Having air luggage for towing your Fifth Wheel RV will certainly make the trip extra comfy, however do you really want them? We have now achieved over 20,000 miles this yr with and with out air luggage and have a number 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 it’s possible you’ll wish 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 large earlier than we went to choose it up, however didn’t totally grasp simply how massive it was.
We are actually the identical dimension because the tractor trailers we park subsequent to on the relaxation stops on the Interstates.
After 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 certainly one of our greatest pals are already in Indiana to choose it up. We have now to be again in Jersey by tomorrow night time as a result of all of us have work the next morning.
How Do I Know If I Want Air Baggage 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. All the pieces I’ve to go by says we’re good to go.
Once I first backed underneath the pin and attached the whole lot seemed nice. Then I began to lift the entrance jacks. The truck acquired decrease and decrease, till it began to go 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 might be truly taking weight off of your entrance tires. The entire goal 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 place your foot into the throttle.
On our trip again east I seemed like I used to be driving in a 1930’s film. My 10 and a pair 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’ll ever be. There’s no garments within the dresser, no meals within the fridge, and no water within the tanks.
Towing With out Air Baggage
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 most likely wasn’t the brightest factor I’ve achieved.
The truck pulled it with out a drawback, not one which I observed anyway. We have been capable of cruise at freeway speeds and begin and cease at visitors lights with out problem. We have been even capable of navigate the mountains of Vermont positive, or so I assumed.
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 capable of take off from a lightweight at an honest fee, however once 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). If you happen to hit a pothole, you don’t even wish to understand how a lot of a shudder rolled by way of the body of the truck.
We might even cease the rig in what I assumed was a suitable distance for its dimension. Till our brake pads disappeared on our option 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 Baggage
After putting in the air luggage, towing our RV was a complete 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 seemed higher with the fifth wheel attached. Now I do know that appears isn’t what this text is about, however in the event you’ve seen my truck, I spent a couple of bucks on how she appears. 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 appears higher! Past the way it appears, the way in which it tows is a dream. Fairly than all the weight being on the rear axle, it was unfold evenly throughout all 4 tires.
Guess what? Now my tires are sporting down evenly! No extra baldies within the again!
Our brakes at the moment are sporting extra evenly as nicely. 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 automobile wash, however hey we will cease in much less time now!
Journey consolation? Night time and day. With the RV attached, and the air luggage inflated, it’s SO a lot softer of a trip. After we are snaking by way 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 Baggage For Towing Saved Our Ass
Have you ever had a leaf spring snap on you? We did, and didn’t even comprehend it! That might 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 attempting to determine in the event you 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 wished straightforward. The set up took somewhat longer, however my on daily basis 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 wished 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, plenty of individuals do. I didn’t wish to pull out an air compressor 3 occasions per week.
I went with the Firestone Journey-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 components have been discovering a spot to mount the compressor, and a spot to run the air strains into the cab for the switches.
Total, I’m not in any method dissatisfied with the way in which this technique functioned. It carried out precisely as I anticipated it too, and in the event you watch the above video, you possibly can see how useful it got here in.
The Air Bag System I Want I Bought
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 positive, and we nonetheless use it right this moment, however there are issues that I want to try 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 once 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 needed however we’ve all been cruising at freeway pace and had a sensible automobile merge in entrance of you at 30 mph. The air horn undoubtedly is useful for getting their consideration.
So no. You don’t NEED airbags for towing your fifth wheel, however they do come in useful. If you will 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 need to do the Mark and Doug airbag patch job, however in the event you do, hopefully you run into your individual Mark and Celia on the highway.