How to set up equalizer hitch

[new rver]

Just put air bags on truck to level it out. How do you'd ajust your sway bar hitch.
Thanks for any replys

[avigil]

I believe you set up the equalizer hitch without the bags first. That is the only way I know of to make sure you set it correctly. Then after that you could apply air to them.
But I don't have airbags, I only have the equalizer hitch.

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by avigil

I believe you set up the equalizer hitch without the bags first. That is the only way I know of to make sure you set it correctly. Then after that you could apply air to them.
But I don't have airbags, I only have the equalizer hitch.

Airing up after the fact will throw it all way off. Honestly if you need airbags and a wdh i think id be looking at a heavier truck.

[Cumminsfan]

Why do you need airbags?
If you're trying to re-level the truck because you have a front leveling kit on then yeah maybe.
If you're loading up the truck and it sags before hitching then yeah airbags help.
If you're using airbags because the TT's tongue weight is too much for the trucks rear suspension then NO you shouldn't be using bags. You should get stiffer bars.

I used bags once with a truck and TT along with a WDH. What should be done is measure the trucks rear when empty. Load up what you put in the truck then air the bags to get the truck back to the OEM rear height. THEN use the WDH to set the front of the truck up.

Airbags don't transfer weight to the front of the tow vehicle. They just lift the rear of the tow vehicle.

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Why do you need airbags?
If you're trying to re-level the truck because you have a front leveling kit on then yeah maybe.
If you're loading up the truck and it sags before hitching then yeah airbags help.
If you're using airbags because the TT's tongue weight is too much for the trucks rear suspension then NO you shouldn't be using bags. You should get stiffer bars.

I used bags once with a truck and TT along with a WDH. What should be done is measure the trucks rear when empty. Load up what you put in the truck then air the bags to get the truck back to the OEM rear height. THEN use the WDH to set the front of the truck up.

Airbags don't transfer weight to the front of the tow vehicle. They just lift the rear of the tow vehicle.

Factory height with or without the trailer? Empty height for loaded is way wrong. You want it to sit level loaded.

[Cumminsfan]

Originally Posted by Jshopes81

Factory height with or without the trailer? Empty height for loaded is way wrong. You want it to sit level loaded.

Nothing wrong with needing bags for a heavily loaded truck. If you put a heavy load in the rear of a truck and then add the weight of the TT's tongue to it you'll need really stiff bars to try and transfer weight back to the front of the TV.
BTDT.
Some guy that puts a Golf Cart in the bed of his truck and then drops 1,000+ lbs on the receiver will have a pretty good sag in the rear of the truck.
Adding bags helps bring the rear of the truck back to OEM specs after loading the GC in it.
Then hitch up and set the front of the truck. The bags are only compensating for the heavy GC in the bed, they have nothing to do with the WDH.

Where people get into trouble is after hitching up they think they need to add air to the bags. That as you say messes with the WDH's function.

In the above case the bags are no different then adding helper springs.

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Nothing wrong with needing bags for a heavily loaded truck. If you put a heavy load in the rear of a truck and then add the weight of the TT's tongue to it you'll need really stiff bars to try and transfer weight back to the front of the TV.
BTDT.
Some guy that puts a Golf Cart in the bed of his truck and then drops 1,000+ lbs on the receiver will have a pretty good sag in the rear of the truck.
Adding bags helps bring the rear of the truck back to OEM specs after loading the GC in it.
Then hitch up and set the front of the truck. The bags are only compensating for the heavy GC in the bed, they have nothing to do with the WDH.

Where people get into trouble is after hitching up they think they need to add air to the bags. That as you say messes with the WDH's function.

In the above case the bags are no different then adding helper springs.

I see alot of people anymore on fb groups that think the 4" raised in the rear stance is level when its not. Just clarifying.

[RobbieH]

Originally Posted by Jshopes81

Airing up after the fact will throw it all way off. Honestly if you need airbags and a wdh i think id be looking at a heavier truck.

Agreed.

[new rver]

Thanks for replys

[AJE]

I have the same setup, and I just add air to the bags. I wouldn’t have bought them if I had to do it over.

I like the WDH better than using the bags. Adding air to the bags reduces the effectiveness of the hitch.

[bross]

Best info I've seen on air bags vs wdh...

The Difference Between Using Weight Distribution and Air Bags to Level Your Load

[mikeyk101]

In my case, I have a 2016 Silverado that I installed a 2" level on the front to add slightly larger tires onto. This was done well before I even considered buying a travel trailer. This year though, I did buy a TT. The problem I ran into was that even after adding a Equal-izer WDH, and making sure to follow the instructions, I had the proper weights on front an rear axles per CAT weighing but I had too much sag in the rear. This caused a nose high front end which especially headlight issues at night. In reality, it wasn't a nose high as following the WDH instructions I had returned the front end back to the height it was before hitching up. But with rear end sag, it caused the nose to point slightly upward. And the rear end sag also was normal. I had about 2" of sag on rear before applying weight distribution and after WD, it came back up. Had I not had the level kit on the front, I would be perfectly set up.

I couldn't (or didn't want to because of tires) eliminate the front end level so the solution was air bags in rear. I went with the Airlift 5000 bags. What I did was add about 16-18 psi in the bags and this slightly raises up rear end just higher than the front prior to setting up the WDH. This also caused the ball to be a bit higher than when the hitch was first set up. When I first added the airbags, and hitched up, the TT was slightly nose high. In turn, I ended up lowering the ball to match the trailer coupler height when TT was level. After going through the setup again, TT was now angled down, front end of truck was again back to same height pre hitch, and the rear end, even with the acceptable amount of sag, no longer caused the headlights to point skyward at night.

Just to add, I also did the level because besides being able to add slightly larger tires, I also was never a fan of the rake look. I like having the truck have a level stance. So this is more personal preference. And with airbags aired up to 16-18, it gives me the rake back for towing. I could have added blocks in the rear and accomplish the same thing. But with airbags, after I'm done towing, I can reduce the air back down to 5-10psi and no more rake. I carry a cordless Ryobi air tool with digital gauge so it's a breeze to adjust.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ON...c=ds&gclsrc=ds

I just barely push the air nozzle onto the airbag valves, start airing up while watching the gauge, go about 2 psi higher on gauge and let go of trigger, and it will drop so I am at the pressure I want. By just barely pressing air compressor fitting onto the air bag Schrader vales, when I undo it, I dont lose pressure on the airbags. I have compared the digital gauge on the Ryobi to several air gauges that I trust and it appears to be pretty accurate. And this Ryobi is also great for easily maintaining tire pressures on both the truck and the TT.

[AJE]

Originally Posted by AJE

I have the same setup, and I just add air to the bags. I wouldn’t have bought them if I had to do it over.

I like the WDH better than using the bags. Adding air to the bags reduces the effectiveness of the hitch.

I can't edit my post now for some reason , but I meant to type I DON'T add air to the bags when Im towing.

I keep them at 10-15psi all the time, unless I were to tow a short distance without my WDH.

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by AJE

I can't edit my post now for some reason.........

The edit feature times out (goes away) after some amount of time from the last edit or post of it. Not sure, somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes. After I make a post I will re-read and edit it quickly, sometimes several times.....

Charles