Air Bags for My New 07 GMC

[Richpollock]

I am Picking up our 2008 Montana 2908RL in two weeks and
I just bought a 2007 GMC Diseal Crew Cab. Will I need a air bag?
The 5th Wheel will be loaded. My truck will have lots of wood for
camp fires. ALso if I need them, who makes the best ones?, and where is the best place to buy them?

Join two weeks ago, you have all been very helpful.
Thank you for your help.

RIch[/size=6][/size=2]

[sreigle]

You didn't say whether your GMC is a 2500 or 3500. If a 3500, you probably will not need airbags. If a 2500, you might. The 2980 has one of the heavier pinweights among the Montanas. If you find the rear end of your truck is sagging below level, then you may want to add airbags or other means to bring the truck back to level. You won't know for sure until you try it.

There are a couple of good brands for the airbags. I used the Firestone Ride-Rite airbags and was very pleased with them.

Congratulations on the new purchases.

[Richpollock]

Thank you for responding to my questions. I have a 2500 4+4 Diseal with the 6 speed Manual/Automatic Allison Trans. In my GMC manual it says I have a 14,200. Maximum Trailer Weight and a 22,000lbs GCWR.
I have a goose neck and a trailer hitch. The 2980RL weight is 10,210. With a 2460 lbs carrying weight. Do you think I will have some problems carying another 500 hundred pounds in the back of my truck? Should I get air bags installed in my truck? sreigle, I beleive you both a 2006 2980RL. What do you pull the 5th wheel with.

Rich

[sreigle]

Our first Montana was a 2001 2880RL, just a foot shorter and the same basic floorplan as yours. I towed it on weekends and vacations with a 1999 Ford F350 V10 4x2. When we started fulltiming in March 2003 we had a 2003 3295RK, heavily loaded. We towed it first with that V10, then traded for a 2003 Ford F350 diesel 4x4. In late 2004 I traded that for a 2005 Ford F250 diesel 4x4. We recently, like in the past 10 days traded that for a 2007 Dodge 3500 MegaCab 4x4. We have not yet towed with this truck but hope to head out with it this coming Wednesday, assuming we take delivery on the truck tomorrow.

Many here tow Montanas with the same truck you have and have no problems. The other number you need to look at is GVWR, the max weight the truck should weigh with everything loaded including being hitched to the trailer. You may be over that number. Also, if your truck is 2005 or newer, on one of the door pillars is a sticker with tire information. In small print on that sticker it tells you the maximum weight of cargo for your truck. That's the payload capacity. You will probably be over that number.

Many of us, including me, have very successfully and safely towed Montanas with 3/4 ton trucks with no problems and no instances of any kind of control problems. However, it is possible to get too far over and then you may have problems, either mechanical problems or control problems. If I were you I'd hold off on that 500 lbs of firewood in the bed until you can hitch up the trailer and go to a scale to find out how much weight is on each axle of the truck. You can then decide if it is prudent (or not) to add that additional weight of the firewood.

That 10,210 weight on the 2980RL is the shipping dry weight. It does not include your propane bottles, battery, fluids, or any of your personal gear. I'd bet your towed weight of the 2980 will be closer to 11,000 to 11,500, depending on how heavily you load it.

Good luck. Please check out the weights before adding all that firewood to the truckbed.

[Cat320]

Like Steve said, your diesel will pull any Montana...but most 3/4s will be over the cargo capacity when loaded and ready to go. Check the sticker he mentioned, in Chevys it is on the left rear door pillar and is entitled "Tire and Loading Information." Compare it with the real pin weight (not the 2370 empty weight), then add the weights of the hitch itself, passengers, cargo, tools, etc. IMHO,I would not add more weight in the form of firewood in the bed of that truck.

[snfexpress]

Steve's post is very comprehensive and worth reading. Take his advice about getting your truck & 5er weighed.

Go to a CAT scale or equivalent and pull up onto the scales. Get a weight reading at each axle (your Montana axles will be like one). Then, pull out into the parking lot and unhook your 5er and reweigh your truck.

I would suggest that you have everything in your truck and 5er you think you want, including a full tank of fuel, your wife and your dog. Get my drift?

Now, subtract your second weighing of the rear axle of your truck from the first weighing of your rear axle. This is your pin weight. Add the pin weight to the total weight of the truck plus the difference on the front axle (some of the pin weight is distributed to the front axle); this is your "total weight". Compare this to your GVWR of the truck. Then, go from there and make the appropriate decisions regarding towing, etc.

And, if you really want to check things out, re-hitch your 5er, and put one axle of the Montana on one scale and the other axle on another scale. This will tell you if your weight distribution in the 5er is good; each axle should not exceed 6,000 pounds (if you have 6,000 pound axles - I understand the newer Montanas have 7,000 pound axles). And, even if you have 7,000 pound axles, but have rims rated at 3,042 pounds, don't exceed 6,084 pounds per axle. Just my 2 cents.

(Cat320 - check my math, I am doing it from memory and I, too, have CRS).