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Will Added PSI on Firestone Air Bags for Ram 2500 Help Trailer Bounce  

Published 07/16/2020



Question:

Hello, I tow a 38ft fifth wheel with a Ram 2500. The coach is a 2014 but is new to me. I towed it home dry wgt. and it was excellent, I purchased Firestone airbags from you folks because after the unit got loaded and hitched to move it to winter storage my truck sagged under the extra wgt. Beginning of season I towed it again loaded. It was still good. Last week I towed it down into Pa and the terrain is alot more hilly shall we say! I didnt notice it so much on the way down but going over a couple of bridges on the way home it seemed to almost bottom out once and got very bouncy temporarily. Meaning it didnt continue to be that way all the way home. The difference this trip is that I had added wgt. to the rack on the back of the coach. I assume it is a bike/cargo rack, it came with the coach and is factory. It really came in handy to keep the extra wgt. and cargo out of the back of my truck but now I am wondering if it may have contributed to the bouncing effect. I dont run a lot of air in my bags because I am already about 13 foot 8 inch tall with the 10 inch vent covers so I try not to pump them up to hard. My goal with the bags was really to try and eliminate the rear end sag and level the truck out so that I could see over the hood and be able to steer it. This so far has been an isolated incident but I am due to go back to the same area in a couple of weeks so I thought perhaps I would reach out. My son has different airbags on virtually the same truck with a bigger 5th wheel and he told me he fills his bags to 60-80 psi. I run about 10 psi. The only other thing I can add is that mine has the air-ride pin box. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

Thanks for the purchase of the Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs # F2299, and those along with an Air Ride pin box like the Trailair # LC158778 put you very much ahead of the game in terms of towing comfort.

But as far as psi in the air bags, there really isn't a recommended level. You should really just experiment to see what the most optimal setting is for you, though I will say 10 psi is pretty low. I think it would probably be a good idea to pump that psi up to see if it makes a difference but overall it sounds like this may have just been an area where there was terrain that caused some bounce.

This is going to happen sometimes no matter what you do, though your set up will make it distinctly less noticeable than others that don't have the air bags and pin box you do. If the problem persists you could also go with a trailer suspension upgrade like the Roadmaster Comfort Ride Shock Absorbers for Tandem Axle Trailers # RM-2460.

expert reply by:
1
Kyle S
Dale profile picture

Dale

7/16/2020

Hello, I tow a 38ft fifth wheel with a Ram 2500. The coach is a 2014 but is new to me. I towed it home dry wgt. and it was excellent, I purchased Firestone airbags from you folks because after the unit got loaded and hitched to move it to winter storage my truck sagged under the extra wgt. Beginning of season I towed it again loaded. It was still good. Last week I towed it down into Pa and the terrain is alot more hilly shall we say! I didnt notice it so much on the way down but going over a couple of bridges on the way home it seemed to almost bottom out once and got very bouncy temporarily. Meaning it didnt continue to be that way all the way home. The difference this trip is that I had added wgt. to the rack on the back of the coach. I assume it is a bike/cargo rack, it came with the coach and is factory. It really came in handy to keep the extra wgt. and cargo out of the back of my truck but now I am wondering if it may have contributed to the bouncing effect. I dont run a lot of air in my bags because I am already about 13 foot 8 inch tall with the 10 inch vent covers so I try not to pump them up to hard. My goal with the bags was really to try and eliminate the rear end sag and level the truck out so that I could see over the hood and be able to steer it. This so far has been an isolated incident but I am due to go back to the same area in a couple of weeks so I thought perhaps I would reach out. My son has different airbags on virtually the same truck with a bigger 5th wheel and he told me he fills his bags to 60-80 psi. I run about 10 psi. The only other thing I can add is that mine has the air-ride pin box. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

Kyle S. profile picture

Kyle S.

7/16/2020

A compressor would be a great idea to go with your Ram's Firestone Ride-Rite Air Helper Springs # F2299. My favorite, and the one I recommend for you is the Air Command Compressor System with Light Duty Compressor - Wireless - Smartphone Enabled # F2610. This compressor is totally unique because it allows you to adjust the air pressure in the bags from the comfort of your truck's cab with just your smartphone. It has enough power to reach your air bag's maximum psi and inflates them super quick, going from 0 to 60 psi in less than 45 seconds. You can also mount this with a no-drill kit, the No-Drill Mount Kit for Firestone Air Command 2610 # F2612. I've added links to video reviews for you to check out as well.
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