My bitchin' airbag story

[captainphx]

Before we bought the camper, we had Firestone airbags installed on my 2007 F150 Supercrew. The shop that installed them, welded on a spacer to the airbag's lower mounting bracket. This is a picture of the right side. Note also, the tab that sits on top of the axle. The truck has a six inch lift.




We then took the camper through some back road trips in Death Valley, Southern Utah, and Arizona, and all worked well, until.....





this Happened......... Please note the tab. This is the left side. We were up on Utah's Kaiparowits Plateau, and we turned up a dirt road that got narrower, steeper and more rough as we proceeded along. We wanted to turn around, but the trees on either side were too close to allow it. The left track was much lower than the right track, resulting in a 30 degree roll attitude to the left. Fun! We eventually found a spot to turn around. The road ahead still looked bad. Now were headed downhill, but with a 30 degree roll to the right, when we heard a loud metallic snap. I knew it wasn't good, but we continued down the hill to the bottom. We stopped and inspected the truck, and found the bent tab in the picture above. The airbag itself was just fine.

We managed to make it back to AZ. I stopped in the shop that installed the airbags to let them take a look. They suggested welding up a new "tab" that was much stronger, and their work can be seen below.



We have had it out on one short trip since, and everything worked well...so far.


Now, I know that there has been a lot of discussion on this board about the pro's and con's of airbags versus leaf springs. I elected to go with the airbags, as I take the camper on and off frequently. But, I may change my mind, after one more "mishap". Anyway, this is really just an FYI post. I'll let you all know if/when the next failure occurs.

 

[pods8]

Now, I know that there has been a lot of discussion on this board about the pro's and con's of airbags versus leaf springs. I elected to go with the airbags, as I take the camper on and off frequently. But, I may change my mind, after one more "mishap". Anyway, this is really just an FYI post. I'll let you all know if/when the next failure occurs.


Based on your description of when it occurred (truck on an angle), that failure is directly a result of the folks who installed it adding that spacer and not the airbag bracket in a stock configuration. That spacer created a lever arm for any sideways loading, when you're sitting flat then it really shouldn't be an issue but since your truck was tilted you were getting some sideways force on that spacer which over stressed the bracket, if that spacer wasn't there the forces would have been magnitudes lower.

The folks who modified the bracket should have done a better job in the first place by beefing that up originally. Sorry but can't fault the airbags manufacturer on that one. Obviously things can always be built beefier but if that arrangement doesn't fail when properly installed there is no need for them to make it beefier, when you modify things you have to think about how you've altered the indented design and address those consequences as well.

 

[randygirl]

I had about the same thing happen to my air bags. Had a 2 inch spacer on my airbag that was sent to us from Firestone Ride Rite! The bracket bent, but our airbag slid out of place. Had a bunch of bolts break as well luckily, a while ago, i had read about bringing extra bolts cause that happened to someone. I will say, the airbags themselves are durable as heck! Never popped one. This happened a few times, and we weren't on an a big angle.
We have since gone to Deaver and had a leaf pack made. The whole airbag thing was a thorn in our side all summer.....
Hopefully the Deaver Leaf Pack will do us right...

 

[captainphx]

Based on your description of when it occurred (truck on an angle), that failure is directly a result of the folks who installed it adding that spacer and not the airbag bracket in a stock configuration. That spacer created a lever arm for any sideways loading, when you're sitting flat then it really shouldn't be an issue but since your truck was tilted you were getting some sideways force on that spacer which over stressed the bracket, if that spacer wasn't there the forces would have been magnitudes lower.

The folks who modified the bracket should have done a better job in the first place by beefing that up originally. Sorry but can't fault the airbags manufacturer on that one. Obviously things can always be built beefier but if that arrangement doesn't fail when properly installed there is no need for them to make it beefier, when you modify things you have to think about how you've altered the indented design and address those consequences as well.



I mail ordered the airbags before I picked up the camper. When they came, it was just before we had to leave, so I was in kind of a rush to get them installed. The truck requires the spacers due to the 6 inch lift. Firestone makes them, but I didn't order them at the same time as the airbags because I didn't know the exact size, and they weren't available locally, so the shop had to make them, but they are essentially the same as the Firestone ones. Had I installed the Firestone spacers, it still would have used the original airbag mounting bracket.

 

[captainphx]

BTW, I am not complaining about the Firestone airbags. And I think the shop did a pretty good job installing the spacers. They even told me not to drop one wheel in a deep ditch, but did I listen?

 

[captainphx]

Had a bunch of bolts break as well luckily, a while ago, i had read about bringing extra bolts cause that happened to someone. I will say, the airbags themselves are durable as heck!


Good idea!

 

[pods8]

I mail ordered the airbags before I picked up the camper. When they came, it was just before we had to leave, so I was in kind of a rush to get them installed. The truck requires the spacers due to the 6 inch lift. Firestone makes them, but I didn't order them at the same time as the airbags because I didn't know the exact size, and they weren't available locally, so the shop had to make them, but they are essentially the same as the Firestone ones. Had I installed the Firestone spacers, it still would have used the original airbag mounting bracket.




So firestone just adds the same kind of spacer on the stock bracket? If so then that is a poor idea as you just found out.

 

[UglyScout]

I too blame it on the super cheezy bracket/spacer.

I do like the use of the leaf spring perch in the repair job. That looks a lot better and much more likely to handle the load of the camper.

 

[lqhikers]

curious,why a 6" lift on a road/backroad truck? its hard to see the benefit.
as i see it you still have the same clearance under axles,etc.

air bags are great for what they are designed for,heavy loads/lite loads.

just curious.

drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

les,lqhikers

 

[ntsqd]

I'm not convinced that the original bracket is simply upside down. The round tube spacer, if I have it right, was welded to the wrong side of the bracket. If the flat bracket had been installed upside down to how it was installed none of this would have happened.

 

[captainphx]

curious,why a 6" lift on a road/backroad truck? its hard to see the benefit.
as i see it you still have the same clearance under axles,etc.




It was just something I did years ago when I bought the truck. It's the last time I'll do that. A new truck is on my short list.

 

[captainphx]

I'm not convinced that the original bracket is simply upside down. The round tube spacer, if I have it right, was welded to the wrong side of the bracket. If the flat bracket had been installed upside down to how it was installed none of this would have happened.


It is installed right side up. I do have the directions that came with the airbags, and they are installed correctly.

 

[ntsqd]

Hum, then from what I can see of it in the pics it's a less than optimal design. If it were flipped over it would rest directly on the axle tube (excepting for the spacer), which would make the need for the secondary spring perch go away.

 

[captainphx]

Hum, then from what I can see of it in the pics it's a less than optimal design. If it were flipped over it would rest directly on the axle tube (excepting for the spacer), which would make the need for the secondary spring perch go away.


Definantly don't want to install the bracket upside down. See instructions below.

View attachment 2350.pdf

 

[ntsqd]

That bracket is poorly designed. It is being asked to carry weight, yet that weight is being applied to a "bridge" of a span grater than the OD of the air spring. The "bridge" is made of sheet stock laid flat (think leaf spring), and is without ribs or other bracing. The very design is asking for the failure mode that you experienced. With the spring perch now under the air spring itself, which is something like what the design should have been like from the start, it shouldn't ever give any more trouble.

 

[captainphx]

That bracket is poorly designed. It is being asked to carry weight, yet that weight is being applied to a "bridge" of a span grater than the OD of the air spring. The "bridge" is made of sheet stock laid flat (think leaf spring), and is without ribs or other bracing. The very design is asking for the failure mode that you experienced. With the spring perch now under the air spring itself, which is something like what the design should have been like from the start, it shouldn't ever give any more trouble.


I hope you are right. I'll let you know.