Adding air bags to tow vehicle questions.

Miles Away wrote:
I have air bags on a GMC 3500 SRW. They do a great job of leveling the truck under load, which does help some with the ride. As far as fore & aft movement of the king pin in the hitch, I never had that issue, largely because I have a B & W Hitch. As far as the up and down movement, there is not much you can do about it because the truck wheels are not going over the same bump at the same time as the trailer wheels. I added a Fifth Airborne pin box and it made a significant difference in ride quality because the airbag and shock absorb-er greatly soften the ride. You can look in the rear view mirror and can see the the up and down movement between the truck and trailer, but with the 5th Airborne, you just don't notice it.

I too experienced very severe "chucking" with my 2011 F-450 with B & W Companion Hitch/2012 Heartland 3800 Cyclone. I had 4-3/4" sag in the rear end when attached to my 5er. Factory said they lengthened the springs to soften the ride and that much sag was within specs... (yeah...right) I had spring work done {sequential leaf). That took care of most of the sag but did nothing for the chucking. I installed a 5th Airborne king pin which helped but not enough. Finally I installed Firestone Air Bags with the on-board compressor adjustable from the drivers seat. Finally I was able to eliminate most of the chucking. It still occurs on occasion but I can live with that. Wish I would have started with the air bags. I might have been able to save some money. Good luck!