Air Bags vs. WD Hitch

rrcbov

The attached video confirms my walk-in-around sense regarding air bags and weight distribution hitch.  Given this, what benefits do air bags provide from a safety perspective?  I get that they may help keep you from bottoming out but they don't help with front axle weight.

watch

MuttonChops

Interesting and (appears) accurate video . . . of course they are selling WDH equipment.
IMOH . . .
air bags or helper leaf springs are of questionable value.  They only make sense if the rear axle rating is very high and the rear springs are very soft.  Maybe 50-years ago that was the case for typical production vehicles . . . these days with increased engineering to reduce weight and accounting pressure to reduce cost expect most rear axles are rated with the installed springs " in-mind " so WDH is the only sane/safe option.

Of course for the T@B 320/400 trailers WDH is a non-issue if the correct TV is used to start with.

Dalehelman

MuttonChops said:

Interesting and (appears) accurate video . . . of course they are selling WDH equipment.
IMOH . . .
air bags or helper leaf springs are of questionable value.  They only make sense if the rear axle rating is very high and the rear springs are very soft.  Maybe 50-years ago that was the case for typical production vehicles . . . these days with increased engineering to reduce weight and accounting pressure to reduce cost expect most rear axles are rated with the installed springs " in-mind " so WDH is the only sane/safe option.

Of course for the T@B 320/400 trailers WDH is a non-issue if the correct TV is used to start with.

X2

AirBoss

x3...

WDH is a bit overkill and not necessarily recommended by nuCamp. If you have the proper TV with good suspension components and the requisite sufficient additional towing capacity and you've loaded your TV and your T@B properly, there's really not much of a reason to install a WDH. In addition, if you're near the GAWR fo the T@B when towing (full water, tanks, propane, food, clothes, gear...alcohol), adding the WDH will only make that worse as essentially the WDH redistributes weight across the TV and the T@B.  

DenisP

X4  A caution that has been previously expressed is to use WDH with a larger TV which is heavier than the Tab can overload the Tab’s suspension as it shares the load with the TV.  Could be problematic as you travel down the road and encounter rough surfaces. 

bergger

AirBoss said:

x3...

WDH is a bit overkill and not necessarily recommended by nuCamp. If you have the proper TV with good suspension components and the requisite sufficient additional towing capacity and you've loaded your TV and your T@B properly, there's really not much of a reason to install a WDH. In addition, if you're near the GAWR fo the T@B when towing (full water, tanks, propane, food, clothes, gear...alcohol), adding the WDH will only make that worse as essentially the WDH redistributes weight across the TV and the T@B.  

I totally agree.  If you have to use a WDH with a 320 or 400 then you don't have the proper tow vehicle.  These are small trailers and most midsize trucks or SUVs can handle them without WDH. 

rrcbov

MuttonChops said:

Interesting and (appears) accurate video . . . of course they are selling WDH equipment.

I took another look at the video - the combined truck/trailer weight was different in each scenario.   Shouldn’t it be the same?