Putting a snow plow on my truck and didn't see a good thread on here about anyone running front air bags. I have been running air bags in the back of my truck for several years to help with occasional towing and they have given no trouble at all. I used Firestone Coil-Rite bags and they have held up well.
I should probably point out that the factory suspension on my 95 is running 30mm spacers to get back to stock height on the tired factory springs, and 255/85 tires.
The rear kit was number 4124 and fit perfectly, but there was no kit listed for the front springs, probably because the factory bump stops have to be removed to put bags inside the coils. The 11 inch Firestone 6023 bag seemed to be the right size and the kit with those bags was number 4150, apparently for a Nissan. They also make a 13" bag, number 6022, that should cover a 3" lift. When the kit arrived the bags were the right size so onward into unknown territory we went.
Yep, she's rusty. That's why the plow, but anyway...
So removing the bump stop leaves a rough surface at the top of the spring hanger-
Not good for air bags. So I started to make some plates to give me a smooth surface for the top of the air bag.
Unfortunately I quickly realized that I couldn't use them because without the bump stop to locate the spring spacer, there was nothing really holding the top of the spring in the pocket. Curses and other such comments ensued. Finally after much pondering I figured that if I cut down the bump stop and filled in the hollow center space somehow, the spring would still be retained and the bag shouldn't get abraded. So that led to this-
With the stop cut down to size than all that was left was filling in the hollow space. I guess I could have welded plates onto the stops and went that route, but I was worried about pinching the bag between the plate and the spring, and I already had figured out a workaround. Hockey Pucks. ( Insert Don Rickles comment here for us older folks.)
These pucks got a 3/4 inch hole drilled through the middle and a pair of pucks stacked worked out just about perfectly. The bags only take the additional weight of the plow seasonally and the pucks being solid hard rubber are weatherproof and won't deform, especially when it's cold..
To be continued-
I should probably point out that the factory suspension on my 95 is running 30mm spacers to get back to stock height on the tired factory springs, and 255/85 tires.
The rear kit was number 4124 and fit perfectly, but there was no kit listed for the front springs, probably because the factory bump stops have to be removed to put bags inside the coils. The 11 inch Firestone 6023 bag seemed to be the right size and the kit with those bags was number 4150, apparently for a Nissan. They also make a 13" bag, number 6022, that should cover a 3" lift. When the kit arrived the bags were the right size so onward into unknown territory we went.
Yep, she's rusty. That's why the plow, but anyway...
So removing the bump stop leaves a rough surface at the top of the spring hanger-
Not good for air bags. So I started to make some plates to give me a smooth surface for the top of the air bag.
Unfortunately I quickly realized that I couldn't use them because without the bump stop to locate the spring spacer, there was nothing really holding the top of the spring in the pocket. Curses and other such comments ensued. Finally after much pondering I figured that if I cut down the bump stop and filled in the hollow center space somehow, the spring would still be retained and the bag shouldn't get abraded. So that led to this-
With the stop cut down to size than all that was left was filling in the hollow space. I guess I could have welded plates onto the stops and went that route, but I was worried about pinching the bag between the plate and the spring, and I already had figured out a workaround. Hockey Pucks. ( Insert Don Rickles comment here for us older folks.)
These pucks got a 3/4 inch hole drilled through the middle and a pair of pucks stacked worked out just about perfectly. The bags only take the additional weight of the plow seasonally and the pucks being solid hard rubber are weatherproof and won't deform, especially when it's cold..
To be continued-
Last edited:
