New 5th wheel - how much squat?

tim1970 wrote:
Going to pick up my new 5th wheel in a couple of weeks. I got to wondering what is the acceptable amount of squatting my truck should do when I hook it up? Wondering if I should go ahead and get airbags installed just to be safe. TV is 2016 F-250 Diesel. 5th wheel is Jayco Eagle HT 29.5 BHDS. GVWR of trailer is 9995 lbs, so I figure I should be slightly over 2k pin weight when loaded up.

Even with the softer rear spring pack of the Fords prior to 2017 you should be golden. Level truck hitched is a good thing.

I doubt that you'd need airbags with a pin of 2K, likely less at time of pickup. My 250 with HD service suspension only squats an inch or so, with my FW hooked up, loaded to camp. I'd give it a try first, before getting bags. You may need the squat, to tow more level. With my hitch all the way down, I'm about 1.5 inches nose high.

Jerry

I would be more concerned with how level the trailer is rather than the amount of squat. IMO that will determine whether you need to get airbags.

I am concerned about the trailer being level, but I also want to make sure my headlights are not pointing up. I was also just curious if too much squat was bad for the springs. So, if it was to squat 3" for example, could that cause any long term issues with my springs?

I drive a 2015 GMC 2500HD and I put airbags just before I got my fifth wheel because I wanted to be ready. Now that I've had that setup for a couple of years, I can honestly say it was probably a waste of money. The truck barely squats and I usually leave the airbags at 10psi (minimum is 5psi). Having said that I find two occasions that don't happen that often but do in fact benefit from the airbags.

First is when I hit a really rough road. Something like miles and miles of expansion joints. In those cases, pumping the airbags (which I do with the wireless remote while driving) up to 40psi does seem to help.

Second is on those very, very rare occasions when we tow at night. Pumping up to 25 or 30 psi will restore the headlight beams back down (I can tell by the reactions I'm seeing from on coming traffic).

As it relates to towing the 5er level, I've found that these newer TVs are so high, running with some squat helps me tow more level (I'm about 1 1/2" off level). If I pull into a camp ground where level pads and paths cause a lot of twisting of the 5er, I may pump the bags to get more rail clearance. This too has proven to be rare for me.

When we traveled 250 miles to pick up our 32', 9,820# dry 5er didn't give squat second thought with our 2001 Ram 2500. I asked to hookup to see just how much it was going to squat. Once we had it hooked up it only squatted about 1.5" towed very well.

While I don't have Chevy I do have a 2012 Ram 2500 CTD. My pin is 1800 lbs and sometimes will hit 2200 lbs as it did on our last trip last year. I drop 2". Truck sits 1" high in the rear compared to the front. 5er sits almost level. You should be fine.

We drop 2-1/2"

tim1970 wrote:
I am concerned about the trailer being level, but I also want to make sure my headlights are not pointing up. I was also just curious if too much squat was bad for the springs. So, if it was to squat 3" for example, could that cause any long term issues with my springs?

Tim, If the trailer is low I would ask the dealer to step up and do something about it. Too many people are getting Eagle HT's and having to add blocks or Correct Track to level it.

I have an 11 F-250 and with 2k pin weight, I was getting 3 inches of squat. I put airbags on and what a difference. Leveled it out and pulling is more comfortable than before, especially in wind. Even if you only need 30lbs in the bags, it will keep it off the overloads and stop most of the bounce. On my 08 F-250 the springs were more stiff and rode level and driving was a charm, but not in the later Ford Trucks. From now on, on any new truck, air bags will be first thing installed IMO.