i have really been enjoying my 01 hoe. we put 8000 miles on it in just 4 months. it is great being able to load up a pile of people and stuff and go anywhere in total comfort.

my question. my silverado is around 6000lbs with the trailer. on top of that there is often 5 people and some other stuff in the truck. i am prety happy with how the thing tows considering how much i am loading it up but for it to tow nice i have to put a fair amount of toung presure on it. the hoe is draging ***. do they sell air bags for the back springs and how well do they work? do you have to let air out of them when unloaded to keep a decent ride? the hoe seems to handle the weight just fine but i hate the way it looks when all weighted down in the rear.

i put a brake controler on it last weekend. just wanted to let everyone know not to put this project off. it took all of about 10 minutes to install and makes for a much safer trip. the thing just plugs in under the dash and you mount it somewhere. thats it

 

I know you can get somekind of kit off of summit that is similiar to a air shock but it is actually a helper on the leaf springs. and If I remember right you can just air the psi down back to stock ride when not towing.

 

i am prety sure it has coils on the rear although i have never looked under there. i will check my summit catalog.

 

yup, it has coils.

 

Air bags will help a lot, but I would also really recommend a weight distributing hitch (you know, with the spring bars). I always use one of these when I tow big loads. Levels out the ride and makes it run much smoother. You don't get the bouncing feeling nearly as bad when you go across a dip and it won't want to sway either.

 

Ah, pulling a trailer. The sole reason I was ever allowed to get a blower in the first place!

Anyways a tip on the load equalizer bars, which I would also strongly recommend purchasing to level the load and help stop trailer sway, is to make sure you tighten the bars down a fair bit, otherwise they will not be of much use in controlling sway. And if sway is a big issue, there are dedicated sway bars that you can buy as well.


As for the brake controller. a Tekonsha prodigy is one of the best you can buy, and it does not have to sit level, so you can mount it somewhere where it is easy to reach. The old style ones had to sit level so most people mounted them under the steering wheel, which is a pain to get to when you are swaying out of control!

Good Luck

D

 

where can i learn more about one of these hitches? i am looking for easy, doesn't have to be easy to install but easy to use and preferably be able to leave it on the truck when not towing.

i can get a set of these from summit for prety cheap, says you put it inside the spring and inflate it. adds up to 1000lbs load carrying. they have one rated at 2500lbs and another rated at 6000lbs. i dont think i need all that much extra support to keep it level.

 

Autoride!

You could see what it would take to add that to your hoe.

 

Here is a good one

http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Tow-702.../dp/B000CQ0282

Just google equalizing hitches and you will find quite a bit of info on setting them up. There used alot in rv towing and work great for what your doing.

 

Indeed any hitch shop in town should be able to hook you up. As for the hitch, they take about 10 seconds to put in and secure, and hence only about the same amount of time to steal. So you may want to protect your investment should you choose to do so.

I usually store mine in our travel trailer in a BIG extra strong ziplock bag (to avoid getting grease all over everything). And a hitch ball cover is a good idea too (again avoid grease spread).