Wilde1

I have a 6700lbs (loaded) 28' trailer with a 1000lbs tongue weight. Towed it for the first time with a 2017 3.5l ecoboost supercrew with a 2050lbs payload capacity and it sagged about 3.5" until I started dialing in the weight distributing hitch (Andersen WD Hitch). It still sagged a couple inches and I was just shy of being dead level and I wasn't happy with that. So, I just installed Air Lift Ride Control air bags.

The question is how I should go about setting up the air bags and the WD hitch. From what I understand, ideally I'd do it at a scale and adjust the tension in the hitch till my front axle weight stayed the same with the trailer hitched and unhitched. That is not a viable option for me, so this is my plan so far:

1. Measure unloaded wheel well height front and back
2. Attach the trailer with the air bags inflated to the minimum loaded PSI of 25psi and see how much it squats. Adjust the PSI if it squats more than 1"
3. Attach the WD hitch, re-measure front and adjust WD hitch till front goes back to original height.
4. Tow like a champ

Do you guys think that will work?

clarkbre

To set up the WDH properly and consistently each time, your airbags always need to be set at the same PSI that they were at during the original set up.

If not, once the WDH is set up, if you add or reduce the PSI on the bags, the WDH will be thrown off with less or more tension.

You've got 2 good and useful systems on the truck now...You just need to make sure they are working properly together and not working against each other.

This subject was also brought up on a Forest River trailer forum and explained here:
Similar Topic on Forest River Forum

And, this youtube video is very informative about how the airbags and WDH compliment and contrast each other:
The Difference Between Using Weight Distribution and Air Bags to Level Your Load


Hopefully this information helps. Let us know.

Wilde1

Thanks for finding that thread. It looks like they're saying to do exactly as I planned. The video was helpful too but I wish they had tried combining both systems instead off all one or the other. I think I'll try it as I planned but maybe allow a bit more than 1" of sag with the air bags only, then see what I need to do with the WD hitch to get the front back to stock height.

Siskiyou

I have a tongue weight of about 750 lbs with the same air bags. I found through trial and error that about 30 to 35 psi was about right. It lifted the rear about 1/2” and really stabilized the ride when the road is rough, I tried more air to lift it closer to the unloaded height and it became less stabile. You do need to set the hitch up with the air in the bags otherwise you will reduce the weight transfer.