Air bags, helper springs, or something else a good idea?

[djrobb]

Any idea if they engage when hitting potholes and larger bumps on the highway? Thanks!

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[Stevo]

I installed some air springs, they do the job. I run most of the time with little weight in the bed, but I sure do load (overload) it at times.

I spent the afternoon trying to install the Firestone Air Springs on the Ranger. I followed the instructions, removed the jounce bumper and when I tried to slip the lower plate on with the air spring, I found I couldn't make it fit. It seems Ford has added some part that looks and feels like hard plastic that sticks out sideways on either side of the plate the Lower plate is supposed to fit over. The result is that the lower plate cannot fit over these additions so I cannot get the plate to fit. I tried but I am not quite strong enough to bend steel that thick a 1/4 of an inch. So then I had to put it all together and replace the jounce bumper...(that was fun) so I could get the truck mobile again... I was really tempted to just cut the plastic with a zip blade but I thought I should check to see if anyone else has gotten through this dilemma.

 

[Frenchy]

So APG has a nice set of replacement leafs that increase the payload by 600 lbs. Pair that with some differnt shocks(Bilsteins or Eibachs) and you have a nice set up for your truck!!

 

[Jake596]

Just for some real world followup on the timbrens, I installed on my '19 XLT, loaded the truck with a full wall tent camp and no noticeable sag. Also had no handling issues, so they work well.

 

[MoodyBlue]

This was pretty easy -- nominally, all you do is remove and reinsert two bolts that are not that hard to get at. I didn't even remove the camper nor the wheel.

The only tools you need are 13mm and 17mm sockets and a 6" (I think) extension. Shorter won't allow you to reach the bolt. Longer and you won't have enough clearance to work.

To remove the bump stop, raise the truck high enough to completely unload the suspension. The old floor jack I used for my car (I didn't previously have a truck) could only lift 15" which was not sufficient so I bought an all in one jack stand and bottle jack on Amazon. Clever device -- not sure how I went so long without knowing about it.

13mm socket removes the existing bolt. Curiously, it had already corroded and took an impressive amount of force to remove considering it had only been in place for a year. Timbrens supplies a longer bolt with a 17mm head. I greased it up before inserting it through a large washer inside the rubber spring, metal base plate, and tightening it down in the hole used by the original bump stop.

Difficulty wise, this job is on a par with changing oil -- no particular skills or knowledge needed.

Lucky - broke the bolt on mine and ended up taking a shop and they broke the second - mine was a 2019 and just changed out last fall so may have been rusted more - use lots of penetrant and maybe some heat as well - not always easy ?

 

[LostMy65]

I installed some air springs, they do the job. I run most of the time with little weight in the bed, but I sure do load (overload) it at times.

I'm really considering that.

 

[yamahaSHO]

I installed some air springs, they do the job. I run most of the time with little weight in the bed, but I sure do load (overload) it at times.

Old post, but what bags did you go with?

 

[AdamHarris]

I spent the afternoon trying to install the Firestone Air Springs on the Ranger. I followed the instructions, removed the jounce bumper and when I tried to slip the lower plate on with the air spring, I found I couldn't make it fit. It seems Ford has added some part that looks and feels like hard plastic that sticks out sideways on either side of the plate the Lower plate is supposed to fit over. The result is that the lower plate cannot fit over these additions so I cannot get the plate to fit. I tried but I am not quite strong enough to bend steel that thick a 1/4 of an inch. So then I had to put it all together and replace the jounce bumper...(that was fun) so I could get the truck mobile again... I was really tempted to just cut the plastic with a zip blade but I thought I should check to see if anyone else has gotten through this dilemma.

Yes all of us that installed these got through that delema by...cutting the plastic. No worries.

 

[LostMy65]

Most of the time, I carry a 1200 lb cabover which puts me right at payload capacity by the time I add two people and stuff.

When I originally picked up my truck, the guys at Ford suggested I ride with the stock suspension for awhile. I've done this for 9 months and while it's workable, my truck's enough of a handful I wouldn't trust anyone behind the wheel who's not pretty mellow -- I get a lot of roll in corners and on roads with deep holes. I spend a lot of time on rough roads.

From what I can tell, helper springs might be a good choice for me, but I don't know what I'm doing so I'm looking for a reality check to make sure I'm thinking of both my problem and the options in the best way.

I posted a question about your camper in another thread, but here you answer it.
Mine isn't as tall, but mine is longer.
I haven't had a chance to put it on to see how my ranger will handle it.

 

[Frenchy]

I posted a question about your camper in another thread, but here you answer it.
Mine isn't as tall, but mine is longer.
I haven't had a chance to put it on to see how my ranger will handle it.

If the slide in camper extenda past the bed(tailgate closed position) then it is not correct for the application and will give the possibility of a Frame breaking on you.

 

[Friday yet?]

Really don't think I'd put any sort of TC on a Ranger. Just not enough truck for it.

Just my 2 cents.

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