Airbags

[Rpod 180]

We have a 2019 Rockwood 2608 travel trailer. We tow with a 2017 GMC Sierra. We have a weight distribution hitch and the trailer tows well. The truck can tow 9100 lbs. and the trailer maxed out weighs approximately 7500 lbs.
My only concern is the truck sags a little more than I wished it did. Does anyone have any thoughts about airbags?
Thanks

[Rivasiuk]

Originally Posted by Rpod 180

We have a 2019 Rockwood 2608 travel trailer. We tow with a 2017 GMC Sierra. We have a weight distribution hitch and the trailer tows well. The truck can tow 9100 lbs. and the trailer maxed out weighs approximately 7500 lbs.
My only concern is the truck sags a little more than I wished it did. Does anyone have any thoughts about airbags?
Thanks

I use Timbrens on the front and rear of my GMC they work great and only are engaged when a load is applied. They help in roll from side to side. Sulastic Springs is another similar to Timbrens. Timbren are made in Canada. They are reasonably priced and easy to install they replace your factory bump stops.

[Rivasiuk]

Sorry I meant Sumo Springs!!

[bfull1478]

I am interested in others response to this as well. I am in the same exact boat. I am assuming you have a 1500?. The sag isn’t awful but wondering if I should get some as well. I have a 26dbh.

[Rivasiuk]

No I have a 2500 HD Diesel.

[Rivasiuk]

But yes get all the best responses. You should find that air bags don't have any give they will harden your ride can be expensive.

[HONDAMAN174]

I use sumo springs and not only did they help with the sag but also reduced the road shimmy’s and vibration coming thru the suspension. Down side is they make the ride stiff when empty

[john5646]

I run air bags on 1/2 ton Nissan Titan. 5 psi as daily driver,, I do not find any ride discomfort. 50 psi loaded and towing.
With minimal mechanical skills, you can install them yourself. 250.00 bucks will get you most kits. I do manual fills with a cordless ryobi compressor. The auto fill pump and tank will add the most expense to something like an airbag system. I personally have zero problem filling then manually as needed. Honestly sometimes I don’t even let the air out when arriving at a camping destination and do not find it extremely annoying riding around with 50 pounds of air in.
Just my two cents I’m sure it’s going to go all over the board.

[2Evil4U]

Crank the bars on your WDH until the truck is level. You don't need bags with a properly adjusted WDH.

[Rivasiuk]

Originally Posted by john5646

I run air bags on 1/2 ton Nissan Titan. 5 psi as daily driver,, I do not find any ride discomfort. 50 psi loaded and towing.
With minimal mechanical skills, you can install them yourself. 250.00 bucks will get you most kits. I do manual fills with a cordless ryobi compressor. The auto fill pump and tank will add the most expense to something like an airbag system. I personally have zero problem filling then manually as needed. Honestly sometimes I don’t even let the air out when arriving at a camping destination and do not find it extremely annoying riding around with 50 pounds of air in.
Just my two cents I’m sure it’s going to go all over the board.

I hear you, the beauty of Timbrens is they are maintenance free and don't affect the unloaded ride. Cheers

[frank4711]

Just installed these today https://timbergroveenterprises.com/2019-ram-1500 ... ride home was good at 7psi .... will post results under load next week ... owner said measure height at hitch before these installed 19" after installed and under load inflate to that height ... he said be exact because a couple of lbs will make a difference ....

[TimVWulp]

Below is a link that will give you a very good education on wight distribution verses air bag use with a tow behind. Air bags not so good for tow behinds great for 5th wheels. Watch the link below and make up your mind if it is safe to use air bags with a tow behind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annota...&v=XBZu39pQ8Gg

Hope this helps Tim be safe

[goduc]

7500 lbs means you should have 900+ lbs for tongue weight. What size bars are you using? Are you loading stuff in the truck bed?
You need to be more concerned about the front end of the truck. Are you transferring enough weight back to the front of the truck? If not then that's where you need to start. Chances are if you set up the front of the truck then the rear will be fine.

[blackseven]

I ran airbags on my trucks for years (F-250 and 350). They were great when towing, but miserable when not towing due to having to run minimum air pressure in the bags to prevent damage. I updated to the bags that had internal jounce bumpers that are capable of running zero pressure. However, if you run the compressor system to fill them, it's incapable of running down to zero pressure.

Recently I had to replace my truck bed due to rust, while it was off I completely re-did my rear suspension because I hated the bouncing. I put new leaf springs on it, and tossed the airbags, replaced them with timbrens. I'm really happy with it now, it rides much softer now for a dually unloaded. It still handles my toyhauler no problem, less bouncy than air bags.

The secret to getting rid of the airbag bounce is the timbrens are a progressive rubber bumper, not a flexy rubber bag. I used to be very pro airbag because I liked getting the squat out of the truck and putting more weight on the steer axle. I didn't see how the timbrens could work better than the bags, but they do.

[goduc]

I run my Ride Rites at 0 psi. Only reason they say to run 5 psi is in case the truck bottoms out and you squish the bag. That's virtually impossible under normal driving conditions. Most suspensions on move 1-2" while driving down the road. I'd have to drop 5+" to fully compress my bags.
Truck (2018 Ram 2500) rides great with the bags at 0 psi

[MR.M]

Air bags work great . not a replacement for a good WDH . but used in conjunction with one can help you with sag . you'll find you will only need 15 to 20 psi in the bags if you wdh is set up right . much more then that and you mess up the effects of the WDH . air bags are more for direct load and not to help with TW

[bfull1478]

Originally Posted by 2Evil4U

Crank the bars on your WDH until the truck is level. You don't need bags with a properly adjusted WDH.

I have the 4 point equalizer hitch. When I first hooked up my trailer it was pretty level. We did load some supplies but I didn’t think it would cause that much sag. My truck has very low miles and I just took it on my first trip two weeks ago. I though maybe the springs just started to give a bit since they might have been stiff since they were new.

[frank4711]

Video ... went in yesterday ... ride with 5psi is great ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtycv4En0Zc

[PamperCamper]

Most likely need to readjust your weight distribution, if it was setup originally when TT and TV were unloaded vs Loaded. Suspension enhancement can be used to improve your ride but should not replace weight distribution. You would be surprised what 500lbs can change in hitch setup, also how quickly a few supplies while seemingly small can quickly add up in weight. Did you recheck your front fender height once loaded, is the trailer close to level?

[bfull1478]

Originally Posted by PamperCamper

Most likely need to readjust your weight distribution, if it was setup originally when TT and TV were unloaded vs Loaded. Suspension enhancement can be used to improve your ride but should not replace weight distribution. You would be surprised what 500lbs can change in hitch setup, also how quickly a few supplies while seemingly small can quickly add up in weight. Did you recheck your front fender height once loaded, is the trailer close to level?

This is a pic of what my truck looked like fully loaded.