air suspension

Anyone have an Autoflex Air Suspension installed---can't find any pro's or con's

I need to do something to bolster the rear suspension on my 02 Excursion. Am considering airbags, but am not sure. Pros/cons in general?

I think I would be convinced to do it if I could use the air source to add a train horn...

(I think I would be convinced to do it if I could use the air source to add a train horn... )

Adding a air tank for Train Horns, should be the easy part. I have not looked at the Autoflex Air Suspension,
may need to check them out. I feel my truck would ride a little better on air, when the RV is hooked up.
Doug

Also look into Kelderman air suspensions --cheaper and does not remove the leaf sping--Full air bag suspension but adds bag to the rear end of the spring. I don't have room for it or it would be on my rig!!

Id looked at their kits before and they look like they are well built and I haven't been able to find complaints nor praises just like you. In looking at their product I have some questions beginning with ride quality given the very short link from the frame to the axle short links create a rougher ride. The pictures of the kit assembled shows a link bar connecting the two sides and based on the descriptions this is their "tracking bar" which is going to serve to locate the axle side to side but this is still only connecting the two pivot arms together which the axle already does so you're relying on two rubber bushings to locate your axle side to side. Additionally because of the nature of a z-link 3-link suspension axle articulation is limited so this is not the best design for a truck used off road.

Over the last 15 years since the Superduty was introduced in mid 1998 as a 1999 model year, I've seen several air suspension companies come and go out of business. The companies that spend more talking about the benefits of air suspension in general, rather than the specific implementation of their air suspension system in particular, tend to be the ones that disappear first. The "Air Ax" company comes to mind. Gone in 60 seconds (well, maybe about a year).

BJS hinted at a very real concern... axle location laterally. This is critical for vehicle stability under fully loaded stress. While the initial installation may work good for a while, if the lateral location of that axle does fail prematurely, the results are catastrophic.

I never heard of Autoflex before, but upon the OP's question, I searched their website. What I was looking for was how the axle would be located laterally, and how the axle wrap on acceleration from a standing start would be controlled. I did not find what appeared to me to be sufficient hardware to control either axle wrap or axle yaw. I also looked for installation instructions, which I wasn't able to find (not to say they are not available, I just couldn't find them).

On the other hand, I have heard of Reyco Granning, Hendrickson, Silent Drive, Ridewell, Morryde, Link, and Kelderman. These companies are not new, and they have been manufacturing substitution suspension systems for trucks for 20 years or longer. They each have clearly visible mechanisms for controlling lateral and angular movement of the axle. They each spend time talking about how their type of suspension replacement is implemented, not just how much nicer their suspension is over leaf springs. And finally, they each post their installation instructions online.

These are some of the considerations that immediately come to mind upon first glance at Autoflex.