air shocks

[lefoster]

I am thinking about putting some type of air shocks on my Avalanche. I understand that will let me keep the smooth ride when not towing, and then allow me to stiffen the ride and reduce the "squat" when camper is attached.
anyone have thoughts on this?? suggested brand of shock??
my camper weight will range between 4200# and 4800#.

[TWP723]

Are airbags an option? If so, I'd probably go with them. Try AirLift or Firestone

[Sundancer330]

I have never heard of air shocks helping with squat, as TWP said look into air bags.

https://www.amazon.com/LIFT-57215-Lo...70_&dpSrc=srch

[Scott91370]

Sure they'll hep with squat but I would go with bags. I run Air Lift 2000 with a compressor and love them. I have used air shocks before and while cheaper they are not as good of an option.

[Bilz]

Air shocks depend on the shock mounts and bolts to help support the load. Air Bags typically mount to the frame/axle and is a much stouter system. Pretty easy to install on most trucks.

[Jagiven]

I added airbags to my TV last spring. It was fairly easy to do.

A friend many moons a go, in high school, installed air shocks to his car, to lift up the rear end to make it look a little more hot-rodded. He could get a lot more lift than I can with my air bags.

[lefoster]

thanks everyone! I may have used the wrong term. the kind my mechanic friend was talking about uses an air compressor to increase the firmness, when needed. air shock? air bag? I don't remember. now that I know they are two different things, I will ask him about both.

my goal here is to reduce the squat so the WDH does not have to carry so much of the load. maybe that does not really matter? thoughts?


AND, are the air bags just added to the existing structures in place? ie: leave current shocks in place, just add air bags?

[Isaacs]

Air bags will reduce squat but they won't do much to distribute your tongue weight. You're going to have about 600 to 700 pounds of tongue weight hanging off the back of your truck which will take weight off the front wheels, possibly resulting in poor steering. It's the job of your WDH to shift some of that weight to the front.

I don't see much harm in using both, but I would fill the airbags before adjusting your spring bars. Otherwise, when the rear of your truck is raised the spring bars will just be hanging there.

And, as with any vehicle, be careful the tongue weight plus any cargo doesn't exceed the payload capacity of your truck.

[lefoster]

definitely will use both WDH and air bags. it squats so much when I hook the camper on that I have to raise it up quite a bit, once coupled on, to get the bars hooked at the right level to distribute the weight properly.
and again, maybe that does not matter, I can definitely get the weight distributed correctly with the WDH alone.

[DonaandDon]

Airbags or air shocks are like hard drive in a computer. Do you back up a hard drive within your computer?

It's not a matter of if your computer will fail/crash, it's a matter of when.

I totally approve of Timbrens. They will outlast your ownership.

[lefoster]

Originally Posted by DonaandDon

Airbags or air shocks are like hard drive in a computer. Do you back up a hard drive within your computer?

It's not a matter of if your computer will fail/crash, it's a matter of when.

I totally approve of Timbrens. They will outlast your ownership.

great........I will ask mechanic about Timbrens. thanks!

[Scott91370]

Be prepared for the price. They're not cheap but they are a great product.

[Cannon]

I've ran airlift bags since the 90's. I now have them on my F350. The past were 1500 Chevy/pu, Suburban and Yukon XL. I've only had 1 failure when spring pinched bag. This was due to to low air pressure below 10lbs. Airlift sent free replacement as they are lifetime warranty. What I like about airbags you can control the height and the firmness of the ride.

[lefoster]

thanks again! I appreciate everyone's insight!