Very rough ride towing camper
08-23-2014, 08:49 AM
#1
Very rough ride towing camper
I tow a 6000# camper with a 10,000 Equal-izer WDH. I felt that I fine tuned it for the best handling. I did all the measurements and ran it through the scales. My question is that on certain roads, that trailer just hammers my ride. This happens on a new road that has the seams about every 15 feet. I know that it is the trailer transferring the bounce to the truck as I ride the same road w/o trailer and the ride is fine. Would air bags installed on the truck or maybe shocks added to the trailer help this? I could live with this if it were only short trips but I'm taking it on a 1500 mile trip this winter. Has anybody else experienced this phenom. Loosening the WDH would help with the ride but then the front end would be a little light.
08-23-2014, 09:31 AM
#2
Senior Member
I think a lot of this has to do with the wheelbase of the truck and how far back the trailer wheels are, and how far apart the cracks are.
Sometimes, you can just adjust your speed to reduce the bounce.
HD shocks and stiffer suspension, like air bags, should help also.
Sometimes, you can just adjust your speed to reduce the bounce.
HD shocks and stiffer suspension, like air bags, should help also.
08-23-2014, 09:43 AM
#3
I think what you are describing is often called "chucking"; a vertical bouncing motion that is primarily from the rear suspension.
Could be a number of things:
* Since you have a Platinum, your payload is probably on the low side and, with family and bed load, you may be very near your total payload capacity
* You probably have P-metric tires. Pump them to the maximum allowable air pressure as indicated on the sidewall. You might eventually want to consider a C rated LT tire. I've found this to significantly reduce the chucking motion because of the stiffer sidewall and higher allowable pressures
* Remember that helper springs and air bags do nothing to increase your payload capacity. Don't use them as a crutch for trying cover up other problems such as overloading or suboptimal hitch adjustment.
Sometimes, as previously posted, you just get on a road with expansion joints that give you a bad rhythm; and there's not much you can do about it except grin and bear it.
Is your trailer level when in towing trim? It should be. There is an excellent tutorial on hitch and trailer adjustment on etrailer.com. I have found that, unless your ball height is correct, hitch adjustment can be fruitless. Give it a read and make sure you have everything right.
Best of luck to you. Travel safely and have fun.
Could be a number of things:
* Since you have a Platinum, your payload is probably on the low side and, with family and bed load, you may be very near your total payload capacity
* You probably have P-metric tires. Pump them to the maximum allowable air pressure as indicated on the sidewall. You might eventually want to consider a C rated LT tire. I've found this to significantly reduce the chucking motion because of the stiffer sidewall and higher allowable pressures
* Remember that helper springs and air bags do nothing to increase your payload capacity. Don't use them as a crutch for trying cover up other problems such as overloading or suboptimal hitch adjustment.
Sometimes, as previously posted, you just get on a road with expansion joints that give you a bad rhythm; and there's not much you can do about it except grin and bear it.
Is your trailer level when in towing trim? It should be. There is an excellent tutorial on hitch and trailer adjustment on etrailer.com. I have found that, unless your ball height is correct, hitch adjustment can be fruitless. Give it a read and make sure you have everything right.
Best of luck to you. Travel safely and have fun.
08-23-2014, 12:14 PM
#4
Sounds like you are getting "porpoising". See this previous thread.
Probably have undersized spring bars or have them setup to loose. Even though you are using 1,000 bars, your setting could be wrong or your tongue weight could be heavier.
What trailer are you towing? Is that 6000 lbs a dry brochure weight, is it the dry weight from the factory stated on the yellow loading sticker of the trailer, or is it the loaded weight as seen at a Cat Scale?
Probably have undersized spring bars or have them setup to loose. Even though you are using 1,000 bars, your setting could be wrong or your tongue weight could be heavier.
What trailer are you towing? Is that 6000 lbs a dry brochure weight, is it the dry weight from the factory stated on the yellow loading sticker of the trailer, or is it the loaded weight as seen at a Cat Scale?
Last edited by Mike Up; 08-23-2014 at 12:18 PM.
08-23-2014, 12:20 PM
#5
I think what you are describing is often called "chucking"; a vertical bouncing motion that is primarily from the rear suspension.
Could be a number of things:
* Since you have a Platinum, your payload is probably on the low side and, with family and bed load, you may be very near your total payload capacity
* You probably have P-metric tires. Pump them to the maximum allowable air pressure as indicated on the sidewall. You might eventually want to consider a C rated LT tire. I've found this to significantly reduce the chucking motion because of the stiffer sidewall and higher allowable pressures
* Remember that helper springs and air bags do nothing to increase your payload capacity. Don't use them as a crutch for trying cover up other problems such as overloading or suboptimal hitch adjustment.
Sometimes, as previously posted, you just get on a road with expansion joints that give you a bad rhythm; and there's not much you can do about it except grin and bear it.
Is your trailer level when in towing trim? It should be. There is an excellent tutorial on hitch and trailer adjustment on etrailer.com. I have found that, unless your ball height is correct, hitch adjustment can be fruitless. Give it a read and make sure you have everything right.
Best of luck to you. Travel safely and have fun.
Could be a number of things:
* Since you have a Platinum, your payload is probably on the low side and, with family and bed load, you may be very near your total payload capacity
* You probably have P-metric tires. Pump them to the maximum allowable air pressure as indicated on the sidewall. You might eventually want to consider a C rated LT tire. I've found this to significantly reduce the chucking motion because of the stiffer sidewall and higher allowable pressures
* Remember that helper springs and air bags do nothing to increase your payload capacity. Don't use them as a crutch for trying cover up other problems such as overloading or suboptimal hitch adjustment.
Sometimes, as previously posted, you just get on a road with expansion joints that give you a bad rhythm; and there's not much you can do about it except grin and bear it.
Is your trailer level when in towing trim? It should be. There is an excellent tutorial on hitch and trailer adjustment on etrailer.com. I have found that, unless your ball height is correct, hitch adjustment can be fruitless. Give it a read and make sure you have everything right.
Best of luck to you. Travel safely and have fun.
08-23-2014, 06:24 PM
#6
Sounds like you are getting "porpoising". See this previous thread.
Probably have undersized spring bars or have them setup to loose. Even though you are using 1,000 bars, your setting could be wrong or your tongue weight could be heavier.
What trailer are you towing? Is that 6000 lbs a dry brochure weight, is it the dry weight from the factory stated on the yellow loading sticker of the trailer, or is it the loaded weight as seen at a Cat Scale?
Probably have undersized spring bars or have them setup to loose. Even though you are using 1,000 bars, your setting could be wrong or your tongue weight could be heavier.
What trailer are you towing? Is that 6000 lbs a dry brochure weight, is it the dry weight from the factory stated on the yellow loading sticker of the trailer, or is it the loaded weight as seen at a Cat Scale?
08-23-2014, 08:28 PM
#7
You'd be spending a lot of money for little or no gain. Try LTs if you are willing to change tires. Or just put up with your situation until your tires need replacement. You don't need load range E, range C is more than adequate on a "1/2 ton".
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08-23-2014, 08:51 PM
#8
I have the Keystone Laredo 240MK. The dry weight is 5320# I was estimating at 6000# loaded which I think may be heavier than it really is. The dry tongue is 590# I beginning to think it might that the tongue might be light. If I tighten the torsion bars one notch, it raise the back of the truck too much. I have all seven washes in the hitch. Next time I go, I'll put a little more weight on the tongue and see how it handles. I do have the P rated 111s load range on the truck. Do you think if I changed them out to the 117v would make a huge difference?
I have about an additional 1500 lbs of items in the camper after we fill our fresh water, fill our propane tanks, fill the refrigerator and freezer, fill the cabinets with food, fill our dressers with clothes and personal items, have all of our camp gear including chairs, tables, chocks, levelers, outside grill and stove, propane laterns, screen room, extra electrical cords, hoses and all the other stuff that's in there. With a 13% average tongue weight, that's 845 lbs.
845 lbs isn't near 1000 lbs but if not adjusted right, the spring bars won't support the extra weight and cause the tongue weight to cause bouncing.
I don't think this issue has anything to do with tires. I think it's either a poorly loaded trailer and/or a misadjusted weight distribution hitch. I'm thinking you have the Equalizer brand since you are talking about washers.
Last edited by Mike Up; 08-23-2014 at 09:03 PM.
08-23-2014, 09:12 PM
#9
Your WDH is either to tight or the bars are to big. If the bars are set to tight it raises the back of the truck to much and you feel a sharp whack whenever you go over the bumps. Same with to big of bars...they simply do not bend and flex because there isn't enough weight on them.
I have done the same as you and read all the literature and charged out there with my measuring tape and pencil and level and paper and I set it up the trailer exactly as the books told me to and off I went. It was the most unsafe ride I ever had. Friggen' nightmare. I tried several times to get it right and it was always wrong. What did work was the simplest set up of all....
Step 1. Hook up the trailer and using the WDH level the truck. It is very important that you DO NOT let the back of the truck ride higher than the front, ever. I level it by eye on a flat surface and I double check it with a 4 foot bubble level on the bed rails. Step 2. Level the trailer by raising or lowering the hitch. Step 3. Go for a quick ride to bounce it around a bit and then re-check for level. Remember, keeping the truck level is the most important part.
I have done the same as you and read all the literature and charged out there with my measuring tape and pencil and level and paper and I set it up the trailer exactly as the books told me to and off I went. It was the most unsafe ride I ever had. Friggen' nightmare. I tried several times to get it right and it was always wrong. What did work was the simplest set up of all....
Step 1. Hook up the trailer and using the WDH level the truck. It is very important that you DO NOT let the back of the truck ride higher than the front, ever. I level it by eye on a flat surface and I double check it with a 4 foot bubble level on the bed rails. Step 2. Level the trailer by raising or lowering the hitch. Step 3. Go for a quick ride to bounce it around a bit and then re-check for level. Remember, keeping the truck level is the most important part.
08-23-2014, 11:43 PM
#10
This really has nothing to do with the TV, and little to do with the WD hitch, although changing the loading of the TV or TT can reduce the problem. Only experimenting will help reduce the problem. The problem is really the concrete road and expansion joints. It gets the trailer bouncing in a rhythmic manner and that motion is transferred to the TV. Air bags on the truck could help a bit. Installing a shock absorbing spring equalizer on the TT such as a Mor/ryde or Dexter E-Z Flex is supposed to help. Shocks on the TT would help. Building a flat road would REALLY help. Last year with our old TT we ran a 50 mile stretch of brand new freeway, it was so bad I thought we would never get to the end without the truck and trailer falling apart. About the only good speed was 40 mph, anything more was bad. I ran that same road with our new TT, 8' longer, this year and it was just as bad. I am going to try the spring equalizers next spring, and then maybe upgrade to TT shocks. We towed 4000 miles out west this summer and only had a few miles of similar road. I don't know why the odd occasional road has the problem. It is always concrete freeways.