So they don't sell lightweight 5ers out west? He is talking about those trucks towing 5ers that are close or within their ratings, not 32fters weighing in at 12,000lbs plus. As far as hills go we have some humbling ones here in New England that I personally know worked an 8.1L with an Allison and a 2002 Ford V10 pretty damn hard. Trannies got very warm leading to a few cool down stops. Both trucks were pulling within limits too. I am beginning to think many people "out West" just don't plan routes well as an excuse to thump their chests or justify the truck they have.
Obviously they do but seeing a 1/2 ton towing a 5th wheel is a very rare sighting. 9 out of 10 trucks towing a fiver are 3/4-1 tons. As far as hills go, out west if you want to go somewhere you have to cross hills. They are everywhere you go. There generally isnt any planning to go around unless you want to add a lot of miles to the trip just to avoid a mountain pass. Even then you are usually just delaying the inevitable as to where you have to cross a range at if you dont want to add 100 miles to your trip to avoid mountains.
I am of the camp that thinks 1/2 tons are great trucks, have owned more than one. They are not the wonder TV so many seem to think they are though. There is more to towing than how fast you can climb that hill and accelerate from a stop. To each his own, i prefer to err on the side of safety for the well being of my family.
Vans
2009 F-350 6.4l FX4 Crew Cab
2008 Fun Finder 250BHS
6th Ford truck and counting...
I was recently driving through W. Va and witnessed a Tundra towing a BIG Outback 5er. I would estimate the trailer at 12k pounds, give or take a thousand pounds.
If that truck was a cartoon, there would have been tears streaming from its headlights. The rear bumper was at least 12" lower than the front, the driver was sawing on the steering wheel like he was directing music, the aftermarket towing mirrors had been duck taped onto the standard mirrors, and I swear the front tires were a hair's breath from lifting completely off the ground. This person was driving at about 65mph too.
I dont buy into using a 1/2 ton to tow bigger trailers. IMO, anything over about 7k# is "bigger".
2005 F-250 CC SB 4x4 5.4L Auto
2005 Springdale 249 Bunkhouse
How did this thread go from the OP's question of "Do I need air bags to tow my new HIGH-LO!!! with a Tundra or 1500 Sierra, to bashing Tundra and debating towing 5th wheels with Tundra??
A new Tundra will not have any issues with the hitch weight of a High-Lo. Sway control and weight distribution is all you will need. Like other have said, airbags might smooth the ride, but are not needed. My FIL has a older Tundra and tows a 21ft Fun Finder using a Reese straight line/dual cam with 600lb bars. It is great match. Even without bars (while hooking up) it doesn't squat his truck much.
2007 Expedition EL 4x4 Tow pkg
2006 Pioneer 180CK (No more PUcampin!)
Nights in 08: 6
Nights in 09: 15 Thats all for the year
Me DW and the 3 in 3
DD 6/14/06, DS 11/27/07, DD 11/11/08
I have airbags and use an Equalizer to tow 10,060lbs. I'm not sure the airbags really helped. I'm looking into getting Ranchero 9000xl adjustable shocks instead. And for the record, the Truck Trend test of the half tons listed the Tundra as having the least amount of sag when they placed 650lbs in the bed, an inch less than the competitors.
2008 Tundra DC Limited 4x4 5.7L 4.30 gears "towing rocket"--Paid for!
Motor Trend's 2008 Truck of the Year
2009 Outback 310BHS Equal-i-zer, Prodigy, 9000lbs, 35ft
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and the 3 in 3 
11/27/07, DD 
11/11/08
