Siskiyou

I added the airlift ride control airbags and found that 30 - 35 psi is the sweet spot without firewood and misc. camping supplies in the bed just the loaded trailer. It brings it up but not back to original height, just stiffens and stops the bouncing then I lower the pressure to 5 psi when not towing. I still have some sway that I need to work out. If the only time you have problems is without the bars you might be better off just hooking those up though.

etrailerTeam

When using weight distribution along with airbags, it's recommended that during the set-up process you let the air out of the system until you're at or just above the system's minimum pressure. Then hook up the w/d system and get it dialed in. Air bags can actually act as fulcrums and fight against the leverage a w/d system is trying to apply.

Also, be leery of the system a previous owner or RV salesman throws in. There's no guarantee that the system is properly rated or set up for your needs. I'm all for saving a buck when possible, but the weight distribution system isn't the place to do it.

For more information about weight distribution systems and how to choose them, use this link:

https://www.etrailer.com/expert-86.html

seachaser186

What is your take on Supersprings to compliment the new lighter F150 for towing with a WDH?

Siskiyou

This doesn't make sense to me, the air bags are just like adding additional springs, look at the big rigs, that is all some of them have for springs. If I adjust the wdh without air bags aired then air them up it releases some of the tension on the bars.

Meathead

iTrader: (2)

I think that you are confused about the laws. Or I speed all the time with my boat or tt. That law includes trailers requiring a cdl. Everything I find on the Texas Department of Public Safety website says that the limit is the same as for passenger vehicles.

PerryB

I have to agree with pre-charging the bags before setting up the WDH, but I don't follow the big rig analogy. We have a KW900L with air only suspension (rear) so I get that part, but I can't see how that has any parallel to a cantilever system. Maybe I'm reading this wrong. Your last sentence is definitely correct.

Siskiyou

That may not be a good analogy but the point I was making is that these are like adding another spring which was the reason I mentioned the big trucks only using air bags. Another way to look at it is if I add another leaf to my rear springs so I have three leaves I wouldn't remove the extra leaf before setting up the hitch.

acdii

Well, IF you were hauling a 5th wheel or Gooseneck, then you would be correct. The weight on those would be directly on top of the springs, much the same way as a Semi is. If you add a leaf, the ride height of the truck is fixed, so it will not interfere with the setup.

However, you are not putting weight directly on top of the springs, you are putting the weight at the very end of the truck. If you jack up the truck with bags, you throw the entire system off, and you will never get the WDH setup properly.

You set it up as if you have no helpers, then you air up the bags enough to stabilize, but not raise the truck. The moment you change the stance of the truck, you just eliminated the WDH configuration.

As I pointed out several times. you don't need any helpers IF you are within GVWR of truck and trailer , AND the WDH is properly set up. Once it is properly setup and you want to firm up the ride, then adding air bags will work, as long as they do not interfere with the WDH setup.

Deerchaser

perfect!

etrailerTeam

In the past, I've always operated under the premise that vehicle suspension enhancement systems (SuperSprings, Timbrens, Air Bags) work best for suspending loads carried in the bed or cargo area of the tow vehicle, while weight distribution works best for evening out the ride height between the front and rear tow vehicle axle due to the sag caused by a trailer's tongue weight. This is the school of thought espoused by the manufacturers of weight distribution systems. Granted, this opinion is biased, as they want you to purchase their product.

On heavy trailers, I've seen several instances where airbags have acted as fulcrums, lightening the amount of weight applied to the front TV axle. This is a bad thing, because the less weight applied to the front axle, the less effective the front vehicle brakes are. Since the front brakes to the overwhelming majority of the work, it's crucial that the load applied to both axles is equalized as much as possible. This is why I recommend that air bags be deflated to their minimum when being used with weight distribution, although adding or removing small amounts of pressure could be used as a 'fine tuning' measure.

I spoke with one of the Tech folks at SuperSprings regarding using their product along with weight distribution. The person I spoke with agreed with the premise that weight distribution is the most effective way to eliminate rear end sag caused by a trailer's tongue weight, while SuperSprings are a great way to level the ride height when the sag is caused by payload carried in the vehicle itself. He was non-committal about using both systems together, saying that it was up to the customer's individual preference.

I hope that makes the issue a bit clearer.