Need ride improvement

[dutch6]

We just experienced a miserable ride on I95 Northbound through SC and parts of VA (including the 295 bypass). According to the CAT scale weights we have a trailer pin weight of 4500#. This on a 33' fifth wheel with a gross weight of 11720#. I have another post seeking verification of this pin weight.

We have a 280# Trailer Saver air hitch on the '08 3500 DRW, QC and while that helped there must be other options available such as air springs or possibly different shocks.

Recomendations, please.

 

[DPKetchum]

Describe miserable? What wa the issue?

 

[dutch6]

I believe the term is "porpoising". With the expansion joints being the cause. Tried different speeds - no effect. Also the ride was very harsh.

 

[Slow Six]

That seems like a lot of pin weight for that weight of a trailer. I put the Energy Suspension bump blocks on my truck to replace the stock ones which helped my loaded ride somewhat. I also now have Ride Rite air bags. I have never had the problem your are describing with my fiver but the one tool trailer I had was pretty harsh as it was pin heavy. I have done some reading on this topic and a lot of it has to do with distance between tow unit axle and trailer axles etc. There is a lot of theory behind it. I had a travel trailer years ago that was absolutely horrible behind my 91 W250 but behaved very well behind my 94 2500. You have an annoying problem which hopefully you can remedy. Go to RV. Net and lurk around there or some other RV sites. Good luck.

 

[jelag]

If your truck is not level, you might consider air bags to level out the truck... We tow a 20K lb trailer with our 04 3500 dually and once its level we have no problems... I've never measured the pin weight...

I just got home from a 1500 mile trip with my 05 dually and our 5er that weighs 12,500 or so... again we have air bags on the 05 and I just level it out... our biggest problem is that the 19. 5" tires on the trucks tend to follow the ruts in the highway from the studded tires here... .

On the 19. 5" tires the sidewall is so stiff they follow the ruts instead of floating through them... .

We don't have a lot of freeways here with concrete segments. . but driving through them in CA can be a problem as the truck wants to hammer with each seam... . sort of jars your teeth out...

Anyway we control the air the air bags to level the truck when we change loads... around town their down to 5 psi and with the heavy load there up to 85 lbs or so...

Home this helps. .

 

[SBeretz]

I had the same problem before air bags. Jim is dead on by recommending the air bags. Even if your trailer is level, the air bags are smoother than your leaf springs. I also added some Bilstein shocks to all for corners and that really helps control the jouncing feeling in my truck.