Tow Vehicle Question

[Cate&Rob]

Bob, your correct about what the WD hitch does, but IMHO the airbags add stability to the rear end of the truck, reducing chucking and helping during turns with added stability. They were wonderful on my F150; and I’m glad I have them on my F250, though I may not need them as much. The Fords tend to sag without much weight to begin with.

Airbags aren’t for everyone, and there are other options such as Timbrens, etc, but they work well for me in combination with my Blue Ox. Just something to consider after getting the hitch squared away.

There are lots of different "airbag" systems and theories on how they should be set up. In my opinion, the only way to really understand the benefit and the correct pressure is to get a system with the on-board compressor and ability to adjust pressure on the fly and automatically maintain set pressure as temperatures change.

I was recently talking with someone who had a basic airbag system installed by his dealer. Separate schrader valves for each bag. Following his dealer's instructions, he would fill these (like tires) to the recommended cold pressure before attaching the trailer. The compression of the trailer weight would significantly increase the bag pressure and the exhaust heat would take the right bag pressure even higher. We confirmed this with a tire pressure gauge on each schrader fill valve. It did not surprise me that he really couldn't see a benefit from his airbag system!

Rob

[Steven@147]

Picked up my Transcend 27BHS today. This is my first travel trailer so no experience with what it should "feel" like while towing. I have a 2016 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 5.7l V8. On the way back from the dealership, I experienced a lot of "bucking" when the trailer would hit bumps, swaying (to be fair there were 20mph winds), and the truck just seemed "flat". They installed a Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System with 4-Point Sway Control and the truck/trailer were level. Do I just have too much trailer? I talked to multiple people prior to buying it and got the same answer that I would be fine.

Just my opinion but with 20 mph winds, especially if broadside you will get some sway. Study up and read the manual on your Equal-i-zer hitch which they probably sold you the 1000 lbs Equal-i-zer verity. I have the same hitch only mine is the 1400.
Pay attention to the section of how many washers there are on the stud. The number of washers installed tilt the head and puts more down force on the bars and will reduce sway. Seems they mostly install 4 washers from the get go, that may not be enough for your set up. You also really need to know your tongue weight. I had to go to 6 washers to fine tune my hitch and I run @1150 lbs tongue weight.
Also read the hitch manual section about transferring the rear weight to the front axle and measure the front tire gap to fender as they explain to you in the book.
Also check and make sure all the nuts on the head and on the bar brackets on the trailer tongue are torqued correctly. Mine were not.

[RvReno]

I have a 2019 version of the same truck, and trailer. I used a standard hitch to get the trailer home and it was SCARY! Installed a Husky Centerline at home because I didn't want to pay double for the hitch and $150/hr to install. Installing the hitch was easy, adjusting was a PITA but eventually got all the adjustments done. The truck and trailer sit level and sway is non-existant (minimal in a 20mph cross wind0). Im not sure of the differences between the 2019 and 2016 Tundra, but I'm fine driving over the Sierra mountain range passes. In my opnion, not too much trailer. From waht I could tell, the equalizer and centerline work the same way, so if your still having problems, it's probably in the hitch adjustments.