Suspension TechGeneral discussion of suspension for the Ford Ranger.
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About a year ago I swapped in some chevy 63" springs and took out the overload and one other leaf (was WAY to stiff with them in for every day driving) and rides like a dream and holds its own flexing, but lacks in the towing department. I tow/haul on a semi-regular basis, maybe about once a month, and the rear just squats like nobodys business to the point my rear tires rub when I hit bumps. What are your guy's thoughts on air bags for towing? are there any avaliable for lifted trucks? is there a way to make them work with flexing like only mounting the top or bottom side? I would most likely only have pressure in them when i tow and leave them at 0 psi the rest of the time.
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2004 Ranger FX4 4.0L
Superlift W/ Fox Coilovers. BL. Bumpers. 63" Chevs. 6400's. 4.88s. 35s. Magnaflow. Air Horns. Winch. OHC. 8.8 L/S. And the list goes on...
Last edited by Woods-Rider; 09-21-2009 at 07:03 PM.
the air bags should hold 5 psi at all times, this keeps them sealed. as for them workign in flexing situations they could, mine work awesome in the f150 and still doesnt limit much flex on it. I thought about something like this but with removable bags for wheeling.
I would love them if someone came up with a quick disco setup.
Technically the truck should not be lifted by the frame with them on as some manufacturers are afraid it will pull the bags apart if you let the suspension fully extend.
I have never used airbags on my trucks for that reason though, so I'm not speaking from experience.
And as Zach said, they should have 5-10psi in them all the time.
on my buddies 91 with a 4" lift we put air bags on it then used a 3" body lift spacer to space the air bags up off the axle for when he flexes. I'm buying a set this week :)
I have them on my truck with 4" of suspension lift and have no troubles, but mine is by no means set up for flex. I have installed them on my buddies F150 with 6" of lift and his definitely don't fully extend. They are great to have for occasional towing because you can quickly and easy change the load characteristics.
on my buddies 91 with a 4" lift we put air bags on it then used a 3" body lift spacer to space the air bags up off the axle for when he flexes. I'm buying a set this week :)
this sounds like a good. i am a truck and coach apprentice and airbags have been proven to be the best for towing (if set up properly) because they always maintain a constant ride height and very good ride comfort. they are also eaily removable. if you run synflex line like used on trucks instead of a rubber line you can use quick connect push style fittings that allow you to remove the line in about a second. then most bags are only two or three bolts to pull out.
they say not to pick the truck up from the frame when air is in the bags, but everytime i load and unload the ranger it picks the truck off the ground, no issues yet.
they say not to pick the truck up from the frame when air is in the bags, but everytime i load and unload the ranger it picks the truck off the ground, no issues yet.
That's good to hear. Although if you are flexing the truck and one rear tire is stuffed with the axle on the bump stops, you'll transfer more downward energy to the opposite side. Still it may not be an issue.
I still don't see why a person couldn't hard mount the top of the airbag to the frame, and put an upside down "cup" sort of on the bottom of the airbag, facing down. That "cup" would rest on top of a hard poly bumpstop on the top of the axle. This would help support weight like an air bag typically would, but allow the axle to droop well below.
Maybe I am missing something though, I've never had them but always thought it would work well for a multi-purpose truck.
Yeah, I was thinking of something along those lines. I'm just not sure the bag would come back down in the same spot every time which could cause some problems. I'm sure there are many possible solutions though.
Yeah, I was thinking of something along those lines. I'm just not sure the bag would come back down in the same spot every time which could cause some problems. I'm sure there are many possible solutions though.
I'm thinking like a machined aluminum cup, cut out like half of a baseball, or a cone or something. That way as the weight set on it, it would self center.
But again it would depend on the airbag and everything too, I don't know how rigid they are side to side. I don't know if they would fold under weight without being firmly bolted on both sides. I thought about buying some cheap used bags at one point but I don't have any way to fab something up anyway..
How about limit straps holding a base that the bag is mounted to? So it acts like an external bumpstop kinda thingy. So if you flex down the bag will extend untill the limit straps are tight and the axle can move farther. I would think that some teflon strips under the mount and a flat surface on top of the axle will have to exist.
Requires some more fab work but will work sweet i think.
Don't air shocks fade when driven a high speeds over long perions of time like on the freeway, and how would they work in conjunction with leafs? Or are you saying to take the leafs out?
Air Bags For Towing
