Will an Air Bag Kit Help with Squat When 5th Wheel Towing with a 2020 Chevy Silverado 3500?

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Question:

Hello, Im wondering if putting air bag suspension on m 2020 silverado 3500 dually will help with squat when I am towing my 5th wheel. My too other concerns besides the squat is ride handling both when Im not towing and when I am and adjustments between towing and not towing.

asked by: Javier T

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

Hey Javier, great questions!

Air bags are the absolute best for 5th wheel towing because you can adjust them on an as-needed basis plus you can add an air compressor kit to the mix so you really can adjust them on the fly as well as have air on site for different things you might need while out on the road and at the campsite.

For your application I recommend the Firestone Ride-Rite Red Label Extreme Duty Air Helper Springs # F2709 because they are the most rugged and offer the most support (up to 7,500 lbs...although it's good to keep in mind this won't increase your weight capacity). Then we can pair this with the Firestone Air Command Extreme Duty Air Compressor with Tank # F49VV to monitor and adjust the air bag pressure on the fly, as well as have access to on-demand air from the tank.

We've actually had a chance to install this on a 2020 Silverado 3500 so you can watch the linked video to get a good idea of what all is entailed in the installation.

Are you planning on doing the installation yourself, or having a shop do it for you?

expert reply by: Jon G

1

Red Label Air Bag on a 2020 Silverado 3500
(click to enlarge)

Javier T.

1/28/2025

Thanks for the responce!! After watching the videos, I'm confident I can tackle the installation myself. But simce I live in the midewest I see snow and salt covered roads, so I'm thinking that mounting the compressor and tank in the bed of the truck would keep them from corrosion better. They would actually be mounted under my truck bed tool box, maybe even inside the tool box to keep them from the rain and snow fall. I am also looking into either replacing or upgrading my brakes on my 2011 Keystone Avalanche. It would be at least a replacement of the whole brake housing, not sure if upgrading to a hydrolic system. Not sure if that's financially wise seeing how the camper is an older model. (Might upgrade later) Can you help me with that also?

Jon G.

1/28/2025

@JavierT Happy to help out! One thing to keep in mind is that the compressor will need some "breathing" room so you'll need some ventilation in the tool box. An electric over hydraulic (EOH) braking system is the absolute best, but definitely not something you want to invest in if you're considering upgrading to a different 5th wheel in the near future. Your 5th wheel likely has either 3,500 lb or 5,200 lb axles so to replace the electric brakes you need the kit # AKEBRK-35-SA for each axle or the kit # AKEBRK-7-SA for each axle. If you have something different please let me know and I'll be happy to help you look further into it!

Javier T.

1/29/2025

@JonG What is the difference between the Firestone brand and the Viair brand air compressor?

Jon G.

1/30/2025

@JavierT Basically just the brand name. Firestone is more of a well-known name, but the Viair brand still gets the job done well. The biggest difference between the Air Command Extreme that I recommended and all of the Viair options is that the Air Command Extreme is controlled via an app on your phone, while all of the Viair options have a physical gauge that has to be mounted somewhere in your cab.

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Will an Air Bag Kit Help with Squat When 5th Wheel Towing with a 2020 Chevy Silverado 3500?

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