Airbags or WD hitch? opinions advice...

[73guna]

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. :B
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.

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.

[Bobandshawn]

Can't tell ya. I'm sure Firestone are great. I just had Air Lift products. Go by the price.

[73guna]

: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]

BTW good looking truck even though it's a Chevy.

[Bobandshawn]

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.

[73guna]

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]

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]

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.

[Ron_Gratz]

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]

I think I'll try a wd hitch first and do some short trial runs and go from there.
Im considering air bags because Im not only hoping it will dampem the bucking/porpoising effect, but also future trailers I might pull where a wd hitch is not used or heavy loads in bed.
My main concern now try to control the bucking if bags will help then I think it would be worth the cost.

Right now Im leaning towards the Equilizer or Blue Ox hitch.
There is a nice used blue ox on the local craigslist but is only the 1000lb/ 10000lb unit.
I have an email out to etrailer asking if I could just upgrade to the heavier duty 1500lb bars to the head unit.

[Bobandshawn]

Seems people think I suggested he doesn't need a WDH. No idea where that came from. I merely said BOTH air bags and a WDH are good.
All trailer/truck combos need a WDH. Having air bags on trucks is a huge plus. To many having air bags is like towing without a diesel dually or hauling a fifth wheel with a short bed.

If you look back you will see I said to use a tape measure and get the front end down. I didn't say to accomplish that with air bags. I said you get the front down by cranking the WDH down.

[dodge_guy]

Bobandshawn wrote:
You are right Tom. But the OP needs both. His suspension is dropping more than he wants, air bags will take care of that. A good WDH will get his front end down. His poor ride experience was probably due to his rear end going to bottom out land which is a crummy place to go.

The rear is dropping more because there is no WD! Once you install and set up a WD hitch, there will be minimal sag which is normal. Some of that weight on the rear axle will be moved to the front axle. Now if he loads a golf cart or a quad in the bed then he will need (maybe) airbags for that load.

The OP first needs a WD hitch before he knows if he needs any airbags!

[73guna]

[mkirsch]

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.

Also, you absolutely did *NOT* have sway, else you would either be here telling us your harrowing tale of the trailer passing you going backwards, then yanking you into oncoming traffic (or the ditch), or you would be in a hospital recovering from severe injuries, or you would be dead. There is no such thing as a "little sway." Like someone else said, it's like being a "little pregnant."

The trailer is not always going to follow perfectly in line especially if the road is at all uneven. It will bobble and bounce around to some degree, especially if you have no sway control to hold the trailer and truck in a rigid line. This also helps with the push-pull you feel from passing/oncoming vehicles.

[Bobandshawn]

You are right Tom. But the OP needs both. His suspension is dropping more than he wants, air bags will take care of that. A good WDH will get his front end down. His poor ride experience was probably due to his rear end going to bottom out land which is a crummy place to go.