Good w/d hitch choice for improving the ride in the TV
I'm looking for opinions from those who have towed with different hitches regarding which ones performed the best in terms of the ride.
My setup:
TV is a 2001 Ram 2500 diesel quad cab long bed
TT is a 2015 FR Wildwood 28DBUD (29 footer with a GVWR of 7805)
I initially towed with just a weight carrying hitch and a friction sway bar. In this configuration the truck stayed level and the steer axle still had 3400 lbs on it, a reduction of less than 200 lbs. Tongue weight was about 900. There was no sway and handling was fine. On smooth roads, it towed great, no issue whatsoever.
The problem was simply ride quality on poor roads. Driving over a bump or dip in the road would cause a front to back rocking motion that was pretty uncomfortable at times. So began my quest to improve the ride. Here's what I've done so far:
1. Replaced the aging shocks on my truck with Bilstein HD shocks. This produced a modest improvement, but the front to back rocking was still present, just not quite as severe.
2. Upgraded my hitch to an Andersen no sway no bounce w/d hitch. I did a lot of research here and elsewhere before deciding on this hitch. It seemed that "bounce" was probably the best word to describe the front to back rocking I was experiencing and this hitch was supposed to address that. Some did say the Andersen has a hard time restoring enough weight to the steer axle with heavier tongue weights, but because of the very long wheelbase of my truck, that was not really the issue. Anyway, I will say the Andersen made a substantial improvement. However on the worst highways and interstates, the front to back rocking when hitting a bump or dip is still very much present and can be quite annoying.
3. Upgraded the trailer suspension to the Dexter E-Z Flex suspension. I'm sure this made a huge improvement inside the trailer itself, but it didn't make that much of a difference in ride quality in the truck.
At this point, I don't know - maybe this is just as good as it gets. After all, it tows really well on good roads. But we all know, the condition of our highways and interstates in this country is often not great. It is what it is. But I do find myself wondering if there would be a better hitch option that would smooth things out some more.
It does seem to be almost universally accepted here that a Hensley or PP is the best hitch you can buy. However the issue that seems to be front and center when talking about a Hensley or PP is sway and how their design prevents sway from ever beginning. I have no issues with sway whatsoever. I'd be happy to invest in a Hensley or PP if it would substantially improve the ride. But I'd really hate to spend that kind of money only to get little or no improvement over what I'm seeing with the Andersen.
I know a lot of people swear by their Equal-i-zer, Reese dual cam, or Blue Ox sway pro. Judging by what I see walking thru campgrounds, those make up the vast majority of the w/d hitches. I almost never see another Andersen and not very many Hensley or PP hitches. Since the first 3 don't represent a huge investment, I could just try one and see if I like it better than the Andersen. But before I do anything, I'd love to hear from people here who have likely gone down this same path.
As usual, thank you in advance for the good advice I know I will receive!
My setup:
TV is a 2001 Ram 2500 diesel quad cab long bed
TT is a 2015 FR Wildwood 28DBUD (29 footer with a GVWR of 7805)
I initially towed with just a weight carrying hitch and a friction sway bar. In this configuration the truck stayed level and the steer axle still had 3400 lbs on it, a reduction of less than 200 lbs. Tongue weight was about 900. There was no sway and handling was fine. On smooth roads, it towed great, no issue whatsoever.
The problem was simply ride quality on poor roads. Driving over a bump or dip in the road would cause a front to back rocking motion that was pretty uncomfortable at times. So began my quest to improve the ride. Here's what I've done so far:
1. Replaced the aging shocks on my truck with Bilstein HD shocks. This produced a modest improvement, but the front to back rocking was still present, just not quite as severe.
2. Upgraded my hitch to an Andersen no sway no bounce w/d hitch. I did a lot of research here and elsewhere before deciding on this hitch. It seemed that "bounce" was probably the best word to describe the front to back rocking I was experiencing and this hitch was supposed to address that. Some did say the Andersen has a hard time restoring enough weight to the steer axle with heavier tongue weights, but because of the very long wheelbase of my truck, that was not really the issue. Anyway, I will say the Andersen made a substantial improvement. However on the worst highways and interstates, the front to back rocking when hitting a bump or dip is still very much present and can be quite annoying.
3. Upgraded the trailer suspension to the Dexter E-Z Flex suspension. I'm sure this made a huge improvement inside the trailer itself, but it didn't make that much of a difference in ride quality in the truck.
At this point, I don't know - maybe this is just as good as it gets. After all, it tows really well on good roads. But we all know, the condition of our highways and interstates in this country is often not great. It is what it is. But I do find myself wondering if there would be a better hitch option that would smooth things out some more.
It does seem to be almost universally accepted here that a Hensley or PP is the best hitch you can buy. However the issue that seems to be front and center when talking about a Hensley or PP is sway and how their design prevents sway from ever beginning. I have no issues with sway whatsoever. I'd be happy to invest in a Hensley or PP if it would substantially improve the ride. But I'd really hate to spend that kind of money only to get little or no improvement over what I'm seeing with the Andersen.
I know a lot of people swear by their Equal-i-zer, Reese dual cam, or Blue Ox sway pro. Judging by what I see walking thru campgrounds, those make up the vast majority of the w/d hitches. I almost never see another Andersen and not very many Hensley or PP hitches. Since the first 3 don't represent a huge investment, I could just try one and see if I like it better than the Andersen. But before I do anything, I'd love to hear from people here who have likely gone down this same path.
As usual, thank you in advance for the good advice I know I will receive!
