RE: Air bags . . . Timbrens . . . plow questions

[firefighterjake]

When I load up the back of my Nissan Titan with firewood (or even an ATV) it squats a bit . . . it still seems to ride fine with or without the load, but I was contemplating on whether I should get a set of air bags for the back . . . or perhaps Timbrens? Any opinions?

Also on an unrelated topic . . . I'm considering making my truck more of a work truck by getting a plow for it . . . anyone have any opinion on plows that have worked for their 1/2 ton trucks? Looking for the good, the bad and the ugly . . . a little later today I'm going to spend some quality time looking at plowsite.com . . . but figured some of you folks might also have some opinions.

 

[CTguy9230]

if it were me.....

i'd go with the timbrens, put them in and your done
no chance of blowing out and air bag or anything...i have them on the front
of my jeep wrangler, because the previous owner had a plow on it.

as far as plows go...i,m very old school and will always stick by fisher
i know alot of guys are going to boss or blizzard v plows, but to me, thats just
way more parts to break and more hoses to break.

being in Maine...i,m betting you could get a good deal on a fisher

 

[Bocefus78]

You'll see on plowsite that the brand/type of plow preference is about like the ford/chevy/dodge argument. I personally run a boss 7.5' straight blade on a half ton avalanche with factory suspension. I did crank up the torsion bars. It handles it just fine. I plow commercially and nothing crazy has happened in 6 years. Just normal wear and tear....ball joints, shocks, etc still lasted 115K. Check the GAWR/GVWR sticker on your truck. Thatll give you a starting point of how big you can go.

As far as the timbrens, they help, but airbags will basically make it take as much as you can pile in there. You dont need an on board compressor, just outfit a fill nozzle under the bumper or somewhere semi easy to get to.

 

[festerw]

Timbrens work but ride like crap when it's fully loaded IMO air bags maintain ride better.

For plows my preference is Snoway, had 2 that have been trouble free. They're light, have down pressure, wireless controls if you like and the least complicated light wiring available.

 

[MarkinNC]

I have a 2006 Nissan Titan and I have Timbrens. I actually have the 2wd Timbrens on my truck with a spacer to make up the distance (long story I got them for free). They take about 20 minutes to install and basically just replace your factory bump stops, 4 nuts as I recall. The goal is said to have about 1.5 inches between the top of the Timbren and the bottom of the springs. I have a Leer fiberglass cap as well. I can tell you that it took a little while to get used to the truck "landing" on the Timbrens after going over bumps etc. The truck will ride rougher. When I have the truck really loaded up on vacation it rides rougher on the highway. And of course the amount of travel you rear axle has will be decreased. This has not affected me in any way.

Now when I have my tandem axle land scape trailer loaded with about a cord of hardwood, my truck sits nicely level and handles the bumps much better. It's really nice for heavy trailers IMO. It's also nice when I have a lot of weight in the bed (more than a 4 wheeler). They are not cheap but they are easy to take off and they are cheaper than airbags with no wearable parts.

As to the snow plow issue. I was going to move to MI (where I was raised) and did a lot of research on putting a plow on the Titan. I was leaning towards the Snoway 26 series primarily because of the way it mounts in the existing tow hook mounts. The Boss (which I consider a good brand) had to remove the skid plate (I think) and drill some holes in the frame. That's no big deal I guess but the Snoway just seemed cleaner. I have been a member over at Titan Talk since 06 and have queried all the people I could that actually have plows on their Titans about how how they like them. The general consensus was that the Titan was a hell of a pusher, especially with all the low end torque it makes (almost freakish for a half ton when it came out). They seemed to be durable and a lot of the guys had plowed with the big 3 trucks as well. It is my opinion if you do not plow commercially with a half ton, just do your families driveways ertc, and don't plow like a cowboy, the truck should not be destroyed. Pushing snow across a parking lot at 30 MPH for 12 hours a day, well that's a different story. I would add real shocks like Bilsteins and Timbrens to the front for plowing. A lot of guys do add some sort of lift to the front end.

Here a a commercial plower reviewing his Titan:
http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=115057

FWIW, I have been very happy with my truck.

 

[Halligan]

I had timbrens in my old truck that had an EZ Dumper insert so heres my .02 on the subject. Timbrens are a cheap fix to your problem but you will likely regret them after riding in the truck. On my truck there was about 1/2" of clearence from the timbren to the axle tube. When hitting a bump with no load, once my suspension cycled that 1/2" it hit the timbren and that was it for suspension flex. This resulted in a jarring ride that I did not care for. When loaded the truck sat on the timbren and the ride was better but not great.

Air bags on the other hand can be inflated to whatever pressure within there psi range to achieve desired results. Empty load = empty air bag = factory ride from suspension. Full load = psi accordingly = controlled ride. I will be adding bags to my truck in the near future. I have an aftermarket suspension system that provides an all around better suspension for daily use. And while it does not affect my factory payload rating the rear springs have more flex which equals more squat under load. Air bags will correct this and allow for the best of both worlds.

Old set up.

 

[MarkinNC]

I forgot to add that I have considered many times taking the spacer out of my timbrens giving me another 3/4" or so before the springs hit the timbren. My experience is not like the above posters. A little rougher ride on bumpy roads. You could add 2WD timbrens on your truck instead of 4WD timbrens. The only difference is the height.

 

[Hogwildz]

Something to keep in mind, that while you can beef up the suspension as much as you want. The rear and bearings will only take so much. Sure you can install helper springs, air bags etc. but the rating of the rear & the bearings does not change. Maybe not a big deal while plowing, but loading the crap out of a truck with even high rated springs, bags etc, you may still have bearing, seal, diff issues.

 

[lukem]

When I load up the back of my Nissan Titan with firewood (or even an ATV) it squats a bit . . . it still seems to ride fine with or without the load, but I was contemplating on whether I should get a set of air bags for the back . . . or perhaps Timbrens? Any opinions?

Also on an unrelated topic . . . I'm considering making my truck more of a work truck by getting a plow for it . . . anyone have any opinion on plows that have worked for their 1/2 ton trucks? Looking for the good, the bad and the ugly . . . a little later today I'm going to spend some quality time looking at plowsite.com . . . but figured some of you folks might also have some opinions.

Let it squat. It's not hurting anything, other than looks.

 

[wkpoor]

Let it squat. It’s not hurting anything, other than looks

Might hurt handling a little. Last fall me and a buddy got a load on his trailer with his 4WD Dodge 3/4ton. It was so tongue heavy he was really riding high in the front. Pulled into his gravel drive and the front wheels had so little weight all they did was slide when he put on the brakes. That means braking on the road was severely compromised. My Express van is bagged and when I hooked to the same trailer I sat level and it was a nice ride home. I like the bags!

 

[Dieselhead]

buy a dodge

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks to everyone for posting . . . and a special thanks to Mark as he answered a few questions I had but did not ask (i.e. if there would have to be any modifications made for any of the various plows).

 

[greg13]

Something to keep in mind, that while you can beef up the suspension as much as you want. The rear and bearings will only take so much. Sure you can install helper springs, air bags etc. but the rating of the rear & the bearings does not change. Maybe not a big deal while plowing, but loading the crap out of a truck with even high rated springs, bags etc, you may still have bearing, seal, diff issues.

THANK YOU For some reason people seem to forget that fact, don't forget that the FRAME also has a weight rating, they will bend and break.

 

[mywaynow]

I run 1500 and up in the trucks I use. Went from a Dakota to 2500HDs, and now in an F150. Have used airbags on all of them without any issues. It does help handling substantially. You need to maintain some resemblance to the factory truck position if you expect the suspension to operate as designed. Best part of the bags is the ride is not comprimised.

 

[Pallet Pete]

My little s10 has air shocks because they where cheap and man they work great. It gives me the ability to adjust the ride when I am not hauling wood so it is smooth and beef it for fire wood. I can put a full load of wood in the truck and not even feel it aside from the motor working a bit more. All I use is a small lighter plug in compressor to pump them up and a gauge to release air. If I had to do it again I would pay for the better shocks that have a small compressor that controls from the cab. One noticeable difference is how it pulls much much better on the freeway with the air shocks. Keep in mind what Hogs said too! I overloaded without realizing it once and one of the axle u bolt on the rear snapped but the other held so I got home and replaced the broken one. You can gauge the weight by watching your tires as you load your truck and see how far they squish.

Pete

 

[Dyno625]

Air bags are definitely the way to go.there when you need them and not causing a harsh ride when you don't. I put some on my 2500 hd for when I pull my dump trailer and my 30 ft gooseneck. I don't have an onboard compressor but I have a tank mounted under the cab and a regulator and a set of gauges mounted in the cab for in cab adjustments. The tank was $30 and the bags were $100 and I made my own brackets for mounting them. Pretty cheap setup if you don't mind doing the woerk yourself.

 

[RobC]

Look at Western Plows too. I believe their made by Fisher now. I have always liked the full trip plows. Less moving parts. Easy to replace springs.
Don't get the biggest plow possible. Idea being, that if the snow is really deep you still have a chance pushing through. Plus less wear and tear on front end.
Cheers Rob

 

[cwill]

I got airbags on my F150 and it really is the best way to go. When needed, air up and go. When not needed, air out and your back to factory ride. With them aired up any load I have put in the bed or on a trailer has rode wonderfully. As long as you stay within the limits of the truck and load rating of the tire, the bags make a world of difference in ride and handling with a load.

 

[begreen]

I put Timbrens on our Ranger. They worked, but with all the butt slap when empty that folks describe. That is until I upgraded the shocks to Bilstiens. Suddenly all is wonderful. There is very little bouncing off the Timbrens, but they are their when I load it heavy.