Weight distribution vs air bags

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Socalramfan

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I’m curious as to what has worked for you personally. Weight distribution hitch or air bags.

I know the difference between the two, but interested in what has worked in the real world.

My situation:

26’ enclosed car trailer, 10,000 lbs max, empty 3200#, realistic typical weight 7500-8000#. lifted Ram 7”. Airbags would help keep level when load on the rear is heavy, whether towing or not. WD hitch would benefit only when towing.

Have not had any problems towing with the basic setup, but entertaining the idea of improving with one method bs the other.

Both are relatively @ $600, so that’s not a factor.

would like to hear what you have, why you went that route, and would you change anything.

Thanks in advance :waytogo:
 

BlackGold6.4

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One would think that with a lift air bags would be the way to go, but is the sway bar upgraded with the lift and will the lift cause a pivot point to make the sway bar less useable? I think @18CrewDually has it right .. use both
 

ramffml

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I tried air bags and didn't like how they changed the unloaded ride quality. I love that cushy ride of the coils, and combined with the hellwig which I installed in stiffest setting, my truck feels and handles great (for a truck).

For towing, I use a WDH. Tried the Husky centerline and didn't like how it bounced. The coils in the truck bounce, and the trunion bars in the WDH bounce, so that's a lot of bounce going on. I switched to an Andersen no sway WDH which uses chains ... and I'm completely happy with the result. Truck rides awesome unloaded, sits level loaded with my trailer attached, and handles/rides perfect with the trailer behind it.

I had also tried the sumo springs, they were worse than bags.
 

crash68

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26’ enclosed car trailer, 10,000 lbs max, empty 3200#, realistic typical weight 7500-8000#. lifted Ram 7”. Airbags would help keep level when load on the rear is heavy, whether towing or not. WD hitch would benefit only when towing.
As mentioned use both, airbags will help stiffness the rear end up but the WDH is needed to replace the weight lost from the front axle.
Here's a good video showing the difference between airbags and a WDH:
I tried air bags and didn't like how they changed the unloaded ride quality.
Drop the air pressure in the airbags to 3-5 psi when your not loaded. I don't notice mine when the pressure is kept to a minimum.
 

ramffml

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Drop the air pressure in the airbags to 3-5 psi when your not loaded. I don't notice mine when the pressure is kept to a minimum.

I did drop them. At one point they had so little air I could hear the material rubbing/squeaking up and down inside the coil. That was bad for them so I bumped it up slightly until the noise disappeared, but still felt the difference.

It only makes sense that you can notice it, the whole point of the bag is to reduce the coil's ability to compress and retract. So either you have so little air in them that you can't notice it but then the material is sliding around and wearing out, or, you put enough air in them so that that doesn't happen but since now they're not sliding around they're restricting the coil movement.

I'm the not the only one who noticed it. It's not "bad" by any means, but I could feel it and since they weren't effective in my setup (my truck still bounced in the rear with the husky and airbags) I didn't see the need to keep them around. All they did was reduce ride quality unloaded and bump up my suspension a half inch while towing.
 

crash68

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At one point they had so little air I could hear the material rubbing/squeaking up and down inside the coil.
There's the difference, yours airbags are inside the coil where as mine is frame-to-axle. Probably explains the bouncing as the inside the coil bags don't have much lifting force.
When I go to disconnect I'll bump the pressure up to 45 psi and that's usually enough to lift the trailer tongue high enough to clear the ball when dump the pressure after lowering the trailer jack. Makes removing the WDH bars easy too.
 

ramffml

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That's possible, I had the airlift 1000s. They didn't lift at all, they just mitigated squat somewhat.
 

tron67j

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FWIW, bags and WDH are not interchangeable. Each one is engineered to perform a different function. While the visible end result is the same, the mechanical aspect of both couldn't be further apart. Trying to compare them as alternatives is like saying cruise control and s c r e w I n g the accelerator to floor both achieve a constant speed. That is meant humorously, not an attack.
 
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Socalramfan

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One would think that with a lift air bags would be the way to go, but is the sway bar upgraded with the lift and will the lift cause a pivot point to make the sway bar less useable? I think @18CrewDually has it right .. use both

Thats a good point, and one I was wondering as well.

How does a lifted truck, in my case (7”), affect a WDH set up. In fact, is it even an option with a lifted truck?
 
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Socalramfan

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On a single wheel truck i ran bars with sway control. On my duallies, airbag only. Airbags will not help sway which SRW are susceptible to. Best case would be run both.

I agree to have both would coverall bases. I have not had any issues without either. Figured I’d get some ‘real’ feedback here on the topics :waytogo:
 
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Socalramfan

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There's the difference, yours airbags are inside the coil where as mine is frame-to-axle. Probably explains the bouncing as the inside the coil bags don't have much lifting force.
When I go to disconnect I'll bump the pressure up to 45 psi and that's usually enough to lift the trailer tongue high enough to clear the ball when dump the pressure after lowering the trailer jack. Makes removing the WDH bars easy too.
Frame to frame is what I’d be looking at if so :waytogo:
 
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Socalramfan

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I tried air bags and didn't like how they changed the unloaded ride quality. I love that cushy ride of the coils, and combined with the hellwig which I installed in stiffest setting, my truck feels and handles great (for a truck).

For towing, I use a WDH. Tried the Husky centerline and didn't like how it bounced. The coils in the truck bounce, and the trunion bars in the WDH bounce, so that's a lot of bounce going on. I switched to an Andersen no sway WDH which uses chains ... and I'm completely happy with the result. Truck rides awesome unloaded, sits level loaded with my trailer attached, and handles/rides perfect with the trailer behind it.

I had also tried the sumo springs, they were worse than bags.
Sounds like there are even differences within WDH overall.
 

dhay13

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You may have issues finding a WDH that will work with a 7" lift. My son had a 2500 all stock and he had his Husky Centerline adjusted as low as it would go to get a good setup. It was initially set up from the RV dealer for my 2013 stock 1500 and we had to lower it one set of holes and had no more adjustment. Truck was 100% stock with stock tires
 

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I missed the part where your truck was lifted 7". That's going to be rough to improve on as far as towing goes since "lifted" and "towing" are inversely related. I would definitely get a good WDH for a start.
 
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Socalramfan

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I missed the part where your truck was lifted 7". That's going to be rough to improve on as far as towing goes since "lifted" and "towing" are inversely related. I would definitely get a good WDH for a start.

Agreed. I’m sure with the geometry and physics involved that my realistic towing capacity will drop as a result keeping all things equal….. but I’m ok with that to a point. If I was towing regularly, then I’d look at a 2500 Cummins, or Dually as such. :waytogo:
 
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Socalramfan

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You may have issues finding a WDH that will work with a 7" lift. My son had a 2500 all stock and he had his Husky Centerline adjusted as low as it would go to get a good setup. It was initially set up from the RV dealer for my 2013 stock 1500 and we had to lower it one set of holes and had no more adjustment. Truck was 100% stock with stock tires

I think 18crewdually might have found an option for that.

All things considered, it’s a balancing act, which is what brings me here to hear some great feedback from you guys.

Its much appreciated :waytogo:
 
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