socal1200r Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Has anyone installed one of these kits, or know someone who has? http://www.amazon.com/LIFT-59503-Contro ... &carId=001 http://www.truckaddons.com/Catalog/subp ... ontrol.htm I can't seem to find a pair of air shocks for my MJ, so I'm thinking one of these kits would be the next best thing. What I'm looking for is something to level the back of the MJ, should I haul or tow anything that would make it sag. Not interested in helper springs, want something air-adjustable. If I install one of these kits, I'll get a 12V portable compressor and keep it in the truck. These kits look like they'd be a great substitute for air shocks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepman Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I have not used this kit yet but I will be Using this Same Kit and Both links are the same Kit By Air lift and they also have a controller available with a small compressor... http://www.airliftcompany.com/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I've never used one of these on a MJ. However I did on a S10. They're quite similiar. Instead of a electric compressor I took a air compressor from a '74 Cadillac with factory equipted load levelers. It works off manifold vaccuam. Worked great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I have been thinking about the airlift kit as well. Seems like a good alternative to stiffer springs. Plus it would give me a good reason to install OBA in the MJ :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socal1200r Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 I have not used this kit yet but I will be Using this Same Kit and Both links are the same Kit By Air lift and they also have a controller available with a small compressor... http://www.airliftcompany.com/index.html The cheapest Airlift onboard compressor I saw on Amazon was $140, and I can get a 12V portable one for around $30, so that's what I'm going to use. I don't plan on doing a lot of hauling or towing, but when I do, this air bag helper kit, and a portable compressor, should do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepman Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 The cheapest Airlift onboard compressor I saw on Amazon was $140, and I can get a 12V portable one for around $30, so that's what I'm going to use. I don't plan on doing a lot of hauling or towing, but when I do, this air bag helper kit, and a portable compressor, should do the trick. Ahhh Well I had not looked up prices for the Controller/Compressor Kits... My Local Airlift Supplier has kits with the controller and Compressor including a gauge and All the hose's and Hardware which is the way I will Be going as it keeps it simple and You know the compressor will be able to handle what you need since it is made specifically for this purpose... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socal1200r Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 The cheapest Airlift onboard compressor I saw on Amazon was $140, and I can get a 12V portable one for around $30, so that's what I'm going to use. I don't plan on doing a lot of hauling or towing, but when I do, this air bag helper kit, and a portable compressor, should do the trick. Ahhh Well I had not looked up prices for the Controller/Compressor Kits... My Local Airlift Supplier has kits with the controller and Compressor including a gauge and All the hose's and Hardware which is the way I will Be going as it keeps it simple and You know the compressor will be able to handle what you need since it is made specifically for this purpose... There's certainly something to be said for the convenience of having an onboard compressor to add air to the air bags, but I can't justify almost doubling the cost of the airbag kit to do it. I'll just use a low-cost portable one to air them up. But if you've got the bucks, getting an onboard compressor installed along with the aribags would be a cool combination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whowey Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I had a set front and back on my old snow plow truck, with the on-board control kit.... Two things to remember.... First, careful of any object, debris, or other parts getting to the bags. They are kinda expensive to replace and a bit of a pain to do. Second... Keep them clean... environmental hazards like road salt, water, dirt, mud, etc. can damage the bags no matter what the kit sellers tell you. Airlift doesn't do a particularly good job of educating their dealers on different vehicles. The local one here kept trying to tell me I couldn't use the kit that has the bags inside the coils on the back of my ZJ. They said I needed the frame bolt kit because of my leaf sprung rear.... :no: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harper Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 If you're really interested in getting air shocks instead of the bags, the Monroe Max-air MA820 fits the rears perfectly. The only reason that Monroe doesn't list them as an MJ fitment is that Monroe, in conjunction with Jeep manufacturing, has decided it's unwise to use any bolt-on device that would potentially mess up the functioning of the rear brake load proportioning valve. The length, both compressed and extended, and the mounts are exactly the same as the shocks listed as applicable to our MJs. I have them mounted on my truck, and although I don't believe that they prevent the sag quite as well as the bags would while loaded, they do an adequate job. On my metric ton suspension, the heaviest springs aren't in in use until the lighter springs let the body drop 2-3". This keeps the ride more comfortable while empty, but allows considerable sag before loading the heavier leaves on the stack. The shock overcomes this when I'm towing my boat. I needed the level ride because with the tandem axle trailer it was necessary for the even wear of the trailer tires, not to mention that the truck handles better when pulling the 4000 lbs. The Max-airs provided just enough extra lift to do the job when inflated to the max recommended running pressure of 75 PSI. The only MJ that doesn't match the length characteristics exactly is the '86 2WD. The MA820 is about 3 1/2" too long for this MJ. For every other MJ ('86 4WD and all '87-'92 MJs, 2WD and 4WD) the MA820 is an exact match with the regular shocks. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juan Posted March 20, 2010 Share Posted March 20, 2010 I have them in my mj. I have a pair of air bags in the front coils to help me carry the extra load of the snowplow in the winter, they work great at preventing / helping with the front end sag. I like them so much I installed a pair in the back to help me level the rear end when loaded. I got mine from JC whitney - I only got the air bags w/o the compressor as I find it expensive, Instead I installed an ARB compressor I had laying around from another project to pump the air bags and as a bonus I can air up tires too. I also found them easy to install. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rylee144 Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Going to revive this thread. My truck squats real bad with just a little weight. If I got new springs they may be stiff and give me a rough ride. So I think this option may be what I need. Anyone have a set of air bags in the rear? Recomemdations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Dude i was just discussing this idea with my buddy. I want to install a set of bags. Thanks, good bump. You have a link to that kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rylee144 Posted May 8, 2021 Share Posted May 8, 2021 Google jeep comanche air bags and a whole bunch pop up https://www.suspensionconnection.com/59503-commanche-springs.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88towmanche Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 I bought one of the airlift kits off of amazon: AIR LIFT 59503 Ride Control Rear Air Spring Kit The truck squats when I hook up the boat (30+ year old springs) so was planning to install the helper kit to help the old girl out.... Then I put the budget lift on it, only a couple inches but thinking now I need spacers for the air bag kit - firestone has a 1-/34 spacer that should work, or I can stack big stainless plate washers to get there. Now I am planning an axle swap and depending on whether I take the AAL from the '86 donor truck I will be installing the bag kit when I do the axle swap. Install looks pretty straight forward - I am going to run the air lines back to the rear bumper and use a plug in compressor for now (or airtank) can figure out OBA down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Yeah I'm concerned about my soa lift setup. Thinking 🤔 need bigger bags to ensure flex won't rip a bag out.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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