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When do you know if you need air bag suspension when towing?

Discussion in 'General' started by sbk1198, Apr 21, 2019.

  1. sbk1198

    sbk1198 Well-Known Member

    Is there a guideline or good rule of thumb for when one might consider putting air bag suspension kit in a truck for towing? I have a Ram 1500 and with my trailer the rear squats quite a bit...more than I'd like I guess. It's not bottoming out even when hitting bumps as far as I can tell, and I have a distribution hitch on. Can't say that I've had any problems so far, it's just that when I'm on flat ground with the trailer hooked up I can tell it sags enough that the trailer is not leveled, it's lower in the front.

    Not sure what the tongue weight is, but the trailer fully loaded is probably around 5000 lbs.
     
  2. BC

    BC Well-Known Member

    Lots of oncoming traffic flashing their brights at you.
     
    BigBird likes this.
  3. r6boater

    r6boater Logged out

    Yes, get them. They are a cheap add on that makes a safe difference. I even have them on my 3/4ton.
     
  4. MotoGP69

    MotoGP69 Well-Known Member

    Sounds like your WD hitch is not adjusted correctly and/or your trailer load is too front heavy. A 5000lb trailer should ideally have 500-750lbs of tongue weight, which shouldn’t sag your truck too much.
     
  5. sbk1198

    sbk1198 Well-Known Member

    It shouldn't be too front heavy since most of the weight is over the axles (the bikes). I don't have a good way to measure the tongue weight without buying one of those hitch scales. Might be in the distribution hitch then. What's interesting is that it was perfect with my 2014 Ram. Now I have a 2019, and it seems to sag a bit more. I know Ram made some changes with the suspension, which is why it feels so much nicer when driving around town with an empty truck, but maybe not as good for towing. Gas mileage certainly went down too :(
     
  6. rd49

    rd49 Well-Known Member

    It’s those mash potato OEM rear shocks on it. Had the same problem with my 12 Tundra. I put Rancho stuff front and rear, no more sag.
     
  7. vfrket

    vfrket Lost Member

    Was the 2014 leaf springs? Is the 2019 coil over?

    Some info here maybe
     
  8. MELK-MAN

    MELK-MAN The Dude abides...

    how do shocks have anything to do with how low the truck sits in the rear under load?
     
    badmoon692008, Bruce, Chris and 6 others like this.
  9. sbk1198

    sbk1198 Well-Known Member

    Both are coil over. Not sure exactly what they all did different on the 2019 model, but they made some changes to the frame and suspension. Supposedly for the purpose of fuel economy and towing...can't say I'm seeing the results though so far lol
     
  10. MELK-MAN

    MELK-MAN The Dude abides...

    air bag system is awesome.
     
  11. Sundaydisco

    Sundaydisco Crooks Racing

    There is a lot of video on YouTube on how to properly set up a load dissertation hitch. It is not recommended that you use a load distribution hitch with airbags as that the two systems would be completing again each other. The front of the trailer should be slightly lower then the rest of the trailer and you want 10-15% of the total load weight to be on the tongue. It may take a few tries to get the LD hitch set up properly but after you have done it a few times it’s a breeze.
     
    Phl218 and sbk1198 like this.
  12. sbk1198

    sbk1198 Well-Known Member

    Oh ok. In that case it might be pretty close. I'll have to take another look at the hitch and adjust it. Just sucks I can't do it at home because there isn't enough flat level ground for both the truck and trailer. I'd have to go to a big parking lot somewhere.
     
  13. xrated

    xrated Well-Known Member

    If you care to know the true weights of what you have, go to a CAT scale at almost any of the major truck stops and do a 3 set weight.
    1. Pull on to the scale area with your truck front tires on the first set of pads. The truck rear wheels on the second set of pads, and the trailer on the third set of pads. Have your truck loaded as you would normally have it when travelling, have your W.D. hitch setup and in the normal amount of tension. Push the butto and get your weight.
    2. As soon as the clerk confirms they have the weight, undo the W.D. hitch.....loosen all tension. You don't need to remove it from the truck, just take the tension off and ask for weigh #2. After confirming they have the weight, do step three.
    3. Drive off the scale and find an out of the way place to disconnect the trailer. Drive back on the scale and tell them you are wanting weigh #3. After confirming the weight has been done, hook back up to the trailer and go inside and get all three weigh tickets....

    After you've done that, go home and log onto this website.... https://fifthwheelst.com/ After you get there, look at the top of the page and click on 4 Step Weight Safety Plan. Make sure you select the correct option, which for you will be the tow behind vs. 5th Wheel towing. Follow the instructions, including doing the worksheet so that you have all the number you need ready for when you get to the part about inputting your numbers.....including the ones from the CAT scale. It will give you more information that you even thought there was....and most importantly, you will have a good summary of all of the weights you are dealing with....which should give you an answer on the rear sag and whether you are overloading something or just need to re-distribute the weight in your trailer.

    Oh, I forgot to mention the cost for the CAT scale usage. First weight is normally $11. The second weight, if done within 24 hrs of the first weight is $2 additional. The third weight, the same $2 if done within 24 hrs of the first weight. Total....$15 and now you know what you've got.
     
    Chris and KneeDragger_c69 like this.
  14. 5axis

    5axis Well-Known Member

    And the CAT scale staff are very helpful so if you have any questions, just walk inside and talk to them.
    cat.jpg
     
  15. LossPrev

    LossPrev Well-Known Member

    Dude get the Air Lift 1000HD. Super easy to install inside the coil springs and help a lot. Just bought a 7000lbs toy hauler and my 2019 Ram 1500 was too soft for the weight distribution hitch alone. Truck rides much better now.

    Also, they're pretty cheap at like $130.
     
    BigBird likes this.
  16. sbk1198

    sbk1198 Well-Known Member

    That's exactly what I was looking at before I started this thread. I'm going to see if I can adjust my hitch more first, and if not then I'll get the Air Lift kit. What pressure are you setting yours too with your hauler?
     
  17. LossPrev

    LossPrev Well-Known Member

    I started at 25 and its riding almost dead level but I'm going to try bumping it up to 30psi for our first actual trip in 2 weeks. So far it's just been 10-20 mile test loops.

    To expand on my first post, I was getting a lot of bouncing and the weight distribution hitch had to be cranked way up to lift the back end and it was still riding low. The Ram suspension is just way too soft to deal with much weight.

    I will get out to the scales one of these days and do some proper weighing. So far it's just been tape measure and a level.
     
    sbk1198 likes this.
  18. CRA_Fizzer

    CRA_Fizzer Honking at putter!

    There are many people the the RV community that would disagree with you.
    You set the pressure then adjust the hitch. Easy peasy.
     
  19. NemesisR6

    NemesisR6 Gristle McThornbody

    I use a 1,000 lb. capacity WD hitch when hauling my 8.5x20 toy hauler, using my 2015 F150. Empty, the tongue weight is around 750 lbs. When the water tank is filled up and I've got gear loaded, that can get up near 1,000 lb. pretty quickly.

    After about a year towing it like that and no change to the suspension, I felt that the fear springs were a bit soft and just wanted something simple to help augment the suspension a bit. Very similar to airbags but obviously a much simpler install. Took all of about 10 minutes.

    Picked up a set of Sumo Springs, which are essentially just large bump-stops that only engage when the suspension is compressed to a certain extent. Ride is much smoother now.
     
    skidooboy likes this.
  20. Champer

    Champer Well-Known Member

    I thought maybe he was talking about the OEM style systems that constantly adjust the pressure to keep the vehicle level? Versus the kind you manually adjust to fit the duty you are doing?

    That said, we had a GMC Envoy with the self leveling air system in the back and used a WD hitch to tow a camper and had no issues with the two systems working together. Actually miss that Envoy, was a nice SUV.
     

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