Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Air bag helpers, equilizer hitch or both?

2012 F-150 w/EcoBoost. Towing a camper (3300 lbs dry) and minimal load in the truck's bed.

Which upgrade would make the most sense?

We will be making a trek from South Dakota to Fairbanks in April, so I'd like the best ride possible for the investment.

https://www.suspensionconnection.com/59568-f150-air-springs.html

https://www.eaz-lift.com/product-page/eaz-lift-1000lb-elite-hitch-kit

(Not the exact products I am necessarily wanting to get, but simply examples of each)

I have a tacoma and was pulling a dual axle trailer and did both... all good.

For a camper which might run 5000 lb provisioned, I would use EZ-lyft load leveling hitch on a soft suspension like an F150. Depending on length of trailer I would consider sway stabilization. On a 16 or eighteen footer, side sway is not a big deal. But side winds against a 24 foot trailer or larger hitched to a softly sprung pickup or SUV can cause terrors which the memory of will keep you awake at night.

Air bags do a great job of lifting the rear bumper away from the ground. They do not prevent the tongue weight of the trailer from lightening the front axle of the tow vehicle. That teeter trotter effect will reduce breaking ability of the front wheels, and may possibly cause the front wheels to skid and understeer while breaking.

A load leveling hitch like an EZ-lyft actually transfers weight from the back axle of the tow vehicle onto the front axle where you need it.

Start with the equalizer hitch with anti sway. I'm talking about the equalizer brand hitch. Get it dialed in /well adjusted and use it a bit. Then decide what you want to do from there. The equalizer weight distributing hitch will make a big difference. I doubt you'll need air bags.

The air bags will help more if you have weight in the bed. I have them on my 3/4 ton. When I put a stock rack with 1000lb of llamas in the bed and hang a camp trailer with a 500lb tongue weight on the hitch, it sags. The air bags nicely bring it back up to level and it handles great.

I've been using a Reese equalizer hitch for over 40 years, the one with a T-shaped ball mount that allows the ball height to be adjusted up or down several inches, 1" at a time. A properly set up equalizer hitch will drop both the front and rear bumpers the same distance when the ball height and spring bar tension is adjusted properly. Use the air bags to level the tow vehicle before connecting the trailer, and don't get tempted to add more air to correct sag at the rear bumper. If that happens, your hitch is set up wrong. Incorrect front/rear weight distribution can get deadly, with too much rear weight making the steering squirrely, and too much front weight will cause the rig to jackknife if the brakes are applied too vigorously in a turn. Also add trailer brakes and a good electronic brake controller. If the trailer starts to sway and tail-wag, apply full trailer braking manually, and go to full throttle on the tow rig to stop the sway.
Jerry

I would go with the Reese equalizer hitch and a electronic sway control from Tuson. The Tuson control is the only unit that controls the sway from the correct end of the lever. The friction controls is at the wrong end of the lever. I've been running the Tuson control from 2011. I consulted on the development of the design. There is no trailer sway even in extreme cross wind conditions.

https://tusonrvbrakes.com/products/tuson-sway-control-tsc-1000

I pull a larger trailer without the equalizer hitch. My setup is a RAM 2500 6.4L with Timbrens and the Tuson anti-sway control module.

29' travel trailer 1204# tongue weight.

Hitch by far.

If it is adjusted right the trailer will pull like its not there.

Key being right.

I put Air Lift brand air bags on a couple of F150 pickups.

The 2013 hauls an ATV in the bed and pulls a 6' X 12' single axle cargo trailer with elk camp in it. The bags level it up and put the headlights back on the road. Handles nice

The other pickup carries a vet unit and sometimes has a 7000# hydraulic squeeze chute hooked on it. It's pretty tongue heavy. Even leveled out with the bags you need to drive like you've got 7000 lbs behind a half ton.

Not a Ford but on my old Sierra 1500 I pulled a toy hauler for a while ~4500 lbs dry. The toy hauler came with an equalizer hitch and it was a piece of cake to tow had good manners. As has been said you need to learn how to adjust it right. Mind you the truck had an extra leaf that came with a leveling kit I installed too so I was slightly stiffer than stock I guess. fwiw.....

2012 so you have haul mode, did they have the ten-speed by then?
Assuming dual axle.
Length and height are a consideration. One your moving the weight is of less influence then frontal area (except for stopping).

The hitch first. So effective That I could tell if I hooked just one chain link short by the handling.

Do you have a sway bar on the back of the truck ? Airbags will level you out, but won’t help you if the end is trying to swing around

3300 pounds?


Whats the problem again??

You're likely right in that I am worrying about little to nothing...I just want the best, safest and most comfortable way to haul the thing 3000 miles. I figure it will be about 5K when loaded and such, maybe off on that though.

Yeah, I get it. I was needlessly sarcastic with my comment.



You are no doubt on the right track.


Do you have a brake controller? Put new....heavy tires on the trailer.

I realized the satire and it is appreciated! 😁

The truck has a factory installed brake controller and the camper will be brand new.

I go with the bags. At some point you have stuff in the bed while the trailer is hanging on the back.

The hitch is good but won’t help the bed weight

Thats good about the brake controller.




The old bird that was my wife's grandmother was of the opinion that you should re-sew the button on a new shirt.

I am of the opinion that you should schit can the "tires" that come standard with a new trailer.



Wouldn't run those junkers on a wheel barrow.



The bags will help with your headlights and just generally make the experience more comfortable.


The hitch will turn you into a truck driving sombitch. They really do help.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a good trailer tire? I know about nothing as to their attributes and what makes a good one good or bad one bad.

Those hydraulic surge trailer brakes used on U-hauls and many boat trailers can kill you. They only work when the trailer pushes forward on the hitch ball. There's no way to brake manually.

I had air bags and a weight distribution hitch on my f-150 but I was pulling a 30ft trailer.. When I pulled my son's 5k trailer around with the same truck, I never used or needed the equilizer hitch bars.. It towed just fine without it... Never used sway bar with either.

I think trailer tires are more about load rating than anything.

The sell "trailer" tires but as a old tire guy I know said, "the tire don't know what it's on."

The only thing I can think of is that trailer tires are not designed to take the stresses applied from turning or driving wheels. (Torsion or sheer stress?).

American made tire made for a trailer, plus the spare.

Cheap tires is not what you want on that trip.

Trailer tires have a stiffer sidewall than car tires. LT tires are commonly used but car tires are too flexible and let the trailer wag too much. Radial trailer tires are designed to handle the stress of a trailer and work great.
I have a 4 horse trailer that I use to haul llamas. I found rims for it the same size as my pickup so when I replace my pickup tires, the old ones go to the trailer. The former trailer tires get dumped even if the tread is decent. They're getting pretty old and weathered by that time. They're E rated LT's.

I would go with the hitch. It will raise the rear end of the truck so no need for the bags. I run Carlisle trailer tires on mine, the heaviest ones they make. I'll get the specs later if you need them. Air pressure in your tires is also important and especially on the trailer. Low pressure = heat and blow outs. Been there done that. Loaded up your probably still going to be less than 6000 lbs and should have to look in the mirror to see if it's there, even with a half ton if it's set up right.

I dont have any recommendations on tires.

I just buy the heaviest I can find.

Personally....I would never trust a manufacturer installed tire for a trip to Alaska!


The tires on my stock trailer are 14 ply radials.

negative

The best trailer tires (for a trailer of your size and weight) are LT C rated light truck tires in a C weight rating. LT tires are built to much higher specifications than trailer tires because they are built to passenger safety standards and built to take aggressive turning, braking, and acceleration.

I have never seen a trailer rated tire (except those built and sized for commercial use) last like an LT tire put on a trailer.

I have some Toyo M 55 tires which I took off of a 84 Chevy K5 Blazer back in '97 when they were worn to minimum legal tread depth which still serve well on a trailer for short trips a couple times a year.

My camp trailer needed the tires replaced a couple summers ago. The "trailer tires" all looked new, with deep tread. But they started separating. One actually exploded right in the driveway while I was nearby checking the oil on a tractor. It scared the holy crap out of me.

So, any way, my daily commuter is a 92 Toyota PU with Toyo LT 225-75-15 C rated tires on it. The tire were about two years old with about 20K of usage. You can probably guess what happened next. Yes, right. The Toyota got a new set of Toyos and the camp trailer got the 1/2 used set. They are plenty strong enough for the weight of the trailer without being so rigid that they shake it to pieces.

ETA: Okay, I missed the "all the way to Alaska" part. Definitely LT light truck tires. The best you can find, like top of the line Toyo M 55. Possibly D rated to protect the sidewalls and tread from puncture due to sharp rocks on crude gravel roads. But D rated tires will be harder on the trailer. They will transmit more shock and vibration to the trailer. I see the Toyo LT M 55 235-75-15 D listed at Walmart for $200 each. That is cheap insurance.

Toyo used to make a top tier non traction model called the M 54 which would be better suited for trailer use. But I can no longer find it listed anywhere. Talk to a reputable tire dealer.

My sincere advice would be discuss the matter with someone experienced with the road conditions. I am not.

Thanks for all the advice, fellas...Keep it coming! Especially in reference to the tires at this point.

Very good information from Rock Chuck and Idaho Shooter.

Thank you guys.


I thought about the matching wheel size trick ( have a second set of wheels plus a few, but I would have had to mill out the centerholes to clear the bearing caps.

X2 on getting info on conditions.
In April you know you will see Frostheaves, snow, frozen mud, and mud over frozen what have you.

Both

I have 17" wheels on both my pickup and trailer. However, the ones on the pickup are 8 hole while the trailer is 6 hole. That doesn't matter as long as the diameter and width will match. Of course the spares aren't interchangeable.

The Alaska highway is just a long paved road although there may be sections of construction; just as there may be on any long paved road. Having said this, it wont hurt to use a decent load leveling hitch. I would not hesitate to carry some weight in the back of the pick-up as well. In truth, a trailer that light should be no problem.
It doesn't hurt to stop along the way and check your bearings and brakes. Especially on a new trailer, bearings will loosen off in a couple thousand miles. Also, trailer manufacturers have a tendency to use just enough axle to be legal and bending of the axle is not uncommon. This is why you want your trailer to sit level, with equal weight on each axle, before you start travelling.
Every highway I have travelled is bad when pulling a trailer. It is, apparently, impossible to build an overpass or bridge without putting a ski jump at each end. If you add in the frost heaves and collapsing substrate on the rest of the road, it can be rough going. GD

Like many things automotive, tires are much better made than in the past. Can’t remember the last flat tire I had. In 14 or so Alcan trips, many with trailers, I believe I had 1 flat. That one happened 25 years ago. Then again, strange things can happen.

Just put good quality tires, of recent manufacture, with good tread, on truck and trailer.

Standard caveats of checking pressure and lug nut torque apply.

Go with the Equalizer Hitch . Check out Etrailer.com. They have the best prices I found and terrific help getting you setup with correct weight rating.
Did the truck come with a receiver hitch or do you have to add one? Does it have towing package?

So you are looking at less than a 4,000 mile trip one way, on decent to excellent pavement nearly all the way. That's an oil change. No big deal.

Other than short gravel stretches (usually well maintained), the roughest section will be Canadian border or so to Tok - lotsa frost heaves thru there last time I went two years ago, with a Ram 3500, 3,000 lb pick-up camper. Piece of cake. Canadians make good roads. Those rock-throwing oil-field rigs in WY did a number on my windshield tho..... and so will the lumber trucks in Canada if you don't watch it. Be sure to have a rock guard on your hood - it helps.

Not having towed anything but a light boat trailer or U-haul I can't give much advise there, so listen to those who have done it. Don't let "Road trip to Alaska" spook you beyond normal driving as per above. This ain't 30 years ago, even. We are getting almost civilized.

Carlisle Radial Trail HD Trailer Tires are my choice.There tuff for a trailer tire and I've never had or seen a blowout with them...

I hope you're just being sarcastic. Carlisle trailer tires are so bad that Carlise only warrantees them for 2 years and Discount Tire quit selling them.

Maxxis M8008, Goodyear Endurance and the Carlise Radial Trail HD are all high quality ST type tires. Any of those tires would be fine. I run the Maxxis on a 7900# 29' travel trailer. Get the load rang E and set air pressure to your weight needs +20% I run at 70psi.

Done it all to my Dodge 2500, the two biggest things you can do, airbags and swap out the wheels and tires for 19.5 commercial tires. Expensive, but when you go over dips and bumps, those thick sidewalls make all the difference in the world.

Noted, I was going to do the matching wheel thing, just because I had them.

OP,
If you don't already have it grab a plug kit and a compressor or pump. As contender (my name is autocorrect and i am more frustrating than a virus) said tires are better, but on the other hand people are more rushed. I wound up with two different nails in my trailer tires last time I took it on a long run.

Both

Equalizer.... You don't need air bags..

After all or your fella's advice and lengthy research, I think the best money spent is on the hitch and quality tires. Thanks!

Both. You need the airbags anyway.

Somebody should tell those idiots that haul the camper trailers out of Indiana about some of these products. Lights pointed up blinding oncoming traffic. Driving 55 when everyone else drives 70.

He doesn't need the bags unless he carries enough weight in the bed to make it sag.

No,I have had very good luck with them..Read this review..

Trailer tire review

The problem with trailer tires is that they are the most abused tire out there..There not taken care of and kept out of the sun and rarely is the air pressure checked before taking off.Because they sit for long periods without use,they should be covered from the sun and the pressure kept up..I think people abuse there RV tires more than they abuse their batteries..

...a lot... That trailer might have a tongue wt. of about 350#... That F150 won't even know it's there..

I now concur with this after watching some engineers and such explaining the physics behind it all. It makes much more sense, now.

Air bags do NOT shift weight to the front axel, they simply raise the rear-end. Very interesting

The real trick is balancing /distributing the weight in the trailer to achieve your target tongue weight. Note that this will go out of spec on hill climbs/decents...

Thats why it is good to have a system for how you stow your gear to maintain trim.

Excellent point, thanks for sharing!

IMO if you use a half ton made these days as a truck or tow heavy loads air bags and an equalizing hitch are both must haves. The suspension of today’s half tons are getting softer and softer, and unless you want to drive around with the nose of your truck pointed toward the sky you gotta have those two things.

Air bags suck empty, they always have to have a few pounds in them. I tow a 10k toy hauler with a distribution hitch and it tow fine even though the weight is balanced as well as it should be. I second getting good tires, OEM tires are always the least they can get away with and never as heavy as they should be.

There is an air bag brand that allows zero air for OEM ride quality. Essentially have a bump stop inside. Can’t recall the brand at the moment.
I know some fill is needed, especially here, to avoid cracking in the cold.

I read through 6 pages of suggestions and there's some good ones. I'm far from being a trailer towing expert but have learned a few basic things over the years from towing travel trailers, boats, car trailers, vehicles, dump trailers and utility trailers:

1) The tow vehicle should be level when towing. I see 1/2 ton pickups towing trailers all the time with the rear end squatted down and the front end aimed at the sky. This changes the front end geometry and be very dangerous. Usually when you see this the truck is overloaded with too much weight on the back tires.
2) The trailer should be level so the weight is equally distributed between the tires. I had equalizer hitches on my travel trailers.
3) Any trailer should have more weight on the tongue so it won't sway.
4) If you have trailer brakes make sure they are working before you head out. No surge brakes.
5) Check all your tire pressures and your trailer lights before you head out.
6) If pulling your pickup with a tow bar don't put any weight in the back of the bed. If you do it's just like pulling a trailer without enough tongue weight

I believe I am going to toss a set of these under the truck, in leu of the bags.

http://www.monroe.com/en-US/product...g/monroe-load-adjusting-shock-absorbers/

I also found some "TPMS" add-ons that will be installed on the trailer, just to keep an active eye on them as we go.

This video is pure BS! Those guys are selling air bags. If they had fully deflated the air bags and set the lift bars correctly the truck would be level and the weight would have been transferred to the front tires. When I bought my first load leveling hitch in 1974 the company that made them had a front wheel drive car (Oldsmobile Toronado I think) with one of their hitches on it. They hooked a travel trailer up to the car, removed both rear wheels and drove the car around to demonstrate how well their load leveling hitch worked.

I found an old pic of a Toronado with a load leveling hitch and no rear wheels/tires but couldn't figure out how to post it here.

The video describes how well the load levelers work. The bags brought the truck close to level, but not the load. As a matter of fact, it shows how little the air bags do to help distribute weight.

I don't see how the video is BS..?

Seems your over reacting to pulling a 3300# trailer with a modern F-150..You shouldn't need anything except good tires if your 25ft or under..A weight distribution hitch isn't needed for a light trailer and air bags wouldn't be needed with a tongue weight under 500# based on my 2008 F-150..My tongue weight on a 33ft trailer was about 800# and air bags were needed,not so pulling a couple 24 and 25ft campers,just a hitch ball off the factory hitch...Never any issues at all..

Your tongue weight is only 800#, verified? OR is that the manufacturer rated weight before you put anything in it?

What does a weight hitch with sway-control hurt when having to make a 4000 mile trip?

3300# is DRY weight. It will easily be 5K when loaded and provisioned. I want the safest and nicest ride possible, not one that just gets by.

Tongue weight should be 9-15% of your total trailer weight loaded ready to roll..I like 10% and how it handles..Mine tongue weight was weighed at the dealer because they could not believe how it sat down my new F-150..They couldn't adjust it enough for a level ride so I took it to the RV park I was staying at and went down the next morning and got air bags put on..End of problem although I did have to re-adjust the hitch to match the bags..

A weight distribution hitch does not hurt anything infact,I recommend it to novice rv'rs regardless of trailer weight..I just did not use it or need it pulling the two 24 and 25ft travel trailers with my F-150 and they both were in the 5K category..I personally set the need for a WD hitch at 26ft,but that's just me and I have been pulling camp trailers for 53 years..I love to fulltime in an RV and my garage is full of parts from A-Z...

Your 3300# trailer has a max weight allowed somewhere on the trailer...Just guessing I would say around 5000# total weight or 1700# of stuff is max depending what brand your trailer is..If you want the safest ride to AK then you should think sway bar to go with your WD hitch..There fairly cheap and super easy to install and keep the speed down as speed and trailers don't mix well when things happen....

Your on the right track and maybe my previous post was off for your needs and experience..Good luck on your trip....

^^^^This^^^^

When they came out the trailer was an airstream.

35 ft i believe.

They took off the rear tires off after adjusting the hitch and drove it around a parking lot.

They did some simulation of bumps as well.

These hitches will also help with swaying.

I have a 2015 f150 it has the towing package and i have used it to transport my 1971 Massy tractor with a 61/2 ft.disk on the lift.

It takes out the porpoising when on ruff roads.

Probably often overlooked, a WH will increase the load on the trailer tires. Not a problem with properly rated trailer with good tires with reserve capacity. Or those running LT tires. Not a good situation for crap trailer with marginal axles and ST tires that are right at the load limit.

For Firestone bags, check out daystar cradles, empty bags are like no bags, ride not effected and no damage to the bags running 0 psi. If I needed to tow at the limit of my half ton, or use up most of my payload due to the tongue weight to get enough weight forward, I’d have bought a 3/4 or 1 ton.

Hitch with trailers and bags with heavy cab-over campers.

Off subject, but pick up a Mile Post publication.

Awaiting 'til March 23 for the 2020 release of the MilePost.

Don’t pull an equipped 10,000# ,40 foot toyhauler with your stock 3.5L eco boost f150 on a windy day.


That’s what a friend told me.

Noted...thanks for the sage advice.

3300 # is nothing for that truck

Pahntr760 what gear ration your F_150? I think you will have a great time. I made that trip in 1972 on a 1971 Honda CB 350 twin and it was rougher road then but 1st class adventure for a young guy.

It should be 3.55 gears with their tow package...I am not yet home to verify. If it has, by chance, the "Max Tow Package" then they wear 3.73 gears. Either should be just fine with the former being better on gas w/o a load.

Take a look at you shock mounts. They're designed to take the bounce out of the ride, not to carry weight. Air shocks add a lot of stress to the mounts that they might not be able to handle. At least 1 maker of air shocks says this. Your mounts are part of the suspension.


At the very least, be sure the shock doesn't just slide over a bolt with a nut on it as it can break off with all that extra weight on it. It needs solid support on both sides of the shock.