Will Air bags make a big difference?
So we've had a 21'5th wheel for 16 years, and love it, but it's getting long in the tooth, and it's a little small, so we bought a 2012 Shasta Revere BH, 27', 31' with the hitch. We took it on our fi...
Forum Discussion
Gary, not sure why you’re still on the “throw the baby out with the bath water kick”.
Look at the title of your thread.
And your assessment before and after the new hitch.
You seem to have cured the “sway”? Which sounds like just the typical little “wiggles” of hauling a long bp trailer that likely has enough weight in the tail to wag the dog just a little.
If you had sway problems, you’d have had to stop and clean your shorts and then you’d have been drivin miss daisy at about 45-50mph the rest of the way.
The bouncing/bucking CAN be helped greatly with a stiffer rear suspension and as I recommended like 5 pages ago, riding on cushy tires makes it even more pronounced.
If you’re still with me here, you can simulate both better tires AND a stiffer suspension for FREE.
Do this. First, pump up your rear tires to idk, 55-60 psi (don’t freak out, they won’t pop) and take a test drive with simulated higher capacity tires.
Now if your truck has a separate lower overload spring, go back and pick up the back of the truck a bit above unloaded stance with the trailer jack, like you’re hooking up the bars. Or you can do it by jacking up the truck with a jack under the stinger. Wedge the overload tight to the leaf pack so it takes load instantly. This is the equivalent of adding some spring capacity.
If your leaf pack is all clipped together you can’t do the last thing, so spend the $100-150 on a pair of overload helper leafs off Amazon and slap them on the springs and crank em up.
You may keep them or you can refund them easy peasy.
This is a difficult conversation since you continually jump back to needing a heavier truck rather than even attempting to improve the one you have. Makes my brain hurt and it should make yours hurt too if you don’t think you’re “able” to get a 3/4 ton.
I can promise you I’ve towed 1000s or 10000s of miles with half tons pulling trailers that make yours look like little tinkerbell from a weight standpoint. Now some/many TTs don’t tow ideally due to a greater % of weight aft of the axles. But so be it. Although I just can’t see not doing anything and throwing the white flag.
Look at the title of your thread.
And your assessment before and after the new hitch.
You seem to have cured the “sway”? Which sounds like just the typical little “wiggles” of hauling a long bp trailer that likely has enough weight in the tail to wag the dog just a little.
If you had sway problems, you’d have had to stop and clean your shorts and then you’d have been drivin miss daisy at about 45-50mph the rest of the way.
The bouncing/bucking CAN be helped greatly with a stiffer rear suspension and as I recommended like 5 pages ago, riding on cushy tires makes it even more pronounced.
If you’re still with me here, you can simulate both better tires AND a stiffer suspension for FREE.
Do this. First, pump up your rear tires to idk, 55-60 psi (don’t freak out, they won’t pop) and take a test drive with simulated higher capacity tires.
Now if your truck has a separate lower overload spring, go back and pick up the back of the truck a bit above unloaded stance with the trailer jack, like you’re hooking up the bars. Or you can do it by jacking up the truck with a jack under the stinger. Wedge the overload tight to the leaf pack so it takes load instantly. This is the equivalent of adding some spring capacity.
If your leaf pack is all clipped together you can’t do the last thing, so spend the $100-150 on a pair of overload helper leafs off Amazon and slap them on the springs and crank em up.
You may keep them or you can refund them easy peasy.
This is a difficult conversation since you continually jump back to needing a heavier truck rather than even attempting to improve the one you have. Makes my brain hurt and it should make yours hurt too if you don’t think you’re “able” to get a 3/4 ton.
I can promise you I’ve towed 1000s or 10000s of miles with half tons pulling trailers that make yours look like little tinkerbell from a weight standpoint. Now some/many TTs don’t tow ideally due to a greater % of weight aft of the axles. But so be it. Although I just can’t see not doing anything and throwing the white flag.
