air ride hitch

[cadonnelly]

I have been busy repairing my gray water tank as a result of my not replacing the tires, now on to the next topic. Some of you expressed a concern about "too much truck" and that may have a deliterious affect on the trailer. Is there a link to that discussion?

The other suggestion was an air ride receiver hitch, has anyone been using this type of hitch? I found a couple on the internet and the one in Oklahoma looks promising, any one else have any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Chuck

[CanoeStream]

Titled: Some more links about towing
http://www.airforums.com/forum...2854#post32854 (a bit of everything on towing topics -- I'm not going to cull it out any further)

More to your point in paragraph 1: http://www.airforums.com/forum...9044#post29044

And: http://www.airforums.com/forum...6958#post46958

Safety allowances: http://www.airforums.com/forum...2284#post32284

My recall is many opinions voiced that an F-350 or the 3500 series trucks are so hard sprung that it is rough on an Airstream.

I have nothing on the air ride hitch.

[cadonnelly]

Bob:

Thanks for the links. I did a search and found the threads on the air ride receiver hitch as well. Has anyone on this forum actually had any experiences with th Easy Rider hitch?

Chuck

[plowboy]

I have been researching air ride hitches also and have come up with three companies who manufacturer them.
The Airride Hitch, mentioned above, Easyrider Hitch (similar in desgn to the Airride) and Supasystems.
Is there anyone out there in forum land using one of these souped up drawbars?
Here are the websites:http://airridehitch.com
http://easyriderhitch.com
http://supasystems.com

Also they claim that that these draw bars will work with any load equalizing hitch.

Paul

[route66]

Originally Posted by plowboy

I have been researching air ride hitches also and have come up with three companies who manufacturer them.
The Airride Hitch, mentioned above, Easyrider Hitch (similar in desgn to the Airride) and Supasystems.
Is there anyone out there in forum land using one of these souped up drawbars?
Here are the websites:http://airridehitch.com
http://easyriderhitch.com
http://supasystems.com

Also they claim that that these draw bars will work with any load equalizing hitch.

Paul

.....................The airride is priced at $995 . It is rated at 1250\14,000 . The supasystems is $595 but only rated for 10k on Gross but I didn't see any specifically stated tongue weight rating . They offer very little information on their product so I'd assume they're just getting started . r66

[uwe]

I saw Tinsel loaf's air hitch at the Pismo Rally in October. It's very nice, although very heavy. You might contact him via PM for his experience on this.

[Tinsel Loaf]

We bought the commercial Air Hitch. 2000 pound tong weight and 20,000 pound towing weight. Never know when one will up-grade to a bigger Airstream. Ours weights about 90 pounds +/-, and does one heck of a good job giving a smooth ride and added control. Two thumbs up.

[steelbird312]

Hey guys,
Our closest friends with whom we travel as well, have one of the Easyrider hitches. He likes his a whole lot. He tows with a 2500HD Silverado. When I am in front of him, I can watch through the back window when we have crossed a bad bump, (bridge,etc) and you can actually see the independent movement of the truck versus the trailer. I borrowed his hitch last year, and took my 29foot to FL via I-85 out through Montgomery ,AL to join I-65. Anyone who has traveled that road can attest to the terrible bumpiness for about 8-10 miles just south of the I-85/I-65 junction. I must say I was amazed at the bump absorbtion of the Airbag on the hitch. I pulled close to 1000 miles with it. I pull with a 2500HD Chevy as well. I would like to have one and probably will some day.It must be noted that one must 'experiment' with different air pressures to find what is comfortable with your combination of tow vehicle and trailer.
Now, he had some problems with the hitch integrity which I think were directly related to the load equalizing portion of his hitch. The metal was actually being fatigued. When the company (Easyrider) was contacted about it, they very much wanted to make things right. Matter of fact, they sent him a brand new, heavier duty one, and also paid to have the other picked up and shipped back to their factory for evaluation.
The Easyrider has roller bearings that travel in rails for symmetry while the Airrider has a 'four link' style system to keep it aligned. That one would be my preference, however, since I travel mostly in a motorhome, I haven't made that purchase a priority.
Bottom line, I do think the principle works. The application of that principle would be what one would need to decide on when looking to purchase one.
jerry

[plowboy]

Thanks for the onfo everyone! It seems like a great idea but i don't know if it's worth carrying around a 100lbs. extra wieght. But I guess with the state of our highway system any extra cusioning to keep the rivets intact is good!

Paul

[steelbird312]

Paul, Compared to my Reese weight distributing hitch, it probably does not weigh but about 20 MORE lbs. That's a guess, but there isn't that much difference.
Hmmmmm, I wonder if one of those companies would give a discount for a purchase of several units?
jerry

[Over59]

Looks like the supasystem can be used with the Reese WD head and WD bars. It replaces the hitch bar. I like this approach and price.

[Tinsel Loaf]

We use the Air Ride wirh the Rees WD. With the Air Ride there is no airbag trial and error adjustment, you fill the airbag until the red lines line up and that's it. It adjusts itself to the load. One nice thing is the added 11 to 12 inches distance from the trailer. This distance allowes for sharper turns and easier backing up. The question you must ask yourself is how much is your tow vehicle and trailer worth, but more important, what is the pounding your want your own bones to take during your expierance. Whatever brand you choose you will thank yourself everytine you roll over one of those gottcha (and you know where they are) on the highways.