With the recent purchase of a wildwood 31qbts I need to start thinking about some suspension or hitch upgrades and am looking for advice or opinions.My truck is an 2007 Chevy classic 2500hd with the lbz Duramax.GVWR-9200#GAWR-4670# front and 6084# rear.Hitch is a classv B&W 16000# gross and 1600# tongue wd hitch or not.Tires are 285/70 17 nittos load range E 3750# @ 80psi.Trailer is a 2016 Wildwood 31qbts.Legnth-35'TW-885#Dry-8140#Max-11000#When hooking dry trailer to truck it drops 2" so I have a little sag in the back. BTW my truck is leveled.This past weekend I made the trip to Michigan to pick it up.While the truck pulled it fine There were some issues with bounce/rocking while traveling on some not so nice interstates.A little sway was present also.The bouncing literally beat me up, I felt like I was on one of those vibrating machines from the 50's. :BQuestion, would a well balanced rv/truck with airbags and upgraded shocks cure the bounce and sway or would I have to get a wd hitch.My options, I figure, are an Equalizer wd hitch or a set of airbags(firestone or airride, whats the better choice?) and upgrade to Bilstein shocks or made just going for it all for different towing options.The reason Im thinking about airbags as opposed to wd hitch is having to deal with that heavy hitch all the time.Opinions and advice are welcome.

Possibly both. You definitely need a weight distributing hitch. Air bags are not going to do much for the rest. With that big of a TT you might consider something likemthe Hensley Arrow or a similar hitch.

Need the WDH for sure, that should take care of the sway if you go with that type of WDH. Another possible cause for sway can be the use of LT tires, softer side wall, vs ST tires. A lot of folks don't like ST tires and switch to LT.

I made this for my hitch , chevys are known to have sloppy hitches..http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28407973/gotomsg/28408590.cfm#28408590 my reciever does not move anymore.

Question, would a well balanced rv/truck with airbags and upgraded shocks cure the bounce and sway or would I have to get a wd hitch.No. Airbags and hitches serve different purposes. A WD hitch is to distribute tongue weight which in turn will give better control, less sag and usually less bounce. Bags will just level the rear and may reduce a bit of bounce but do nothing else. Only the hitch will reduce or control sway. Having "a little sway" is like being "a little pregnant". Neither is good unless you wanted it, and sway, you don't.You should start with a proper hitch with built in sway for that length and tongue weight. A properly loaded tt with a correctly adjusted hitch should eliminate your problems. Make sure your tires are aired up and your shocks are not worn out as well.

You NEED a WD hitch for the trailers loaded tongue weight which will be around 1300lbs! Either the EQ or the Reese Dual Cam. You won't need airbags unless you are putting a lot of cargo (weight) in the bed.

Airbags or WD hitch? opinions advice... | Good Sam Community

Ron_Gratz
Explorer
Mar 18, 2016
mkirsch wrote:
For only 2" of sag, bags are a waste of money. The WD hitch will bring you back to level if you adjust so the front ride height is back to unloaded.
If by "level", you mean both the front and rear are back to "unloaded" height -- this statement is not correct.

If you adjust the WDH so the front of the TV is back to the unhitched height, the rear axle still will have an added load equal to about 80% of tongue weight.
There will be rear end "sag" which some might find undesirable.

Ron
73guna
Explorer
Mar 18, 2016
Part of my problem may be in the way my I have my front suspension raised to level the truck, it doesnt have that from the factory front end rake.
When it porpoises and bucks its not a hard jarring bottom out/top out hit.

Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.
Bobandshawn
Explorer
Mar 18, 2016
73guna wrote:
Part of my problem may be in the way my I have my front suspension raised to level the truck, it doesnt have that from the factory front end rake.
When it porpoises and bucks its not a hard jarring bottom out/top out hit.

If you just did a front lift it should not be the issue. The bags will help regardless of the nay Sayers. A lot of folks for a lot of years will agree. The majority of folks who disapprove of air bags have trucks that are sprung like a buckboard. On my old Ram 1500 I could get it dead level with the WDH. It would drop about the same as yours. Once I put the bags in and pumped them to 20-25 psi it'd only drop an inch or so. I still brought the front down via the WHD. The on road ride was tremendously better.
73guna
Explorer
Mar 19, 2016
Thanks Bob.
I just have a feeling the bags would help lessen/cushion the bucking in addition to a wd hitch.
Question...
Seems obvious, but I have to ask, would one set up the wd hitch first and then air up the bags to level or visa versa?
Bobandshawn
Explorer
Mar 19, 2016
I always aired up the bags first. Get a base line measurement. Center of fender well over front and rear wheels. Air up the bags. Me thinks you'll be using the Air lift 5000's which can take 100 PSI. I'd try 40 psi to start. Drop the ball on your hitch and see how far it drops down in the rear. I'd suspect much less than before. Then get your WHD set up. Once properly set up your front end and rear end measured at the fender wells should be close to what you had as a base line. Make sure your trailer sits level or as close to level as you can muster. Make sure your WDH bars at where the directions say they should be. On mine they want to be parallel to the ground. Your application may be different. Test drive the rig. If the rear feels way too stiff lower some pressure out. If it seems to want to squat real bad when you hit bumps you may want more air. It takes time to fine tune these hitches. Many times you'll need to change the angle of your hitch head where the bars are hooked in to get it set just right. Some have this adjustment and some don't. Once you decide what WDH you want spend some time on You Tube and watch how to set your particular model up. I actually find YouTube real helpful for this sort of thing.
Bobandshawn
Explorer
Mar 19, 2016
BTW good looking truck even though it's a Chevy.
73guna
Explorer
Mar 19, 2016
:B Thanks for the "compliment" on the truck, she cleans up real nice.
I take it air lift are better then firestones?
Ive searched but couldnt come up with a clear answer.
Bobandshawn
Explorer
Mar 19, 2016
Can't tell ya. I'm sure Firestone are great. I just had Air Lift products. Go by the price.

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