Rough rider

[strokendiesel002]

Gotcha, I put a little under 7000 miles on a 33ft International box truck with rear full air ride, pulling a 40ft. Haulmark Stacker... bumper pull. Worst ride of my life on roads that had buckled. non stop bucking.

My '05 Silverado sounds like it's crashing over bumps or holes in the road if I run more than 70PSI in the front tires.

I wonder if maybe just adjustable air shocks on the rear of the van could help... it's a bit of a hassle inflating and deflating all the time... my dad had them on a conversion van we had growing up, but it sure rode a lot nicer. once we got them dialed in

[Gizmo0706]

I set up the WDH at home which is slightly off level. I ended up with the front a bit low. I had planned on leveling up up but wondered now if it would help to have it a little nose down.

[strokendiesel002]

Great pics! It doesn't appear that your van is squatting - correct?

Nose down... couple of dynamics come into play
1) yes, more weight is transferred to the tongue
2) more weight on the front tires- wear unevenly
3) suspension isn't working ideally.

Is your hitch adjustable?

if it is, get it as close to level as you can and use as little pressure as possible with the chains and try that

[Gizmo0706]

I am using an Equal-I-zer 10k/1k hitch. I will go somewhere else and set it up again, it's just so much more convenient at home! No, the van really doesn't seem to notice weight much!

[strokendiesel002]

Tell me about it! I have to go to where we store our 5'er anytime I want to do anything to it

It appears as though the height of the ball can be adjusted on that hitch correct? If so, I'd def. give a try once leveled.

The front and rear springs on the TT should be connected with a cantilever looking bracket, they ride much nicer when that in it's proper position

[Gizmo0706]

Originally Posted by strokendiesel002

It appears as though the height of the ball can be adjusted on that hitch correct? If so, I'd def. give a try once leveled.

The front and rear springs on the TT should be connected with a cantilever looking bracket, they ride much nicer when that in it's proper position

Yeah it's adjustable, I have set it up quite a few times now although this is the first time I ended up not keeping the TV and the TT level.

[strokendiesel002]

Cool! Looking forward to updates

[Gizmo0706]

So....I took the whole rig to flat ground and set the hitch up...again. Interestingly, with the trailer completely level the hitch ball was where it was supposed to be according to the instructions. I know this leaves the trailer low in the front dispite the instructions so I took the ball up higher. These are the numbers I ended up with;
Unloaded front 34 1/2
rear 36 3/4
Loaded with no WDH
front 34 3/4
rear 35 1/2
Loaded with WDH
Front 34 1/2
Rear 35 3/4
I have a trip in a week so we will see how it rides now.

[Gizmo0706]

Well we have another trip in the books and the ride was no better with the camper perfectly level. Best as it seems to me that the camper and load is loading the rear leaf springs just to the point that they are starting to flex. Then when we hit a dip or a bridge it loads the suspension just for that moment. It seems to me like my only options are to put enough weight on the rear to get the springs really involved (not easy) or install air bags to keep the springs from getting involved in the first place. So I bought some air bags and will get them installed this weekend. More updates to come!

[Flying dutchman]

Airbags are the right way to go in your or similar situations. Keep us updated please.

[schrederman]

I had a similar situation when I traded in my '01 Expedition for my '11 F-150. Dealer said when empty, leave 2 links on my leveling hitch, but leave 3 (more weight transferred forward, because of more load on the chains and bars) when the trailer got loaded. I used 3 for a couple of trips and bounced a lot. On the way back from my last trip, I switched back to 2 and it solved the baoncing and jarring. I guess I just don't run as loaded down as some... With the 1-ton van, your problem will probably be more difficult to solve.

[Coops1]

Originally Posted by Gizmo0706

That's something, I have never seen those before. Does anyone on here actually use them?

I should of posted this a while back but here's a install and review.

Installation and Review of Sulastic Springs on 2006 GMC 2500 Duramax - YouTube

[Gizmo0706]

Well our first trip with the new air bags installed was less than impressive. Granted, I only had 50 psi in the bags but I had hoped to see some improvement. I guess the only thing left is to air them closer to 100 psi and try that. I have set up, adjusted, and readjusted the hitch to no avail.
The only thing that I would like to try that I haven't is running with no WDH at all as an experiment. My hitch says no more than 600# of dead weight though so I can't do that. FRUSTRATED!!!

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Gizmo...maybe one of these with a 5'ver attached will accomodate your camping family!
Good luck with getting your ride comfort sorted out...it can be a pain to figure it out

[Gizmo0706]

Originally Posted by Ragin Cajun

Gizmo...maybe one of these with a 5'ver attached will accomodate your camping family!
Good luck with getting your ride comfort sorted out...it can be a pain to figure it out

That would work! And maybe a trailer behind the fiver just for good measure!

[Gizmo0706]

So this weekend I had to pull a 16ft enclosed trailer full of generators for work. No WDH and really unsure of the weight. The van rode like a dream! Now I'm considering upgrading to a better hitch receiver that can handle the tongue weight of the trailer with no WDH. My only concern is the fact I would have no sway control at that point, any suggestions?

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Gizmo0706

So this weekend I had to pull a 16ft enclosed trailer full of generators for work. No WDH and really unsure of the weight. The van rode like a dream! Now I'm considering upgrading to a better hitch receiver that can handle the tongue weight of the trailer with no WDH. My only concern is the fact I would have no sway control at that point, any suggestions?

With just a little creativity, you can add 2 friction sway bars which will be a tremendous help.

[Gizmo0706]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

With just a little creativity, you can add 2 friction sway bars which will be a tremendous help.

How would you do that? This project has already cost me a lot of money! I can get a hitch rated at 2400# tongue weight with a ball mount and ball rated for the same for a little over $300. I'm not sure where to find just the ball mount that accepts friction sway bars as well as the trailer brackets. I don't know if I REALLY even need it but I would rather be safe then sorry.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Gizmo0706

How would you do that? This project has already cost me a lot of money! I can get a hitch rated at 2400# tongue weight with a ball mount and ball rated for the same for a little over $300. I'm not sure where to find just the ball mount that accepts friction sway bars as well as the trailer brackets. I don't know if I REALLY even need it but I would rather be safe then sorry.

Most friction sway bar kits come with the steel bar that has to be welded to the side of the hitch. Just add one to both sides of the hitch. You have to turn the friction bar upside down when you install it on the left (drivers) side.

[ResQfrog]

Gizmo.
Have you contacted the hitch people for there input for spring bar ratings, etc. The Chevy 3500 van cut away I drove with a loaded box on the rear always had a hard rebound on the frt suspension. This was due to a more limited travel in the frt suspension then say a pick up based frame. Also the vehicle builders all seem to be building the vans and trucks for a smooth ride vs what we are doing when we tow a trailer. This seems to cause more bucking and bouncing when we tow. The hitch people build there stuff to lift the trailer and back of the vehicle and hold the load. This works against what the chassis people have done. Sometimes the factory shocks might no be the best when hauling the load. Is it possible for your dealer to check the vans alaignment with the trailer attached. This would make sure you are not changing the alaignment when hooked up.