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Old 03-29-2011, 09:12 PM   #1
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Airbags or not

Hi all,

One more question and I will be set,

Do I really need Airbags for the following?

My Camper will be a PUMA-FBSS

Hitch dry weight - 705 lbs
Dry Axle weight - 5460
Total dry - 6165
Carrying cap - 4662
GVWR - 10,865
Lenght 29'9"
Height 11'1"

My TV is a 2005 F250 Lariat Super Duty Diesel with 35,000 miles:

Trailer Hitch Receiver 12.5K
3.73 ratio Limited slip
142" WB
Trailer towing package -
Suspension with Stablizer bar
Mono Beam Coil Spring
9800 GVWR#


So the questionis what benifits will adding airbags have? I'm looking at the Firestone 2400.

Thanks,
Al
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Old 03-29-2011, 09:30 PM   #2
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My tt dry hitch weight is about 250 lbs more than what you listed and my Equa-i-zer hitch handles it without air bags. My F-250 isn't squating and I don't have any handling problems. I think a good wd hitch such as the Equal-i-zer or Reese Dual Cam will be all you need.

I noticed that you listed your tt CCC as 4,665 lbs. WOW! About all the tt's I've seen in the weight class you listed have a CCC somewhere between 1,500 lbs and 2,500 lbs. I'm not sayin' your wrong, just I can't remember seeing one with that much CCC.

Good luck and happy camping!
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Old 03-29-2011, 09:43 PM   #3
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I just looked it up and your right. That trailer must be built pretty good to handle that much cargo.

26-FBSS
705 lb. - Dry Hitch Weight
6,165 lb. - Unloaded Vehicle Weight
10,865 lb. - Gross Vehilcle Weight Rating
4,662 lb. - Cargo Carrying Capacity
29 ft. 9 in. - Exterior Length
11 ft. 1 in. - Exterior Height
96 in. - Exterior Width
51 gal. - Fresh Water Capacity
84 gal. - Grey Water Capacity
32 gal. - Black Water Capacity
16 ft. - Awning Size

Nice floorplan.
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Old 03-29-2011, 10:12 PM   #4
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I only have a Chevrolet 1500HD (that's a half ton on a little steroids) with NO special suspension add-ons. My TT is the Prime Time Lacrosse 303 RKS weighing 7097 lbs dry and a tongue weight of 945 lbs (correct me if I'm wrong Gary). But, with my Reese Dual Cam, I have no "sagging" of the rear suspension and no handling problems. Your F250 should have no problem in it's stock configuration.
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Old 03-29-2011, 10:43 PM   #5
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As posted on this forum many times, the only way to know your tt's true weights is to take it to the scales and weight it.

PT's web site gives the 303RKS a CCC rating of 2,596 lbs. I just checked the yellow sticker on the side of my tt and it states not to exceed 4,232 lbs in cargo!

Regardless, the OP's F-250 should handle the tongue weight without airbags. As stated above, just make sure you have a good wd hitch.

Good luck and happy camping!
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Old 03-30-2011, 08:22 AM   #6
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Airbags or not.

NOT.
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Old 03-30-2011, 08:42 AM   #7
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A BIG NOT! I had a JAG 30FT same floor plan as yours before my 5er and had no problems could barley feel it back there LOL.
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Old 03-30-2011, 06:32 PM   #8
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Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by grhodes50 View Post
I just looked it up and your right. That trailer must be built pretty good to handle that much cargo.

26-FBSS
705 lb. - Dry Hitch Weight
6,165 lb. - Unloaded Vehicle Weight
10,865 lb. - Gross Vehilcle Weight Rating
4,662 lb. - Cargo Carrying Capacity
29 ft. 9 in. - Exterior Length
11 ft. 1 in. - Exterior Height
96 in. - Exterior Width
51 gal. - Fresh Water Capacity
84 gal. - Grey Water Capacity
32 gal. - Black Water Capacity
16 ft. - Awning Size

Nice floorplan.
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Old 03-30-2011, 06:36 PM   #9
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I had my dealer order the equalizer 1400/14000 hitch which they stated they would install.

Quote:
Originally Posted by grhodes50 View Post
As posted on this forum many times, the only way to know your tt's true weights is to take it to the scales and weight it.

PT's web site gives the 303RKS a CCC rating of 2,596 lbs. I just checked the yellow sticker on the side of my tt and it states not to exceed 4,232 lbs in cargo!

Regardless, the OP's F-250 should handle the tongue weight without airbags. As stated above, just make sure you have a good wd hitch.

Good luck and happy camping!
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Old 03-30-2011, 06:51 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by ALMcKinney View Post
I had my dealer order the equalizer 1400/14000 hitch which they stated they would install.
I would think the 1200/12000 hitch would be more than enough. Since your tt's GVWR is 10,865 lbs and according to the dry weights you have a tongue weight of approx 11.5%, the most your tongue weight should ever be is approx 1,250 lbs. That's if you were maxed out on your tt's CCC, which I doubt you would ever load 4,662 lbs. in your tt.

I haven't experienced it, but I've been told that if you have too heavy of spring bars it could put more stress on the tt's A frame which may result to damage of the tt's A frame.

Maybe someone else has heard of this as well?

You might want to check into that just in case what I was told was correct.

P.S. I just sent a message to Equal-i-zer asking them. I'll post what they have to say as soon as they let me know.
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Old 03-31-2011, 03:25 PM   #11
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Need them? Probably not..... Would they make it ride nicer? Absolutely. I didn't "need" them for our Crusader, I could have removed the leveling kit from the truck and it would sit close to level with the camper connected. Instead I decided on air bags to bring the back end up and level the truck out....which they do perfectly. I've only towed once since installing the bags and I will say the ride is phenomenal. I'm glad I did it and would recommend regardless if you thought you need them or not.
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Old 03-31-2011, 04:51 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M109Rrider View Post
Need them? Probably not..... Would they make it ride nicer? Absolutely. I didn't "need" them for our Crusader, I could have removed the leveling kit from the truck and it would sit close to level with the camper connected. Instead I decided on air bags to bring the back end up and level the truck out....which they do perfectly. I've only towed once since installing the bags and I will say the ride is phenomenal. I'm glad I did it and would recommend regardless if you thought you need them or not.
Since you have 5'er I can understand your point, but with a tt using a wd hitch that's properly set up, weight will be shifted to the front axle and it will also raise the rear leveling out the tv.
As far as the ride goes, my F-250 rides better with the tt hooked up!
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Old 03-31-2011, 05:03 PM   #13
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Your right gary, for some reason I thought he had a 1/2 ton truck. I pulled a 7k tt with a 1500 dodge and a 2500 dodge. The tt on the 2500 felt like the 5er does now with air bags. The 1500 with the tt felt a lot like the 2500 with the 5er with out bags. Make sense?
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Old 03-31-2011, 05:16 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grhodes50

I would think the 1200/12000 hitch would be more than enough. Since your tt's GVWR is 10,865 lbs and according to the dry weights you have a tongue weight of approx 11.5%, the most your tongue weight should ever be is approx 1,250 lbs. That's if you were maxed out on your tt's CCC, which I doubt you would ever load 4,662 lbs. in your tt.

I haven't experienced it, but I've been told that if you have too heavy of spring bars it could put more stress on the tt's A frame which may result to damage of the tt's A frame.

Maybe someone else has heard of this as well?

You might want to check into that just in case what I was told was correct.

P.S. I just sent a message to Equal-i-zer asking them. I'll post what they have to say as soon as they let me know.
Did you hear anything?
The dealer told me they ordered the 1400 they should be able to return if needed.

Thanks,
Al
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Old 03-31-2011, 05:21 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ALMcKinney View Post
Did you hear anything?
The dealer told me they ordered the 1400 they should be able to return if needed.

Thanks,
Al
Haven't heard anything yet. I'll try giving them a call in the morning.
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Old 03-31-2011, 08:32 PM   #16
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Haven't heard anything yet. I'll try giving them a call in the morning.

No need, I call them this evening and talked with customer service and they said the 1200 would work but recommended the 1400 and said there would not be any ill effects.

Great customer service they walked me through weight, GVWR, etc to make a decission and then told me to callback anytime if I had questions.


Thanks,
Al
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Old 03-31-2011, 09:10 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by ALMcKinney View Post
No need, I call them this evening and talked with customer service and they said the 1200 would work but recommended the 1400 and said there would not be any ill effects.

Great customer service they walked me through weight, GVWR, etc to make a decission and then told me to callback anytime if I had questions.


Thanks,
Al
That's good to hear. I wasn't sure about what I had heard and it's always best to get the info from the manufacturer.
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Old 03-31-2011, 09:51 PM   #18
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If your going to load the bed with heavy stuff while camping. You may want to get Air bags. If your not carrying much in the truck bed,no air bags needed. Im adding some because I'll carry a Polaris RZR in the bed now and then plus pulling the TT. You just want to be sure you dont over load the rear axle. You'll want to check on a CAT scale to be sure. Dont believe it'll hurt anything because all they are replacing are the bump stops on the frame over the axle's. They dont how ever raise the load limits of the axle.
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Old 03-31-2011, 10:52 PM   #19
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What are you trying to defeat? The saggy rear end? Then get air bags.

Porpoising? Then replace your shocks with Bilsteins... the cheesy factory ones arent any good for hauling.

If you dont have a saggy rear end and you arent porposing, then dont do anything and run it as is.

But then again, air bags havent hurt anyone, so put em on anyways!!!
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Old 03-31-2011, 11:00 PM   #20
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What are you trying to defeat? The saggy rear end? Then get air bags.

Porpoising? Then replace your shocks with Bilsteins... the cheesy factory ones arent any good for hauling.

If you dont have a saggy rear end and you arent porposing, then dont do anything and run it as is.

But then again, air bags havent hurt anyone, so put em on anyways!!!
I agree... a good set of shocks will help with the bouncing effect.
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