2024 Classic 30 RB - Hitch and AirSafe Question

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by VinitVerma

Uncle Bob - Thanks for the backup!!

Mostly will have 2 people head out - but can be up to 5 people in the RAM crew cab.

Here is the info for the 2024 RAM 2500
6.7L Cummins I6 Turbo Diesel
3.73 axle ratio; 370 HP/ 850 lb torque
Transmission 6 Speed Automatic 68RFE

RAM Door sticker
GVWR 10,000 lb
GAWR Front - 6000 lb
GAWR Rear - 6040 lb

The Airstream 30 RB info
Hitch Weight (with LP and Batteries) - 830
Unit Base Weight (with LP and Batteries) - 7725
Max Trailer Capacity GVWR lbs - 10000
Net Carrying Capacity lbs - 2275

Are we in the game?
Vinit

Hi

As noted above, the key "payload" number on the truck is missing from those numbers. It's the thing you need to start the math.

The other missing number is the gross combined vehicle weight. That's the sum of the truck plus the trailer. I'd be amazed if that turns out to be an issue. It pretty much never is.

So, what's the payload?

Payload is going to depend on a very long list of things that are or are not on your specific truck. There's pretty much no way to guess how much they all add up to. There are examples of (same brand / year / 3/4 ton) trucks coming in anywhere from 1,300 to 3,300 pounds "payload" purely based on the options that are or are not on the truck.

Bob

[Nishad]

Originally Posted by VinitVerma

Friends:

We just bought a '24 Classic 30RB and a '24 RAM 2500 Diesel Truck.
We are Newbies to the RV life - nervously excited to learn.
Anxious about the towing and reversing!!

Appreciate your guidance on

1) Which Hitch to Buy.
Equal-i-zer with Sway Control
OR
Blue OX with Sway Control

2) Additionally, should we invest in an AirSafe?

Thanks Much.
Vinit

Congratulations of your purchase! Your are going to have a lot of fun. Happy camping!

My suggestion... make sure you need a WD hitch before you get one. I have used math, science, manufacturer specifications, and experience/feel to make the determination.

WD hitches are needed only to transfer weight off the rear axle to the front and trailer axles, usually to alleviate an overloaded drive axle. The downside of the way they work is, added stress on the trailer A-frame. This stress is believed to be a contributor to the dreaded FES. Using WD by over-torquing it to solve for rig geometry issues puts undue stress in the system.

WD hitches also have a sway-control mechanism. With a properly sized tow vehicle for the trailer, proper loading of the trailer, 10-15% tongue weight, level trailer while towing, and safe/defensive towing, sway-control is seldom needed.

I have given up on my BlueOx Pro after 5 years of towing with it. I tow on the ball now and I have close to 40k miles on my rig in 2 years.

I use an AirSafe hitch because it decouples unwanted energy transfer between the TV and TT and, vice-versa. My TT suffered FES.

I use air bags on the TV to restore the rake on my truck. An airbag will not increase any capacities of the TT.

If you have satisfied the following metrics, you don't need extra gear. Strong opinion, strongly held.

1. Drive axle weight with trailer hitched less than 90% of GAWR
2. Steer axle weight with trailer hitched less than 90% of GAWR
3. Weight of TV with trailer hitched least than 90% GVWR
4. Tongue weight on the TV within rating and between 10-15% of TT weight
5. Within 90% of TV payload rating
6. TT loaded with 60% weight ahead of the axles and total weight less than 90% of TT GVWR
7. Combined weight of TT and TV less than 90% of GCVWR

90% is just my opinion.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Nishad

Congratulations of your purchase! Your are going to have a lot of fun. Happy camping!

My suggestion... make sure you need a WD hitch before you get one. I have used math, science, manufacturer specifications, and experience/feel to make the determination.

WD hitches are needed only to transfer weight off the rear axle to the front and trailer axles, usually to alleviate an overloaded drive axle. The downside of the way they work is, added stress on the trailer A-frame. This stress is believed to be a contributor to the dreaded FES. Using WD by over-torquing it to solve for rig geometry issues puts undue stress in the system.

WD hitches also have a sway-control mechanism. With a properly sized tow vehicle for the trailer, proper loading of the trailer, 10-15% tongue weight, level trailer while towing, and safe/defensive towing, sway-control is seldom needed.

I have given up on my BlueOx Pro after 5 years of towing with it. I tow on the ball now and I have close to 40k miles on my rig in 2 years.

I use an AirSafe hitch because it decouples unwanted energy transfer between the TV and TT and, vice-versa. My TT suffered FES.

I use air bags on the TV to restore the rake on my truck. An airbag will not increase any capacities of the TT.

If you have satisfied the following metrics, you don't need extra gear. Strong opinion, strongly held.

1. Drive axle weight with trailer hitched less than 90% of GAWR
2. Steer axle weight with trailer hitched less than 90% of GAWR
3. Weight of TV with trailer hitched least than 90% GVWR
4. Tongue weight on the TV within rating and between 10-15% of TT weight
5. Within 90% of TV payload rating
6. TT loaded with 60% weight ahead of the axles and total weight less than 90% of TT GVWR
7. Combined weight of TT and TV less than 90% of GCVWR

90% is just my opinion.

The WDH indeed transfers the load back to the front axil, primarily to return steer and control while towing. Added stress to trailer A frame causing FES again, primarily happens on those AS's with front beds, and without the proper bracing in front body/frame area.

The sway control, or "anti sway" systems on some WDH systems, like the Blue Ox Sway Pro, "when set up properly", will provide additional forces to the TT helping keep it straight while towing, and also can assist should you have a sudden swerve maneuver at speed, to avoid something. If you haven't had an issue where you have had to swerve at 60+MPH while towing, you likely may not understand. Weather you use a WDH or not with SRA vs a Dually, the larger the TT (25' AS or larger) is up to you...but I think most would agree, the WDH is a benefit to safety with SRD. If you have a Dually, agree likely not needed.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by VinitVerma

Uncle Bob - Thanks for the backup!!

Mostly will have 2 people head out - but can be up to 5 people in the RAM crew cab.

........
Vinit

Hi

It's variables like "can be up to 5 people" that very much need to be considered as you dig into the numbers.

Let's guess that they all are "full size" folks (this may well not be the case ...): To make the math simple, call that 200 pounds. Normally you have 400 pounds off the payload. On that unusual trip, you have 1,000 pounds off the payload. That does impact the numbers.

Do you plan to haul a generator? Will it come along all the time or will it stay home most of the time? Is it a 40 pound little guy or does the generator plus fuel come in around 150 pounds?

You don't just need the payload number. You also need a pretty good list of what you think you will have along.

Bob

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by SunchaserV

Dad
Here is a question. With our F250 I'm not too worried about WD but do like the Sway Control feature of the Ox. How many links showing before the Sway feature is negated would you guess?

When you say your "not worried about WD", with an F250; depends which size TT you end up with. 25' and up can have easily 1000+lbs on the hitch. WD will help distribute back weight back to front wheels for control. With Blue Ox Sway Control bars, depends also on which size you get, which should corollate to the tongue weight. I have owned 3 different size Blue Ox SC hitches with my Airstreams over the years and with my currant 28' which has 1150lbs tongue weight, Blue Ox experts recommended 1500lb bars. I ran these at 5.5 links showing when I picked it up in Oregon, but that was too loose and I noticed porposing as soon as I hit the highway. I pulled over and tightened one link to 4.5 showing and that fixed the problem and I ran with that setting for 5 years. They recommend 4.5 or 3.5 links on my set up. about 2 years ago, I noticed my bars now had a slight bow in them after all those miles, so I tightened to 3.5 links showing, and have been running with that for past couple years. Talk with BO Techs on the phone and see what works for you. I think this system is very good with their design.

Important to watch the BO videos on loading your hitch using power jack. Also, a longer breaker bar socket tool with a socket helps a lot when loading/unloading.

[Mwilliams]

We use an Airsafe mated to an equalizer hitch to tow our 33 Ft Classic. We tow with 3500 GMC Denali and to improve the ride more we added air bags to the rear axle. This allows us to level the truck without putting much tension on the stabilizer bars. This combination has given us the best ride and very few popped rivets. It seems to also delay the effects of front end separation on the longer trailers. The added length of the Airsafe allows us to drop the tail gate completely on our truck without unhooking. Yes it makes the rig longer but it is worth it for us. Hope this helps.
Marvin

[jim6090]

I have a 2025 Classic. Save yourself so much time and drama. These rear bed twins are very heavy in the rear. Just spend the money and purchase a ProPride hitch. I tried a few other options and they were all unacceptable. Propride removes all sway and makes towing a joy.

[Rushon]

We used the equalizer and very happy
Our 30RB classic was the sold by
North trail RV this month

[D-Rod]

I just bought my 30’ Classic after owning a 27’ Globetrotter and a 33’ Classic. Our Globetrotter was set up for an Equalizer hitch, 33’ Classic with a Hensley hitch.

The Hensley is the Mack daddy with lots of weight but solid. This. beast can sometimes present problems when came to hitching or unhitching.

My wife and I agreed to go back to an Equalizer with our new 2024 30’ Classic. Mainly because she can travel, hitch and unhitch this system when she travels on her own with friends.

Our TV is an F-350 Super Duty 4x4 with a single rear wheel set up.

[PSquiggs]

Originally Posted by RosenBob

We have a FC 30RB and a Ram 2500 diesel. We tow with Blue Ox and an AirSafe Class V receiver hitch. It works well. We have almost 30K miles on that combination. You will encounter a lot of rough roads in this country. The AirSafe helps soften the impact of the roads when you travel at highway speeds. Will it extend the life of your AS and reduce the amount of maintenance you have to do each year. I don't know. But I do like giving our AS a gentler tow.

I have a 30’ classic with a Queen bunk. I tow with a 2024 Chevy 2500. I started with the equizer hitch. I later added a class 6 airsafe hitch and equalizer. I have been very happy with the ride quality with the addition of the airsafe. It takes a lot of stress off the truck and trailer when you get on a rough road.

[Slvr_Lining]

Hello Vinit… and congratulations on your new trailer and truck. You probably realize by now that you’ve touched on a topic that many feel strongly about. There are many “correct answers” for you. We have a 27’ FBT that has a tongue weight of about 1,200 pounds and we tow with a Ran 2500 diesel. We towed about 30k miles with a Hensley hitch. It was rock steady and we never had any concerns with safety in general or sway specifically. For the past 2 years, we relied on the engineered Hensley sway elimination only… no weight distribution. This improved the ride and continued to eliminate the sway.

We recently began towing on the ball (no WD or sway control) using an AirSafe hitch. The ride… in the truck and for the trailer… is much more comfortable and we have had no sway concerns.

This is a hot topic and I’m happy to share our experiences for your consideration.

I’m certain that there are several good solutions for you.

[FL_Jim]

We have a FC 30FB Office and tow it with a Ford F250 Diesel Super Duty. Our simple solution was the Shocker 12000 with dual sway bars. It's simple - it's not costly - and the ride is incredible. Save the $$ for camping and investigate the various Shocker solutions at URL: https://shockerhitch.com/product-cat...eiver-hitches/

[thanx2u2]

There are so many options available and so hard to decide. I have had many of the hitches that people have mentioned. Some not as good as others. I have a 2018 30rbt classic. We are vendors at art shows & we carry a large load on our Ram 3500. Sometimes we also have to put some of our inventory in our airstream. So between our truck and trailer we tow alot of weight. We use the Pro Pride 3P. I have gotten tired of trying all the other hitches out there, and decided to go with the best hitch available. No regrets. It is the most expensive hitch you can get, but you get what you pay for. You bought the best trailer available, pair it with the best hitch available. Not sway at all going down the highway. Thiis is a real gamechanger. Good luck in deciding

[mythbuster88]

Originally Posted by VinitVerma

Friends:

We just bought a '24 Classic 30RB and a '24 RAM 2500 Diesel Truck.
We are Newbies to the RV life - nervously excited to learn.
Anxious about the towing and reversing!!

Appreciate your guidance on

1) Which Hitch to Buy.
Equal-i-zer with Sway Control
OR
Blue OX with Sway Control

2) Additionally, should we invest in an AirSafe?

Thanks Much.
Vinit

The most important item to learn is how to post pictures here so we can all see your new rig!

[Adiredneck]

We tow our 2014 27FBQ Classic with a 2015 Ram 3500 Crew Cab, Long Bed 4x4 with the Cummins and a 6 speed manual stick.


The GVW for the Airstream is 9,000 lbs, it's loaded tongue weight is around 1050-1100 lbs, per Sherline tongue weight scale. On a long trip in full battle rattle we average 17,500 lbs combined, with 10,000 on truck and 7500 on trailer (with WD hitch). Payload on the truck is 4237 lbs, and truck GVW is 13,600 lbs.


The dealer originally installed an Equalizer WD and anti sway hitch, and we added an AirSafe to the Equalizer the following year. Big improvement. Because of the extra 23" that the AirSafe adds to the distance from receiver to ball, I don't believe you can use a Blue Ox or one of those other long hitches. But no need IMHO, as the AirSafe/Equalizer combo does a great job. We've used them for 10 years and 40,000 miles, and I recommend that combo. My only caveat is that the hitch is heavy - almost 100 lbs.


Welcome to the Forum and to Airstreaming. See you down the road...