truck rear suspension - air bags & Jounce springs

[WinterDeere]

Why do you have to jack knife your maneuver with such a big bite? Can you take smaller bytes?

Sorry, just saw this. Sometimes when maneuvering into a clearing in the woods, whether from a road or trail, there's just no room to swing a wider arc.

Likewise in my own driveway, making the switchback turn that gets me up to my barn and storage area, or aligned to back down to the wood processing area. I have to pull in, turn the truck hard over against the locks, then back up to jack knife position, before going forward again in a full turn. The driveway was laid out by a prior owner who didn't bring his trailers into the driveway, and so it's a little tight, but it works okay for me.

Bottom line, WDH's are the better solution for my problem while on-road, but their off-roading limits make the air bags more attractive.

This came up again, because I'm just finishing up a project to move the batteries aft on the trailer, which will help to resolve some of the tongue weight issues.

 

[zzvyb6]

How about relocating the trailer axle(s) to lessen the tongue load ? Air shocks with level control to handle the unloaded condition is the only moderately safe option. For your entire project, a gooseneck trailer is the best one.
Too much rear spring (from any source) will cause loss of control in any emergency maneuver).

 

[Rustyiron]

I'd suggest bags with your described use. I put a Firestone kit on my Tacoma for load leveling. No on board compressor or control, just a Schrader valve tucked in nicely into each rear corner bed structure and I carry a low psi tire pressure gage.
I never unexpectedly have a "big load" that I have to move so I'll set the bag pressure at home in my shop before. This basic air bag kit was around $350 for everything you need to make it functional, functional as in airing up a tire. It's that simple. I'm about to order some for my f150 and that's seems to be very close to the same price range 10 years later on a little bigger pickup.
I have a f450 for real loading and trailering for the "safety police".

 

[WinterDeere]

How about relocating the trailer axle(s) to lessen the tongue load ? Air shocks with level control to handle the unloaded condition is the only moderately safe option. For your entire project, a gooseneck trailer is the best one.
Too much rear spring (from any source) will cause loss of control in any emergency maneuver).

Hey, I love "overkill" as much as the next guy, my daily driver is a 6.4L sedan and my weekend pleasure cruiser is a racing boat. But a gooseneck is an awful expensive solution for a 7000 lb. firewood hauler, and the fifth wheel in my bed would be another endless frustration, in a 1/2 ton pickup.

Point taken on the handling, that's where the WDH wins, but all of my use of this trailer when loaded heavy is local and relatively low speed. I've hauled it on the highway here and there, but never very heavily loaded.

 

[Rustyiron]

You can get away with a world of "no no's" at low speeds with a 1/2 ton and a trailer.
Good brakes would be my biggest concern just after a whole lot of common sense and good judgment.

 

[WinterDeere]

You can get away with a world of "no no's" at low speeds with a 1/2 ton and a trailer.
Good brakes would be my biggest concern just after a whole lot of common sense and good judgment.

Trailer has brakes on both axles, and my trailer's gross weight rating is only 60% of my truck's max tow rating, so I'm well below limits.

I've also been pulling trailers almost weekly for 35 years. Grew up with boats on trailers, hauling long distance on highways to shore points and national racing circuit.

That's not to pretend nothing can go wrong, but it won't be for lack of experience, if it does.