Question for AirSafe Hitch Owners

[Adiredneck]

I just bought a Class VI AirSafe Hitch for my 2014 27FB Classic. It will be used in combination with my Equal-i-zer WD hitch. Measuring the additional distance (length from the receiver) of the AirSafe, it looks like it will add around 10" or so (Won't know for sure until I actually put it on the truck and measure). My question to those who currently own such a combo: Did you have to purchase extensions for the electrical pig tail, safety chains, etc?

I see ProPride has such a kit for $50, which seems reasonable, but I don't want to order something I won't need.

What has been your experience? Thanks in advance for the feedback - I'm always learning great stuff on this forum!

[crisen]

We have a class 5 airsafe with our 25' and all hook ups were long enough. We use it with an Andersen hitch and after 10k miles I don't thing it made that much of an improvement to justify the weight and expense. My opinion only but ran into 1 ex user on the road who felt the same.

[Adiredneck]

We've only had the AS since last year, and have towed around 5,000 miles so far using just the Equal-i-zer WD hitch on our old 2001 Dodge 2500 with Cummins and 5 spd stick. It was set up as a farm truck (and rode like a farm truck!), and I was always afraid we might have been giving the AS a tough ride, as well, based upon the number of times we found drawers popped open at stops. Then you read about these stories of people popping rivets because of heavy sprung 2500 and 3500 TTs.

So, we just upgraded to a new Ram 3500 (Cummins & 6spd stick) club cab SRW 8' box and I thought I'd better go with an AirSafe as a little insurance. It will take its first trip with the AS next week, but, even empty, it rides much smoother than the old Dodge.

The AirSafe wasn't cheap, but my hope is that it will help protect my investment in the $80k TT and $60k TV!

Experience and time will tell...

[Larry C]

I've had my AirSafe for 5 years, and have pulled our trailer(s) around 65,000 miles with it. I had to make a short extension, (about 8") for the 7 pin cable, but that's all.
I usually carry 38 to 40PSI in the airbag....

For whatever it's worth,

Larry

[Adiredneck]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I just got the AirSafe the other day and am scheduled to work through tomorrow, so I am planning to get it put together and measured on Wednesday, weather permitting. Since I'm heading out next week, I figured I better go ahead and buy the ProPride extension kit, and paid for 3 day shipping. It says it can be returned if not needed, but if I waited until I get everything measured and then find out I need it I would probably be SOL...

Better safe than sorry. I'll report on my findings!

[Rugger]

I use an Airsafe V with an Equalizer and didn't need an extension for either the power cord or safety chains. Even on a sharp turn there is still plenty of slack left in both.

[graysailor]

Following this thread as I am considering an Airsafe myself.

[LarryDewey]

Originally Posted by crisen

We have a class 5 airsafe with our 25' and all hook ups were long enough. We use it with an Andersen hitch and after 10k miles I don't thing it made that much of an improvement to justify the weight and expense. My opinion only but ran into 1 ex user on the road who felt the same.

Hi I am considering the Andersen "No Bounce, No Sway" WD system. Is this the one you are using and if so what coupler is on your trailer. We tow a 2004 27" WB, Safari.

[gwmc]

I have used an Airsafe with Equalizer for a few years. Bought it when I had an F350 with a fairly hard suspension, but have recently upgraded to a 2015 GMC Denali which has a softer ride.
Both chains and umbilical cord on my 2007 25' Classic were long enough.

On a recent trip I brought both my regular hitch and the Airsafe and alternated them to check the difference. As for ride quality, I didn't notice much difference (but I was mostly on good roads) so I'm not sure the extra weight and expense is justified on this particular combination. Even with the standard hitch I can open the tailgate when hooked up.

[beetlebob]

I have a class VI hitch and do not use any sway or balance bars. The only time I see the trailer move is when a BIG truck is beside me and it is pushing away from the truck. I pull with a Freightliner and can say that almost everything stays put in the trailer when I am on the road. Worth ever dime and dollar spent on it and will never tow without one.

[63air]

Just back from a 3200 mile trip with the Air safe/ Equalizer hitch set up. It worked great. I did not need any extensions when I set it up. The one problem I encountered was my Rock Tamers don't fit due to a shorter shank than the Equalizer's .I'll have to work on that.

[submariner]

following..
i do have an old F350 with full air ride, but consider the Airsafae hitch myself as i pull different length airstreams (22 and 34) and the hitch adjust to the tongue weight of the trailer.
Do to my Air ride on the truck, i do not believe i would need a weight distribution, since i have auto ride height valves on my truck.
would you guys still recommend a sway bar though?
Just wish the Airsafe hitch would not be so expensive.. maybe some one has a used one for sale? :-)

[Drathaar]

We use the Airsafe Class V with an Equalizer hitch on our F350. It did require chain extensions, but the length of the umbilical was fine.

As for performance, we returned from Death Valley this past winter, traveling I-5 from Bakersfield to home. I needed dental work and a kidney brace, but there were no popped rivets, unlike the last trip without the Airsafe.

My biggest complaint is the weight. With the Equalizer and a Rock Tamer, it's got to be at least 100 pounds. Until I get the sleeve in the receiver spot welded, it's a two person job hooking it up.

[Adiredneck]

Well, here's the trip report. First, we did need the extension for the electrical pigtail and the safety chains. I had ordered the extension kit from ProPride just in case - glad I did.

Round trip from Mississippi to Washington County, New York was a little over 3300 miles. It was effortless. Because there were two big changes and variables between this trip and the identical trip we took last fall (new truck and AirSafe hitch) I can't say for sure which made the most improvement in the trip, but here is my analysis:

1.) Truck: 2015 Ram 3500 Quad Cab Long Bed 4x4 with Cummins rode incredibly smoother than 2001 Dodge 2500 Standard Cab Long Bed 4x4 with Cummins. Counterintuitive to get a smoother ride from a 1 ton than a 3/4 ton, but true. Big difference. Set the cruise control at 63mph, and it held perfectly going up each grade in 6th gear on the standard tranny in the Appalachians and Alleghenies through Virginia and Pennsylvania on I-81; and having the engine brake set on "auto" held it perfectly at that speed on the downhill sides. Gross combination weight around 16,000 lbs. The truck didn't seem to know the AS was even back there.

Airstream/Hitches: Whereas when we did the trip last fall we would stop at a rest area after a bad stretch of interstate (like I-20 around Jackson or I-59 in north Alabama) and find most of the drawers bounced open and a few things tossed about, we only had one drawer come open the whole trip - and that was the one under the dinette seat that faces forward, and therefore most susceptible. That's gotta be due to the AirSafe. On some potholed and sketchy patches of road, I would watch the AS in my side mirrors and you could see that its suspension was acting completely independent of the trucks. Impact from bumps or dips were not passed from TV to TT or vice versa. I wasn't sure if the Equal-i-zer would lose effectiveness by being coupled with the AirSafe, but there was absolutely no sway and the truck handled well. Because of a tight time frame, I didn't do CAT scale tests with the Equal-i-zer's WD bars engaged and disengaged to see how effective the WD was.

Continued...

[Adiredneck]

In fact, that was my only head-scratch on the whole setup: The Equal-i-zer mounted to an "L" bracket furnished by AirSoft, which then bolted to the back face of the Airsoft. The Class VI Airsoft has a 2" shank. The Ram 3500 has a Class V hitch with a 2.5" receiver and a sleeve to reduce to 2". The Equal-i-zer/AirSafe combo is long (18" from rear of receiver to TDC of ball) and around 60-70#. When I had it slid into and locked in the receiver, I could grab the rear of the combo and move it up and down and left and right almost 3" - 4" of slack and play. Such sloppy tolerances might not be noticeable with just a ball jack in the receiver, but they sure were with that big, long and heavy hitch combo. I even cut up some aluminum sheeting to make shivs between both the hitch shank and sleeve and the sleeve and receiver - but still too much slack and play in my opinion. Other than wear and tear on the receiver that would be caused by this, I also wonder if it cut down greatly on the WD performance of the Equal-i-zer. How much of that forward torque generated by the WD bars got lost to slack? Before the next trip, I am going to have the sleeve welded to the shank with a good 1/4" bead both in front and back, as most of the slack seemed to be in between the shank and sleeve. I'm curious to see how much play that removes, and how the WD properties will increase.

My conclusion? The AirSafe did everything it claimed it would do. Gentle ride in the TV and nothing shaken around in the AS. I'm thinking that will increase the service life of both, and prevent some costly repairs (far more than the cost of the AirSafe). I give it a "thumbs up"!

[Drathaar]

Red, your experience is much like ours. It does what they say.

F350, Airsafe Class V, Equalizer

[Rolland]

Hi-Because of the price, I built my own. Just finished a 5000 mile trip, absolute world of difference. Same TV (99 Suburban 2500 Diesel) and trailer (1967-31') the only time things fell in the trailer were clothes in the rear closet in Jacksonville and I-20. My umbilical was marginally short before, so I extended it a foot to give lots of clearance around the hitch. I hooked the safety chains to the hitch, then added another chain to connect them to the truck. Ride in TV was markedly improved too. I really think this is a trailer saver. Rolland


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[submariner]

Rolland,
this looks great. Do youmind telling us little more about your hitch and what your overall cost was to built it ? do you have plans you developed?

thanks

[jdalrymple]

I am a long time user of AirSafe. I did not have to extend any of the connections.

When we traded from an older 31' rear bed to a new 27' from bed we found that after a day on the road, things in the rear of the trailer looked like they had been a tumble dryer.

The AirSafe help the ride a lot.

Over 50K miles with the AirSafe and Centramatics and no popped rivets or cracked skins.

Regards,

JD

[submariner]

Quick additional question: would you guys recommend the class VI with the integrated shocks over the class V or is the V sufficient to pull a 34ft limited ?


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