Timbrens, air bags or air hitch

[12th_Man_Fan]

Probably opening a can of worms here, hope you have some popcorn handy.

I have a GMC dually and pull a 5th wheel with a pin weight of approx. 4,000 pounds.

The 5er has a trail air pin box and when I am on a decent road you hardly know the rv is back there but when I hit a typical Texas bridge transition there is a pretty harsh reaction and I am trying to reduce that as much as possible.

I know the air hitch is probably best but I just want some feedback from those that have had experience with all the above.

Thanks in advance.

Doug

PS forgot to mention I have the Bilstine 4600 shocks.

[Vette_Racer]

I tried shocks, air bags, air hitch, all that stuff for the bouncing after hitting a large bump like a bridge transition to no avail on my 2011 Chevy 3500 CC dually, finally fixed the problem by trading it off. Blamed most of it on the torsion bar front suspension.

[deltabravo]

Torklift Stableloads.

[JTrac]

I've had all 3. Had the Timbrens on a 2012 GMC 3500 srw and the ride with a Demco Glide Ride pin box was pretty bad, especially the chucking. Changed them out for some Air Lift air bags which helped greatly, even the empty ride. When we got the dually I transferred the bags to the new truck and ordered a Trailer Saver BD3 air ride hitch. For the most part I feel no movement from the fifth wheel. The really bad stuff I can feel but not near what it was before the BD3.

[Kjun]

If you are trying to improve truck ride air bags with built in bump stops 1st choice. Timber 2nd choice. If you are trying to improve trailer ride air hitch.

[Sinbadman5024]

You may want to do more research if you are considering an air hitch with the Trail Air pin box. I have read where people have had issues with that combination not working very well with each other. It was recommended that you have one or the other and not both. I would go with the air bags, either PacBrake or Firestone. I have had good luck with both and the ride is better loaded.

[Cummins12V98]

I did not NEED bags with a 4,500# pin on my 11 RAM Dually. I did add the 4600's and PacBrake air bags. I ran them at 30psi loaded at that psi the ride height did not really change BUT the ride quality was MUCH improved. Get the bags for improved ride you will thank me!!!

[n0arp]

If your suspension is supporting the pin weight just fine, and it should with a dually, go with the air hitch. I love mine.

Air bags are not for me - a lot of that has to do with the 16 ply tires at 90-100psi, but the air bags made the unloaded ride a whole lot rougher. Enough to where we eventually opted for a full air ride. If you can afford that, I highly recommend it. A TS hitch (while expensive) is a whole lot less money and would have been sufficient for us if not for wanting to keep SRW. I would recommend replacing the stock Rancho shocks with Bilstein or Fox 2.0.

[IdaD]

I am very happy with the Timbrens on my truck. No change to the unloaded ride, and not a dramatic change to the loaded ride either, except that it feels a little more planted and more importantly it handles bumps at speed far better now. You hear it and feel a little bump and on down the road you go. They seem high quality and were very easy to install. The fact that they're only attached at one end was appealing as I don't have to worry about over-stretching a bag off-road, and they're also zero maintenance.

At about $200 it isn't much of a loss if you decide you don't like them, but I think you would.

[Dayle1]

I found the ride characteristics very unsettled with timbrens and a partial load, air bags worked much better for me. May not be an issue for you with such a heavy pin weight except when solo. But air bags can be adjusted to fit your specific weights, and with an onboard compressor you can adjust them on the fly. Anyway, air bags get my vote.

[Second_Chance]

Experiencing a similar problem, I queried the guys over on the Silverado/Sierra forum. For helping with bottoming out, the vote was about 80% for the Timbrens and 20% for the air bags. The other big part of the equation is stopping the reaction (the bouncing after the original bump). The 100% overwhelming response was for Bilstein 4600 series shocks. The Timbrems and the shocks are in my cart on Amazon to order when we're in one place long enough to receive them.

Rob