Does anyone have Air springs to keep truck from squating

[willy851]

I just purchased a new L4701 with loader and backhoe and my F150 didn't appreciate the load. The rear end dropped 6" and I barely fit the tractor on the trailer. I don't think I exceeded the tongue weight, but I didn't have much suspension left.
The trailer is 20' long with a 10K limit. The tractor weighs just under 5K 3300 for tractor, 700 for loader and 900 for backhoe.
I can't purchase a fifth wheel trailer, so I need to make this trailer work. I am looking into beefing up the suspension, to keep it from dropping too much.


Thanks

 

[cmyoung2]

Have a set of Helwig 5000 lb bags under my F250. Changed to a flat bed, needed a little lift. Does help with load control, keeps truck level. Still have to be careful not to over the rest of the truck, tires/axles. But I would not trade them for heavier springs. I also added an on board compressor, with a 2 gal tank. Handy for adjusting air bags, which I do a lot when hauling wood or gravel, and for anything where I need air and I'm not near the shop. Not much volume, but if I need it I can wait on the pump.

 

[MossRoad]

What's the general rule of thumb for tongue weight? Something like 10% -15% of the load? So if the load is 5000#, and the trailer weighs something, too, let's guess 2000#, that's a 7000# load and your tongue weight would be 700# - 1050#. What's the tongue weight rating of your hitch? Is it time for a weight distributing hitch? Just questions. I don't tow very often and am always wanting to learn.

 

[stuckmotor]

Back in the 60's my dad purchased a used El Camino. We noticed a valve stem behind the seat but didn't put air into it until we had a load of peaches on the back. The front went up and the back went down, so, we tried putting in a little air. It worked wonders. I don't know how the leak occurred, but, eventually I only heard a hissing sound when I tried to pump up the air springs and they wouldn't inflate. I don't think Dad got an owners manual with that truck and we made up the rules as I went along. These days I buy a repair manual when I get a vehicle.

 

[aczlan]

Start with going to a scale and weighing everything to find out how much weight is actually on the rear axle and on the trailer.
You might just need to adjust where the tractor sits on the trailer.
What year/model F150 do you have?

Aaron Z

 

[Copperhead]

Back in the 60's, we had air shocks on a 68 Impala 4 door. There was a valve stem at the fuel tank fill area which was behind a flip down rear license plate holder. It was the shocks themselves that had a supplementary air bag setup on them that could be aired up so the car would be level with a lot of people and stuff. They sprung a leak eventually also. Did a quick search online and Monroe still makes a air adjustable shock called Max-Air. Not sure what vehicle models it is for. Claims to level up to 1100 lb of additional load.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I just purchased a new L4701 with loader and backhoe and my F150 didn't appreciate the load. The rear end dropped 6" and I barely fit the tractor on the trailer. I don't think I exceeded the tongue weight, but I didn't have much suspension left. The trailer is 20' long with a 10K limit. The tractor weighs just under 5K 3300 for tractor, 700 for loader and 900 for backhoe. I can't purchase a fifth wheel trailer, so I need to make this trailer work. I am looking into beefing up the suspension, to keep it from dropping too much. Thanks

You have enough truck. You need the right hitch now. A Weight Distribution hitch is what's in order.

Chris

 

[KevT]

Yes, I have the airbag system on my F-250 from when I would haul ceramic tile to the job site. I could put 2 pallets of tile in the bed and have no sag. I never used them for trailering so I can't answer, but lean more to weight distribution/sway system. They are also a constant maintenance item. The hoses constantly leak.

 

[Egon]

You might need the weight distributing hitch just to be legal? The air bags will also help.

 

[Labrat]

You may want to look at a set of Timbrens. A less expensive alternative to airbags.