Simple Air Bag Suspension Fill System Using Spare Tire

I recently added air bags but too often found my truck loaded without access to an air pump. This is a very simple way to always have air to fill your air bags.

 

Very clever... Two thumbs up on this...

 

Kewl.

 

1. Start with adding a Wheel Masters chassis spare tire inflator remote fill line. Part #82286-S from Camping World. Bulkhead mount the Schroeder valve into the bumper and fill the tire to 60PSI.
2. Make up a short schrader-to-schrader fill hose. Use a clip on version at one end and a simple press on version at the other. All parts are from Ace Hardware. Clip on schrader fill valve + 2" long 1/4" NPT extension + 1/4" NPT coupling + 1/4" NPT to 1/4" press in fitting + 1/4" rigid hose 17" long + 1/4" NPT to 1/4" press in fitting + 1/4" NPT coupling + 2" long 1/4" NPT extension + press on schrader fill valve.
3. Clip on schrader fill valve to spare tire fill line and fill air bag schrader until truck bumper is back to normal ride height.

 

Just reinflate the spare to 60psi whenever you use the air bags. A fill of the air bags from 5psi to 25psi raised the loaded truck ~2" and only dropped the spare about 1 psi.

I also made up a coil hose version that is great to air up small lower pressure tires on the dirt bikes. The spare is equivalent to having ~5 gallon portable air tank.

 

cool mod...

 

I had considered using the spare as tank on my classic. Still have the compressors, but would have to set up the cutoff switch to turn the compressor off at 60 PSI. Not sure if it would be enough to run 4 bags.....but back to our regularlly scheduled program...