Air Bags with lift kit and full articulation?

I recently bought a big trailer and have done quite a bit of towing with it. My rear axle is about 1" from the bumpstops when the trailer is loaded up.
I have an OME 3" lift kit with Dakar leaf pack. With the tailer hitched up, my rear end is sagged so much that I actually tore a CV boot because the front end was almost at full droop. I need to be able to level out the rear end when hitched up to the trailer.

My question is: is there a Ride Rite type of airbag that would fit the 3" lift but also allow for full articulation?

 

Might want to consider Timbrens, I've never heard of an air bag kit that will survive full articulation off roading without blowing out eventually. The Dakars have 2 overloads, what are you towing that's heavy enough to squat that leaf pack that much? You're more than likely overloaded and/or should probably be using a weight distributing hitch for that much weight.

 

^^^ What Pugga said.
Sounds like you need one of these...
http://www.reese-hitches.com/product_categories/weight_distribution_kits

 

Weight distibution hitch! Thanks for the info. I wish the guy that sold me the trailer would have mentioned that.
Here is a link to a thread that I started when I was searching for a trailer.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/185682-moving-need-trailer-one-these.html
It is a 7x12' enclosed tandem axle. Dry weight is 1780. I know I didn't exceed the 6500lbs my truck is rated for, but the OME leaf pack is pretty soft. I'll be towing mostly tools, auto parts, snowmobiles, and atvs with it from now on.

 

Another helpful tip is make sure you have enough drop on the ball mount. If you have a 3" rear lift, you should probably be using a 2.5 - 3" drop for the ball mount. If the ball is too high on the truck, the trailer will squat the rear of the truck and it also won't tow well.

 

I bought a new ball mount specifically for my trailer, lift, hitch combo. Perfect height. Just need to find a weight distribution hitch with enough drop to accommodate a 3" lift and CBI bumper with integrated receiver.

 

Measure your tongue weight with a bathroom scale, as shown here:
http://www.hitchingup.com/tongue-weight.htm

Do not exceed the Taco's rated tongue weight limit of 650 lb.

 

I have to laugh a bit....how many bathroom scales will accommodate 650lbs.?

 

Did you follow the link? You put the tongue on a beam (e.g. 4x4 lumber) supported on one end by the bathroom scale, and the other end by a brick. Keep the distances at a ratio of 2:1, and the bathroom scale will read one-third the tongue weight. A 650 lb tongue weight will read as 217 lb, for example.

 

I installed these on my 2011 TRD Off Road and took this photo before connecting the lower brace. The gap is about 1.5 inches:


The truck here is suspended by the frame so the spring is completely relaxed. Note that the air bag would stretch some, I don't know how much.

Once inflated, these definitely level the load and ride nice. To find level I made up a small chain with a hook. When hooked in a safety chain eye on my hitch, the small chain just reaches the pavement when the truck is level. To level the load: Air up until the chain isn't dragging.

 

What air bag system is that?

 

Shown in the photo above are the Air Lift #59561 air bags. The original post was about articulation and this type of suspension helper. I promised I would post photos, then procrastinated about the install until now.

 

daystar also makes the airbag cups so the bag is not fixed at the bottom to the leaf spring plate not limiting droop at all

 

One other thing I noticed about AirLift is that it shortens the upward travel of my axle as well as the downward extension I posted about previously.

That is, if the air bags are completely deflated, it is they and not the OEM bumpers that hit first when you go over a speed bump.

The air bags must be kept inflated. They're surely not intended to be used empty as bumpers, so they hit pretty hard with a thunk that you hear and feel. I thought my shocks were trashed but it was a flat air bag. I found the air line leak, re-inflated the air bag, and no longer have that hard-bottoming-out problem.

So -- AirLift definitely adversely affects articulation for off road. However if your truck is lifted then the upward travel limitation might not cause a problem. Contact the manufacturer and see if they can substitute longer air bags to allow for the lift and to lengthen the downward extension.

 

Bringing back the dead thread. Has anyone used the Daystar cups with the AirLift bags? Would someone with the AirLift bags measure them for me. Daystar says they are universal for 6" bellow bags. I would use the Firestone kit but that won't work with my u-bolt flip. Even the Air lift one will take a little modification. But I like the air bag being a little forward of the axle so it helps with axle wrap as well. Oh and I have not surpassed the 650lb tongue weight. With the Equalizer hooked up. LOL. I still need to weight it to find out for sure, but I think I am close to the 900lb mark on tongue weight and 7000lb trailer weight.