Bags Or Springs

[Snapper]

Just got a Hawk for my Tundra. Should I install extra leaf springs or go with bags?

 

[the fisherman]

Just got a Hawk for my Tundra. Should I install extra leaf springs or go with bags?

Here we go again, how about fliping a coin, heads it's airbags..................

 

[BSS]

Paper or plastic?

 

[simimike]

Air bags. They are adjustable.

 

[DLN]

I used both, springs for handling the added weight, bags for taking out the sag and fine tuning the ride. The combination worked great.

 

[mtn-high]

As I've stated previously, I have Supersprings and Timbrens on my 2004 Tundra DC.

We've hammered at this topic incessantly...and we've joked about it...etc...

However...Lemme relay a short tale...in >>>serious mode<<... and let me again put in a vote for the TIMBRENS....because..well..I think they could have very well saved our lives this past week...

Basically...my wife evidently fell asleep at the wheel.....@ 75 mph no less. We careeend into the medium.....and the truck did that "skip" thing and started to try to bounce from side to side. If you've rolled a vehicle previously...you may know the feeling I'm talking about....it's that one where things are in slo-mo and your life starts to play out before you...

IMO...had we only had the Supersprings we would have been toast. I believe the rock solid-ness of the Timbrens kept the truck from SWAYING and thus...kept us upright and allowed my wife to retain control and stop the vehicle without incident.

I hesitated relaying this tale....even though the wife said it was OK....but "shat Hippens" and I'd be amiss if I failed to relay our experience if it can help someone else.

mtn

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

We hope the roll over thing never happens !

But accidents do happen to all of us unfortunately.

Having the camper on the truck probably saved their lives.

Same situation, tired driver, narrow roads in Baja, BIG trucks on small roads, she moved over in the lane to make more room for the big truck coming and caught the lip / shoulder of the road, over compensated, and ended up loosing control and rolling the truck.

Luckily they both walked away from the accident without injury.

The truck was coved under the Mexican insurance policy they bought.

They didn't buy the extra insurance to cover the camper for some reason ??

Big & VERY costly mistake to about the tune of $ 13,000 lost.

FRIENDLY REMINDER:

Make sure you add the camper on to your insurance policy.




.

 

[Kodachrome]

That is pretty sobering stuff Stan, how does one add on the camper and what does it usually end up costing annually in the case of say, a 13K camper?

Edit: I just added my camper unit onto my truck insurance, it was much cheaper than I thought too!

 

[Snapper]

Sounds like I need some bags. Firestones maybe? Thanks for the advice

 

[billharr]

Sounds like I need some bags. Firestones maybe? Thanks for the advice


I have a Hawk on my 2005 Tundra. I did Firestone airbags so I could adjust when the camper was off. Just put on a Hellwig rear sway bar.WOW what a difference did much more for handling than the air bags did. I would add to any pickup stops all sway.

Bill in Stockton

 

[Kodachrome]

I am at the shop right now having the airbags installed on my 05 Tacoma. One question, is the airline going to be OK where it is at next to the exhaust pipe? It is right in the way of a direct insert of it, might need to be angled 90 degrees so I can run it over it everything:

 

[Kodachrome]

Anyone have input on the above? After the drive home, the hose is already distorted from the heat, will have to be replaced.

 

[SunMan]

Sounds like your original question got answered. I'd be heading back to the place you had install them first thing in the morning. Unsat.

 

[Barko1]

In most cases it's not hard to route them away from heat or rubbing. My kit included an overwrap to protect the line where it could rub and twice as much line as needed. A few zip ties and a couple minutes on you back underneath should fix it. The lines connect easily, probably quicker and better to do it yourself.

 

[Phird05]

Anyone have input on the above? After the drive home, the hose is already distorted from the heat, will have to be replaced.


In addition to what Bark01 stated as far as a wrap being included, mine included a moldable sheild to attach in order to keep the heat away from the bags and or lines.

 

[SunMan]

Might be overkill but I covered all of my exposed lines with black wire loom for protection against flying rock and debris:

http://www.cabletiesandmore.com/wireloom.php?gclid=CP7Fhs6TxJwCFRwpawodvkiWnA

 

[Kodachrome]

I cut the melted line, there was plenty of slack. I then pulled the fitting out, dabbed some sealant on it and re-inserted it to point downframe. It is fine now, hopefully won't leak.

 

[Eldough]

Just added Firestone bags to our 2009 Tacoma. Not sure if the brackets are the same for your bags, but I aimed the brass elbows towards the rear bumper ends...that is, if the front of the truck is north, the passenger side points SE and the driver's side points SW. The air lines run along the inside of the frame to the rear bumper (the air inlets didn't fit at the license plate, so I utilized some holes on the bottom of the bumper).

 

[Kodachrome]

Just added Firestone bags to our 2009 Tacoma. Not sure if the brackets are the same for your bags, but I aimed the brass elbows towards the rear bumper ends...that is, if the front of the truck is north, the passenger side points SE and the driver's side points SW. The air lines run along the inside of the frame to the rear bumper (the air inlets didn't fit at the license plate, so I utilized some holes on the bottom of the bumper).


As you can see in the photo above, the guy who did the installation pointed them in towards the center. I turned the one near the exhaust pipe toward the rear, left the other one alone. I have to say, even with my shell on and stuff in the back and only 5 psi of air, they sure jack the back of the truck up. The ride to Reno with nothing in the back is going to be interesting...

 

[Snapper]

What is the typical pressure for the bags with a Hawk on?