davido
Super Active Member
- Jul 17, 2014
- 1,374
You get a lot of different answers because there's a lot of misunderstanding and armchair guessing going on.
Weight distribution hitches distribute the tongue weight across all axles more evenly. While they result in higher pressure on the ball, they use a leverage effect to offload the rear suspension somewhat. And that forces weight to be applied to the front axle and the trailer's axle. Because they increase ball pressure and vehicle and trailer frame load, not all vehicles or trailers will work with a WDH, but for those that do, they work great at solving the problem for which they were designed.
Airbags bolster the rear suspension. They don't increase axle capacity, they don't offload weight from the axle, they just strengthen the suspension's resistance to compression. That's it. So if the only problem you are experiencing is sag in the rear suspension -- no lift issues in the front, and no risk of overloading the rear axle -- air bags can be a good addition to your tow vehicle.
Two completely different devices, that do two completely different things.
How to decide between them:
Are you at risk of overloading the rear axle? Is your front end lifting more than 2/3rds of an inch when the trailer is sitting on the hitch at the same time as the rear suspension squatting? Really, does the front lift, regardless of squat in back? Are you close to, or over your hitch's tongue capacity when you deduct rear cargo weight from the capacity, and account for the actual weight of the trailer's tongue? If so, you should use a weight distribution hitch if your tow vehicle and trailer are compatible.
Do you sag in back but don't lift in front more than, say, a half inch? Are you NOT close to the tongue capacity of the tow vehicle when accounting for cargo and actual weights? In other words, are you ONLY trying to offset soft, saggy rear suspension? Get air bags.
Unless you've measured rear suspension sag, front suspension lift, and actual cargo and trailer weights relative to the advertised tongue capacity, nobody can answer the question. You'll have to get out a bathroom scale, a piece of paper, pencil, measuring tape, and go to work on it.
There exists a correct answer for solving the issue you face. But you will get conflicting answers from armchair experts if they don't have all the details, and particularly if their expertise lacks an actual understanding of what WDHs and airbags each strive to solve.
Weight distribution hitches distribute the tongue weight across all axles more evenly. While they result in higher pressure on the ball, they use a leverage effect to offload the rear suspension somewhat. And that forces weight to be applied to the front axle and the trailer's axle. Because they increase ball pressure and vehicle and trailer frame load, not all vehicles or trailers will work with a WDH, but for those that do, they work great at solving the problem for which they were designed.
Airbags bolster the rear suspension. They don't increase axle capacity, they don't offload weight from the axle, they just strengthen the suspension's resistance to compression. That's it. So if the only problem you are experiencing is sag in the rear suspension -- no lift issues in the front, and no risk of overloading the rear axle -- air bags can be a good addition to your tow vehicle.
Two completely different devices, that do two completely different things.
How to decide between them:
Are you at risk of overloading the rear axle? Is your front end lifting more than 2/3rds of an inch when the trailer is sitting on the hitch at the same time as the rear suspension squatting? Really, does the front lift, regardless of squat in back? Are you close to, or over your hitch's tongue capacity when you deduct rear cargo weight from the capacity, and account for the actual weight of the trailer's tongue? If so, you should use a weight distribution hitch if your tow vehicle and trailer are compatible.
Do you sag in back but don't lift in front more than, say, a half inch? Are you NOT close to the tongue capacity of the tow vehicle when accounting for cargo and actual weights? In other words, are you ONLY trying to offset soft, saggy rear suspension? Get air bags.
Unless you've measured rear suspension sag, front suspension lift, and actual cargo and trailer weights relative to the advertised tongue capacity, nobody can answer the question. You'll have to get out a bathroom scale, a piece of paper, pencil, measuring tape, and go to work on it.
There exists a correct answer for solving the issue you face. But you will get conflicting answers from armchair experts if they don't have all the details, and particularly if their expertise lacks an actual understanding of what WDHs and airbags each strive to solve.
