# Expedition Air Suspension & Hensley Arrow



## rodneyharvey (Feb 27, 2007)

Does anyone know if I should switch OFF my 98 Ford Expedition's Air Suspension when hooking up and towing my 25RSS with a Hensley Arrow?

The manual says to switch it off when setting up weight distribution bars and then switch it back on to drive but would this apply to the Hensley? The Hensley rep told me to leave it off while towing but I am inclined to think that is wrong - there would be no suspension whatsoever then.

Help!


----------



## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

I've got the air suspension on my 03 Expedition and you should do as the manual says. Turn it OFF when hitching and then turn it ON when the weight distribution bars are hooked up. Driving with the air suspension off will give you a terrible ride, trust me, and there is no reason to do it if you follow the owners manual. Hensleys a good company but this particular rep needs some retraining on suspension systems.


----------



## webeopelas (Mar 11, 2006)

Absolutely leave it on. You only really need to turn it off to set up the WD hitch. I have a Chevy with the Autoride, and I can't turn it off. Only thing I can do is shut off the vehicle. So once you have the WD bars and hitch head set correctly, it doesn't matter if the air suspension is on or off.

On will give you better ride and ensure your vehicle is level. (Most of which should be done during the hitch setup)


----------



## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

If you drive with the factory installed air suspension OFF you will develop some very bad handling and braking characteristics. Even with the Hensley, you should keep the Air Suspension on when driving.

Reverie


----------



## HodgePodge (Apr 29, 2005)

I don't have a Hensley but we used to tow with a Navigator that had the air-suspension system. Like others have posted, I would also leave the air suspension turned on when towing. The towing instructions in the owners manual state that it should be turned back on after hitching. I'm not sure where the switch is for the system on the Expedition but on the Navigator it was under the dash on the passenger side which leads me to believe that the Ford engineers didn't feel it was a system to left turned off when driving the vehicle.
There would also be the concern of damaging the air bags by driving with no pressure in them. We have Firestone air bags on our current vehicle and the manufacturer clearly states that there needs to be at least 5-10 psi in the bags to prevent damage.
Regards,
Rob


----------

