Just wondering how many people towing RVs are or are not using rear air bag helper springs. Thinking of buying some this spring- towing 8500# travel trailer with tongue weight of about 1500#, rides pretty rough on bad interstates. May move up to 5th wheel at some point. Have factory 5th wheel hitch package, 6.7 Powerstroke Crew Cab.

 

choice number Four.. investigating this issue.


Ride on any ruff road will be BAD... Weight. Hard Tires. stiff springs. my opinion.

 

I have about the same weight as you do. I put a set of Timbrens on. I did it more to keep the truck level than a ride issue. I towed a fifth wheel before this and they all bounce around on bad roads.

 

My year truck has an issue with rear sag with a light load. There is a TSB covering the issue and a fix to be paid for by the customer. If I were to go Ford's route to fix the sag it would cost close to $2000.00 in parts alone. So my solution was to install air bags. I chose Air Lift air bags for around $300.00 IIRC and they work great. Keep in mind, they will not increase your vehicle's cargo capacity, they will only level the load. I really haven't noticed much of a difference in ride quality - I've had them for over a year and forget what it was like without them. When empty, I keep about 10 psi in the bags, when I hook up I add air until the truck is level then set the weight distribution bars if applicable (boats don't have them, one TT does).

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There are so many Pro's & Con's on this subject. Are Air Bags the devil ? Absolutely not.
With so many different circumstances I don't believe there is any one perfect solution.
In my case, Air Bags are my preference when I'm carrying our Slide-in Camper. Campers are heavier on one side. With Air Bags I can level my Side to Side weight differences.
As for the weight support of the Camper, between having enough
Truck in the first place, adding Air Bags, Big Sway Bars and quality Shocks are all I've
needed for the continuous weight changes of carrying our Camper in the past.

 

I voted no because I have a DRW. If I had a SRW I would have airbags.

 

I have an "older" 3/4 ton and don't mind the couple inches of sag I have when hitched to the 5ver. If it bugged me then I'd add helper springs that only engage when loaded heavy.

Nothing against airbags; I just don't want anything else to check/adjust/maintain while on vacation.

 

have DRW and have not seen need for airbags with my 5th wheel.

 

Air bags and helper springs are two different things. Which are you asking about? I use air bags but only need about 15 psi to firm up the ride. I have no sag either way, the bags just stiffen the ride a little when towing. I run 5 psi when not towing. If you go air bags, play with the pressure when towing. I found that too much pressure can be detrimental.

 

I had air bags on my old "02 F250 and really needed them, my new '16 F350 dually .....don't need them. Granted this 5th wheel weighs 12k and with a much larger rig I might need them and wouldn't have a problem installing a set.

 

I have them and it seams the ride got rougher with the bags installed. It is level now but rides worse.

 

I have them too. Not over the counter ones thou. I needed them to fit a certain way so we made them up. The reason is, I've reduced some leafs to soften the ride and the bags are there when I need them. Works well for me, rides nice too, and has to look cool....of course lol.

 

I have air rite air bags on my 11 f250. They helped get rid of the **** when towing my 5th wheel. I thinking about adding a helper spring. Anyone done this before?

 

What does SRW vs DRW have to do with the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of air bags? Just curious.

If a truck sags when loaded or sits one side low when loaded, airbags can be a great improvement. Always set them up for separate fill.

 

I have a question. Will airbags reduce the bounce when going over bridge joints or rough road while towing the 5th wheel or would I be better off with maybe Stableloads for the dually?