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Air Bags Necessary for Towing?

R J
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R J Enthusiast

R J

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I have a 2020 Silverado Trail Boss Custom that I tow my 5700 lb 32 foot travel trailer with. With the traditional round bars weight distribution hitch, I sagged about 4 inches. I just bought the Equalizer hitch because we’ll be going on a 1500 mile road trip with our travel trailer. I was curious if there are benefits to using air bags with the Equalizer hitch? Also, is it necessary to upgrade the tires to a higher load range? Thank you.

calgator73 Senior Enthusiast

calgator73

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Did you adjust your equalizer per the manual?  I pulled a travel trailer almost twice the weight with a tongue weight of about 1100 lb with a 2014 NHT.  My biggest concern was porpoising.  A lot of people swear by using airbags to give the truck a more comfortable ride.  Just remember the more you raise the back of your truck the less effective the equalizer is for controlling sway.

btj_z71 Enthusiast

btj_z71

Posted
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31 minutes ago, R J said:

I have a 2020 Silverado Trail Boss Custom that I tow my 5700 lb 32 foot travel trailer with. With the traditional round bars weight distribution hitch, I sagged about 4 inches. I just bought the Equalizer hitch because we’ll be going on a 1500 mile road trip with our travel trailer. I was curious if there are benefits to using air bags with the Equalizer hitch? Also, is it necessary to upgrade the tires to a higher load range? Thank you.

Check out the Roadmaster Active Suspension.  Easy to install and will make a big difference.  If you tow frequently enough, go for the heavy duty version.

 

Compare air bags to these and you will find the Roadmaster is the best option.  It's a great product.

AlaskaErik Enthusiast

AlaskaErik

Posted
Posted

A lot of people severely underestimate the weight of their fully loaded trailer and its tongue weight.  4 inched of sag tells me you have a heavy tongue weight and/or a lot of people and gear in the truck.  I've never had a 4 inch sag towing with either my 2016 or 2019.  I'd start by weighing the truck and trailer when they're fully loaded.  Also weigh the truck alone.  That way you can determine your tongue weight if you don't have a tongue scale.  You should not need air bags if all weight limitations are below their max limit.

calgator73 Senior Enthusiast

calgator73

Posted
Posted

Check this out....looks like a decent way to do it:

 

 

Like Alaska said though...just be careful of load but have a hard time believing you're overloaded with that light of a trailer.

RWTJR Enthusiast

RWTJR

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, R J said:

I have a 2020 Silverado Trail Boss Custom that I tow my 5700 lb 32 foot travel trailer with. With the traditional round bars weight distribution hitch, I sagged about 4 inches. I just bought the Equalizer hitch because we’ll be going on a 1500 mile road trip with our travel trailer. I was curious if there are benefits to using air bags with the Equalizer hitch? Also, is it necessary to upgrade the tires to a higher load range? Thank you.

 Watch the whole video.

 

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aliveguy5 Enthusiast

aliveguy5

Posted
Posted

I have a 2020 Tboss that I tow a 34' TT with at about 8k. I have the equalizer as well. I squat 2 inches max which leads to believe that you have a much higher tongue weight than you think. Or you aren't distributing the weight properly. 

 

I also switched to Bilstein 5100's on all four corners which helped the stability while towing. 

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R J Enthusiast

R J

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I appreciate all the replies so far. The sticker on the trailer says the weight is 5630 lbs to be exact with an approximate tongue weight of 590 lbs. I have about 630 lbs of passenger and dog weight and about 250 lbs of cargo weight in the trailer. Honestly, the round bars probably could’ve used better adjustment. Now that I have the Equalizer hitch, I’ll be sure to set it right. I also installed a set of Bilstein 5100 in the rear. 

R J Enthusiast

R J

Posted
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1 hour ago, aliveguy5 said:

I have a 2020 Tboss that I tow a 34' TT with at about 8k. I have the equalizer as well. I squat 2 inches max which leads to believe that you have a much higher tongue weight than you think. Or you aren't distributing the weight properly. 

 

I also switched to Bilstein 5100's on all four corners which helped the stability while towing. 

I appreciate the reply, how does the Bilstein 5100 in the front help with towing? I have them in the rear but was always curious about the advantages of doing the fronts as well.

aliveguy5 Enthusiast

aliveguy5

Posted
Posted
21 minutes ago, R J said:

I appreciate the reply, how does the Bilstein 5100 in the front help with towing? I have them in the rear but was always curious about the advantages of doing the fronts as well.

I originally only did the rears and then took my TT on a short trip roughly 45 minutes away. After I got camp setup I opened my phone and ordered the fronts and had them installed the following Monday and for anyone towing I would recommend the exact same. I love the ranchos for regular driving as they are pillow soft. However they let the truck bounce too much. When I installed the Bilstein the rears my rear end was planted and felt great. My front then felt disconnected from the rear and I could watch my front sway. After I installed them in the front it now tows extremely stable and well. Highly recommended from personal experience to put them on all fours so that you aren't dampening differently at both ends. 

AlaskaErik Enthusiast

AlaskaErik

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, R J said:

I appreciate all the replies so far. The sticker on the trailer says the weight is 5630 lbs to be exact with an approximate tongue weight of 590 lbs. I have about 630 lbs of passenger and dog weight and about 250 lbs of cargo weight in the trailer. Honestly, the round bars probably could’ve used better adjustment. Now that I have the Equalizer hitch, I’ll be sure to set it right. I also installed a set of Bilstein 5100 in the rear. 

The tongue weight listed in the brochure is utterly meaningless.  Once you add batteries, propane and all the gear you take along, your tongue weight will be hundreds of pounds heavier.  The brochure lists my trailer's tongue weight at 392 lbs.  When I weighed it, it was 710 lbs, and I wasn't even loaded up for a trip.  Your fully loaded weight for the trailer is probably well over 6000 lbs.  At 13 percent, which is typical, a 6000 lb trailer will have a tongue weight of 780 lbs.  So you're looking at over 1400 lbs of your payload capacity used up.  Add in the weight of the hitch and weight distribution hitch and you're probably over 1500 lbs.  And that yellow payload capacity sticker on your driver door jamb, that's your payload capacity before you added any accessories to your truck, such as a canopy or tonneau cover, side steps or bars, lift kit, bigger tires, etc.  All that reduces your payload capacity.  So my guess is that you're over your truck's payload capacity.

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R J Enthusiast

R J

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13 hours ago, AlaskaErik said:

The tongue weight listed in the brochure is utterly meaningless.  Once you add batteries, propane and all the gear you take along, your tongue weight will be hundreds of pounds heavier.  The brochure lists my trailer's tongue weight at 392 lbs.  When I weighed it, it was 710 lbs, and I wasn't even loaded up for a trip.  Your fully loaded weight for the trailer is probably well over 6000 lbs.  At 13 percent, which is typical, a 6000 lb trailer will have a tongue weight of 780 lbs.  So you're looking at over 1400 lbs of your payload capacity used up.  Add in the weight of the hitch and weight distribution hitch and you're probably over 1500 lbs.  And that yellow payload capacity sticker on your driver door jamb, that's your payload capacity before you added any accessories to your truck, such as a canopy or tonneau cover, side steps or bars, lift kit, bigger tires, etc.  All that reduces your payload capacity.  So my guess is that you're over your truck's payload capacity.

I’m going to weigh my trailer and get back to you. I appreciate the advice.

Dirtbiker Enthusiast

Dirtbiker

Posted
Posted (edited)
21 hours ago, R J said:

I appreciate all the replies so far. The sticker on the trailer says the weight is 5630 lbs to be exact with an approximate tongue weight of 590 lbs. I have about 630 lbs of passenger and dog weight and about 250 lbs of cargo weight in the trailer. Honestly, the round bars probably could’ve used better adjustment. Now that I have the Equalizer hitch, I’ll be sure to set it right. I also installed a set of Bilstein 5100 in the rear. 

Don’t forget how much water weighs when you fill the tanks as well. It adds a lot of weight to the trailer plus food, dishes,  etc. It doesn't take much to add 1000 pounds to the empty  trailer weight. Maybe you accounted for this but in case you didn’t......

Edited by Dirtbiker
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