airstream ride?

[billy1davis]

Is there a bumper pull manufacture that builds a trailer that tows as well as an Airstream?

[wrenchbender]

To me its a matter of weight and balance.In the last 50yrs I have done a lot of towing even matching my Bigfoot against an AS Bambi. The outcome was 1.5 mpg better with the AS over the same route and speed. Great except the AS cost 12g more 12yrs ago.

[NWnative]

Aerodynamics, torsion axles, and the low center of gravity all help the Airstream to tow well. I have towed TT's and 5'vrs with all types of tow vehicles. The Airstream I have now is a step above based on my previous experience.

[SidecarFlip]

amxpress wrote:
Airstreams pull nicely because of their aerodynamics AND their Torflex suspension, without needing shocks. Most of the AS can be towed with the newer half tons, which ride better than 3/4 & 1 Tons. The latest gen RAMs have coil suspension and ride really smooth as compared with their previous gen trucks. Test drive the half tons by Ford, GM, Toyota, & RAM and decide for yourself.

My opinion is, coil, springs belong on the back end of a Buick, not a truck.

I still remember the old Chevy / GM pickups from the 60's with coils in the back, going down the road and looking like a pogo stick. Work good when the shocks are new but when the shocks start wearing out, the ride gets, shall we say, bouncy.....

and shocks wear out faster with coils than leaves because coils have no inherent friction dampening like leaves do. The very act of leaves moving against each other and the friction produced by that produces suspension dampening, not so with coils at all.

[billy1davis]

I have Silastic springs on the truck and it did improve the ride but not enough by quite a ways

[Ron3rd]

DanKirk wrote:
Forest River Rockwood and Windjammer trailers have the same TorFlex axles as the Airstreams. Having never pulled an Airstream, I don't know if it's as good, but our Windjammer pulls very nice.

X2, love our 3001W Windjammer

[jmtandem]

However honestly I was thinking the 5 vr would ride better than a bumper pull which was my expereince in the past.

Fifth Wheels can have chucking. It can be a very annoying motion between the fifth wheel and the truck. I am confident if your wife does not like the travel trailer issues she will definitely not like the way a fifth wheel chucks. Look into the Sulastic spring mods for your truck. It reduces the harshness of the rear springs. And the price is way cheaper than a new truck or a fifth wheel.

[SARGUY]

X 3 on the Bostrom seats nothing else as far as shocks springs axels etc. will even com close.

[amxpress]

Airstreams pull nicely because of their aerodynamics AND their Torflex suspension, without needing shocks. Most of the AS can be towed with the newer half tons, which ride better than 3/4 & 1 Tons. The latest gen RAMs have coil suspension and ride really smooth as compared with their previous gen trucks. Test drive the half tons by Ford, GM, Toyota, & RAM and decide for yourself.

[tinstartrvlr]

x2 on the Dexter axles. I've got a Rockwood and the Dexter axles. Always thought it towed pretty well, but since I upgraded the tires, it rides even better.

[gmw_photos]

FrankShore wrote:
Any TT is going to pull smoothly, if they have Dexter Torsion Flex Axles.

Whatever you do, don't get a TT with springs or leafs.

Nonsense. I currently own and pull regularly four different trailers. Two of them have dexter torflex, and the other two are leaf sprung.

There isn't a dime worth of difference in how any of them pull or ride regarding the suspension. I pull them all with the same two trucks over the same roads.

The main advantage torflex axles have is they allow the trailer to be built approx four inches close to the ground, due to the way the axles mount. Which is why they are often the choice for cargo and stock and horse trailers. A lower floor makes for easier loading and unloading.

[billy1davis]

Thanks for all of that info. I am wondering if the hitch set up would be necessary if the suspension system on the trailer were better? Yes I think the truck is the problem. However honestly I was thinking the 5 vr would ride better than a bumper pull which was my expereince in the past.

[Hannibal]

Our 2017 Jayco 28RLSS has about the most basic suspension a trailer could have. With our F250, it tows very smoothly. Smoother than our previous 32' 5th wheel. What were you pulling your previous AS with? I think the 1-ton tow vehicle is the rough ride. My wife had a ruptured disc and two bulging discs in her lower back. There were days I had to help her sit up on the bed to get up. It took about five years to get them healed up with proper therapy. My then 2500HD Ram was brutally painful for her. I would definitely soften up the tires on the dually for her. If it takes downsizing to a 1/2 ton and compatible TT, I would do it for her. Our Reese HP 8k trunnion style WDH rode a little smoother than our current Equalizer 4 point 10k. Neither are jarring or overly stiff. Best wishes for improvement with her back.

[SidecarFlip]

Most mass produced pull behind units today use the cheapest suspension available, leaf springs and no shocks. I agree a Troflex axle system rides much better and needs no shocks because the internal rubber rods (in the axle housing) impart a dampening effect, just like external shocks on a leaf spring setup do.

Far as a rough riding truck goes, you might want to check out air ride seat bases (if you have bucket seats). You can get them with built in compressors. hard to beat an air ride seat. Standard equipment on big trucks today.

My farm tractors all have air ride seats that even swivel.

[Lwiddis]

So after all that it's about the ride in the truck for your DW's bad back. Nothing like a good beat around the bush. Don't enter any clear writing contests.

[jmtandem]

I don't care about the aerodynamics.....wife has a bad back and I am looking for the best smoothest ride. We have tried everything that we can afford to sink into the Dodge dually and whether it is empty pulling a trailer or with truck camper it is just not tolerable for the wife at all. And I did get allot of help on trying to make it work and I suppose I could spend 5k and get the better ride but not doing it on that old of a truck.
So we are looking for either a small 5th wheel pulled buy a newer 1/2 ton or a trailer.

Look into mods for the truck to make the ride a little smoother.
Sulastic makes a kit that takes the harshness out of the rear spring pack. Much cheaper than a new truck, trailer, or fifth wheel.

And if you want to also purchase the Airstream you will love it. It is the gold standard of travel trailers.