Forum Discussion

lawnspecialties's avatar
Jan 18, 2017

Sidewinder Hitch Issue

I have a friend who has a Sidewinder hitch he uses to pull his Momentum toy hauler. The reason he has the Sidewinder is because he has that Rambox truck bed on his Ram 2500. Obviously, he bought the truck before he thought of buying a fifth wheel toy hauler.

First, we know he's overweight on the rear axle. Maybe 500 lbs., give or take. But since he brought it home, he has had a horrible ride on the interstates with expansion joints. They recently went to Tennessee (6 hr. drive one way) and everything went great except the bouncing and chucking. It was so bad coming home, they had to stop multiple times to get out and take a walk because his wife was getting almost sick.

I-40 in western NC is terrible. Its been mentioned here on this forum. And traveling 55 mph roads is no problem. Its only interstate travel.

I went over there this afternoon so we could try it with my F350 SRW. I pull my Vengeance with no issues at all and a good ride. Both out campers are similar in weights but he has the Sidewinder attached to his. When we got out on the interstate, it definitely did the chucking and bouncing at times but it wasn't terrible. But to me, I can't explain it but the truck did feel like there was more weight at the rear of the bed. I know that seems odd but that's how I would best describe it.

The Sidewinder has really good reviews from what I know. But the design appears to put more weight further back in the bed versus a traditional hitch set-up.

1. Has anyone heard of this issue with chucking using a Sidewinder hitch?

2. If he sells the Momentum and gets a lighter weight fifth wheel, would you think that would solve this problem even though he has to still use a Sidewinder with that truck?

Again, we know he's overweight. He's just contemplating the pros and cons of buying a bigger truck which means more money or buying a smaller camper but that also means less money. They both have good sides and bad sides.

15 Replies

  • 500# or so over on Rear Axle (and rear tires)...........
    Bet if scaled it would be MORE


    DRY hitch weight is ~3200# for that 20K GVWR TH
    IF your friend would open drivers door and look at 'certificate' sticker he will find the PAYLOAD capacity. He doesn't even have enough for DRY hitch weight

    It towed OK with your F350 cause it isn't a 2500 that is overloaded.

    Nothing to do with this/that hitch.
    All to do with TOO MUCH trailer/not enough truck

    Bye Bye Momentum and Welcome something in the 14K GVWR Total
  • "They recently went to Tennessee (6 hr. drive one way) and everything went great except the bouncing and chucking. It was so bad coming home, they had to stop multiple times to get out and take a walk because his wife was getting almost sick."

    Just slightly over weight? You are kidding of course? This guy endangered himself, his family and every American on that highway.
  • If he's 500lbs or so over his rear axle weight he needs to upgrade his truck.
    Why all the hand wringing and head scratching over the hitch?
    Before you get to concerned about dialing it in you need a combo that at least stands a chance.
  • He's moved the loads around a little but considering what he carries, its so minimal considering the overall weight. The biggest thing is he has carried his Harley in the back and without with no real difference in ride.

    Not sure about his rear suspension.

    He does have aftermarket air bags. On the long trip from Tn., he tried everything from 5 psi to 100 psi. No real change.

    We're really stumped as to which way is best to go. Obviously, he doesn't want to get rid of either truck or camper. But in all reality, one has probably got to be changed. Then that question comes to: which one?

    If he changes campers to a lighter one, will it fix the problem? If not, he has given up his dream toy hauler for no reason. If he changes trucks, in all reality the problem will be solved because he'll get a dually and the Sidewinder will be replaced with the standard OEM hitch the Momentum came with. But he's spent a bunch of money to do so.
  • The hitch point relative to the fifth wheel does move, so it could be an issue with too much or too little weight on the pin. Has he tried to load weight in the front or rear of the FW to see if ride quality changes with a shift in weight?

    Does his 2500 use conventional leafs? If so a set of Torklift StableLoads will pretension the suspension sooner and help the chucking.

    Does his 2500 have aftermarket airbags? Try letting some air out of them so the spring carries more of the weight and less on the bag. If this is the cause, SuperSprings or Timbrens may keep him level without the chucking.