Weight distribution vs air bags

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Socalramfan

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With my truck stock I need a 7" drop to haul most trailers.. If I had a 7" lift... o_O

Yep….. mines a 10” adjustable drop as it is now. Stock was a 3” rise.

wanted to stay with an adjustable should I need to attach and tow anything other than my trailer .
 

bcbouy

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on my last ram i had airbags and superspring helper springs for carrying my camper and towing my fishing boat.on the Powerwagon i use a wdh to tow my 22' travel trailer.different applications. i will say the wdh feels much better.
 

LOFSFIRE

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I have the Airlift 1000 and use the Andersen WD hitch. They have kits to handle you drop too. I have never notice the air bags rubbing.


I'm towing a 22'+5'V nose snowmobile trailer. 3000# unloaded.
 
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khancock70

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2016 Ram 3500 DRW, bone stock.

I haul automobiles on 5th wheel Kaufman Wedge or flatbed. I wasn't going to do the math, figure where to mount airbags and a compressor, so I bought Sumo Springs.

I towed my Kaufman Wedge with it last week, fully loaded, and I have to say that I was impressed. It reduced the squat by alot, never felt any bumps, to include railroad crossings.

Best money that I have invested. Before the Sumo Springs, severe squat, bone jarring bumps, etc. Now the only way I know that either trailer is there is when I take off or stop.
 

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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:
I have a '19 Longhorn with 4WD and factory air system. I talked to a factory Rep before buying it with the system. The leveling bars seem to way more than they did some years ago (as does everything). I do not use them anymore towing my RV, i do use two sway bars. No doubt they the leveling bars would help sway, but I have thousands of miles in the west where it tends to be windy. I do OK without them, but i do not drive in high winds anyway.
 

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I am not a fan or air bags. They may be helpful if you need to adjust the height at the rear of the truck but otherwise are not good in the long term. When one airbag fails the other one is worthless and I would not want to risk having a problems many miles from home.

I added SuperSprings to my 2500 truck and gained 1400 lbs of payload capacity. No impact on the ride when the bed was empty but with a 3700 lb camper in the bed the truck was still level. SuperSprings will never wear out or fail and it takes me less than an hour to put them on a truck and the wheels stay on the ground.
 

Udy2554

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My PowerWagon has bags and an Equalizer WDH! Bags with cradles help with the lighter rear coils and let me keep articulation! WDH makes it a pleasure to tow!

WDH needs to be set up properly for your vehicle and camper/trailer!

E65B2025-75B3-4F68-9EA3-4B8ABE2F8896.jpegFD454928-14E3-4A37-B3D0-03D7CF039DC0.jpeg60BE210D-8C37-4956-9EA1-1D05C44020BE.jpeg95A29D19-07AB-4154-A906-3CC0523FB2A4.jpegAE8A5672-324C-4691-ADFF-C1253A5F0ADD.jpeg

I had to adjust for the second camper’s weight and height!
 
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dhay13

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I added SuperSprings to my 2500 truck and gained 1400 lbs of payload capacity. No impact on the ride when the bed was empty but with a 3700 lb camper in the bed the truck was still level. SuperSprings will never wear out or fail and it takes me less than an hour to put them on a truck and the wheels stay on the ground.
You DID NOT add any payload to your truck. Your GVWR is still the same and your GRAWR is still the same. It may feel better but you did not add any capacity to anything.
 

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Prior to owning my Ram 4X4 Diesel 2500 I had a Chevy Silverado with air bags and also used a weight distributing hitch with our 10,000 pound travel trailer. When we got the 2022 Ram, I noticed that the rear end of the truck was significantly higher than the Silverado was with the air bags uninflated. A friend who was a mechanic during his working years came over and we hooked up the trailer to the Ram with the weight distributing hitch. The Ram with the trailer connected was level and we drove around a bit, tested the brakes and decided it was good to go without air bags.

My wife and I did our first camping trip, towing from where we live up at 5300 feet to 10,000 feet without incident. The truck towed the trailer perfectly and although I would have purchased air bags if I thought it was necessary, I could see no reason to buy them.
 

crash68

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I have a '19 Longhorn with 4WD and factory air system. I talked to a factory Rep before buying it with the system.
Airbags or self leveling suspension system does not do anything for transferring the weight back to the front axle the reason for a WDH. Contrary to popular belief a HD truck should use a WDH also, their not just for 1/2 ton trucks. Watch the video I posted the link for in post #5 of this thread.
 

REDNECK28871

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Why would any educated man put a 7, "SEVEN INCH' lift kit on a daily driver and then ***** ABOUT NOT BEING ABLR TO TOW A TRAILER WTF commen sense needs to come in somewhere !
 

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I’ve got a 2019 1500 Classic and I tow a horse trailer right around 7000lbs loaded. I’ve got the Air Lift Loadlifter 5000 Ultimate airbags on mine and it toes great. I put about 30# in the bags when I’m towing and it REALLY smooths out the ride as well as keeps me from high beaming everyone at night. I deflate to 5# when not towing. If not, it makes for a rougher ride. I’ve got the inflation valves mounted through my rear license plate so it’s easy to inflate/deflate. An auto built in compressor would be even slicker.
 

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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?
The lift height matters less than the ball height. The more lift you have the more of a dropped ball is needed.
As long as the trailer is not running nose high the WDH system will work.
 

Whiskey13

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I have frame to axel air lift air bags to level my truck when I put a heavy load on it, I also have a Curt WDH for when I pull a heavy trailer. As mentioned, they each serve a different purpose but with the combination of both, I have great flexibility. I stay level and when towing I have no sway issues.

You may run into a problem with 7" lift, the weight distribution hitch can be adjusted but only so far. Might want to talk with a hitch professional before you purchase.
 
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Socalramfan

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I have frame to axel air lift air bags to level my truck when I put a heavy load on it, I also have a Curt WDH for when I pull a heavy trailer. As mentioned, they each serve a different purpose but with the combination of both, I have great flexibility. I stay level and when towing I have no sway issues.

You may run into a problem with 7" lift, the weight distribution hitch can be adjusted but only so far. Might want to talk with a hitch professional before you purchase.

Did just that
 
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Socalramfan

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Why would any educated man put a 7, "SEVEN INCH' lift kit on a daily driver and then ***** ABOUT NOT BEING ABLR TO TOW A TRAILER WTF commen sense needs to come in somewhere !

To re-emphasize Rednecker, I have had zero issues with towing my trailer with the lift, as stated in the initial post. My question was directed at anyone who had experience with WDH vs Air bags as both have advantages & disadvantages.

Translated……. Read the F’n Post Cooooter :waytogo:
 
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Socalramfan

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Update:

Picked up a Curt WDH the other day. Will hook it up this weekend and compare before and after thoughts.
 

Dave James

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