If you’ve been towing any type of trailer for any amount of time, you have surely heard of the Shocker Hitch company. In today’s world, it doesn’t matter whether you’re towing a small camper or a heavy-duty gooseneck trailer, the roads you have to travel can range from the open highway to gravel backroads.

Have you ever hit a bump while towing and had that jarring experience shake you all the way to your bones? It’s a common feeling. Most ball mounts are made almost completely of metal, so there’s nothing to help soften the shock when you hit a bump. This results in a bumpy, jerky ride that not only takes a toll on you as you drive, but it beats up your equipment too, leading to premature wear and tear on both your truck and trailer. Fortunately, the Shocker Hitch HD Air will change all that.

The Shocker hitch uses a built-in airbag and rubber cushions and acts like a small suspension system between your truck and the trailer. The airbag and bumpers help absorb road shock, creating a smoother, more comfortable ride while also protecting your truck and trailer from unnecessary wear and tear on the brakes, chassis, trailer frame, and suspensions.

The Shocker airbag-equipped hitches offer a dramatic reduction in that jerking motion and road shock, which delivers a smoother ride for both the pickup truck and the trailer. “Consider the Shocker hitch an ‘air ride’ for your trailer,” says Hunter Carter of Shocker Hitch. “When you’re towing your trailer down the road and the bumps in the road are jarring the trailer, instead of you feeling those bumps, the Shocker’s airbag is absorbing those actions.”

Shocker Hitches uses airbag technology on their pickup hitches and gooseneck surge hitches for that very reason: a safer and smoother ride. Driving and towing over train tracks, overpasses, busted-up concrete, uneven roads, dirt roads, construction zones, and much more, definitely creates rough conditions when towing a trailer.

It doesn’t matter how heavy the load is on your trailer, you simply adjust the air pressure in the bag to compensate for the load. – Hunter Carter, Shocker Hitch

Using the easily accessible air valve on the side of the unit, you can adjust the air pressure in the Shocker Hitch to best accommodate your trailer’s load. If you’re hauling heavy-duty landscaping equipment, for example, you can add air to account for the increased capacity. Once the equipment is unloaded, simply release some air so that your underloaded trailer won’t experience a stiff ride.

Airbag ball mounts and hitches offer so much more that steel springs and torsion axles. While the springs and torsion axles offer a fixed response to road conditions and load, the Shocker hitch allows you to quickly adjust the air pressure for heavier or lighter loads as you go. Steel springs and torsion axles are not adjustable; they have to remain stiff in order to carry the load, otherwise, they would bottom out. Airbag hitches, on the other hand, can carry very heavy loads and still stay soft, which is a big win.

Whether you’re hauling a heavy load or a small utility trailer, airbag hitches and ball mounts work the same way. Use more air for heavy trailers and less for lighter trailers. When it comes to smooth towing and controlling road shock, jerky pulls and pushes, and the like, airbag hitches are a great option.

“It doesn’t matter how heavy the load is on your trailer,” Hunter states, “you simply adjust the air pressure in the bag to compensate for the load.”