Sometimes, an upgrade comes along that makes an existing product even better. Take for instance the Leveling Solutions air bags I put on Project WorkHorse several months ago. The air bags were easy to install and at the time, I also decided to add an onboard air compressor, so I added Leveling Solutions’ Air Deployment System. The Air Deployment kit afforded me the ability to inflate or deflate the air bags while seated in the truck while driving. I thought that was as convenient as it gets. That is, until…
The New Wireless Air Compressor
Fast forward to the present day, and I recently received a notification that a new wireless air compressor kit is available from Leveling Solutions. The new kits are available with or without the air bags for Ford, Chevy/GMC, and Ram trucks. For WorkHorse, since I already had the bags installed, I ordered the universal kit without bags (P/N: 92726). This is a package that gives the operator a supplied, hand-held radio-paired remote for reliable control, Bluetooth app connectivity for seamless adjustments via Android or iOS, the added convenience of a tire fill kit, and works with any air bag system.
With the wireless air compressor mounted to the passenger’s side frame rail, you can see the intake filter at the top of the system and the hose quick connect for the external inflation hose.
For me, the inclusion of a tire fill kit is a very well-received part of the upgrade. I can’t tell you how many times I have been away from the garage and needed an air compressor to inflate tires on something. Now, I have it onboard. No need to carry a portable air compressor or air tank.
According to Alex Feichter of Leveling Solutions, “For tire inflation, the wireless air compressor is adjustable up to 100psi. However, if you want to use an impact, you would need a supply tank to support those flow requirements with this pump.”
With both the supplied wireless remote and Bluetooth capability, I can monitor and maintain a desired air bag pressure with set-and-hold monitoring. The wireless controller and the mobile app feature three preset pressures. I use setting one for when WorkHorse has no load (7psi), setting two for a light load (20psi), and setting three for a heavy load (35psi). If I need to adjust my presets in the future, the pressures can easily be increased or reduced with the push of a button.
Wiring for the system is easy as there are only four wires. Black is ground, the two red wires are 12-volt constant, and the pink wire connects to a keyed power source. The pink wire does not need to be connected, but if you connect it, the system will make adjustments as soon as the ignition is turned on. If you do not connect it, the system will still make adjustments, but only after the truck moves and “wakes up” the controller.
The wireless air compressor system is a single-path system. It keeps a constant, equal pressure in both bags simultaneously. This air system is also built for exterior mounting, as long as it is in a somewhat dry location. I chose to mount it under the bed of the truck, between the cab and the rear tire. This area is a “somewhat” dry location as the wheelwell liners keep most of the water from splashing up on the controller while driving. The compressor assembly comes with fasteners to mount the kit to the frame of your truck. The adjustable pressure range of 5 to 100 psi allows for personalized performance in any driving scenario.
Mounting The Wireless Air Compressor
According to the box the kit came in, you can expect to spend roughly two hours installing the wireless air compressor kit. I will say it took me longer — four hours. However, I was also stopping to take pictures for this article.
Since WorkHorse has a 52-gallon Titan Fuel tank that takes up a lot of space under the driver’s-side of the truck, I mounted the wireless air compressor system to the passenger-side frame rail. I then ran the wires to the front of the truck and connected them to the fuse box. Thankfully, the wires were long enough to run all the way to the grille, and around the front of the truck under the plastic radiator cover and to the fuse box. The air lines were then run back to the bags at the rear. It really is that easy.
Once the preset pressures were initiated on the supplied wireless controller and my phone, the installation was complete. Being able to effortlessly inflate the air bags to each setting allows me to add air to the system to level WorkHorse and add load stability. This makes a huge difference — even when the load is well within the truck’s tow rating capabilities. This wireless air compressor system can also ensure a consistent pressure is kept — like in the case of a small leak. If this occurs, the wireless compressor will automatically turn on and add air to the bag as needed to maintain the predetermined pressure.
I should state that adding air bags to your truck will not allow you to carry payloads or tow trailers that exceed your truck’s limitations. It’s important to remember that the addition of any air bag system does not allow higher payloads or towing capacity to your current vehicle. Your truck is rated for specific capacity for a reason. Exceeding these ratings is not safe and can be a very costly mistake, even with the addition of an airbag arrangement that is theoretically capable of carrying additional weight.
After downloading the compressor-controlling app to your phone, simply set the pressures where you want. The left image is my unloaded pressure (setting one) for everyday driving. The middle is my level three setting, and the right image is a setting I was using to inflate a 12-ply trailer tire with the inflation connection.
How Does It Work
During my first outing with WorkHorse after completing the install, I connected to my 40-foot toy hauler and then hit preset two for 20psi of air. The compressor pumped for a few minutes and then stopped. I have an external gauge in the system and the gauge showed the system was properly pressurized. After a short time driving with the toy hauler in tow, I felt I needed more air in the bags, so I adjusted my number two preset to 27 psi. The onboard air compressor kicked on for a moment and then stopped.
Being able to add pressure to the preset settings is worth its weight in gold to me. The wireless air compressor unit from Leveling Solutions comes with a limited lifetime warranty and is a great way to make pressure adjustments easier than ever. If you are running a set of air bags on your truck, this is definitely worth the time to install and small financial investment.
