Having air luggage for towing your Fifth Wheel RV will certainly make the journey extra comfy, however do you really want them? We’ve performed over 20,000 miles this 12 months with and with out air luggage and have quite a lot of actual life information for you.
Is it a requirement to have air luggage for towing a fifth wheel? No, however there are just a few causes chances are you’ll need to severely contemplate getting them.
That’s our Truck earlier than any upgrades with our RV on it. As you possibly can see, our Fifth Wheel isn’t by any means small. We knew it was massive earlier than we went to choose it up, however didn’t totally grasp simply how giant it was.
We are actually the identical dimension because the tractor trailers we park subsequent to on the relaxation stops on the Interstates.
Once we first picked up our Montana 381TH my truck squatted like an influence lifter. She’s fairly, She’s robust, and seeing her drop that booty to the bottom wasn’t horny.
There’s nothing I can do about it now, my Spouse and I and one in every of our greatest pals are already in Indiana to choose it up. We’ve to be again in Jersey by tomorrow evening as a result of all of us have work the next morning.
How Do I Know If I Want Air Luggage For Towing?
The entire math labored. Our truck was rated to tow the RV. Our hitch was rated for the pin weight. The tires have been rated excessive sufficient too. Every little thing I’ve to go by says we’re good to go.
After I first backed underneath the pin and connected every part appeared nice. Then I began to lift the entrance jacks. The truck acquired decrease and decrease, till it began to cross the purpose the place it was sitting stage, and the headlights truly began to level skyward.
This proper right here is an indication that your suspension wants some assist. When your truck is pointing nostril up, you’re truly taking weight off of your entrance tires. The entire function of the Fifth Wheel type of hooking up, is to evenly distribute the load of your trailer to all 4 tires.
In case your truck goes nostril up within the car parking zone, simply wait till you set your foot into the throttle.
On our journey again east I appeared like I used to be driving in a 1930’s film. My 10 and a couple of was extra like 12 going forwards and backwards like I used to be utilizing a shake weight.
One factor to bear in mind, we haven’t even put a single factor in our new RV so that is the lightest it would ever be. There’s no garments within the dresser, no meals within the fridge, and no water within the tanks.
Towing With out Air Luggage
After we had moved in to the RV, we took it on a number of journeys with out air luggage. Now in hind sight towing the RV with that squatted stance in all probability wasn’t the brightest factor I’ve performed.
The truck pulled it and not using a downside, not one which I observed anyway. We have been in a position to cruise at freeway speeds and begin and cease at site visitors lights with out difficulty. We have been even in a position to navigate the mountains of Vermont fantastic, or so I believed.
The extra journeys we went on, the extra I grew to become in tune with the truck and what it was doing happening the highway. Sure we have been in a position to take off from a light-weight at an honest charge, however after I did, that squat acquired extra pronounced.
There was an extreme quantity of chucking (the bounce and bang noise from the trailer weight on the truck). For those who hit a pothole, you don’t even need to know the way a lot of a shudder rolled by means of the body of the truck.
We might even cease the rig in what I believed was a suitable distance for its dimension. Till our brake pads disappeared on our approach to Lake George that’s. Then my buddy Sean and I needed to do a full brake job at a campground. That was enjoyable.
Towing With Air Luggage
After putting in the air luggage, towing our RV was an entire new expertise. Actually even when we downsize to a smaller rig, I’m nonetheless going to make use of them. The benefits of having them far outweighed the price of shopping for them!
Proper off the bat our truck appeared higher with the fifth wheel connected. Now I do know that appears isn’t what this text is about, however for those who’ve seen my truck, you already know I spent a couple of bucks on how she seems. Draggin ass is NOT the look I used to be going for!
When the truck sits stage with the RV on it, the entire setup simply seems higher! Past the way it seems, the way in which it tows is a dream. Fairly than the entire weight being on the rear axle, it was unfold evenly throughout all 4 tires.
Guess what? Now my tires are carrying down evenly! No extra baldies within the again!
Our brakes at the moment are carrying extra evenly as effectively. I can inform by how all 4 rims have brake mud on them now as an alternative of simply the entrance two! Not thrilled in regards to the additional cleansing on the automotive wash, however hey we are able to cease in much less time now!
Trip consolation? Evening and day. With the RV connected, and the air luggage inflated, it’s SO a lot softer of a journey. Once we are snaking by means of mountain roads, it stays rather more stage now too. When the RV isn’t on the truck, simply deflate them and it’s again to inventory.
Having Air Luggage For Towing Saved Our Ass
Have you ever had a leaf spring snap on you? We did, and didn’t even comprehend it! That would have ended catastrophically, however phoning a pal and having air luggage, saved our cross nation journey.
I’ve included a YouTube video from our second season on the highway. In case you are making an attempt to resolve for those who ought to get them, I might recommend you watch the video.
It’s actual life. No Hollywood BS, No paid promotion, No lets make it look good for YouTube. That is simply actual life what occurred to us, and we occur to be YouTubers.
The Air Bag System We Have
There are a number of methods you possibly can set your air luggage up. I knew have been have been going to be inflating and deflating them a number of occasions per week, so I needed simple. The set up took slightly longer, however my day-after-day was simpler.
We went with the Load Lifter 5000 air luggage for our F350. The air luggage put in in about an hour with none busted knuckles or inventing new curse phrases. Two thumbs up!
For inflating the air luggage, I needed to have the ability to simply hit a change and air up or down relying on what we have been doing. You’ll be able to simply run an air line to your again bumper and air up and down whenever you hook up, a number of individuals do. I didn’t need to pull out an air compressor 3 occasions every week.
I went with the Firestone Trip-Ceremony on board compressor system so I can simply hop within the truck and hit some switches. Set up was fairly straight ahead. The toughest elements have been discovering a spot to mount the compressor, and a spot to run the air strains into the cab for the switches.
General, I’m not in any method dissatisfied with the way in which this method functioned. It carried out precisely as I anticipated it too, and for those who watch the above video, you possibly can see how useful it got here in.
The Air Bag System I Want I Received
If I have been to do it yet again, the one factor I remorse not doing, is getting a system with a tank. The system we acquired works fantastic, and we nonetheless use it at the moment, however there are issues that I wish to do this I want I considered sooner.
If I had gotten a compressor system with a tank I might have the ability to put a fast join underneath the bumper to connect an air line. Then I might have the ability to fill truck tires after they have been low, even in the midst of nowhere. We might air up bike tires, blow up tubes to drift within the lake, every kind of issues.
The opposite factor we might do is use that very same system for an air horn setup. I do know the air horn isn’t crucial however we’ve all been cruising at freeway velocity and had a wise automotive merge in entrance of you at 30 mph. The air horn positively turns out to be useful for getting their consideration.
So no. You don’t NEED airbags for towing your fifth wheel, however they do turn out to be useful. If you’ll get an airbag system, I might say to buy round and get a system with an air tank that matches your truck. Hopefully you by no means should do the Mark and Doug airbag patch job, however for those who do, hopefully you run into your individual Mark and Celia on the highway.