BCM Community
Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: demodriver on September 20, 2011, 07:45:16 AM
While at a local fair I noticed a air bag attached to a hitch on one of the carnys trucks. How well do you guys think this would help with the bouncing tongue weight of a trailer on a bus?
As most know I am trying to figure out if I would be better off with a different tow vehicle or if I can make the bus work. I thought this thing might make it more practical for a stacker trailer.
After about 15 minutes of trying to upload a single picture I give up. I will load a pic later if I dont smash the computer.
The hitch was made to slide into a reece style hitch. It then had a air bag that would absorb the vertical impact of the trailer hitch rocking up and down.
Better to have the air ride on the trailer to absorb the road shock before transmitting it to the hitch. Good Luck, TomC
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi756.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx203%2F2xdemo%2Fairbaghitch.jpg&hash=66ee61edcc53e210210f6ba0bc6c620ae3ace0d2)
Heres the hitch
They work fine, they do what they say they do. They add a lot of tongue weight. If your bus has air suspension, you already have the main benefit.
Brian
There are several air spring trailer mounts. I have seen some pretty neat systems for 5th wheel trailers.
One of the things I am so concerned about with buses towing big trailers is the dynamic loads. An air spring hitch would do a bunch to minimize the impact loading. Only problem is that there are no trailer dollies that have that option (that are still in business).
One of the issues with some of the trailer dollies that have been produced is that they don't have a lot of suspension travel. To me that could be an issue in some of the drainage "ditches" that we have to transverse from time to time.
Jim