Air Safe Hitch

[Silvertwinkie]

....plus, in may case, even though I have a 3/4 ton, my sway control is dependent on the use of weight bars (dual-cam).

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by REDNAX

And diesel weighs 7.29 lbs/gl. 115 gls = 838-lbs. Plus the tank.

OK, I'll concede the weight of diesel fuel and agree with 7 to 7.3# per gallon. This adds 109 pounds to my calculations above. However you figure it, my total rig weighs 17,000 pounds, that is 8,000 for the truck and 9,000 for the 30' Excella. I have the weigh bill that verifies these weights.
I'm not nit-picking, I know what works for me, and that's been proven over time.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it....have a good day.....oh yeah, I use the Reese Dual Cam (old style), personally, I feel that is an excellent setup.
Larry

[Airslide]

Guess what showed up today... 2air was right, the airsafe, bracket and hitch get a bit heavy but Im looking forward to setting it up correctly.

This is a class 6 setup due to the extreme tongue weight with the Classic S/O model.
I have just taken a couple measurements for the basic setup and noticed that the original ball height is 19" . I used the upper two holes for the bracket and mounted the hitch. I havent hitched to the trailer yet but will take a few shots of that setup once I do. It seems that when the links are pitched up slightly the unit is in the center of its travel vs. being level. I may call the company about this question. When the bars are level it seems like I only have about 3/4 of an inch travel before hiting the stop. The video shows radical up an down movement and I wouldnt want it to bottom out on the stop. Also.. the four bolts that hold the bracket to the unit show on the website 55-100 lbs of torque. The instructions in the box show 75 lbs of torque max and I noticed at about 70lbs the lock washers are begining to distort out of shape and lose their ability to function. They seem to be the weak link with this setup. Here are a few shots. You will notice the bottom bolt on the hitch is missing as the threads were pulled a bit when I removed it. I will replace that bolt and nut tomorrow. Overall I love the concept and cant wait to try it out.

[Bluto]

Nice pics, I see your heavy duty one came with the side shocks too! Pretty cool.

[tjdonahoe]

i also have a dodge 31' excella with a hensley hitch.. love it...

[Airslide]

Hey Larry,

I havent taken it out on the road yet.. maybe this weekend. I basically setup the hitch to the same existing settings I had before the airsafe. The truck is just backed up to the trailer and is not level as the front end is up on a small burm. I have the bag set to 55 psi and it seems that I have equal travel on the slide mechanism. I have to extend my brake away cable.. i guess replace it. Thankfully my electrical cable is long enough. Here are a few pics of the hook up.

Vinnie

[Airslide]

And just incase anyone's interested... The distance from the end of the reciever to the center of the ball on my setup is 17 1/2".

Vinnie

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by Airslide

Hey Larry,

I havent taken it out on the road yet.. maybe this weekend. I basically setup the hitch to the same existing settings I had before the airsafe. The truck is just backed up to the trailer and is not level as the front end is up on a small burm. I have the bag set to 55 psi and it seems that I have equal travel on the slide mechanism. I have to extend my brake away cable.. i guess replace it. Thankfully my electrical cable is long enough. Here are a few pics of the hook up.

Vinnie

Look's like your links have about the same upward pitch that mine have. Let me know what you think after you tow it over a rough road, or an uneven interstate....
Larry

[Airstreamer67]

LarryC, I'm battling two cracked (now pulled) teeth and scheduling to attach two brand new ones this summer. So, instead of Alaska, I'll be dealing with the tooth fairy. I'd sure rather be spending money on diesel and enjoying the coolness of Alaska.

Regarding diesel, I also have an auxiliary fuel tank in my F250, holding 91 gallons. It adds about 765 pounds to my load, but that's only a snapshot when full. When on the road, I burn about 27 pounds of fuel per hour, so it diminishes pretty quickly. But it sure is nice to refuel every few days instead of every few hours, especially when you can pick the cheaper fuel places to refill.

Another thing to consider: my auxiliary fuel tank is located adjacent to the cab of the truck. Based on the relevant measurements, about 20% of the fuel load is actually borne by the front axle. So, even though I carry a heavy load in the rear including my tongue weight, it stays within Ford specs.

Vinnie, that Class VI is a beautiful setup. I know you'll enjoy it, and so will your Classic slide-out, because of the air-cushioned ride provided by that hitch.

PS, Larry: I've heard that fuel prices are pretty steep in Canada. You might do good to top off in the US before crossing.

[Airslide]

Thanks Airstreamer67,

I probably would have stayed on the fence if Larry didnt post his idea. Will take it out this weekend and see what is does... I know when I bounce up and down on the hitch I can barely get any movement out of it but that will change once we get out on the road Im sure..

Vinnie

[Airstreamer67]

Vinnie, I have a Class V AirSafe, which does not have the shock absorbers. So, when I push down on the loaded hitch, the air bags allow more movement than yours due to the fact that there are no shock absorbers hindering the motion.

I'm sure that AirSafe found that with very heavy hitch loads, the shocks become necessary to prevent undue motion. My hitch weight is around 800 pounds, and yours is probably at least 50% more. So, it stands to reason that the heavier loads require additional restraint supplied by the shock absorbers on the rough roads we often must drive on today.

I don't know what type of tow vehicle you have, but if you find the ride is not as improved as you might like, you might try reducing your weigh-transfer bars' tension a bit. This can sometimes allow the hitch to provide a smoother ride while not affecting weight transfer any significant degree. The formulas for a good, safe ride are not as rigid as sometimes professed.

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by Airslide

Thanks Airstreamer67,

I probably would have stayed on the fence if Larry didnt post his idea. Will take it out this weekend and see what is does... I know when I bounce up and down on the hitch I can barely get any movement out of it but that will change once we get out on the road Im sure..

Vinnie

Vinnie,
Sounds to me like you oughta gain some weight so when you bounce up and down on the hitch, you'll be able to see for sure if you get any movement....HOHOHO!
The way we've been eating so far on this trip, if I don't go on a diet pretty soon, I will be over my combined GVW!

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by Airstreamer67

Vinnie, I have a Class V AirSafe, which does not have the shock absorbers. So, when I push down on the loaded hitch, the air bags allow more movement than yours due to the fact that there are no shock absorbers hindering the motion.

I'm sure that AirSafe found that with very heavy hitch loads, the shocks become necessary to prevent undue motion. My hitch weight is around 800 pounds, and yours is probably at least 50% more. So, it stands to reason that the heavier loads require additional restraint supplied by the shock absorbers on the rough roads we often must drive on today.

I don't know what type of tow vehicle you have, but if you find the ride is not as improved as you might like, you might try reducing your weigh-transfer bars' tension a bit. This can sometimes allow the hitch to provide a smoother ride while not affecting weight transfer any significant degree. The formulas for a good, safe ride are not as rigid as sometimes professed.

As far as the w/d bars tension, on my setup at least, I've used both 5 links and 6 links, and the jury is still out. My preliminary feel though, for the first 1,400 miles of our trip is that 5 links seem to feel better. I'll have that figured out by the time we get into Canada.
Larry

[Airslide]

Originally Posted by Larry C

Vinnie,
Sounds to me like you oughta gain some weight so when you bounce up and down on the hitch, you'll be able to see for sure if you get any movement....HOHOHO!
The way we've been eating so far on this trip, if I don't go on a diet pretty soon, I will be over my combined GVW!

My wife has had to remind me to back away from the table more than once...

Larry, keep an eye on those four bolts retaining that bracket. Turns out those lock washers are not the best quality. I went to a local steel supplier here in town and got some better one's that dont distort when torqueing. Keep reporting on your progress!

Thanks Vinnie

[Airslide]

Hey Larry,

Take a look at our two setups.. Seems that the airsafe comes out of your reciever at an angle? Does this mean that even when tipping your hitch back towards the trailer your bars are still more or less even with the roadway? Just thinking about the angles.

[Airslide]

My bars are 1000lbs and I really have to crank on them.

Vinnie

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by Airslide

...Take a look at our two setups...

hey vin, has the A frame on your unit been repaired or modified?

just noticed the cup/ball mount is NOT typical of modern streams...



the one on yer slide is a 'type C' it would appear.

typically newer streams are type A and older units B with some overlap between these 2.

i don't recall noticing a C type on any newer stream.

can't find any good pics of other slide units, maybe they're all Cz.

basically this has got nuttin' to do with with the inflatohitch but will affect how set up LOOKs...

from 1 stream 2 the next.

as i recall C types are typically seen on trailers with really TALL frame rails...

that arrangement does affect stinger setup

and cuts INTO ground clearance under the barsnhitch a bit more ...

cheers
2air'

[Airslide]

I dont think it has been modified.. All the welds look factory. I saw it too and thought it looked like the same type of coupler they use on mobile homes. Typically you see them sticking out into the flowerpots.. big heavy duty couplers. This means my setup has to be lower. I do have extra holes in the frame from the PO that had a different weight dist setup. Im thinking I want to get those welded up and grinded back down.. repaint and all that... My profile says its a 2002 but its really an early production 2001. We just dont have that model listed anywhere within airstream. They never mention 2001 slides...

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by Airslide

My wife has had to remind me to back away from the table more than once...

Larry, keep an eye on those four bolts retaining that bracket. Turns out those lock washers are not the best quality. I went to a local steel supplier here in town and got some better one's that dont distort when torqueing. Keep reporting on your progress!

Thanks Vinnie

Will do, thanks for the heads up on that. So far, mine appear to be OK.
Larry

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by Airslide

Hey Larry,

Take a look at our two setups.. Seems that the airsafe comes out of your reciever at an angle? Does this mean that even when tipping your hitch back towards the trailer your bars are still more or less even with the roadway? Just thinking about the angles.

The photos I posted are a bit misleading. I took them when we arrived at our campground in Goshen, Indiana, as soon as I backed the AS into our site the area where the trailer is parked is fairly level, the area where to truck sits is slightly downhill. I had a slight uphill drive to get into the site, the trailer is fairly level at this point, but my truck is going slightly downhill.
When the truck and the AS are both on level, everything is the way it's supposed to be....
Larry