[STdan]

I was wondering what process you use when hooking up your trailer? Do you have the airbags already inflated to a certain PSI and then hook up the trailer or do you hook up the trailer and then inflate the air bags?

For those that have Airbags and still use a weight distribution hitch. Do you hook that up first, and then inflate the air bags to level the truck?

 

[prime81]

With a WDH i would air them up to a moderate psi and then hook the WDH up. Doing the airbags after the WDH is tensioned would relieve some of the tension.

 

[cnrwbaker]

I run normally at 10 psi when not loaded then I hook up and air up to level condition.
I don't have weight distribution hitch yet but I imagine you would hook up do the wd first and then add some air to comfort ride. That's just my opinion it might be different.

Sent from my EVO using F150 EcoBoost

 

[cnrwbaker]

Prime81 is probably right he pulls a lot more than me LOL

Sent from my EVO using F150 EcoBoost

 

[medik418]

I have the Firestone bags. If I air the bags to the 30 psi it takes to level mine with the toy hauler, its too high to get the hitch under it so, for me it's air it up after the trailer is connected. I keep 5 psi in them otherwise.

 

[prime81]

Airing them up after hooking the WDH up would reduce the effectiveness of the WDH. So that means hook the trailer up without WDH, air the appropriate amount into the bags, and then hookup the WDH. The appropriate amount of air would be enough to reduce sag but if your using WDH do not rely on the airbags to make it level... use the bags to help the WDH achieve a more level travel trailer.

 

[Yake Bait]

Agree with prime81 - I think that you would want keep the WDH set up the same as you would without the bags to put the proper amount of weight onto the front axle.

My truck sits pretty flat with 8 links and with 9 links it picks the rear end up a little higher than the front (similar to no load). It looks and measures better on the wheel wells but I have to pick it up a lot with my trailer jack to get the springs to latch in so I leave it at 8 links. I have been thinking about getting a set of bags also and think I would probably keep at 8 links. If you don't mind, please let me know how you set it up. I am especially interested in what the air bags do about trailer bounce on poured concrete highway and how they affect unloaded ride quality.

 

[Mittsoff]

I have the Firestone 5000 airbags and the equalizer four-point sway control hitch with thousand pound bars. I'm not saying the process I go through is the correct one but I think it allows the weight distribution hitch to be most effective. I drive the truck around empty with five psi in the bags when I'm going to tow the trailer I put about 25 psi in the airbags and then proceed to hook the trailer up. My trailer is about 9500 pound loaded that gives me about 975 pounds of tongue weight and the trailer is 36 feet long. I started out with the trailer level when making my initial measurements but decided to go down the road with the nose of the trailer about 1 inch lower than the rear of the trailer. This allow for a little more clearance on the back of the trailer when pulling in and out of parking lots or campsites. If somebody knows this process to be faulty please shoot it full of holes. ? ?