I'm Brand New To This Great Forum...I just bought a brand new 2018 Grand Design TT 37' "Reflection". Love the trailer, but now I need to set up my truck with the Hitch or an Air Bag System. Can some of you pro's out there(sure not me)tell me what the benefit is... one over the other, for me doing just the air lift system 7500lbs or a Weight Distribution Hitch. I have a 2012 Ford Crew cab 4x4 F350, Dual rear wheels, long bed, King Ranch, 6.7L Diesel, that I'm going to be buying soon. It has 30,000 miles on it and I don't know which way is going to be better. Stand alone Air Lift System or the Weight Distribution Hitch. The trailer is around 1,000lbs at the tongue and the trailer will be around 12,500lbs. Thanks for any suggestions??

In my opinion you should have the weight distribution system. A TT when hooked up to the truck will "unload" the front axle. A WDH will transfers weight off the back axle (reduce sag) and put it back onto the front axle. A very desirable outcome. Is it necessary for a 1 ton truck - no; is it beneficial - yes. If your going to do and air bag or a WDH, why not restore weight to the front end in the process?

freddy4toes wrote:I'm Brand New To This Great Forum...I just bought a brand new 2018 Grand Design TT 37' "Reflection". Love the trailer, but now I need to set up my truck with the Hitch or an Air Bag System. Can some of you pro's out there(sure not me)tell me what the benefit is... one over the other, for me doing just the air lift system 7500lbs or a Weight Distribution Hitch. I have a 2012 Ford Crew cab 4x4 F350, Dual rear wheels, long bed, King Ranch, 6.7L Diesel, that I'm going to be buying soon. It has 30,000 miles on it and I don't know which way is going to be better. Stand alone Air Lift System or the Weight Distribution Hitch. The trailer is around 1,000lbs at the tongue and the trailer will be around 12,500lbs. Thanks for any suggestions??Which TT I have a 315 and it's tongue empty is almost 1200# some who have it scale at 1700#. In a word WDH YES. Just a not I have the 200# blue ox and also a set of 1500# for when I have less weight.

I want to thank both of you for your opinions. I really appreciate all the information.

freddy4toes wrote:Love the trailer, but now I need to set up my truck with the Hitch or an Air Bag System.No you don't - air bags may make the truck look pretty by allowing it to run level with the trailer sitting on the hitch but won't do a darned thing to transfer weight back on to the truck's front steer axle where it belongs. A properly sized and adjusted WD system will. Just a suggestion but for that size of trailer I'd be looking at a Hensley Arrow or ProPride 3P which stop sway before it even starts, not just dampen sway that's already occurring.

Apples and oranges. Like said above, the WDH distributes weight to the front axle. If needed, you can add air bags to bring up the rear if it sags too much after correctly adjusting the weight distribution. Of course a minor correction may be needed to the WDH after installing air bags.

Weight Distribution Hitch or Air Lift System?? Help

23 Replies

trailer_newbe
Explorer III
Oct 02, 2018
I tow the below trailer with my 5.7 CrewMax SRD. I use a good WDH to stabilize the trailer when towing. I use the TRD sway bar to prevent sway in my truck. I use Bilstein shocks and Firestone Air Bags to level the truck and trailer together. One does not replace the other, rather they complement each other when used appropriately. Outfit your truck as needed and understand what each device is supposed to do.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Oct 01, 2018
jbjuices wrote:
I have a 2017 F350 (SWR) with an 11,500lb TT on back. I have a Propride hitch and hooked it up last weekend and both Truck and trailer are perfectly level. No need for Airbags if you have a good WDH hitch set-up to level out Truck and Trailer

We keep getting these posts that explain leveling out the truck. The purpose of a WEIGHT DISTRIBUTING HITCH is to DISTRIBUTE WEIGHT to the front axle. SPRINGS and AIR BAGS are for supporting a vehicle, and you either have enough support or not.
jbjuices
Explorer
Oct 01, 2018
I have a 2017 F350 (SWR) with an 11,500lb TT on back. I have a Propride hitch and hooked it up last weekend and both Truck and trailer are perfectly level. No need for Airbags if you have a good WDH hitch set-up to level out Truck and Trailer
wrvond
Explorer II
Oct 01, 2018
I use a WDH (Blue Ox) on every single TT I tow, regardless of weight (or lack of it). Even with the heaviest of campers, my truck settles, but doesn't sag. In other words, it starts out tail high but settles to level. There are those that would say I don't need a WDH, but I know better.
Today's trucks are very good at staying level even with a camper hooked up, but even though they look level, the weight is still shifted around because your rear axle is now a pivot point. Using the WDH moves weight back onto the TT axles and the steer axle, making for a much better balanced rig.
With the WDH, even when towing campers as small as 17 feet long, I can tell a difference in how the trailer pulls.
I had a 2012 with air bags and they proved to be more of a PITA than they were worth where TT's were concerned. The only time they were useful was when I hooked up a 5er.
Clockman
Explorer
Oct 01, 2018
You don't need a WDH or Air Bags... Just get a good hitch rated for 2000lbs tongue wt like a B&W class 5..
jaycocreek
Explorer II
Sep 28, 2018
You definitely have enough truck,but do you have enough hitch?

I see know advantage to leveling bar hitches if and only if,your truck has enough hitch for the tongue weight..Sway is another matter..
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Sep 28, 2018
My Tahoe levels itself but the WDH throws the weight up and back.
deltabravo
Nomad
Sep 27, 2018
freddy4toes wrote:
... and I don't know which way is going to be better. Stand alone Air Lift System or the Weight Distribution Hitch.

You need a WD hitch system

An air bag system does NOT take the place of a WD hitch system.
gmw_photos
Explorer
Sep 26, 2018
According to Ford, you would be "required" to use a WD hitch.
The factory hitch that is bolted to the frame of the truck has the following limits:

1. without weight distribution ( weight carrying ) 8500 pounds trailer, 850 tongue weight.

2. with weight distribution, 19,000 pounds trailer, 1900 tongue weight.
valhalla360
Navigator
Sep 26, 2018
Yes, you want a WDH as mentioned, it does something totally different from air bags.

Airbags help if your suspension is bottoming out a lot...with a 1 ton, that shouldn't be an issue.

PS: You should be way above 1000lb hitch weight. Probably closer to 1500lb. 12-15% is best. Too light and you get handling problems.