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Old 03-21-2013, 09:55 PM   #1
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Will Air Bags Help Me?

Just bought a used 2006 JayFeather to replace my '98 Eagle. Roughly same weight. Pulling with a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew 4x4 w/ tow package. Just added Monroe Magnum rear shocks. Using an EAZ Lift WDH and dual sway bars.

My problem with this trailer is that neither myself, EAZ Lift's engineer or Jayco's engineer can figure out what's going on with the frame. At 16" top of ball (TOB) the tongue frame is level. However, the back of the trailer is kicked up. At 19" TOB both trailer axles have roughly same weight on them (rear has 40 more pounds) but tongue is out of level. Jayco says if A-Frame is bent, it would touch front wall and start delam. That hasn't happened.

I have tried adjusting my WDH to five different heights for our recent trip. One almost made my daughter in the back seat sick and a couple of others almost did same to us up front. At 19" TOB my truck front raised up almost an inch and rear sank 2". I felt like I was always on verge of fish tailing coming home.

Here's my question: With axles balanced on TT and adjusting WD Click image for larger version

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Old 03-21-2013, 10:06 PM   #2
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Will Air Bags Help Me?

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Old 03-21-2013, 10:08 PM   #3
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Timbrens are another option. Effective, easy to install, and less $ than air bags.
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Old 03-22-2013, 05:36 AM   #4
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We had the same trailer i think ( 29x LGT ) was pulling it with a dodge ram. What I had noticed was the wheels were hitting the wheel wells every time we'd hit a bump on the road. I had 1" between the wheels and wells... After contacting dealer then Jayco, Jayco sent new axles and the trailer was sitting much much better... 3 inches between wheels and wells...Now I believe they had a recall for the LGT because of that problem and they just added spacers on the axles to clear. I don't know if this would help but worth checking that clearance... Again i'm not sure which trailer you have but from the pics it looked like mine.. I hopes this helps .. Cheers. Will.
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Old 03-22-2013, 07:53 AM   #5
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Will Air Bags Help Me?

Mine is an LGT-29N
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Old 03-22-2013, 08:01 AM   #6
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To level the truck and keep the weight equal on the trailer axles you will need to drop the hitch head height. Set the trailer TOB where you want it and use the WDH to keep the truck level by moving weight to the front wheels. From the look of the camper, the rear frame simply angles up so I wouldn't go by that. Our 232 featherlight EXP was the same as the frame was not flat and straight. Both ends were angled up. Your camper has skirting that hides the frame.
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Old 03-22-2013, 02:59 PM   #7
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The air bags my help you,a friend of mine pulls a big 5th wheeler and had to rise the rear height of his 2500 Silverado 4X4 and it out fine for him. I have a 2008 Jayco 29D LGT and tow it with a 2011 1500 series Silverado Ext 4X4 5.3
truck came with 18" Wheels and Rancho shocks. I use a reese standard WDH, camper is level and tows great. My hitch adjustments my change after next week, Jayco dealer is doing recall 11V495 due to 1" clearance between tires and wheel well. This will raise camper 2 5/8 " more above wheels. I will still have room to go up one more hole on my hitch if need be. My 2011 Chevy truck sits higher then my old 2002 Silverado 4X4 maybe due to the big wheels.
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Old 03-22-2013, 03:19 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jester65 View Post
snip...... could airbags help level out the truck?
They may, but IMO trying to level the truck should be a low priority. Sounds like not enough weight has been transferred to the TV's front suspension which can result in TV steering and handling issues.

With your '08' GMC you want the WDH adjusted to return the TV's front fender back to it's "unhitched height' (return same weight) after you have your WDH engaged, and it's normal that the rear of the TV will still squat 1" - 2", most TV's will....., because obtaining "equal squat" with today's TV suspensions is a tough task. Once you have the TV front fender height set correctly with the WDH, then check to see if the TT frame is level. Adjust the WDH ball mount up/down to obtain a level TT, or a "slight" nose down attitude.

Is the WDH sized correctly for the 29N? It should be rated at no less than 800lbs, or 1,000lbs maximum.., anything heavier could bend the TT A-frame. My BIL had an '06' 29N and he used an 800lb rated WDH, and his TV was an '02' Avalanche.

Even with a level TT the weight loads on the axles can very, depends on floor plans, loading habits, etc..

If you want to refine your WDH adjustment, a visit to a CAT scale may be helpful: http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...igh-Your-tt-tv

Note: With your '08' GMC don't try and force the TV's front fender height "below" it's unhitched height, doing so compresses the suspension against the suspensions stops creating unwanted handling.

Hope this helps

Bob
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Old 03-22-2013, 04:20 PM   #9
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You could also look at the roadmaster active suspension . It worked great on mine and my brothers truck.
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Old 03-22-2013, 04:41 PM   #10
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To level the truck and keep the weight equal on the trailer axles you will need to drop the hitch head height. Set the trailer TOB where you want it and use the WDH to keep the truck level by moving weight to the front wheels. From the look of the camper, the rear frame simply angles up so I wouldn't go by that. Our 232 featherlight EXP was the same as the frame was not flat and straight. Both ends were angled up. Your camper has skirting that hides the frame.
The purpose of WD is not to keep the truck level. It's to return the weight to the front axle that is lifted from the fulcrum action of hitching to a heavy load. Two things we read on all of the forums that are incorrect. One is to adjust the WD until the truck is level, and the other is to just tweak it until it "drives right". The front end needs to be returned to a position as specified in your truck manual. Toyota says return it to the original height. Ford says to take the hitched and unhitched height and split the two. These are just examples and you need to read your truck's manual to get the right spec. If you don't transfer enough weight back to the drone, it can cause handling problems such as front end floating on snow or wet roads. If you transfer too much weight, then you increase the rate of wear on the front suspension and tires. If you attempt to level the truck or get an equal amount of squat front to rear, then you are defeating the purpose of WD. Get the front right and don't worry about the rear. If the truck still has too much squat in the rear, you can add springs or bags which will level it but will not increase any of the truck's capacities. They will also affect the WD adjustment and you'll have to redo it.

You may have an issue with the frame of the trailer and it not riding level, but that's a separate issue, so don't try to tweak that by changing the hitch settings.
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Old 03-22-2013, 07:14 PM   #11
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Actually, weight distribution hitches should transfer weight to the steer axles to equal the unhitched weight.
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Old 03-22-2013, 07:34 PM   #12
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Actually, weight distribution hitches should transfer weight to the steer axles to equal the unhitched weight.
In some cases, yes. Not so with the new Fords.
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Old 03-22-2013, 09:36 PM   #13
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In some cases, yes. Not so with the new Fords.
Why are Fords different?

You want the weight on the steer axles to be the same, towing or not, regardless of the make of tow vehicle.
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Old 03-23-2013, 05:52 AM   #14
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Because the new Ford manual says to return the front end to one half of the difference between the hitched and unhitched height.
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Old 03-23-2013, 07:34 AM   #15
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The purpose of WD is not to keep the truck level. It's to return the weight to the front axle that is lifted from the fulcrum action of hitching to a heavy load. Two things we read on all of the forums that are incorrect. One is to adjust the WD until the truck is level, and the other is to just tweak it until it "drives right". The front end needs to be returned to a position as specified in your truck manual. Toyota says return it to the original height. Ford says to take the hitched and unhitched height and split the two. These are just examples and you need to read your truck's manual to get the right spec. If you don't transfer enough weight back to the drone, it can cause handling problems such as front end floating on snow or wet roads. If you transfer too much weight, then you increase the rate of wear on the front suspension and tires. If you attempt to level the truck or get an equal amount of squat front to rear, then you are defeating the purpose of WD. Get the front right and don't worry about the rear. If the truck still has too much squat in the rear, you can add springs or bags which will level it but will not increase any of the truck's capacities. They will also affect the WD adjustment and you'll have to redo it.

You may have an issue with the frame of the trailer and it not riding level, but that's a separate issue, so don't try to tweak that by changing the hitch settings.
While all of this is true, the original poster has neither a Ford or Toyota so those specs mean nothing. He wants the trailer level and the rear of the truck to sit higher so that is why he needs to lower the hitch head height and then adjust the WDH to where it needs to be as stated in the manual. By lowering the head height, it will raise the rear of the truck once the WDH is adjusted.
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Old 03-23-2013, 07:52 AM   #16
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Will Air Bags Help Me?

My ultimate goal in all of this is to have the front of my truck back where it was pre-TT. My question was perhaps not clear: Would airbags, by helping raise the backend of the truck, and then adjusting hitch and spring bars, help with the front of truck? I currently have over half the links on my spring bars hanging loose.
Would airbags allow me more potential for adjustability?
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Old 03-23-2013, 07:57 AM   #17
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While all of this is true, the original poster has neither a Ford or Toyota so those specs mean nothing. .
Agreed, but that post was a response to a comment/question by another poster. Sometimes it can be beneficial to read an entire thread.
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Old 03-23-2013, 08:06 AM   #18
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Because the new Ford manual says to return the front end to one half of the difference between the hitched and unhitched height.
Have you followed their directions then weighed the lash-up? You'll find the steer weights return to unhitched weight. The engineers know most folks won't visit a scale. So they use landmarks, etc.

Scale weight for WD will always be the gold standard.
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Old 03-23-2013, 09:17 AM   #19
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Will Air Bags Help Me?

Yes, I've got a stack of weight sheets from CAT Scales over the last week. That's how I determined that the rear TT axle had 40 lbs. more than front axle on my last weigh.
This was better than where I started after having a dealer set up the hitch. At that point the front axle was 500 lbs. heavier than rear.
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Old 03-23-2013, 09:46 AM   #20
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Yes, I've got a stack of weight sheets from CAT Scales over the last week. That's how I determined that the rear TT axle had 40 lbs. more than front axle on my last weigh.
This was better than where I started after having a dealer set up the hitch. At that point the front axle was 500 lbs. heavier than rear.
Anything is better than a dealer set up hitch. Most don't even use fender height as a guide for the setup. I asked the dealer to check mine when I traded trucks, because I didn't know better. The tech walked out, looked at it, said yep that looks good, it's level. That's when I went home and started reading about how to set up a WD hitch.
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