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AirLift rear bag system - info you need to know

Cruizer8

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Placed the order with Steven from Timber Grove this morning. I will put out an update when they come in and are installed.
Looking forward to a review. I want to hear others experiences before I decide.

One thing I am very curious about is if they affect maximum articulation when install? Will they compress enough with no pressure to not hurt off-road capability?
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Benbean66

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Looking forward to a review. I want to hear others experiences before I decide.

One thing I am very curious about is if they affect maximum articulation when install? Will they compress enough with no pressure to not hurt off-road capability?
So I asked Steven that question a little while back when he was in the design phase of these lifted variants, and he said "Yes, they will". The bags themselves are a set length and he has come up with an elevated stand for them to sit on. This will hinder some of the articulation, as these replace the bump stops, and you have to use caution as to not crush the bags/brackets on full "stuff". Full extension should be ok, since the bags are, again, sitting on spacers. I chose this design over the in-spring bags because of the amount of towing/traveling I do, and I would rather have more stability in those situations.
 

Cruizer8

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So I asked Steven that question a little while back when he was in the design phase of these lifted variants, and he said "Yes, they will". The bags themselves are a set length and he has come up with an elevated stand for them to sit on. This will hinder some of the articulation, as these replace the bump stops, and you have to use caution as to not crush the bags/brackets on full "stuff". Full extension should be ok, since the bags are, again, sitting on spacers. I chose this design over the in-spring bags because of the amount of towing/traveling I do, and I would rather have more stability in those situations.
That is good to know. I think the benefits will outweigh the downside for me as well, but I just want to be aware of the capabilities so I don't damage things unnecessarily. I am curious what the crush limit is and how much PSI would need to be maintained in the bags for them to functionally work as a bump stop.
 

Benbean66

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That is good to know. I think the benefits will outweigh the downside for me as well, but I just want to be aware of the capabilities so I don't damage things unnecessarily. I am curious what the crush limit is and how much PSI would need to be maintained in the bags for them to functionally work as a bump stop.
I plan on installing them, and do a controlled flex test to see how they compress/expand with various pressures in them. I'm also going to install a valve between the two bags so I can shut off the cross flow of air between the bags, thus making them act more like bump stops rather than going flat when air is pushed to the other side.
 

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Got an update from Steve at Timber Grove - he said he's come up with a modular type mounting system for his air suspension setup that has interchangeable parts to allow it to accommodate different lift heights. He said he is sending it off to get laser cut and will let me know when the finished product comes in.

Pretty excited to see what he comes up with and definitely happy with the level of customer service. This whole thing is obviously a little niche, but its awesome to have someone interested in making something that works as designed rather than trying to piece together random parts to get something that maybe might work OK.

I will post again when I get another update.
So does this mean if we have a Mojave with the AEV 2" lift we could get in on the action too?

Also thanks I'm advance your leg work. I've worked with Belltech and several other vendors over the last 2 decades for GM products.

So mad rep points to you!

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Still out in Wyoming making our way back to Colorado after picking up our GoFast Camper last week, but I got an update from Timber Grove and it looks like the new mounts are ready to go and available on the Timber Grove website!

From what I can tell, there is one designed around the measurements from the Mopar 2in lift and another "universal" mount that can fit larger lifts up to 4in.

I would guess that the 2in Mopar lift mounts would work with any lift that is around 2 or 2.5 inches - I know some "2in lifts" end up being more like 3-4in and in those cases I would imagine the other "universal" mount would work better. I would encourage anyone who's unsure of which to get to reach out to Timber Grove, as Steve has been extremely helpful and straight forward with information.

I will be placing my order once we get back home and will keep updating as I get these installed and start using them.
 

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They have arrived...

Jeep Gladiator AirLift rear bag system - info you need to know IMG_20220915_184332509
 

Benbean66

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Benbean66

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So I installed my Timber Grove bags this afternoon, and I hate to say that I am a little bummed. Let me preface by saying that everything about this kit is top notch. The air lines, hardware, brackets, etc... all designed, bent, assembled perfectly. My issue is that I, yes I am taking the blame for this one, failed to realize how little travel these bags have. I have a full Clayton 2.5" lift, with extended brake lines and Bilstein B8-5160 shocks. It flexes out pretty far, especially having 35's with the Max Tow axles. These bags are going to limit the flexibility by almost half, I figure. I actually went and machined a good bit off of the top of the one bracket on each side so that the bags wouldn't be crushed at normal ride height. I may even take more off, but this will limit how much droop I can allow. I have to play around with it some more, but for right now, I need to remember not to do anything to risk crushing or stretching the bags out.
But, if you are looking to add more support and do not paln on flexing your JT out too much, then these are the bags for you. They are beasts. I am going to try and tweak the brackets a little over the weekend, and see what I can come up with. If I can't come to some sort of resolution, then I may have to bite the bullet and switch over to the in-spring type, and put these on the MarketPlace... :(
...to be continued
 

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PhantomChameleon

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So I installed my Timber Grove bags this afternoon, and I hate to say that I am a little bummed. Let me preface by saying that everything about this kit is top notch. The air lines, hardware, brackets, etc... all designed, bent, assembled perfectly. My issue is that I, yes I am taking the blame for this one, failed to realize how little travel these bags have. I have a full Clayton 2.5" lift, with extended brake lines and Bilstein B8-5160 shocks. It flexes out pretty far, especially having 35's with the Max Tow axles. These bags are going to limit the flexibility by almost half, I figure. I actually went and machined a good bit off of the top of the one bracket on each side so that the bags wouldn't be crushed at normal ride height. I may even take more off, but this will limit how much droop I can allow. I have to play around with it some more, but for right now, I need to remember not to do anything to risk crushing or stretching the bags out.
But, if you are looking to add more support and do not paln on flexing your JT out too much, then these are the bags for you. They are beasts. I am going to try and tweak the brackets a little over the weekend, and see what I can come up with. If I can't come to some sort of resolution, then I may have to bite the bullet and switch over to the in-spring type, and put these on the MarketPlace... :(
...to be continued
Hmmm, that is a bummer! I had hoped the limitation on travel wouldn't be too much, I can deal with a little loss there but half is quite a bit.

Really appreciate you testing this out - I was actually going to place my order today but may wait a little given this update and see what your final verdict is.

I have also been considering just upgrading my rear springs since I will have my GFC camper on the jeep all the time...but I have not been able to find any solid info so far on whether or not there are stiffer springs that will play nice with the Mopar lift shocks.

New springs are also not quite ideal as I would love to be able to adjust stiffness when loaded down for a trip and ease it up a little when unloaded with just the GFC. Springs obviously just give one static level of stiffness, so seems tricker to find a set that would work well both loaded and unloaded.
 

Benbean66

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Hmmm, that is a bummer! I had hoped the limitation on travel wouldn't be too much, I can deal with a little loss there but half is quite a bit.

Really appreciate you testing this out - I was actually going to place my order today but may wait a little given this update and see what your final verdict is.

I have also been considering just upgrading my rear springs since I will have my GFC camper on the jeep all the time...but I have not been able to find any solid info so far on whether or not there are stiffer springs that will play nice with the Mopar lift shocks.

New springs are also not quite ideal as I would love to be able to adjust stiffness when loaded down for a trip and ease it up a little when unloaded with just the GFC. Springs obviously just give one static level of stiffness, so seems tricker to find a set that would work well both loaded and unloaded.
Like I said, I friggin love their design, and ruggedness, and I'm going to do whatever I can to make these work. Once I get them at a good height, I'll take some measurements of what I feel a safe amount of travel is.
 

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Like I said, I friggin love their design, and ruggedness, and I'm going to do whatever I can to make these work. Once I get them at a good height, I'll take some measurements of what I feel a safe amount of travel is.
Daystar cups might be your resolution. With those you don't need to permanently mount the bag to both frame and axle...so the axle can continue to flex out as far as the spring will allow, and not pull the bags apart.
 

Benbean66

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Daystar cups might be your resolution. With those you don't need to permanently mount the bag to both frame and axle...so the axle can continue to flex out as far as the spring will allow, and not pull the bags apart.
Never heard of those... I'll have to look into them. Thank you!
 

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Never heard of those... I'll have to look into them. Thank you!
Watch the video. I'm not sure if it will work for your specific situation - but the general idea is the same. They were designed for big trucks with bags that wanted off road abilities. Normally bags permanently attach to the frame and axle, but daystar cups allow the axle to droop further than what the bags would normally allow to effectively get more suspension travel. Again, not sure if it will work because your bags have very specific mounting brackets. But I'm sure there is something that would work to keep the general idea.

https://www.dieselpowerproducts.com/daystar-air-bag-cradle



Side question, not to derail - but how do you like the Bilstein B8-5160 shocks? Those are the ones that come with the AEV kit I believe. Curious of their performance. I had standard 5160's on my OBS 7.3 and they were great.
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