LC 200 airbags for towing (1 Viewer)

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I couldn’t find too much info regarding towing boats with heavier tongue weights. I did see a few threads on airbags and tried it myself. I hope this helps others because I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. LC 200 series. The boat is 26 feet. Twin 150s. Package prob at top end of tow rating. But tongue weight was making it sag on the bump stops pretty badly. I got the “heavy duty” airbags from airbag man off eBay. THey’re firestone bags but sold by airbag man . They come with the HD fabric bag that protects the bags. Also comes with all the tubing and connections. Anyway, the installation was 3-4 hours from start to finish. Hardest part was getting springs in and out Once I dropped the axle. I ran the valves under the bumper with individual circuits for left and right. Tried it today At 50 lbs pressure in the bags and zero sag. Handled much better . If you’re thinking about getting the airbags, do it. Makes towing much easier And didn’t cost that much in terms of time or money.

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I couldn’t find too much info regarding towing boats with heavier tongue weights. I did see a few threads on airbags and tried it myself. I hope this helps others because I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. LC 200 series. The boat is 26 feet. Twin 150s. Package prob at top end of tow rating. But tongue weight was making it sag on the bump stops pretty badly. I got the “heavy duty” airbags from airbag man off eBay. THey’re firestone bags but sold by airbag man . They come with the HD fabric bag that protects the bags. Also comes with all the tubing and connections. Anyway, the installation was 3-4 hours from start to finish. Hardest part was getting springs in and out Once I dropped the axle. I ran the valves under the bumper with individual circuits for left and right. Tried it today At 50 lbs pressure in the bags and zero sag. Handled much better . If you’re thinking about getting the airbags, do it. Makes towing much easier And didn’t cost that much in terms of time or money.

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Got a link to the eBay shop that worked well for you? How long did shipping take?
 
Got a link to the eBay shop that worked well for you? How long did shipping take?

Here’s the link. Unbelievably it only took about 1.5 weeks to get it from Australia.
 
Just ordered the Airman kit for a lifted 200. I like the increased pressure over stock 30lbs. @Aircooled1 , I have my first car still. 1970 convertible beetle 1.9L twin weber 44's. Also my dad's original owner of our 73' type 181, stock motor.
 
Wish they sold those bags separately.
Firestone kit is <100.
kinda mean to upcharge that much for 2 flimsy bags.
I used the Firestone kit as I’ll be towing something small. But for the bigger loads the ability to go pst 30psi is nice.
 
Arguable but I personally I don't think much over 30psi is ever required for even the heaviest of loads. Sure I have AHC, but even with my 1200lb tongue on my 8k trailer, I'll only use ~18PSI in the bags.

Airbags primary purpose is to augment spring rate. Less so to set the ride height. Other tools like WD hitch (if used in the application) should be relied upon to level the ride and importantly, transfer load back to the front axle. No amount of pressure in the airbag will do the latter.
 
Arguable but I personally I don't think much over 30psi is ever required for even the heaviest of loads. Sure I have AHC, but even with my 1200lb tongue on my 8k trailer, I'll only use ~18PSI in the bags.

Airbags primary purpose is to augment spring rate. Less so to set the ride height. Other tools like WD hitch (if used in the application) should be relied upon to level the ride and importantly, transfer load back to the front axle. No amount of pressure in the airbag will do the latter.
Yes, but you can't always use a WD hitch. My Aluma 8122, for example will not accept a WD hitch as it will void the warranty. At least for my application, air bags are the only solution.
 
Here is a pretty good thread on towing...

 
I couldn’t find too much info regarding towing boats with heavier tongue weights. I did see a few threads on airbags and tried it myself. I hope this helps others because I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. LC 200 series. The boat is 26 feet. Twin 150s. Package prob at top end of tow rating. But tongue weight was making it sag on the bump stops pretty badly. I got the “heavy duty” airbags from airbag man off eBay. THey’re firestone bags but sold by airbag man . They come with the HD fabric bag that protects the bags. Also comes with all the tubing and connections. Anyway, the installation was 3-4 hours from start to finish. Hardest part was getting springs in and out Once I dropped the axle. I ran the valves under the bumper with individual circuits for left and right. Tried it today At 50 lbs pressure in the bags and zero sag. Handled much better . If you’re thinking about getting the airbags, do it. Makes towing much easier And didn’t cost that much in terms of time or money.

View attachment 2740260

View attachment 2740266
Is everything besides the airbags on your LC (springs, shocks etc...) OEM/stock?
 
Arguable but I personally I don't think much over 30psi is ever required for even the heaviest of loads. Sure I have AHC, but even with my 1200lb tongue on my 8k trailer, I'll only use ~18PSI in the bags.

Airbags primary purpose is to augment spring rate. Less so to set the ride height. Other tools like WD hitch (if used in the application) should be relied upon to level the ride and importantly, transfer load back to the front axle. No amount of pressure in the airbag will do the latter.
Getting both. Heavy boat
 
How heavy are the tongues on those boats?
 
Yes all stock otherwise
Thank you! I've been following the threads related to towing/Bilstein's suspension upgrade/shocks & springs/air-bags etc... and I think you're the first one to write here about the experience of adding air bags to an otherwise 100% stock LC 200. This is my exact situation! I'm now convinced this is where I should start. I'll try and order them today. I'll also probably upgrade the tires to something like the Michelin's Defender LTX M/S. Thanks again!
 
Well the seller Airman canceled my order because Australia views the airbags as hazardous so they won't ship it to me in the US. I just want the cloth sleeves and lines that allow the Firestone kit to exceed 30psi. Might ping them if they have a contact us somewhere.
 

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