WD Hitch and air bags

[Eric Hoffmeyer]

1999 Ford F350, IH V8 Diesel turbo, 6 speed manual Rear wheel drive
2022 Keystone Hideout, 253 RL, dual axle about 7000# gross weight


I have installed a Reese 10,000 capacity WD hitch and the truck has rear airbags.


I have driven around locally trying to determine if there is an optimum combination of the WDH bar/chain settings that should be combined with an adjustment of the air bags.


I have tried two settings of chain links on the bars one quite form (leaving the suggested 5 links exposed) and the second one link longer. (6 links exposed) Both situations make the truck feel like something has a hold of my butt and is pulling it around. Tail wagging the dog in the vertical axis.


Suggestions please?

I have done a good bit of towing with both a small and medium pop up but this trailer is a whole 'nother dish of fish.


Thank you!
Regards,
Eric

[chuckster57]

How much air are you putting in the bags?

How did you set the height of the ball?

[flybouy]

There shouldn't be an issue with towing that trailer with a 1 ton truck. I'm towing a longer, heavier trailer with a 3/4 ton without issue. What brand hitch and what weight bars? First trip should be to a scale to find out what the tongue weight is and your axle weights. The tongue weight should be around 13% of the trailers actual weight. To little or too much tongue weight will have an adverse effect on handling.

[sourdough]

Sounds like your hitch is not adjusted/set up correctly. If what you're describing is what it sounds like to me, your hitch is making you "butt" light. BTDT and it DOES feel like the tail wagging the dog vertically.

[MarkEHansen]

To be honest, I'm not sure how the air bags affect the WDH, but there is a specific sequence to setting up the hitch. It needs to put sufficient weight back on the steer axle. The instructions which come with the hitch should walk you through that.

If it were me, I would get the hitch set up properly first and then adjust the airbags for comfort.

[08quadram]

To me, the more air in the bags the less force on the WDH. That force is needed for the WDH to work properly. I'm sure it can be set up to work properly, but I would start with the hitch setup first before adding air to the bags.(assuming it isn't factory air).

[Balvar24]

I can't comment on the effectiveness of the bags.

Why would you not set the hitch up for the condition in which it will be used?

You need to have everything as you'll be towing to set up the WDH. This includes the bags. Usually the hitch instructions want the trailer loaded as well.

The instructions will most likely have you reference the distance of the front end of your truck before hitching. After hitching. And after hooking up the WDH. Then you shoot for a measurement in-between with the WDH engaged.

Load your trailer differently, check the hitch set-up.

If you don't have air in your bags during set-up, then you're not setting the WDH up as it will be used.

Change the charge on the bags, you need to recheck the hitch set up. My guess is the differences will likely be minimal to not even measurable, but the combined system has changed.

How does it pull with no WDH? Not familiar with your payload/trailer combination, but at first glance, that sounds like plenty of truck for that trailer.