How do I eliminate squat

[mikeyk101]

Originally Posted by bikendan

I had the same scenario and I went with a pair of SumoSprings. Very happy with them and no need to have to air them up. Took about 30 minutes to install.

Well maybe I should have gone with SumoSprings but I do now have the Airlift bags on. They took a little more than 30 mins. Well maybe a lot more than 30 minutes, LOL! But I'm very happy to now have them installed. I only lost 1 star washer so I will call it a win. The next test is to hitch up and see what happens. I'm a little busy this weekend so it will have to wait until another day.

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by mikeyk101

Well maybe I should have gone with SumoSprings but I do now have the Airlift bags on. They took a little more than 30 mins. Well maybe a lot more than 30 minutes, LOL! But I'm very happy to now have them installed. I only lost 1 star washer so I will call it a win. The next test is to hitch up and see what happens. I'm a little busy this weekend so it will have to wait until another day.

Yes, you should have gone with Sumosprings or Timbrens. Air bags will give you lift, but they are not an 'install and then forget about it' product. Over the years there will need to be maintenance on the system. Sumos/Timbrens are a install and done and forget about them. The air bags do 'lift' the back for a more solid/ level ride going forward, front to back (if everything is working ok). But the 'airbags' can 'let you down', with the 'side to side' sway. Sumos/Timbrens are 'firm' all of the time and support the front to back AND fully resist the one side to the other side sway. I have Timbrens and are very happy with the results and wish I had known about them years ago.

https://www.truckspring.com/timbren-vs-sumosprings.aspx

[mikeyk101]

Originally Posted by Brother Les

Yes, you should have gone with Sumosprings or Timbrens. Air bags will give you lift, but they are not an 'install and then forget about it' product. Over the years there will need to be maintenance on the system. Sumos/Timbrens are a install and done and forget about them. The air bags do 'lift' the back for a more solid/ level ride going forward, front to back (if everything is working ok). But the 'airbags' can 'let you down', with the 'side to side' sway. Sumos/Timbrens are 'firm' all of the time and support the front to back AND fully resist the one side to the other side sway. I have Timbrens and are very happy with the results and wish I had known about them years ago.

https://www.truckspring.com/timbren-vs-sumosprings.aspx

I appreciate your comments. However this starts down the rabbit hole of what product is "best". Everyone will have different views on why the product they chose is "best". This includes what truck is best? There will be those that say Chevy. Others will say Ford, Ram, Toyota, etc... Or what size is best? 1500, 2500, 3500, etc... Or what oil is best? So you can see where this is headed. All products have pros and cons. What would work "best" for some won't always be "best" for others. SumoSprings and Timbrens have a quality product along with a solid reputation that many use. But so does Air Lift. They have been around since 1949 and have obviously established themselves in the aftermarket suspension business. I think if there was a serious problem or safety issues with their products, they would have folded years, maybe decades ago but they continue strong and are still one of the most recommended products out there next to the Firestone suspension products.

My situation was that I already had the Air Lift bags and just needed the right information to decide if they would be a valid solution for my issue. And I got enough feedback to help me in deciding to go with them. Maybe when it comes down to trading this truck in or if I experience things I don't like with these, I will give SumoSprings or Timbrens a chance. But for now, Air Lift was the "best" choice and will be given the chance to show how they perform.

[Bhrava]

Best, as in application.

When using them to support the load of a trailer, Sumo/Timbrens are best for the application because they are consistent. They apply the same amount of distribution, sway control, ride control each and every time, regardless of the tongue weight being applied.

Airbags OTOH will not be consistent. 1 pound of air high or low changes the dynamics. Airbags are best for straight down loads like a 5th wheel or cargo in the bed on top of the axle. They can be adjusted however you want without changing the vehicles dynamics. Thats the advantage of air bags over Timbrens/Sumospring.

The real rabbit hole is adjusting airbags after setting up a WDH, NOW you are chasing that rabbit. Trailer tongue weights are never the same hitch up to hitch up. They are close, but 100 pounds in the tail can lighten the tongue enough that it can cause stability issues, and airbags set for a heavier tongue can amplify that. The only way to prevent that is to weigh it every time you hitch up.

With Sumo/Timbren, they never vary, put 800 pounds down and they will always apply the same amount of suspension support, take away 100 pounds, they relax to support 700 pounds exactly the same as if it were 1000 pounds load. You get the same amount of support regardless of the weight being applied that you don't get with airbags. Put too much or not enough air in the bags, and it can drastically change how it handles.

[mikeyk101]

Originally Posted by Bhrava

Best, as in application.

When using them to support the load of a trailer, Sumo/Timbrens are best for the application because they are consistent. They apply the same amount of distribution, sway control, ride control each and every time, regardless of the tongue weight being applied.

Airbags OTOH will not be consistent. 1 pound of air high or low changes the dynamics. Airbags are best for straight down loads like a 5th wheel or cargo in the bed on top of the axle. They can be adjusted however you want without changing the vehicles dynamics. Thats the advantage of air bags over Timbrens/Sumospring.

The real rabbit hole is adjusting airbags after setting up a WDH, NOW you are chasing that rabbit. Trailer tongue weights are never the same hitch up to hitch up. They are close, but 100 pounds in the tail can lighten the tongue enough that it can cause stability issues, and airbags set for a heavier tongue can amplify that. The only way to prevent that is to weigh it every time you hitch up.

With Sumo/Timbren, they never vary, put 800 pounds down and they will always apply the same amount of suspension support, take away 100 pounds, they relax to support 700 pounds exactly the same as if it were 1000 pounds load. You get the same amount of support regardless of the weight being applied that you don't get with airbags. Put too much or not enough air in the bags, and it can drastically change how it handles.

Again, I truly appreciate the insights and advice. Hopefully you have seen through my comments that I am in no way discounting or knocking SumoSprings or Timbren. But since the Air Lifts are now installed, that will be my crutch to bear and investigate. I do have the Sherline tongue weight scale so I can always quicly and easily determine what the tongue weight is in driveway before hitching up and then adjust the cargo to get consistent tongue weight each time pre hitch. I now have a pretty good understanding on how to make sure the WDH I have is properly set up. The Schrader valves for the Air Lifts are mounted in a very accessible location. And I have a Ryobi battery operated inflator that is very easy to use. It also has a pressure display on it that I have compared with several air pressure gauges and it seems accurate. It is small enough to always have on hand to make quick immediate changes as needed. And the fact that the Air Lifts are fully adjustable and easy to make changes seems like more of a positive then a negative. I may even consider adding the onboard Air Lift compressor kit in the future which would make on the fly adjustments even easier and the higher end ones can even monitor and make automatic changes as needed.

I figure if the Air Lifts become an aggravation, I still have great alternatives. I see that the Air Lifts have a solid reputation and have been in use for over 70 years. I would imagine a lot of research has been done to ensure that their product will work as designed and safely. Like I mentioned in last comment, there will be pros and cons no matter which product is used. And every owner will praise their product as best. I'm inclined to think that any of the 3 mentioned would have been a solid choice from what I have seen. I just happened to decide to go with my first choice as I had them on hand.

[mikeyk101]

It's been awhile since I updated on this because I've been busy with several different projects. But finally got around to giving an update and it looks like the airbags are doing what I needed. Unhitched I'm about 39-1/2 inches in rear and about 39 on front. Hitched with no WD, I went to 38-1/2 on rear and 39-1/8 on front. With WD, I went back to 39 on rear and 39 on front. Almost no difference now with unhitched and hitched with WD. I am using 15lbs in the bags. Since the bags did raise the rear end up a bit, I ended up dropping the ball down one hole. When I first began checking the setup after air bags, the trailer had a nose high attitude and was 18 from bottom of frame and 17 in rear. Dropping the ball down one hole got me 17 in front and 18 in rear. Looks like I'm good to go now...