Forum Discussion

rsaylor3's avatar
rsaylor3
Explorer
Jan 26, 2015

? much help will 3/4 ton make for ride quality comp to 1/2?

I just posted about weighing my new travel trailer. Thankfully I did because the dry weight was quite a bit higher than what the manufacturer listed.

I have a 2015 Viewfinder 32rlss. My tow vehicle is a 2013 Silverado 1500 with 5.3 6 speed. I knew I would be pushing it when I bought it but also knew I would be under the max payload and tow capacity by a safe bit. I also will be doingost of my camping in Florida to atart with.Now after hitting the scales as well as pulling my first camper I am realizing that a 3/4 ton is in my future.

My question is more about towing comfort and sway. I have a Blue Ox with 1,000 lb bars. Being my first travel trailer I really don't know how good or bad the ride is. I can say that doing 65 mph, I feel some bigger SUV's, going under overpasses and for sure when buses and semi's overtake me. I feel the push and pull. It was very windy on my first drive home last weekend after picking her up in Georgia and camping at Stone Mountain. Felt the wind all the way home. Never swayed out of control or had to reach for the manual override; but definitely felt different than towing big boats that I have plenty of experience with. Not what I would call white knuckle, but a bit exhausting for sure.

Will a 3/4 ton help stabilize my drive? I know the pulling will be easier and the stiffer suspension will be welcomed, but how much if any will it help with the ride qualities above? I know a pullpride would make a difference and I almost bought one to start with but thought I would try the Blue Ox first. Figure I will end up with one even with a new truck, should I get the pullpride first? Truck probably won't happen till late this year.

Thanks and sorry for such a long post!
  • aftermath's avatar
    aftermath
    Explorer III
    Jan 26, 2015
    According to you, you don't have any trailer sway and that is a good thing, a great thing actually. Will you feel the push pull when being passed? I say you will. You can spend a few thousand bucks for a new hitch and it might be a bit less but you will probably still feel something. I have a Tundra and when I was towing with the original P metrics I did notice some loosey goosey behavior on turns. I replaced the tires with some sturdy LT LRD, pumped them up to close to 80 and haven't had any issues since. I have towed 10s of thousands of miles with my current setup and will "feel" the big trucks passing, especially if it is also windy outside. No sway at all, just the push pull that you described.

    You might still need to move up to a 3/4 ton truck because of axle ratings and/or carrying capacity. Your numbers should dictate.
  • GaryWT's avatar
    GaryWT
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2015
    We went from a 150 to a 350 last year and for sure it is a stiffer ride 100% of the time. The 350 has a lot less movement when towing. Never had an issue with the 150 but we did have some sway and movement when trucks and buses passed. With the 350, not so much. Love the set up now. We use an equil-i-zer hitch.
  • handye9's avatar
    handye9
    Explorer II
    Jan 26, 2015
    rsaylor3 wrote:
    Will I still get the push pull of semis with the propride?


    You probably won't get rid of 100%. Your Blue Ox hitch should be fine. You do need to remember, you have a 7000+ lb trailer behind a 6000 lb truck, and that trailer is a very large sail.

    Buying a new hitch may be money spent needlessly.

    Is that a lot of trailer for your truck? Yes
    Will a 3/4 ton make your rig more stable? Yes, It will have a stiffer suspension, more body weight, and "LT" tires.
    Will it get rid of 100% of the push pull? Probably not.

    The push pull is called "bow wave". Even the big rigs are affected by it.

    Part of what you are feeling, could be sidewall flex in your tires. You've most likely got "P" rated tires on your 1500. Their sidewalls are weaker than "LT" tires you would find on a 3/4 ton truck.

    Check your tire / loading sticker on drivers door post. The tire pressure listed there, is the recommended pressure for comfort. It is not good for carrying a heavy load. Your max tire pressure is printed on the tires themselves.

    On your next tow, pump the tires to near max pressure, and see if that makes a difference.


    I do the increased tire pressure (3/4 ton) for carrying my TC and for towing my TT. When I go in for oil changes, I have to watch the grease monkeys, they look at the door post sticker, and let air out of my tires, every time. My door post says 65 PSI. For towing and load carrying, I set them at 75. My max is 80 PSI.
  • Maintcpo's avatar
    Maintcpo
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2015
    actually you don't get the push pull feeling at all with a 5th wheel
  • rsaylor3's avatar
    rsaylor3
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2015
    I took a video if out the back window of the truck today looking straight back at the trailer. I just watched it and there was no sway.

    I starting to think that I just need to get used to this new feel if the tow.

    Will I still get the push pull of semis with the propride? My father in law says he doesn't feel it with his fifth wheel but I question that. He's got to feel that as well right?
  • TomG2's avatar
    TomG2
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2015
    If I only towed a few hundred miles a year, I would probably make do with a 1500. I tow a lot more than that and really enjoy the comfort of a 2500HD.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jan 26, 2015
    Short of buying a Ram 2500 with rear air suspension, your stuck.
    HD trucks are just rougher riding than the car-like ride of a half ton.
    Of course they're that much more capable too.

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