Ball height may be too low.

 

I don't know what "sticker weight" means. Is that an unloaded weight or the max loaded weight?

As described on this section of the forum many times, there is a Payload sticker on your door jamb. Take that weight, subtract every addition you made to the truck. Subtract the weight of all occupants, and the cargo they bring with them into the truck. Subtract 75 - 125 pounds for your WDH. That is the remaining payload you have.

Now, divided by .13, for the 13% average tongue weight. That number is the max LOADED trailer you can handle with your payload (which says nothing about the load on your axles).

If you don't know your loaded trailer weight, take it to the scales with a full tank of gas and follow the weighing info given here - weigh truck without trailer, weight truck with trailer with bars tightened, weight truck with trailer with bars removed.

If I had to guess, I'd say you are considerably over payload.

 

Just remember, the trailer needs to be level, not the truck! What is important for a proper truck setup is that the front wheel well returns close to the unloaded height and that the rear has a decent drop of at least 2" when the bars are attached. If you have less than that on the rear then chances are the bars are too tight, or too heavy for the trailer TW. Either of these will cause trailer bounce.

 

Ok. Thanks. First I will try and loosen up the Trunnion bars on my WDH. If it still bucks I will go to the scales. I had the ball height adjusted up already.

 

 

Put some weight in the bed. If it smooths out, then move the boat forward on the trailer. You may not have enough tongue weight.

 

I think some bounce is going to be there on the longer trailer. Think about the amount of leverage that thing has on the ball. I would suggest that everyone having this issue look at how you load the trailer. If it's heavy in the rear, you'll bounce (it's a lever). You should load most of the trailer as forward as possible, then over the axles if need be. I think adding air bags and or a sway bar to help support the suspension would probably help buffer the recoil of the shock so the bounce can be absorbed better. I agree with others that there is probably too much weight distribution being applied on the smaller trailer of the OP. Hell I'd tow that with no WD setup at all. I think the reason people over-distribute their weight is because at a lower setting the rear sags. Well this is the normal amount of distribution, (to a point). The rear will sag and that can be helped with some air bags. Don't use the weight distribution to "prevent" your rear sag, that is typically over-distributing the weight at that point.

 

There must be shocks that have suitable rebound damping to settle an F150. I'm just not sure there are any that are actually made for an F150 that can do it.

Reports on the Rancho 9000 and the Bilstein 5100s and 4600s seem to indicate that these shocks are no stiffer (and maybe not as stiff) as the stock shocks on a HDPP.

For those without an HDPP, perhaps the HDPP shocks are a good option. For those with the stronger springs of the HDPP, I'm wondering if an F350 shock could be adapted (I'm assuming the F350 shocks have more damping but not certain of that). Does anyone know if there are any viable shock options for those who want more rebound damping than can be provided by Bilstein 5100/4600 or Rancho 9000?

 

I tow a boat/trailer combo that is around 7500 lbs. I have Bilstein 5100 front & rear. Adding the Air Lift Ride Control bags helped minimize the bouncing and raise the rear end. I've found pumping them up to 55lbs each is all I need.
https://www.airliftcompany.com/produ...s/ridecontrol/

 

A bit of bounce on bumps is ok, unless you feel like you might lose some control. If it bounces off of every single road imperfection, then you don't have enough tongue weight and a big bump might be dangerous.

If you're at stock height, the 4600HD's are your best bet. If you think you might lift, get the 5100's. Ranchos are good, but I'm not sure how well they would hold up towing. I've had the adjustable Ranchos before, and they're fantastic since you can dial them in for a good ride. If you don't mind them only lasting a few years (possibly), then the Ranchos. Otherwise if you want long-term non-adjustable, 4600HD. My 2 cents...

Any more hardcore than that and you're looking into big bucks. Something like Icons or Fox.