Do I really need a air ride trailer?

On the bright side they, airbags, are easy to replace and don't cost all that much.....

 

Um NO!. if the king pin was at the front of the trailer, the front would stay the same height, or close to. But, its like a see saw...if the rear of the trailer rides low, the opposite side of the seesaw rides high. A 5th wheel will angle whatever way it needs to (with in reason). If both trailer and 5th hight is correct, trailer will be 13'6, but if trailer is low, the truck bags still provide proper 5th height. the 3 or 4 feet in front of the 5th goes up. It's not much, but it enough to put you over 13'6

 

Yea, so spring ride is crap when empty and the trailer bounces all over

 

I said it once, I'll say it again, your issue is with overinflated tractor airbags... if your leveling valve is set properly, it will level your bags out and the trailer wont ride high in the front.... However, if you've got 40K on your trailer tandems, and 5K on your drives, you're gonna have issues..

 

air ride all the way. air bags are just another maintenance item, just like tires, brakes and drums.

 

I dont know if this has been mentioned, didnt bother to read all the posts. The point I see with air ride is that it is lighter in weight than springs are. The whole point is, lower vehicle weight equals more product you can carry. If you put springs onto a trailer it will become heavier reducing how much cargo you can haul, and reducing your paycheck.