86 f150 suspension repair/upgrade

[Windbane]

My 86 came with air bags in the front coil when new and now 35yrs later they are shot. We use the truck for plowing, hence the air bags to handle the extra 1000lbs the plow puts on the front end. So I would like to know is; should I just install new bags and shocks or would it be possible to convert dual shocks to the quad shock setup? I have seen the mounts needed on rockauto's website, can they replace the mounts already there or would the bags and new shocks be enough to handle the plow weight?

[FuzzFace2]

Windbane wrote

My 86 came with air bags in the front coil when new and now 35yrs later they are shot. We use the truck for plowing, hence the air bags to handle the extra 1000lbs the plow puts on the front end. So I would like to know is; should I just install new bags and shocks or would it be possible to convert dual shocks to the quad shock setup? I have seen the mounts needed on rockauto's website, can they replace the mounts already there or would the bags and new shocks be enough to handle the plow weight?

You are talking of 2 different things here.
The air bags lift or support the truck.
The shocks DO NOT lift or support the truck. They control the springs harmonics / wheel from bouncing.

So if you need to support the weight of the plow and the air bags that did this are shot, as you said, there are only 2 way I see of fixing this.
The easy way is to get new bags. You can air up when the plow is on and air down when its not.

The hard way is to replace the coil springs. Thing is it would need to be pretty stiff spring to support the plow and when the plow is not on would ride like crap and the tires I would think get the camber thrown off like a lifted truck.

If you want to run 4 shocks you can but know they should not be the same shocks as the 2 shock setup has as the valving should be different between them.

Me I would do the air bags and move on to something else that needs looking into.
Dave ----

[kramttocs]

I would also go with new air bags.

[Windbane]

Ok great, the bags are the cheaper option too!

Thanks guys!

[kramttocs]

Always nice when that turns out to be the case!

If you could, please take some photos of the process. You don't see a lot of factory air bag setups or at least I haven't ever come across one in person. I know there is another member that was looking to either add them or replace his not long ago.
Could you also add a photo of your door sticker if still present? Particularly the values in the little box in the right side.

[Windbane]

Sure thing, won't be right away, but when I get to it, will do. As for the door sticker, it is pretty faded, but I'll try and get decent pic.

[FuzzFace2]

I don't think the factory did the bags / plow on the truck, at least I have never seen a truck roll off the line with a plow on it.

This would have been a dealer add on of the plow and the installer knew it needed air bags to support the weight.

Now it could be the dealer you went to for the bags has delt with a lot of plow trucks and knew just were to get them from. Even more so if they sell plow trucks.

When I lived up north I would give a guess any dealer that sold trucks also knew a little about plow trucks as we got snow.
Down here when you talk plows they think farm behind a tractor for the fields.
What little snow they get down here they shut down everything and let it melt, no plow or sender trucks, and may use a grader to do the roads if needed.
Yep strange what they do down here after living up north for 55 years LOL
Dave ----

[kramttocs]

I've seen a couple mentions of them as factory but like you're saying Dave, it may only be dealer.
That's why I am curious about the door sticker since I would think if a truck came off the line with them, the front weight value would reflect that.
I know there were some oddball c&c's where the door tag matched the unusualness.

[Windbane]

The plow was bought through the Ford dealer from a local plow dealer, and dealer installed. Don't know about the bags, all I know is I've seen them on the truck from day one.

[Windbane]

So, yes the dealer installed the bags and snow plow, and reinforcing kit as well. I have pics of the invoice plus manual and door sticker.