Having air baggage for towing a Fifth Wheel RV will certainly make the experience extra snug, however do you actually need them? Now we have executed over 20,000 miles this 12 months with and with out air baggage and have a number of actual life information for you.
Do you want air baggage for towing a fifth wheel? No, however there are just a few causes you might need to severely think about getting them.
That’s our Truck earlier than any upgrades with our RV on it. As you may 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 massive 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 associates are already in Indiana to choose it up. Now we have 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?
All the 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 part I’ve to go by says we’re good to go.
After I first backed below the pin and attached every little thing seemed nice. Then I began to lift the entrance jacks. The truck received decrease and decrease, till it began to move the purpose the place it was sitting stage, and the headlights really 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 really taking weight off of your entrance tires. The entire goal of the Fifth Wheel type of hooking up, is to evenly distribute the burden 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 experience 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 backwards and forwards like I used to be utilizing a shake weight.
One factor to remember, we haven’t even put a single factor in our new RV so that is the lightest it is going to 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 baggage. Now in hind sight towing the RV with that squatted stance in all probability wasn’t the brightest factor I’ve executed.
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 concern. We have been even in a position to navigate the mountains of Vermont high quality, or so I believed.
The extra journeys we went on, the extra I turned 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 once I did, that squat received extra pronounced.
22 Should Have’s For Full Time RV Dwelling
There was an extreme quantity of chucking (the bounce and bang noise from the trailer weight on the truck). In case you hit a pothole, you don’t even need to know the way a lot of a shudder rolled by way of the body of the truck.
We may even cease the rig in what I believed 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 baggage, 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 seemed higher with the fifth wheel attached. Now I do know that appears isn’t what this text is about, however when you’ve seen my truck, you realize I spent a couple of bucks on how she seems to be. 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 to be higher! Past the way it seems to be, 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 properly. I can inform by how all 4 rims have brake mud on them now as an alternative of simply the entrance two! Not thrilled concerning the further cleansing on the automotive wash, however hey we will cease in much less time now!
Experience consolation? Night time and day. With the RV attached, and the air baggage inflated, it’s SO a lot softer of a experience. Once we are snaking by way of mountain roads, it stays far 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 good friend and having air baggage, 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 determine when 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 may set your air baggage up. I knew have been have been going to be inflating and deflating them a number of instances per week, so I needed straightforward. The set up took a bit longer, however my on daily basis was simpler.
We went with the Load Lifter 5000 air baggage for our F350. The air baggage put in in about an hour with none busted knuckles or inventing new curse phrases. Two thumbs up!
For inflating the air baggage, I needed to have the ability to simply hit a swap and air up or down relying on what we have been doing. You may simply run an air line to your again bumper and air up and down while you hook up, a lot of folks do. I didn’t need to pull out an air compressor 3 instances per week.
I went with the Firestone Experience-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 method functioned. It carried out precisely as I anticipated it too, and when you watch the above video, you may see how helpful it got here in.
The Air Bag System I Want I Obtained
If I have been to do it another time, the one factor I remorse not doing, is getting a system with a tank. The system we received works high quality, and we nonetheless use it at present, 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 be capable of put a fast join below the bumper to connect an air line. Then I might be capable of fill truck tires after they have been low, even in the course of nowhere. We may air up bike tires, blow up tubes to drift within the lake, all types of issues.
The opposite factor we may do is use that very same system for an air horn setup. I do know the air horn isn’t mandatory however we’ve all been cruising at freeway pace and had a wise automotive merge in entrance of you at 30 mph. The air horn undoubtedly turns out to be 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’re going to 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 when you do, hopefully you run into your personal Mark and Celia on the highway.
