Anyone using airshocks while towing?

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Spencer Hammond

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Lots of info on shocks but I couldn't find any addressing the best shock for towing. I need to get the sag out of the back when towing my boat. It looks like air shocks might be the ticket but not sure how they will ride deflated and not towing. I know airbags can be used in the same manner but they seem more expensive. Just wondering if anyone has experience with them? Also what is needed to pump them up?
 
If you look around a little you might be able to find the "airbag" type overload spring helpers. If I remember right , someone here posted about this topic. I thought about getting air shocks too but was afraid the ride harshness would be too much.
 
haven't used air shocks, but, did you adjust your tongue weight by moving the boat to the rear a little? you should get the package weighed, and adjust for 10-15% tongue. in my experience, the trac shouldn't squat that much. how big is you boat? another option is to put an equalizer hitch-bar setup on the rig. it'll level it out good.



HTH
 
It sounds like before I make any modifications I need to weigh the tongue. The trailer manual says 5-7% of the total trailer/boat weight should be on the tongue.
 
I have them. I use them to tow my trailer. I have Arlift brand ait bags. They work awesome. Worth every penny I spent on them. I got them at summitracing.com.



Here is a pic, you can see it here. When I fill them to 100 PSI, I can get 5" of lift in the back.

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Tom
 
Here's a second plug for the Roadmaster Active Suspension kit. I have it on my ST, and it helps when I tow my travel trailer. I bought it from one of our former site sponsors.
 
do the roadmasters fix the sag issue?



Also don't air shocks and air bags do essentially the same thing? The shocks seem cheaper. By air shocks I mean the ones with the valve that you pump up.
 
Yes, the RAS kit helps to reduce rear sag. See the website I posted above for more detailed information on the kit. It's very easy to install, and only around $179. I did it in about four hours in my driveway using the included instructions and the project posted on this site.
 
While the RAS might reduce sag, it will not bring the rear end up to even out the weight from the trailer.



Here is a picture of my Trac with a yard of topsoil in the bed. The bags are filled up to 100 PSI each.



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Here is a close-up.



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By comparison, here is a picture of a fellow members Trac with a 1/2 yard of dirt and no air bags in it. The member is Michelle.



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IMO, the RAS can not and will not make that much of a difference when loaded down.



FWIW, a yard of dirt is about 2300 LBS.





Tom
 
If all you're concerned about is rear sag from a heavy trailer tongue, then the RAS kit should suit your needs. That and/or a weight distribution hitch such as the Equal-i-zer. Towing a boat will not put near as much weight on the hitch or cause near as much rear sag as a bed load of dirt or mulch. So a RAS kit or WD hitch should do the job.



More info on the RAS kit: http://www.activesuspension.com
 

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