Daystar Cradles Necessary?

2021 Taco Sport with a 1" block in the back (to level it back out) that I am adding Firestone Ride Rite air bags to next week. I hear lots of praise of the Daystar cradles however unless one plans to do some pretty intense wheeling I don't follow the advantage to them.
I'm all for adding anything to benefit my rig but the most I see is logging roads and the likes.
If anything I wonder if they might cause issues if material is thrown up into them an caught (IE rocks, etc.). I mean they are just polyurethane so if you have a rock wedged in there are they not going to split?
I appreciate anyone's feedback who have some history with using them to help me gauge if they are really any use to me.
I am only adding bags to reduce sag with weight in the bed or when towing one of my trailers.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

Consensus I have seen is if you do heavy wheeling airbags wont last long either way.

 

Air bags are for towing purposes only. If you are going to wheel, get the proper leaf pack for your set up.

 

You shouldn't have a lot of weight in the bed or tow while you are wheeling, so they will be aired down to a lower psi. When you need them to prevent rear sag, you'll air them up. No problem.

 

Ok ya I really want them for towing. I don’t wheel with this rig.
I appreciate it guys

 

Have you used the cradles?
Is there a point to them?

 

I have not. I've seen many threads here and elsewhere about Firestone airbags, and the recent introduction of the cradle to go with them.
The point is so you can haul heavier loads occasionally without squatting, without having a super stiff leaf pack all the time that gives an uncomfortable ride.
If you are heavy all the time, you are better off with beefier leaf springs. Airbags sound right for your application.

 

Full droop, with 0 pressure in the airbags. I do have custom bumpstops, otherwise there would be 5psi min. pressure. The cradles seem to be doing their job.

 

Interesting
Great pictures thank you very much. Have you found any “clapping” noise resulting from the cradles smacking the bottom of the airbag assy?
Love your custom bump stops BTW.
What did you use for the rubber blocks?

 

No clapping, but I did install EPDM rubber pads on the bottom of each bag, pads can be seen here.

 

Are these kits still available anywhere?

 

Nope. I don't think @badger is producing anymore as he only did one production run while making his own.

Super interesting build over here where @spectacolar.adventures sources airbags with internal bump stops.

 

At full rear wheel drop on one side the rubber airbag is strrrreeeeetched. I haven't had a problem yet with mine but I cannot tell if the leaf spring or the airbag is holding the rear wheel from dropping any further. The reason I have not installed the cradles is... it's theoretically possible for the airbag to get turned sideways and not properly seat in the cradle while off road.

If I were more into serious wheeling I would go with a quality replacement leaf pack and one of the fancy bump stop options.

Not a major concern for me as I'm on paved surfaces >90% of the time and occasionally tow and use fire trails or the beach. No hard wheelin'.

 

I’ve done wheeling: stock, airbags no cradle, add a leaf + airbags + cradle, and custom deaver leaf packs.

by far the worst was the cradles set up. Was very uncomfortable driving around town with that set up. Airbags are best when overloaded which you probably shouldn’t do with stock springs(over 300-400lb+).

custom leaf packs is by far the best set up. That’s unless you want to stay stock and tow every now and then (which I’d recommend installing airbags temporarily if you can spare 2 hours install, 1 hr removal)

 

What are the general tongue weights on your trailer(s)? If you're only talking about 250 lbs then you can probably get away with a simple add-a-leaf (or spend a bit more on a replacement leaf pack) both of which would allow you to ditch the 1" block. If you're talking 300 lb or more tongue weight or 900 lbs in the bed then yeah... you probably will want sumos or ride-rite airbags.

 

For the Firestone airbags, I had to cut the OEM bump stop, so no going back with those...

 

Would you equate Sumos with Ride-Rite airbags? Aside from the ability to adjust the Ride-Rite airbags, how else do they differ? I am currently considering the

$280 SuperSprings SSR-612-40 | SumoSprings Rear for Toyota Tacoma, blue

SuperSprings SSR-612-40 by SumoSprings for my 2016 Tacoma OR, versus the Firestone Ride-Ride airbags. I want to tow my RV (2800-3500lbs) out west this summer, but have noticed some serious sag and bend on my leaf-springs. That being said, I don't want to sacrifice off road capabilities by installing these and removing my bumpstops. Any recommendations?

 

Sumos don't add the same complications for wheelin' as Ride-Rite airbags BUT the amount of support cannot be adjusted like airbags.

The Ride-Rite airbags do work great for towing as you can perfectly level the truck by varying the air pressure (having the headlights pointed up at other drivers won't win you any friends.) The downside to the ride-rite airbags are:

1) They slightly stiffen your ride when you're not carrying weight due to the way they attach to the leaf pack (if you have a bunch of armor or are always carrying 300lb in the bed it won't be an issue.) Sumos do not attach to the leaf pack in the same manner so do not affect the leaf stiffness BUT they do not allow you to adjust the support (like the airbags). The Sumo installs appears to be very simple.. to my knowledge they offer 2 different options (~500lb option and a ~1000 lb option) perhaps you can install their lighter weight spring option and test fit your trailer. If you can get away with the lighter weight sumos then you're truck's comfort /ride won't take a hit while empty.

2) As for the hardcore wheelin'... ride-rite bags attach to the leaf spring/axle on the bottom and have a top plate that attaches to the frame. This means there is a sealed rubber 'canister' shaped tube that stretches from the top of the axle to the bottom of the frame. This can prevent wheel droop (or possibly tear the rubber bag) depending on your suspension setup and level of aggressive 4 wheeling. Sumos do not connect to the frame so don't experience this issue.

Are you lifted or do you ever plan to lift?

 

Thanks for the detail response. I have a 3" lift by King suspension with adjustable rear shocks with Icon Add-a-leaf. Most of my miles are on pavement, as this is my daily driver, but I do go off road on climbing trips and while overlanding out west. I will be pulling a Casita RV this summer and noticed a good amount of leaf springs sag on previous trips despite the add-a-leaf. I'm hoping airbags will address this issue. I also suffer the Taco lean and was hoping to address this issue with the Firestone's. I have a spacer I've been waiting to install that is supposed to remedy the lean. If that is the case, I am assuming the Sumos will be sufficient to tow my RV?

 

Cool, are you a 16' or 17'? I currently own two 16' Casitas (2001 and 1996) and previously owned a 17'.

Nice suspension setup. I'm kinda surprised you've got decent sag with the add-a-leaf since I can let all the air out of my airbags and show little signs of sag (with an empty bed.)

I'd think either Sumos or Ride-Rites can remedy your issue. The great thing is they're both pretty affordable and you can sell them if you don't like them to recoup some $$$.