Quote:
Originally Posted by Abbeyroad2
Is it better to have air bags on the truck or air bags on the 5th wheel hitch?
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It depends on why you want either kind of air bags. And you can have both air suspension and air hitch, so you don't have to choose only one of those.
The purpose of air bags in the truck's rear suspension is to allow you to raise the rear end of the truck to compensate for the rear-end sag caused by heavy pin weight. Without the air bags in the suspension, the headlights may be aiming at the stars and blinding oncoming drivers at night.
The purpose of air bags built into the hitch is to absorb the shock of the kingpin banging around in the hitch when you hit bumps or chugholes or slam on the brakes or pore on the coal.
Air bags in the suspension won't do anything for hitch banging. Air bags in the hitch won't do anything for a sagging rear end.
With a good 5er hitch and a GM 4500 towing machine, you probably won't need either one. I wouldn't install air bags in the suspension until after your first towing trip with some nighttime towing. If oncoming traffic flashes their lights at you, then you probably need the air bags in the suspension.
I've never needed any sort of air hitch. But then I've never towed a heavy 5er. The 5er I towed for 12 years and about 100,000 miles grossed around 8,000 pounds. No need for an air hitch with that 5er.
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Grumpy ole man with over 60 years towing experience. Now my heaviest trailer is a 7'x16' 5,000-pound flatbed utility trailer, my tow vehicle is a 2019 F-150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCab with Max Tow (1,904 pounds payload capacity).