Originally published February 17, 2014. Updated September 9, 2026.
Our 2011 Ford F-350 carries campers, hauls equipment and tows trailers loaded with multiple UTVs. We installed an Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 air spring system and WirelessONE onboard compressor to reduce rear suspension squat without sacrificing the truck’s comfortable unloaded ride.
Why Our Ford F-350 Needed Load Support
When I was a kid, our family had a 1975 Ford F-350 long bed set up to carry a large cabover camper and tow our ski boat. Its heavy spring pack supported the camper, but the truck rode harshly whenever the bed was empty.
Our 2011 Ford F-350 Super Duty crew cab is expected to do even more. In addition to serving as a daily driver, it carries a slide-in camper, hauls supplies and pulls trailers loaded with UTVs.
The truck also has an ICON leveling kit that raises the front. It looks level when empty, but adding weight to the bed lowers the rear and leaves the truck sitting nose-high.
The factory rear suspension rides well when the truck is empty, but its overload springs do not engage until a substantial amount of weight has been added. That creates a compromise familiar to many truck owners: a suspension soft enough for everyday driving may allow the rear to squat when the truck is heavily loaded.
Why Rear Suspension Squat Matters
Rear squat is more than a cosmetic problem. As the rear of the truck drops, the front rises. That can affect headlight aim and reduce the weight carried by the front axle, potentially changing steering and braking behavior.
A level truck also feels more composed when crosswinds or a passing tractor-trailer push against a large enclosed trailer. Air springs do not replace proper trailer loading, a suitable hitch or adequate tow-vehicle capacity, but they can help restore the truck’s normal ride height when operating within its ratings.
Important: Air springs provide load-leveling support, but they do not increase a truck’s payload, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, Gross Axle Weight Rating or towing capacity. Every load must remain within the vehicle and hitch manufacturers’ ratings.
Why We Chose Adjustable Air Springs
Several types of helper springs can reduce rear squat, but many are passive systems with a fixed spring rate or a predetermined engagement point. Air springs add an important advantage: adjustability.
Pressure can be increased when carrying a camper or towing a heavy trailer and reduced when the truck is unloaded. This lets the factory leaf springs continue to provide most of the unloaded ride quality while the air springs supply additional support when needed.
Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 System
The Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 uses a pair of reinforced air springs mounted between the truck’s frame and rear axle or leaf-spring assembly, depending on the application.
Air Lift currently rates the system for up to 5,000 pounds of load-leveling capacity. That figure describes the support available from the air springs; it does not authorize exceeding the truck’s factory weight ratings.
A vehicle-specific kit typically includes:
- Two reinforced air springs
- Vehicle-specific mounting brackets
- Air lines and fittings
- Required installation hardware
- Illustrated installation instructions
Adding WirelessONE Compressor Control
I had used air springs before and liked their effect, but manually filling the bags was inconvenient. The required pressure changes with the load, and the truck might be unloaded many miles from the compressor at home.
For this installation, we paired the LoadLifter 5000 with Air Lift’s WirelessONE onboard compressor system. It allowed us to adjust air-spring pressure without finding an external compressor or running a traditional gauge and control panel into the cab.
Our original WirelessONE setup was a single-path system, meaning it supplied equal pressure to both rear air springs. That arrangement worked well for our typical towing and hauling loads. Owners who regularly carry loads that are substantially heavier on one side may want to consider a dual-path system with independent left and right adjustment.
LoadLifter 5000 Installation
Installation on our Ford F-350 took longer than a typical bolt-on application because the truck already had a gooseneck hitch and aftermarket shocks. Those components reduced the available working space and required extra attention during bracket placement.
Fitment can vary according to model year, drivetrain, bed configuration and existing hitch hardware. Before ordering, confirm the exact application and check for compatibility with fifth-wheel or gooseneck mounting brackets.
Air lines should be routed away from exhaust heat, sharp edges and moving suspension components. The lines also need enough slack to accommodate normal axle movement without rubbing or being pulled tight.
Real-World Towing and Hauling Results
Once installed, the system did exactly what we wanted. We could add pressure to bring the truck back toward its normal ride height when carrying the Lance camper, hauling a pallet of wood pellets or towing a UTV trailer.
The ability to adjust pressure from the onboard compressor proved to be one of the system’s most valuable features. Instead of selecting one pressure that was a compromise for every load, we could tune the support for the truck’s current job.
What We Liked
- Adjustable support for different trailers and bed loads
- Reduced rear suspension squat
- Maintained a more level stance with our front leveling kit
- Convenient pressure changes through the onboard compressor
- Minimal effect on unloaded ride quality when operated at the recommended minimum pressure
Things to Consider
- Air springs do not increase the truck’s legal or mechanical payload and towing ratings.
- Existing gooseneck or fifth-wheel hardware can complicate installation.
- Correct pressure depends on the load rather than one universal setting.
- Air lines and fittings should be inspected periodically for leaks, abrasion and heat exposure.
- A single-path compressor cannot correct a side-to-side load imbalance.
Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 Review: Final Verdict
The Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 was a worthwhile upgrade for our Ford F-350 because the truck moves between daily driving, heavy bed loads, a slide-in camper and several different UTV trailers.
The air springs reduced squat and let us tailor the rear suspension support to each load. Pairing them with an onboard compressor was the key to making that adjustability convenient enough to use regularly.
For a truck that frequently changes between unloaded driving and towing or hauling, adjustable air springs offer a more flexible solution than permanently increasing the rear spring rate. Just remember that they are a load-leveling tool—not a way to exceed the truck’s rated capacities.
