How to Set Up Air Bags and a Weight Distribution Hitch Together on a Silverado 1500  

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Expert Reply:

Hi Robert, you’re not far off at all.

Yes, the Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 part # AL57288 is a good fit for your Silverado as long as it’s not a Trail Boss model, and you can absolutely use it together with your Equal-i-zer hitch part # EQ37120ET. What you’re experiencing is pretty common with a setup like yours. With rear sag, it’s normal for the Equal-i-zer bars to feel aggressive when hooking up because they’re working hard to lift the back of the truck and redistribute that weight forward. So that part alone doesn’t mean anything is wrong, it just tells us the system is under load.

Both the air bags and the weight distribution hitch help with sag, but they serve different roles. The hitch distributes weight and controls sway, while the air bags fine tune ride height and help take some of that load off the hitch.

The best way to set them up is to use the air bags first to bring the rear of the truck back up close to level, then set your weight distribution hitch so the front returns to its original unloaded height. Once that’s adjustments, you typically don’t need to keep adding more air, just minor adjustments if needed depending on if you're carrying anything heavy in the bed.That sequence will give you a more natural balance and get rid of that sag.

One thing that will make your life a lot easier is using an electric tongue jack like part # e74GV to take the pressure off the bars when hooking up and unhooking. After you couple the trailer, use the tongue jack to lift both the trailer and the rear of the truck together a few inches. This reduces the tension on the spring bars so they go on and off much easier without fighting them. Then once the bars are in place, lower the jack back down. Doing it this way usually takes that aggressive feel out of the process. This one will plug into your 7-way for convenience.

You’re really close to having a comfortable and stable setup, it just needs a little rebalancing so everything works together instead of fighting each other. Where do you like taking your Silverado and camper, more mountains, coast, or state parks?

expert reply by: Heather A

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