Bucking motion when towing

[dustman_stx]

I'll also add-

Does the load leveling suspension level when the vehicle isn't running? I would think not, which means setup with the ProPride would be very easy. One of the great things about them is that they use jacks for weight distribution and can be easily adjusted. You can back the TV up to the camper, kill it, lower the trailer, run the jacks up until you have the proper amount of weight transferred and then restart the TV. I THINK this would keep the 2 systems from fighting each other.

[Crockett]

great posts...id try running with that load leveling off if possible. I got a link on the bottom of the "good old rvs" website on wd hitch setup(kinda basic) and/or there is a lot of info here on these boards...

[aerohead34]

Do you have a lot of weight in the back of the camper? That could cause the bucking motion also. Also, I thought the load leveling would keep your truck's back end level when you have are towing. Stupid question but I have to ask. Does your truck have a switch to turn the feature on?

[hillsdaletc]

Several things. Short wheel base vehicles make lousy tow vehicles. The hitch can be easily adjusted to bring the tow vehicle up to standard height by dropping another link in the spring bar chains. If needed, tip the head down more to gain clearance. I agree the tires are not made for towing and will increase the porpoise effect you are getting. You cannot adjust out the soft sidewall flex.

[robbdrell]

Be sure you get tires with a high enough load rating. Very important

[fvstringpicker]

I'll have the same problem towing with my 2500hd if I jack the weight distribution bars up too much. Try backing down a link and raising the height of your hitch a bit.

[LandJ]

My rig was "bucking" on my first outing this year. I tightened up one more link on WDH and it went away. I couldn't remember if I needed 2 or 3 links..... turns out it was 3.

I learned more about my setup through this problem. I need to get to a scale to make sure the hitch is setup correctly. I used measurements front and back when I switched vehicles, but maybe I'm not transferring enough weight.

Good luck figuring out your issue.

[SuicideSaints]

You will not get the "best" towing experience with a shorter wheel base vehicle but I do not think there is a need to panic. Better (stiffer sidewall) tires and maybe a WDH hitch upgrade will help, wdh upgrades are not cheap but I think it will suit your set up for safety reason. Your payload and towing capacity seem sufficient so I think it just needs a few tweeks noted above, and then maybe even out loading of the TT to help it even more.

[tyke8319]

I think you have too much weight in the rear of your trailer which is lifting the tongue up..??

[frisbyh]

If you have a load leveling suspension, why is the rear of your TV still lower that the front? A couple of things to consider. Is your Navigator a short or long wheelbase version? If it is a short wheelbase, you are pulling a pretty long trailer for a short wheelbase TV. The tail can wag the dog pretty easily with that situation. As someone else suggested, I would start over and adjust you WD hitch again. If you can disable your load leveling suspension when you do that, you will get a better idea if the weight transfer to the truck is okay because the truck and trailer should both be close to level if done correctly. You might also check tire pressure in both vehicles. If the trailer tires are over inflated for the trailer weight, the trailer can start bouncing when running on a road with uneven expansion joints.

[D_B Travelers]

You may just be experiencing a normal ride with the TT hitched up. First time down the road with our 35' TT we were freaked out when we hit a section of undulating road! We thought we were going to wreck! Now we travel that area and rarely even think about it; you will soon become accustomed to what feels "normal" when towing and what is really an issue. Certainly look into the things the folks have mentioned previously, but do the quick and easy thing first and just tighten up the hitch links. Then take the TT out and just drive it around on local highways and roads to see if the bouncing or porpoising is still a big issue for you. And tire pressure, ALWAYS check your tire pressures on the tow vehicle and trailer before you go anywhere; even multiple times on a long day of driving. There are multiple links and threads in this forum about exactly this issue with lots of advice and experiences related.

[Grampa Jim]

Buzzard....take it to an RV dealer and have them check it out. There are way too many variables, and the ramifications of not catching the problem can be cataclysmic.

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by Grampa Jim

Buzzard....take it to an RV dealer and have them check it out. There are way too many variables, and the ramifications of not catching the problem can be cataclysmic.

Problem with that is that the dealers are the ones that typically install them incorrectly. Unfortunately.

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by Grampa Jim

Buzzard....take it to an RV dealer and have them check it out. There are way too many variables, and the ramifications of not catching the problem can be cataclysmic.

That only works when the tech at the dealer has a clue about setting the WDH up.

A quick site search will net more than a couple of users who had to sit down and read the manual for their hitch and reset it after the dealer got it wrong.

[D_B Travelers]

Originally Posted by dustman_stx

Problem with that is that the dealers are the ones that typically install them incorrectly. Unfortunately.

That is what happened to me when they replaced the head on my Trekker hitch, the rear of the truck went down 4" and the front went up 1 -1/2". I had to get it on level ground and adjust it correctly myself. Invest in a Harbor Freight electric impact wrench to work on the bolts.

[NeilM108]

That's a lot of trailer for a Navigator.
1. Make sure your tires are inflated to a pressure somewhere between what's printed on the Navigator door and what the maximum PSI for the tire is.
2. Loosen the WDH one link.

If that doesn't help, 3 replace your rear shocks with the stiffest aftermarkets you can find.

4. Some LT series tires would help.

5. Shorter trailer or bigger truck

[Big Vic]

Another vote for air bags. I towed my 6500lb TT with a Toyota Sequoia which had plenty of power, but the coil suspension, short wheelbase and low payload (1300 lbs) resulted in some "porpoising" or bucking of the ride. I was probably over payload with a 800lb tongue weight and several persons in the SUV. I used an Equal-I-zer WDH with anti-sway and 1000lb bars. The air bags helped a bit in stabilizing the load.

My solution was to go to a F-250 which has stiffer rear suspension, longer wheelbase and a payload of 3200 lbs, with the same WDH. I also added Timbrens which helped a bit more with heavy loads. No more porpoising and a very steady ride.

[asquared]

I will tell you from experience most dealers have no clue how to set up a wdh properly let alone set it up when you have load leveling suspension. Having been there done that I will tell you learn all you can about setting up your hitch and then you will understand what changes do what and how to make certain issues go away. As stated before, start easy with wdh adjustments and figuring out if you have enough payload. Next would be the tire switch out (this never did do much for my handling issues) then upgrade hitch or TV. Best of luck, let us know what your fix was.

Here are some help on wdh but they don't discuss the load leveling suspension. The guys who wrote these stickies are the ones who figured out how to best fix my wdh with load leveling suspension.

wdh set up

how wdh works

here is the last in a long series of threads designed to fix my first set up of Armada and TT. Pay the most attention to the responses from Ron gratz and jbarca as they are the ones that figured it out.

[silverback 35ts]

You were sotra right, the coil springs will give you a bounce, but the 20" tires will be very stiff! All of these big wheel tires have a very low tow rating, so as said before you will have to bite the bullet and replace the wheel and tire combo to fix the problem.

[MickeyD]

The 20" rim LT285/60/20E's that I have on my Ram are rated for 3640 pounds each at 80 psi and they are stiff. Cuts down on squirm and sway, but the ride is a little harsher.