air lift report (1 Viewer)

[timbercruiser]

I recently installed air life springs on the 80 to aid with the camper. This weekend was the test. With winds of 15-25 MPH, it didn't take long to realize that I still needed the sway/stabilizer bars. The bags leveled the load nicely, but did nothing (or not enough) to control the wind-induced sway.

DN

 

[scottm]

Mine did wonders for the sway, do you have your fill tubes connected or separate left/right?

 

[IdahoDoug]

Ditto. Do you have two separate air valves to fill, or did you set it up with a single fill valve??

DougM

 

[timbercruiser]

single line on mine. I had 30 psi in the bags.

The camper felt like a trailer with too much weight on the back. (The camper didn't have any extra weight in back either).

 

[Fochdog]

single line on mine. I had 30 psi in the bags.

With this set up you will gain no roll stiffness from your air springs, only leveling function. If the two air springs are connected pneumatically when one one side gets loaded it will transfer air to the other spring. This is sometimes called a "knife edge" configuration. Good for axle articluation, bad for load control.

Ideally you want each airspring pneumatically separate so they will add to your roll stiffness and not transfer air from one side to the other.

 

[timbercruiser]

Now I see. Will it cause the overloaded one to burst?

 

[scottm]

No.

 

[Fochdog]

No, but this is likely why you feel like you need more sway control or a larger stabilizer bar.

Check with the spring manufacture or whoever supplied you with the system & see what they can do.

 

[Rusty Phillips]

quick and easy fix would be to throw in a ball valve between the two sides, except you would need to be sure to open the valve whenever adding air or letting air out of the bags

probably the "right" way to do it would be a separate inflation line for each side with a separate cross over that you can open when you need it (or no crossover whatsoever).

before you do anything else though, can you flex it and take pics of the compressed spring (and the drooped spring on the other side)?

Im curious how much droop you get before the airspring completely unloads.

 

[Rusty Phillips]

heres a pic from a writeup on a heep airlift mod that shows the bag completely away from the bumpstop

http://www.4x4xplor.com/airlift.html

does the bag in your 80 look like that when flexed?



also - did you put your airbag in with the fill line coming out the top or the bottom of the coil?

 

[scottm]

Mine looked like that, but I removed the bumpstops.

 

[Fochdog]

Mine looked like that, but I removed the bumpstops.

It seems the bare metal bump stop cup would damage the air spring if you had any kind on load on it.

 

[timbercruiser]

I have the lines coming out of the bottom. It came with a setup to do seperate lines, so going that route would be simple.

I don't have a digicam, so I can't show what it looks like.

On a sidenote, hey Scottm, what are you doing on Labor day? My local club will be in Soo Ontario playing on the hills and logging roads. C'mon up and join us ( You too Foch!)

Dave

 

[scottm]

It seems the bare metal bump stop cup would damage the air spring if you had any kind on load on it.

Cup comes off, just a plate with a couple holes. Our bump stop is pretty long, I cut it into sections with a long knife and pulled the pieces out through the coil. Then I reached in with a ratchet and removed the last section and cup.

Not sure about Labor Day, I've got to get back to my weekend and holiday job one of these days.

 

[timbercruiser]

Naw. Be poor like the rest of us!!

We'll be at Blueberry campground north of Soo.

 

[Walking Eagle]

quick and easy fix would be to throw in a ball valve between the two sides, except you would need to be sure to open the valve whenever adding air or letting air out of the bags

probably the "right" way to do it would be a separate inflation line for each side with a separate cross over that you can open when you need it (or no crossover whatsoever).
QUOTE]

actually, the ball valve might be a better choice. That way both sides are filled to exactly the same pressure, you don't have to wory about one being at 20psi and the second at 40

 

[IdahoDoug]

2nd the two fills. Paid off on my full size Montero when we were halfway home and one rear bag blew from exhaust heat on a loooong pass because I just put double the normal pressure in the other bag and the truck levelled out the rest of the way. Not possible if they're plumbed together.

DougM

 

[timbercruiser]

I'm going to keep it simple and do the seperate lines. Although I do like the ballvalve idea.

 

[timbercruiser]

Just pulled this weekend. Changed the bags to seperate lines. Still swayed-even without wind. Put the bars back on and it rode fine. So I'll just keep it this way until I save for a 100.

 

[Vin-barrett]

2 lines?

Does the air lift kit come with parts necessary to do 2 seperate lines or does one have to buy extra stuff?

Thanks