Rough ride with newly installed Blue Ox

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by dalford

What you should do is go to the Blue-Ox website and read the destructions on how to set the wdh bars/chains.

Typically, on a tv without bags you measure your front wheel well height before attaching the RV and then see how much it rises after you drop the RV load onto the ball. You then try different chain lengths until you bring the wheel well measurement to with in inch or so before you loaded your RV. The chains should be hard to get on and most times you need to lift the rear of your tv with the tongue jack to make it easier.

The whole idea of the wdh is to transfer some of the tongue weight to the front axle. Visualize two of your big buddies each one lifting one of the wdh bars. This would lift the back of your tv and transfer weight to your front axle. Now, you can’t expect your buddies to run a long behind you as you drive down the road so the chains act like you buddies by pulling up against the tongue of your RV.

I’m not sure if aay of this is your issue but before trying a lot of things at least get the wdh set up correctly. I’m not sure how the bags figure in here but if it were me I would not let the bags do the wdh. I would set the wdh with low bag pressure and then add a little pressure if needed. Others on here have both wdh and airbags so they can be more help on this issue than me.

We tow the small trailer (22' Nash) with a 2006 Yukon XL Denali with the air bag package. The only way to disable the air levelers is to remove the relay that is hidden under the underhood fuse panel. It's not meant to be disabled and I don't recommend it.

We haven't really had any issues with bucking or harsh ride. I can't remember what brand of WDH we have. I could look if it's important.

Our Denali is has the air levelers, the AWD package with the transmission oil cooler (extra temp gauge on dash) and the trailer-mode transmission (push button on end of shift lever and it changes all the shift points to higher RPMs). But when all is said and done, it's still built on the 1500 (1/2 ton) base. It's not a 3/4 ton or one ton tow vehicle.

Larry

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by vmax

Just so you know. Autoride is just that, Automatic and goes by the level of the Yukon. it's actuated by a rod on switch to a pump that actuates and levels the vehicle. No way to set a pressure. That's why a lot of owners who tow switch to coils and ditch the autoride. It's neat concept but a pain when the bags or the pump fails. I'm speaking from experience.

It is indeed a pain. After the first pump fails, get a Dorman replacement which is lifetime-guaranteed.

The other really annoying failure is the little hairpin clips that hold the air lines onto the shocks and pumps. Eventually the springiness in the air connector causes the nipple to cut right through the original plastic clips. When you go to the GM dealer to get replacements, they sell you the wire ones (same part number) which they should have installed originally.

Ask me how I know that the relay to disable the pump is hidden beneath the underhood fuse panel and can be unplugged (with a little struggle) to safely disable the lift system without dash warnings.

Larry

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by dalford

Thanks, I did not know how Autoride worked. It seems to me though if you setup the hitch with the engine off (again I’m assuming autoride is deactivated until you turn on engine) and then adjusted the wdh then the autoride should not have to do as much work to keep the tv level... in other words let the wdh account for that big added weight to the rear bumper and let autoride adjust from there... just a thought.

Umm, No.

Remember what they say about "assume"? Something about a donkey and two pronouns?

The air ride system is a closed system. It pumps air into the air-shocks to level the car, and the air stays there until the car is less loaded, in which case some ie vented. Unless there is a leak in the system, the car does nothing different when the engine is off. The car never drops when turned off, although it might rise when turned on if you added load while it was off.

Larry

[Yowman]

My experience is that loosening the chains never helps. Tightening them will most likely to help.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

Umm, No.

Remember what they say about "assume"? Something about a donkey and two pronouns?

The air ride system is a closed system. It pumps air into the air-shocks to level the car, and the air stays there until the car is less loaded, in which case some ie vented. Unless there is a leak in the system, the car does nothing different when the engine is off. The car never drops when turned off, although it might rise when turned on if you added load while it was off.

Larry

LOL, yes that is why I said “again, I assume...”. Oh well, I’ve added enough confusion to the poor OP... out of here.

[RnRushin]

Are you possible over the 550lbs tongue weight maybe but there is a margin or error for our safety built into most things. If you want to find your tongue weight do a Google search on weighing trailer tongue with bathroom scale. Pretty sure etrailer has instructions on how to do it.

I have help a few new owners improve their driving experience.

Air bags are not weight distribution. I would suggest disengaging the air ride to set the weight distribution.

With trailer level measure to the top of your coupler. You want your ball to be level or slightly higher than the coupler height.

Measure your unloaded unhitched front wheel well height. Place a piece of masking tape on the front fender above the center-line of front axle. Measure from the ground up through the center-line of axle on the masking tape with a pencil mark a set height. The idea being if actual fender height is 33 11/16 and a smidgen it is easier to mark on the masking tape at 34" even.

Now hitch up trailer with air bags off. Measure to your mark on the masking tape to determine how much the front of tow vehicle is being raised.

Apply weight distribution (again air bags off). Ideally you want to keep increasing weight distribution until the front axle height returns to your mark. At a minimum you want to recover 1/2 the increase in height from unloaded to loaded. You do not want the front axle height to be less than your unloaded height.

Once weight distribution is set up, turn air bag system bag on and see how it rides.

[thebrakeman]

4000 dry + 1000 estimate for options and cargo = 5000 estimated loaded.
5000 * 12.5% = 625lbs estimated TW.
Add 100 lbs to keep away from the upper limit of WDH rating (to prevent porpoising) = 725lbs
Round up to the next size kit available.
My camper is about 5200 lbs loaded, and my 10,000/1,000 lbs Equalizer is a great ride. I got that one because Equalizer doesn't make an 800 lbs kit.

[mopwr4me2003]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

4000 dry + 1000 estimate for options and cargo = 5000 estimated loaded.
5000 * 12.5% = 625lbs estimated TW.
Add 100 lbs to keep away from the upper limit of WDH rating (to prevent porpoising) = 725lbs
Round up to the next size kit available.
My camper is about 5200 lbs loaded, and my 10,000/1,000 lbs Equalizer is a great ride. I got that one because Equalizer doesn't make an 800 lbs kit.

Blue ox goes with the 750 then 1000 In this case at the least I would go with is 750. Keep in mind that number is the max load. If you are over go to the 1000 bars.

[RnRushin]

Move up a size in bars if it makes you feel better, but I would suggest weighing the tongue first.
The right size bars improperly set up will still give you scary rid.

[thebrakeman]

I would recommend the Blue Ox 1000 lb bars, if TW exceeds 650 lbs. I do not recommend being anywhere near the WDH rating.