Air Ride Deuce

[azwarpig]

This is my 1971 m35. Air ride from a Freightliner. 16.00 20s. Power steering. flatbed next.

 

[66Reo6X6]

Good idea! Thanks for the pictures.

 

[REO 54]

So this the whole assembly from the Freight.Shocks,leafs and such?

 

[azwarpig]

That's it. Started this well before extreme 4x4 did thier's. Cost me $250.

 

[m16ty]

That's it. Started this well before extreme 4x4 did thier's. Cost me $250.

That's a much simpler setup and more practical than theirs IMO.

 

[FireFighterHill]

I just wonder how his setup would do with side loading say on a slope. Besides the shock what else keep it centered under the frame rails?

 

[m16ty]

I just wonder how his setup would do with side loading say on a slope. Besides the shock what else keep it centered under the frame rails?

The front mount is pretty robust and keeps everything in line.

The side slope deal depends on how many height control valves he has. Most OTR trucks have a single height control valve mounted in the center and it contols both bags (same pressure in both bags). Off road this could cause problems because it will lean to the downhill side. You can correct most of this problem by using two height valves (one on each side). That way each bag would work independent of each other and maintain the same ride height on each side. This can also decrease articulation though so it's a trade off.

 

[velociT]

Nice!

 

[Recovry4x4]

Are those blocks in the front under the springs? Are they doubled up square tube?

 

[hemichallenger]

I am working on the same type setup.

 

[Farmun]

Has anyone installed air bags on their Deuce and kept the tandem axles?

(BTW: I installed a set of Firestone air bag helpers on my wife's Xterra yesterday. Tired of riding on the bump stops. )

 

[wehring]

I don't understand

I don't get this system either. How do you control side load? Example. If you are on flat ground and you are doing donuts what keeps the axle centered if you hit a rut with your rear axle? Is there an internal strength member to the air bag? If not it would be like putting a 47" cheater bar in the front mount and pulling sideways.

This is the easiest airbag conversion I have seen and if it has lateral support it is a winner. Just trying to understand the system.

Justin Wehring
979 997 3112

 

[wehring]

panhard bar

Did you use the panhard bar?

Justin Wehring
979 997 3112

 

[hemichallenger]

I have mounted a torque arm on some of them that go from the frame to the top center of the rear end housing. You center it at the ride hight that you want. If you want to do donuts and you do no have a lot of wheel speed you might need one but normal off roading
there is not much side travel. I control the ride height from inside the cab and also run a dump valve and not a auto level setup. The 53s will not rub a shortened deuce bed with this set up and the air dumped. Freightliner uses this on a 40000 pound rear tandem with 1 torque arm on each axle.

 

[hemichallenger]

I also cut off the outside short leaf so it has only one spring.

 

[hemichallenger]

I have used the freightliner air ride on a couple 3 axle deuces. On one i added 3 feet to the truck put it on 53s and leathened the bed. I spread the tamdems and used torque arms and it would go down the road smooth at 70.

 

[azwarpig]

Im using a track bar
.

 

[m16ty]

Has anyone installed air bags on their Deuce and kept the tandem axles?

You could but off road capability would suffer. You won't have nowhere near as much articulation between axles as you do with the stock setup. In civilian trucks you won't see air ride on trucks that see much off road work such as dumptrucks and log trucks.

 

[hemichallenger]

Your fix to that one front locker and one rear locker. Then they do ok. But its bring out another thousand.

 

[snakehunter1964]

Sweet looking mod! Can't wait to hear about ride quality.