Air Bags or Not

Consider a pin box like the Demco Glide-Ride or one with a air shock or bag in the pin box. The Demco improved our ride.

Dutch Oven Man wrote:


I have a F350 SRW and was wondering if airbags are worth installing for the fiver. I recently pulled a 9,000 lb fiver, I'm guessing a 1,500 pin wight and the back of the truck was still up higher than the front. But, the ride seemed a little rough with some porpoising.


The new fiver is about 11,750 pounds fully loaded with gear with a 1,800 to 1,900 pin weight. I'm well within my limits, but I didn't know if airbags would make a difference in the ride and if I needed it with the F350. My dealer said with the F350 SRW and the weights I'm towing it would be overkill.

I'm wondering if 1,900 pin weight would sit the back of the truck down too much, and if airbags would help the ride?

Hi Dutch Oven Man,

Like the screen name. I'm a cast iron kind of guy too...Cook in them all the time.

I do not have a 5'er but I do have the F350 SRW in my sig and I have some scale weights that may help you along with the comments from others towing 5'ers.

I did not see your truck so do not know the cab/engine and bed combo if mine lines up or not. But still the rear bed weight and spring compression might help.

My 2005 F350SRW, CC, short bed, V10 gasser has the 11,000# GVWR. The GAWR-RR is 7,000#.

The truck with , almost full gas (smaller tank on short bed) 470# of passengers, a bed liner and a rubber bed mat has a rear axle weight of: 3,240#

Now add 400# of camping gear in the bed: Rear axle weighs 3,760# and I am not yet touching the overloads.

Now add, 1,350# TW TT with WD engaged and rear axles weighs:5,120# and the top rear overload just started kissing the top rear overload.

Now add, 1,600# TW TT with WD engaged and rear axles weighs: 5,460# and I am sitting with some compression on the top rear overload but not the bottom.

The 400# bed weight and same passengers was on each hitch up.

Summarizing this, 1,880# rear axle weight increase above empty truck bed and I start kissing the top rear overload. 2,220# rear axle and I have some level of overload compression on the top frame bracket but not yet the bottom

Note: My truck does have a B & W gooseneck hitch on it so there is some bed weight of the B&W included in this.

Do not know what your 5th wheel hitch weighs but this may help tell you if your into the overloads or not.

I have found on this truck that when I am not kissing the top rear overload the TT with WD makes the back of the truck rocks left to right being unstable that high up in the suspension. As soon as my TW and bed weight became high enough, (around 1,880#) and I adjusted the WD to run the front a little light above unhitched weight, I was just kissing the overloads. That made a global shift in truck stability, literately night and day. The overloads sort of worked like a rear axle sway bar.

Hope this helps

John

PS, the dealer comment on for F350 being overkill, sorry but that is a typical dealer comment. I'm glad I have the F350 over the F250.

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll wait till we pick up the new fiver to see how it handles without the airbags.

Miles Away wrote:
1st: Airbags will not improve your ride, but they will help to keep your truck level when towing your fifth wheel trailer. This is especially important if you are towing after dark.

2nd: Based on the numbers you provided, your new pin weight will be about 2,300 pounds (20% of 11,750).

3rd: When towing, always pump up your rear tires to their max rated pressure (80 pounds), other wise you will be short changed on their weight carrying capacity. Lower air pressure means a lower weight capacity. When not towing, many of us reduce the rear air pressure to about 60# in order to gain a softer ride.

Lastly: Airbags will not help with porpoising, which is generally caused by insufficient pin weight. You most probably had that issue with your last trailer because of the rear kitchen. If your new rig has the kitchen over the axles, the problem will go away.

Good Luck

YES air bags can improve your ride if you use them to stabilize the springs on rough roads. I run mine at 30psi and it has helped a lot. Did not increase ride height with bags and did not need to.

NO you don't ALWAYS need to air tires to max psi. Run proper air pressure based on actual weights using weight/inflation charts.

1st: Airbags will not improve your ride, but they will help to keep your truck level when towing your fifth wheel trailer. This is especially important if you are towing after dark.

2nd: Based on the numbers you provided, your new pin weight will be about 2,300 pounds (20% of 11,750).

3rd: When towing, always pump up your rear tires to their max rated pressure (80 pounds), other wise you will be short changed on their weight carrying capacity. Lower air pressure means a lower weight capacity. When not towing, many of us reduce the rear air pressure to about 60# in order to gain a softer ride.

Lastly: Airbags will not help with porpoising, which is generally caused by insufficient pin weight. You most probably had that issue with your last trailer because of the rear kitchen. If your new rig has the kitchen over the axles, the problem will go away.

Good Luck

Dump the stock shocks they are junk right out of the box. Go with the Bilstien's yellow and blue ones they are best for what you are doing.

You will be amazed with the improvement.

mdamerell wrote:
The pin weight is probably around 20%, so a 12,000#(?) 5'r is probably closer to a 2,400# pin weight.

Right on the money!

My 5er GVW per MFG is 12k.

On the scale I am 11,900 with 2400 on the pin!

I ran bags in my 07 Classic DRW. I felt I was on the edge of being over-trucked. With the weight on the truck. It would just barely sit on the overloads and cause it to porpoise. The bags would stop the overloads from flinging it.
I do not have bags in my 13 DRW. The new truck rides totally different due to the boxed frame and it doesn't need bags.

I would try it and see. You will know after the first couple of pulls.

I run a 11,000+ 5er on a Ram 2500 with Camper Packages, No bags or other supporting devices, I do run Bilstien 5100shocks on the TV, and installed shocks on the 5er. My pin is between 2,000# and 2,200# still sitting level.

You have too light of pin weight.

Load the front storage etc and increase your pin weight.
Also is 5th wheel 'nose high' when hooked up to truck?

Light pin and nose high are not good towing combos.

If that one you pulled was 9000lbs then the pin should've been 1800lbs or so. Too light of a pin weight will cause the jerk you felt.
FWIW I have a 2500 Ram and put 1800lbs in it. It drops 2". Still 1" higher than the front. IMO give it a try after you're all loaded up so you have a real world test before spending money on something that may not be needed.