its not a lawn ornament anymore ( thank God ). It isn't the con or any other cool place but it was still fun to finally play with it! Needs a lot more work to be ready for real wheelin but its getting closer.

http://www.claycounty4x4.com/images/P9170032.JPG

http://www.claycounty4x4.com/images/P9170036.JPG

http://www.claycounty4x4.com/images/P9180070.JPG

you can see more pics here.

www.claycounty4x4.com/pic.htm

needs a lot more work to be ready for real wheelin but its getting closer.

that thing is awesome nice pics..

Lookks good.. How the air bags workin out?

I'll never build another 4x4 without airbags. it unbelievable at how much stuff you can do when you have control of your suspension.

yo, big ford, thats the same frame as your 78 or what ever f-150 year u had Right,

i remember u sayin a awhile back that u were gunna throw a ranger body on it wit an exo cage, thats asome,

your old truck was kick ass, man

why did u swap the ranger body on? just curious.

Thanks,

Another Ford Man

I think it was neccessary to progress to harder stuff. I do miss the old body though. Nobody expects to see a fullsize that can go. Everyone expects this thing to go, so there is no "fullsize surprize" anymore. The jeep guys hated me before because I could follow them 99% of the time and they couldn't follow me. i guess they'll try to kill me off now huh?

brings new meaning to "wally crawlers" eh? :flipoff2:

random spread out logs are fun to drive over :D

there ya go dr..he would make for an exciting episode for battlebots...get em now before he gets the cage on. :laughing:

its all over once the cage is on. speakin of cages, how much do you think a race shop would charge me to do a full exo?

how bout this?

http://www.claycounty4x4.com/images/P9230110.JPG

It is a lot more stable than I thought it would be when I saw the first pictures on the other thread. I like it better now.

In that pic, could ya level it out?

how bout this?

I can do that too :flipoff2:

You just love to post pics don't you? :shaking:

You just love to post pics don't you? :shaking:

whatever

I am just jealous since mine doesn't run. :(

sittonhigh, i can level it out to the point that there is no "feeling" of being tippy on it. I'll do 3 new pics tomorrow, on the trailer, one as leveled up as possible, one with the bags flat and another with the bags making the angle worse.

Danger, why the winch? get stuck? wuss out? :flipoff2:

sittonhigh, i can level it out to the point that there is no "feeling" of being tippy on it. I'll do 3 new pics tomorrow, on the trailer, one as leveled up as possible, one with the bags flat and another with the bags making the angle worse.

Danger, why the winch? get stuck? wuss out? :flipoff2:




always blow out sidewalls when ya drive on em in sharp root infested shit.

yeah you're right about that. I try to stay off the major off-camber stuff but its fun to play on and sometimes you simply can't avoid it. I have no beadlocks yet either. they are on the to do list though.

Sweet, I just "thought" I pulled the plug on my '78 f-150 today, brought it down from my parents last week and have found too much to do, and I need the axles for my Flatfender. Now you have me rethinking my decision, no worries though I've changed my mind 5 times in the last year :D much to my wife's dismay :D

BTW where did you get your airbags, did a quick search here and on google and found helper springs...

found the bags here: http://www.goodyearindustrialproducts.com/airsprings/engineering.html
you have to find a local dealer they won't sell direct to you. I use the 1R8-005 rolling lobe type bag.

Sweet, I woke up thinking of 4 links, airbags, and routing air lines, yeah I'm a little obsesive compulsive :D

I am using the most common bags from Firestone
they should be in stock at every truck shop in North America
travel 14"ish
1t15m-6 w01-358-9082
walk in the door price at a local shop was $155cdn each

mj, whats the diameter of the firestone bags at full load and pressure? that was my limiting factor. I have seen some with 19" of travel but they were like 18 inches in diameter so I couldn't use them.

book claims 10.12" cant help you beyond that

I am not a believer in massive travel unless you can apply pressure throughout the range of motion

using 4 position manual gas valves for control and leveling valves for regular tasks

how much air is in the bags in this image?
is that the hieght you are using for mormal ride or is it near max?
the bags look near overextended there

http://claycounty4x4.com/images/P8290107.JPG

thats topped out, I use limit straps to keep from blowing them up. I have actually raised about an inch higher without damage but it is worth it to loose the inch for durability. The ability that bags offer is amazing. Not only can you apply wheel pressure where its needed but lean it to avoid damage. I've also towed a toyota like a tow truck does. I have lifted the front of a 6 cylinder YJ so we could change his broken axle out. normal ride height is about 5 inches down from that position and close to the bottom during street driving. I control each bag independantly and have a valve set up to equalize pressure on the front bags and another between the rear bags. I am using ARB solonoids for the equalization feature and they are too slow, gotta get some better flowing units.

here are the pics sittonhigh

http://www.claycounty4x4.com/images/P9250001.JPG

http://www.claycounty4x4.com/images/P9250003.JPG

http://www.claycounty4x4.com/images/P9250004.JPG

Hey MJ, you got any pics of your ride?

That's nice!

Hey MJ, you got any pics of your ride?

2 under construction, nothing good to see yet
1 chev and a 79 bronco project for my brother
his first wheeling 4x4 is gonna be a killer :)
rcd60f, 14ff, 4.10, f&r one link suspensions, dual np435 transmisions, np205, high compression 400 on propane
my chev, I just started installing the OBA and sold my difs to start fresh with d60/14ff as the old stuff was cut n turned for leafsprings and I wanted a clean sheet to start with for links
Brother bought 3 78/9 broncos to select parts from, I am going to get my Ford from his leftovers

one link suspension?

Bigford, a couple questions. Is there any particular advantage to using the rolling lobe style bags over a standard bellows style? Also wondering if you're running 4 link up front . . . I assume you are but couldn't really see any pics of the front suspension. Lastly could you go into a little more detail about how these are all valved and controled? Are you using regular valves in the cab for each bag or what? What size tank are you using and how does it keep up? I've never seen a rig done all on air before but the setup looks awesome and I'm really impressed with how you can control your angles and ride height. I'd like to give this a try on my trail rig.

I like the adjustability. The first pic I saw was of the bags aired way up. It t looked too tall and unstable. Of course you have definately shown that it is stable and can be a lot shorter. The hardest part about them looks like it would be getting them to fit. They are huge. How much for the bags, all the controls, and plumbing? I like it. Can't wait to see the exo.

ivanribic, the rolling lobe tends to offer more travel in relation to the overal size of the bag. The front is currently a 5-link design, it will be changed for a new design soon, will resemble a 4 link but it will retain the pan hard bar, unless i change my design again. each bag has its own control solonoid and that has an individual switch. The air tank is an 11 gallon unit from walmart, it is fed with a York engine driven compressor, I have a pressure switch like a normal air compressor for the cutoff and cut on. I have some detailed pics of the suspension here http://claycounty4x4.com/joe_c_.htm these pics were taken with the old body, however the suspension is unchanged.

Sittonhigh, the bags were about 160 each, the valves were 100 each, the line and fittings were about 100 bucks. This doesn't count the links or brackets to make all this stuff work. about a grand in bag stuff. If i were to do it again I would use some of the solonoids that the lowrider guys are using, they are a little cheaper, more compact and more appropriate for the application.

Gotta hand it to you man, definitely a killer job. I totally dig it...nice way to think outside of the box.

Proeliator, thanks, when I told others of my plans they thought I was nuts, they still think I'm nuts!

It's wacky but that's one of the coolest setups I've ever seen. I didn't realize that the air bags could soley support the weight of the rig with no springs but those Goodyears have a pretty decent rating. How's the ride when they're half inflated?

I was thinking about the lowrider valves too since they provide super fast flow, something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7923233578&category=42609&sspagename=WDVW Do you have some sort of guage to monitor pressure in each bag or do you play it by feel?

Last thing I'll bug you about for now, did you have to have a special slip joint constructed for your DS to keep it from separating at maximum height?

Sooo many questions, so little brain to process the answers.

When they are half way they are soft, since I have lost a lot of weight they feal a lot stiffer. once I get the all the stuff on it it should get softer. When you do your valves be careful as to how fast the bags are, they can creat big problems if the operate too fast, the weight will shift as quick as they inflate or deflate. it takes about 1 second to lift either end from bottom to top on my rig. I reworked the valve lines to make them faster, so far no probs. When i did the trailer thing I hit the switches with caution so as not to create any momentum to roll. I have yet to be in any real technical situations on the trail since the body swap. I have no guages on the bags I have to feel it. even with the travel the bags offer, the drive shafts only move about 1" total, so slip isn't a problem.

What manufacturer/model number on the air bags? :confused:

first page :flipoff2:

found the bags here: http://www.goodyearindustrialproducts.com/airsprings/engineering.html
you have to find a local dealer they won't sell direct to you. I use the 1R8-005 rolling lobe type bag.

I am using manual 4 way gas valves and a semi leveling valve at each corner
I have worked with them on a modular building trailer
cheap and simple

http://www3.telus.net/mccormack/TruckStuff/suspension/4way%20valve001jpg.jpg

they may be cheap and simply but they are real bulky. I like my switches for the clean looking design. those look like they would be a PITA to try to get organized and be functional in the cab of a vehicle. all my solonoids are behind the seat and out of harms way. i built a box around them to enclose everything.

Hey Bigford, were you at Tellico the end of September last year? I think I saw your truck on the top of Schoolbus. I was driving a yellow Bronco and was riding with a Blazer that had a Jeep front end, a dunebuggy looking vehicle with a V8 mounted backwards in the rear, and a Samurai. We passed each other going the opposite direction. The next day we ran into a couple guys that had gone to town to fetch an oil pump for you or something. We saw you again the next day on the road leading out on the TN side.

The pictures with the old full size body on it are what tipped me off. The truck looks sweet and I want to do the minicab conversion too. You got me thinking about the air bags now too.

Danny

Hey not too hijack the thread but any of you been following our thread about using hydraulic cylinders instead of airbags? Trying to get lots of opinions.

you are full manual inflation with no auto level valves?
if so you need a smaller valve then I showed
same plumbing nightmre just in a different spot

drkelly, yeah that was me. part of the gasket on the pickup tube came loose and locked the oil pump up. I had to drop the pan and fix it at the area where the nice rocks are on schoolbus. I contained my oil too. Those rocks get bigger at night I swear! I will never forget that trip.


mj, yeah they are fully manual. gotta "feel" it. with the swaybar hooked up it will self level with the two "equalizer" solonoids turned on. Without the swaybar hooked up it will litterally torque itself over when i gas it and scare the hell out of you in turns!

Stupid comment of the day: Would a clinometer help?

not really, sometimes when I'm driving I'll feel it leaning so I'll level it up, then I'll hit the level ground and level up again. basically I set it on level ground and try to leave it there, when the going gets tippy I'll adjust. Checked out the other thread you suggested. It seems to me that a lot of travel can be gained by doing the air over hydrolic thing but the pressures are way to high just to suspend the vehicle. If I were to put a guage on my bags, my rear at middle would probably be around 30 psi. the front at middle may be as high as 40 psi. In relation to your 3" hydros, this is like an 8" in dia hydro. also I don't have to worry about the oil lag problem thats noted everywhere on the thread. I have lifted a 6cylinder jeep to change out a broken front axle u-joint, took around 80 psi i would guess to lift it ( front of jeep with winch), how much pressure do you think a 3" cylinder would have to have to do this? 1000? 2000? I'll keep my bags. The discussion on that thread is very informative though.

Hey thanks for the input. I know its gonna be a little complicated but i think it will be fun to experiment with and could have some cool results. Unlike the rest of the guys on that thread i'm planning on running a real hydraulic pump. As far as all around durability and ease of setup i think bags are the way to go though, and their much lighter.

Oh if anyone else is interested here is the thread he is talking about, sorry its kind of a mess: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=261171

yeah bags are lighter, but wider. each one of my bags is good for something like 3100 lbs at only 100 psi. Bags are shorter, which allow for under frame mounting possibilities. and you can pick the shocks you want.

Well one of my hydraulic cylinders is good for something like 21,000 lbs but thats at like 3000 psi. Too bad my wheels and tires are only rated at 11k lbs each. Can you say overkill? And speaking of overkill i think i can get about a 36" travel ram under my hood and still bring my axles all the way up to my oil pan. Not that i will but you could. I actually thought about using longer then necissary rams just because if i can make them disconnect quickly i could use them to jack up my rig. I'm not to edumicated on hydraulics(yet) but i'm gonna have fun playing with different valving on the rams to see what kind of shock functions i can get. I like the auto level idea.

you can get a TON of travel with a ram, I work on forklifts for a living, you can put flow regulators on the rams to control how fast it operates. Maybe you could do a lift only cylinder, not a 2 way cylinder, put your hydro pump on, run your lines to the top of the cylinder with a descent sized bladder in the middle somewhere, full of air to allow it to absorb the impact of bumps and landings. working with these cylinders and such they are heavy, much more so than bags. If one of my air lines busts, I simply put a splice on it. can't really do that with 2k pressure, plus all the fluid will be every where. I don't care for the high pressures required for this system to operate. My whole system operates at 120 psi.

man thats a kickazz truck, ivanribic sent me a link to this thread, i was on a different site though,ssshhhh, i think your setup is ideal, its exactly what i had pictured in my mind, im doing it to my 78 F-250 snow fighter asap....one question.....do those airbags only come in one size, or are there bigger ones out there somewhere??? thanx in advance.........keep up the kool work...

I am using manual 4 way gas valves and a semi leveling valve at each corner
I have worked with them on a modular building trailer
cheap and simple


Thats what I did on my dodge. I only use them for towing. with a by pass on the bags system from the cab.

oh yeah, here is a link to the bags I used.
http://www.airride.com/productinfo/productpopup.asp?prodname=3500+lb%2E+1T+rolling+sl eeve+airspring&prodID=F2107&price=%24178%2E00

http://www.airride.com/productinfo/productimages/F2107.jpg

Stupid question probably -
How do these bags attach to the axle and frame? Did you have to build custom towers? What about on the axle side? I'm thinking specifically how this would work with a '78-79 BB axle with the cast wedges.

Off Road Only sells an Air bag suspension system with all the bells and whistles you could want. They sell parts of it seperate. If you are not happy with the ARB solonoids maybe you could use their solonoids. Looks nice.

Stupid question probably -
How do these bags attach to the axle and frame? Did you have to build custom towers? What about on the axle side? I'm thinking specifically how this would work with a '78-79 BB axle with the cast wedges.

The bottom has 1 lager bolt and the top has 2 smaller bolts.

here is the top. I dont have any of the bottom.

http://www.nickm.us/albums/Air_ride/DSC00024.sized.jpg

yup here ya go. You can barely see the bottom bolt

http://www.nickm.us/albums/Air_ride/DSC00033.sized.jpg

here is a link that'll show my set up about better then me tryin to explain it. http://www.claycounty4x4.com/rigs_joe.htm (truck page) There are quite a few different bags out there to choose from. You can go here to see what goodyear has to offer. http://www.goodyearindustrialproducts.com/airsprings/engineering.html (bag info) When you pull up the specs they'll be in PDF format.

sorry to bring up an old thread.....i was just wondering how that airbagged truck is doing??

Dude, your rig is fucking sweet. It has showed me the light, I will be doing air springs on the binder. you used these right?
http://www.truckspring.com/firestone-air-spring-w01-358-5426.html