Bandit400
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2021
- Messages
- 167
- Reaction score
- 229
I just finished installing the 7500XL air bags on my 2019 Tradesman CCLB DRW 6.7HO. It has the larger AAM12 rear axle that comes on the HO engine and Max tow package. Come to the conclusion that many of the aftermarket suspension accessories are not really considering this axle when designing their products. For those who are going this route with the larger AAM12 rear axle tube, the kit that Air Lift recommends for the 7500xl bags (pn#57531) won’t fit without some minor modification. You will need to modify three of the provided brackets to fit this larger axle properly.
The slot on the top air bag bracket needs to be elongated to 1.3 inches wide otherwise the bolt holes on the upper part of the bumpstop frame won’t line up. This will prevent you from bolting the top airbag bracket to the frame. I first drilled a hole then used a square file to elongate each top bracket. Make sure you elongate the side I circled and towards the bend.
Post use of square file to elongate slot.
Next the bottom air bag bracket needs to have the 90 degree corners ground down slightly to a 45 degree using an angle grinder in six spots where it contacts the axle. If you don’t do this, the points where the bracket contacts the axle will be focused on six points where the bracket forms a 90 degree which isn’t good. The top of the axle should also contact the middle of the bracket after you grind the points in the red circles. Do this a little at time and test fit on axle, without the air bag mounted to the bracket, often to avoid grinding too much.
Lastly, the bottom axle bracket needs to be ground down a bit to open up the radius as it’s sized for the slightly smaller axle tube for the standard AAM11.5 axle. If you don’t do this, the bottom bracket won’t make full contact with full curvature of the larger axle tube.
Hope this helps others to avoid installing these parts multiple times without modifying them first. It took me three tries installing and removing the airbags assemblies to address these minor fitment issues.
Disclaimer: Do these modifications at your own risk, I have not consulted or validated any of these modifications with the manufacturer of this product.
Bandit400
The slot on the top air bag bracket needs to be elongated to 1.3 inches wide otherwise the bolt holes on the upper part of the bumpstop frame won’t line up. This will prevent you from bolting the top airbag bracket to the frame. I first drilled a hole then used a square file to elongate each top bracket. Make sure you elongate the side I circled and towards the bend.
Post use of square file to elongate slot.
Next the bottom air bag bracket needs to have the 90 degree corners ground down slightly to a 45 degree using an angle grinder in six spots where it contacts the axle. If you don’t do this, the points where the bracket contacts the axle will be focused on six points where the bracket forms a 90 degree which isn’t good. The top of the axle should also contact the middle of the bracket after you grind the points in the red circles. Do this a little at time and test fit on axle, without the air bag mounted to the bracket, often to avoid grinding too much.
Lastly, the bottom axle bracket needs to be ground down a bit to open up the radius as it’s sized for the slightly smaller axle tube for the standard AAM11.5 axle. If you don’t do this, the bottom bracket won’t make full contact with full curvature of the larger axle tube.
Hope this helps others to avoid installing these parts multiple times without modifying them first. It took me three tries installing and removing the airbags assemblies to address these minor fitment issues.
Disclaimer: Do these modifications at your own risk, I have not consulted or validated any of these modifications with the manufacturer of this product.
Bandit400
Last edited:
