Towing with Auto Leveling

Grit dog wrote:
Murphs, it’s not the same.
Checked owners manual for the ‘17 and it actually only talks about the old school way just like the 2021 manual but the 2021 calls for putting in service mode and adjusting the wdh then letting the bags pump up again.

This is NOT fundamentally the right way. Wdh works on load. Auto air leveling Suspension is exactly what it states. It works only on ride height with height sensors.

If you drop the air, let the trailer squish the rear suspension, do the measure the front height thing, when you’re done, the trailer WITH weight being pulled off the rear axle is still compressing the rear springs loading the ride height some amount.
When you air back up, the auto ride takes over, pumps up the rear suspension and by way of doing that, changes the geometry of the wdh connection. Effectively putting “more” load on the bars. Opposite reaction of adjusting the trailer jack height to make attaching the bars easier.
Except now you’ve changed the load the bars are seeing and how much weight it’s transferring.
Think about it from a purely geometric and statics standpoint.
You want the auto ride height where it is leveling the vehicle when you setup the weight dist. because it will always compensate for load and maintain the same geometry.

Those that don’t understand these systems and how wdhs affect the forces on the vehicle and how these 2 systems need to consider how each other works and how that is different than just a simple spring suspension.
The nuances may not be great with a lighter tongue weight, but the heavier the tongue weight, the more important this becomes.

I realize mine was a Ford. But after you unhooked, and let the TV level itself. Then shut off the air ride BEFORE it lowered the vehicle. It held the level position. Then you could adjust the hitch just as if it did not have air ride. Then when done. you just turned it back on.

But you say GM air rides don't work that way?