fluid) can travel around and make it level. Like in DS Automobiles. When separate like this it's just plain air ride suspension.
Totally shear my sprinter van chassis clean through because of air bag.
Cost £5.5k to repair.
Now are you talking about helper bags as not being good?
Or were you saying a full air ride suspension is no good off road.?
Contacted you guys three times via phone and email for a 6” Rv lift. No response. Bummer. Ended up getting a 3” lift by new coils and rear leaf springs. Rides nice but would have rather had the added clearance, bummer
Sorry to hear that, we're jam packed at the moment receiving back to back calls and emails as well as having a hard time getting fox shocks as they're on a global back order so getting back to people is difficult right now, we've mentioned it numerous times on our social media. We're also booked for the next 2 months. You're not the only one. Some are just willing to be patient. It's a bummer.
WeldTec Designs you just confirmed my suspicion about your company...only reply when social media is involved and then make excuses. Should have been a simple “sorry to hear that” “we are super busy but that is no excuse for not responding to your phone call, hopefully we can do business in the future”. I live in San Diego and I was willing to take a chance on you even though Ujoint offers a superior product. I’m glad I didn’t
They have been super easy to work with and always return e-mail inquiries. Weld Tec is blowing up and scaling can be tricky. When you have a ton of business you can ignore tire kickers. It's a bummer!
G Murf not a tire kicker, got a lift done
@@drevere78 I do t think Weldtec meant to ignore anyone. I’ve emailed and called them and didn’t get a response right away. Finally called a 3rd or 4th time and talked to Jeremy. Small shops that do quality work just get busy. Unfortunately some customers fall through the cracks. Most shops want your business whether small or big.
The air suspension bags on my Ducato RV when decompressed are about the same height as the original bump stop. I run my system at about 2.5 bar and the ride quality is very much improved when travelling. No banging or rattling as I drive over pot holes and is much more compliant than leaf springs alone. The thing is, all these “B” class RV’s are built on a chassis that was designed to carry the weight of a certain load, this weight., after conversion is very nearly at the maximum capacity of the suspension, giving little room for wheel travel. A correctly fitted and pressurised air suspension kit gives back the compliance of the vehicle with the associated benefit of a softer ride. In my opinion they are a very worthwhile modification to any class B motorhome.
How much do you usually load your vehicle? Do you ever exceed the total permissible weight? I have a Citroen Jumper / Relay on which I would like to install an air suspension. The problem is that I am overloaded most of the time.
You should never run at more that the permissible weight as it’s not just the suspension that is affected but the steering and brakes are badly affected. If you are constantly over the gross vehicle weight there is a fault somewhere in the design. If, on the other hand, you become overweight only when you’re packing, why don’t you get a towbar fitted. With my Ducato I can legally tow 1.5 tonnes (braked trailer) or 750kg unbraked I’m lucky enough to have bought a “Smart for two” which I load most of my equipment into when travelling. The car was converted for towing by “Towtal” so is braked automatically. I could never load all the equipment I take within the 3,5 tonne limit. So beside giving me enough capacity for everything, it means that when I reach my destination, I can leave the motorhome set up and still go sightseeing. This option isn’t as expensive as you might believe, as my car is very cheap to insure and has zero road tax. Hope this rather long winded reply was of help, but I emplore you never to risk driving an overweight vehicle.there again you could just use a trailer to gain you extra(1500kg) of payload.
I love the ride of my airbags on my rv
You've missed the point of rear air assist totally
and whats that? We are talking about Air Suspension when it comes to lifting your van and how springs will be much better for offroad use. Thats a question we consistently get so that's why we aren't necessarily talking about air lift for towing or grocery getting.
Airbag suspension are pointless for off-roading!
Leveling out your vehicle for highway, general driving or for show vehicles they are great!
They added Springs to Steel for the suspension on some of our work trucks where I were to haul heavier loads. The result of adding more Leaf to leaf springs is the ride quality is so bad you can't even hold them in the road and you can't steer them it pushes itself sideways. You cannot over are an airbag
Unless you use your van for towing then everything you just said is 👎🏾
I tow with my van. Custom rear leaf springs I'm using. They perform better than any bag.
Just put cups on the bottom of the bags and no more problems with limited spring travel
If your towing anything, You will be a fool if you dont have airbag supination
We are rambling because we don't understand air????????
Ha. Yeah that's why all those truck drivers are scrambling to ditch their air ride.
But a Range Rover the best off-road vehicle in the world uses air bags ?.
Put just enough air in to help your spring hangers so that your suspension still works
Obviously has no idea about suspension and how airbags work.
you really need to use longer brake lines or relocate the mount of the brake line as it is under a lot of tension when at full drop on that vehicle.. huge safety issue you will want to fix
Thanks for the recommendation, however we do lower the brake line bracket, it just wasn't shown in this video.
What about a smoother ride?
That is our 6" lift kit! It will ride so much better
I can confirm, just finished my installation and the ride is like a brand new raptor
Bag on bar coupled with air lock dual rate sway bars is better.
So then now you have eliminated any camping leveling without having to jack and block wheels. Do you own an rv or camper?
I do. I have a Class A diesel pusher, it uses leveling jacks that work just fine. Thing is, my class a isn't a van that's 9k pounds that is used to do heavy off-roading in, as that is what most of our customers are doing with their vans which is why we do NOT recommend them bags - a product that will fail when straining the suspension out in the desert or on a trail.
@@WeldtecDesigns im looking at using them on my dodge ram 2500 4x4 with truck bed camper. Want to add a work utility bed and dual rear axle as well. I have helper springs already and sway bars already. Think i need to start by having my rear suspension accessed by suspension specialty company with camper on vehicle.
That’s funny that multi million dollar companies like Peterbilt or Kenworth put air suspensions there trucks that haul 80000lbs but what do they know
Yeah it is funny. Comparing a SEMI TRUCK to a VAN that's going to be doing off-roading. Hence why we don't recommend bags for off-roading after having 20 years experience in the industry, what do we know though huh? Comparing Apples to Baseballs. Two completely different things buddy.
Just like air shocks. Anything made out of rubber will eventually fail, believe me, I know from experience :o.
That's true! We recently had a customer who had rubber coil spacers that needed to be switched and boy was it crums everywhere when we pulled it off. Rubber is no bueno lol
THE SLAM VAN 😎
NOW THATS more of a valid reason to use bags!
All of the travel and measurement examples are done with the RV jacked up and the axle dangling. Really?
Absolutely! Did you not watch the part where he explains why it's jacked up and allowing it to droop? lol
15 psi max. Is all I need for 1000 lbs of leveling, and I get all suspension travel.
I have a F250 cargo van that I made into a travel van. I am looking for a smoother ride because I feel every bump in the road. I am not looking for height.
currently all of the products we offer are going to lift your van.
@@WeldtecDesigns you did not listen to my question. I am not interested in lifting my van. I am only interested in a smooth ride.
what about hydroshox?
are airbags fine for riding at normal ride height or airing out when parked, i’m getting it for my 95 mustang, don’t need to lift it
only downside is cornering performance. Thats why expensive cars use active suspension to counteract this disadvantage. If you pair active damper with air ride is it GLORIOUS. comfort AND cornering all together
@@Nordic_Mechanic but complicated and pricey to install on a car that didn't come with it
@@hansdomke89 No
@@Nordic_Mechanic oh? You know how to interconnect the bags for self leveling?
@@hansdomke89 yes. height sensors on each suspension arm to mesure eight. Then a microcontroller opens valving to raise the bags to the level you want. That's how it works on cars. Otherwise commercial trucks use a mecanical valve hooked to the axle
Ripped 2 on a construction van never again. Add springs not that much more money and remove the worry.
what was the reason?
This bloke is a puller
Good thing this is going on a truck and I don’t own a RV
Get an RV and we can talk about getting you a lift than!
Use accumulator!
Really disagree with this video
You're not the only one :) But thanks for watching!
I don't want to lift the van, I gta sienna, my girl had Walmart try to change tires... They fcked it up.. her right tire broke like 4 studs out one night..$600 later she's fine. My maine question is if I used a smaller airbag setup and put her on would that give some pressure of the suspension?
Do you have a lift kit like complete leaf pack for a 2014 ford e350 box truck ?
Yeah check this video out on one we did ruclips.net/video/qZksnFl3y9E/видео.html
I am neither pro or con for air bag use on an RV or Off road vehicle. Depending upon application, air bags and or springs need to be right sized for the application. Many people ad either helper springs or air bags as supplemental support elements to their suspensions. Range of lift or travel is dependent on the spring or airbag configuration. The one you showed had a operational range of around 5 inches. Probably adequate for most situations. If you want more lift, you need an airbag set up to accommodate that additional lift. Not just over inflate one which is too short.
Springs are great for simplicity of use. Install it and your done. They have a fixed range of motion and support. Air bags are more complicated but offer the opportunity to vary their capacity (or ride height) based on demand by changing the volume of supporting load carrying material contained in the bag. In this case, air. And that is their primary. Advantage.