When traveling down a highway in Texas (as well as many other states) and passing through a small town, one can always tell where the best cafe in town is, and trucks are the transportation of choice. With trucks being the best-selling vehicles today, many drivers want them to have all the creature comforts they are accustomed to in the family car-if they even have a family car, that is. Power windows, power mirrors, power seats, and power everything else are becoming standard.
| At normal air pressure (35 psi or so), the truck has a level ride height.
With all the comforts on the inside, how about the outside? We're talking about the ride in particular. With diesels growing in popularity, the 3/4- and 1-ton trucks are most common. These heavy haulers don't always ride the best when empty, and the overload springs are always slapping the mounts when loaded. Why not copy the big trucks on the road and install an air ride?
Gary and Jeff Kelderman, of Kelderman Manufacturing, have come up with an air-ride system for almost any truck. They also have systems for trailers, motorhomes, and even motorcycles.
The folks at Painless Performance found out about the systems from Kelderman and decided to install an air ride on the company Chevrolet Silverado 1-ton dualie. The truck is used to pull a 36-foot, enclosed, gooseneck trailer to shows across country. Its ride, like most other trucks, lacked what may be desired. After we spoke with Jeff Kelderman, he suggested that Painless contact H.T. Offroad in Cleburne, Texas, because it's an authorized installer of the Kelderman systems. A phone call to Buck Hyndman at H.T. Offroad was all it took to get things started. The kit was shipped to Painless, and H.T. Offroad made an opening in its busy schedule to do the job. Unloading the kit and finishing the installation took about four hours.
| With the system aired up, the rear-bumper height can be raised about 4 inches from stock-a great help when unhooking from a gooseneck trailer.
The air-ride system has a couple of advantages: the ride is noticeably better, and the chop is gone on those rough backroads. Another advantage is the ability to set the ride height. With a heavy trailer, sometimes the truck will squat in the rear, but with this system, that can be adjusted by adding air pressure. If you drive your truck a lot (especially if you tow) and want a better, smoother ride, the Kelderman air-ride system is the answer.
