Feel bounce in trailer when someone walk inside.

Gdetrailer wrote:

myredracer wrote:
Things you can do:

1. BAL X-chocks will reduce most of the fore/aft movement, but not all.

2. Install stabilizer struts as mentioned in above post. Depending on how many and how you install them, they can reduce side to side and fore/aft movement quite a bit and even a little vertical movement. We have BAL Lockarm struts because you can buy them as a pair only. I mounted them to the underside of our bumper which reduces fore/aft and side to side movement. The 1st photo shows how I did ours.

3. Use jacks just ahead of the axles under the I-beams. These can be bottle jacks, aluminum stacker jacks or scissor jacks. Some have welded on scissor jacks.

4. Use aluminum stacker jacks (or equivalent) at each of the 4 corners of the frame. The problem with the stacker jacks is that they aren't tall enough when extended and you need to use cribbing or blocks to build them up. I tried them and find they are too slow to set up and didn't help much. When using a 3rd pair of jacks like this, sometimes the ground can settle unevenly and result in a jack becoming loose.

5. Install Torklift Glowsteps. With ordinary foldout steel steps, there is a lot of leverage that causes movement. The Glowsteps make a HUGE difference. I can now sleep in when DW gets up early and goes for a walk. See ours in 2nd photo.

I haven't installed stabilzer struts to the front elec. stab. jack yet because we're now at a point where movement is reduced enough to make it acceptable. I may add them at some point when I've run out of other mods. to do. Tongue jacks can move around quite a bit. I've often wondered if support was added to the underside of the A-frame if that would reduce motion much. I think I'm going to try that one day.

With some TTs, the frame is simply more flexible than others and there's only so much that can be done. Also, some floors have floor "joists" too far apart, subfloor material that is too thin for the spacing of the joists and/or joists themselves aren't strong enough. Just walking around inside a weak floor can make it move around a lot. Friends of ours have a TT like that.

Go take a look at your elec. stab. jacks while someone walks up and down the steps and you will be amazed at how much they move around. They don't really stabilize a whole lot and regular scissor jacks are better. Stabilizer struts can help a lot for either type of jack.

:R

Typical "response" I have come to expect on this forum concerning trailer bounce..

Let me point out EXACTLY the issue the OP is complaining about by snipping the important part of their post..

"When parked if I am sitting down or in bed and anyone walks inside trailer I get up and down bounce. It is very annoying and if asleep wakes me up."

Please note the spot I bolded in the above Italics..

Bal Chocks nor any other squeeze in between the wheel chocks will NEVER FIX UP AND DOWN MOVEMENT the OP is feeling.

The up and down movement is coming from the SPRINGS AND TIRES along with 36ft of trailer frame bending and flexing.

The REAL "fix" is to divide and REDUCE the distance between the existing stabilizers.

That is done by simply using an additional jack IN THE MIDDLE of the trailer on both sides. Effectively firming the trailer frame flex and the suspension flex.

No need for expensive hardware, a simple jack or stand will do.

WOW MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU ... You are the ONLY ONE to actually understand and come to the CORRECT SOLUTION IMO of course. What you have subjectively to some extent said is EXACTLY what I have done as explained in more detail even with numbers what is needed. I will add for longer trailers say 30'+ there is some "frame flex", but that is a secondary and somewhat minor contributor to this "trailer bounce/movement" issue. In fact my method has eliminated the need for the mostly useless factory stab jacks at the corners and my trailer now weighs some 75lbs less since I have removed those permanently and only use 4 of the screw type jack stands properly positioned and properly tensioned/set. Also, depending on the particular trailer there can be some fine tuning in both these parameters to get the best stabilization using my method. Note: for a longer trailer especially one with an area in the rear where people move about much one more set of either jack stands or simply keeping the factory stab jacks at the rear might be needed. In our trailer the end is where the bedroom is and since it's just the two of us, I realize I need to walk softly back there or I will get movement/bounce since I don't use any additional support at the very end of our trailer. This is just a compromise and the way that is acceptable to me.

Larry

lanerd wrote:
Your trailer is on rubber tires and leaf springs. So unless you raise the trailer tires off the ground, you're always gonna have some "bounce". The more stabilizers you have, the better; but you're not gonna get rid of it totally. Get use to it.

Ron

IMO you are on to the real solution, but missed the most critical point. You don't have to take all the weight off the tires and suspension, only enough to equate to the downward wt/force that is causing the issue (i.e. the peoples wt plus maybe 10 to 20% above that.

I have made several posts on what I have found to be the "REAL SOLUTION" and below are two for consumption ...

Post 1

Post 2 addressing force needed using my method

One might want to read the entire threads where these posts were made to get a more broader picture of the actual discussion and context.

Larry

myredracer wrote:
Things you can do:

1. BAL X-chocks will reduce most of the fore/aft movement, but not all.

2. Install stabilizer struts as mentioned in above post. Depending on how many and how you install them, they can reduce side to side and fore/aft movement quite a bit and even a little vertical movement. We have BAL Lockarm struts because you can buy them as a pair only. I mounted them to the underside of our bumper which reduces fore/aft and side to side movement. The 1st photo shows how I did ours.

3. Use jacks just ahead of the axles under the I-beams. These can be bottle jacks, aluminum stacker jacks or scissor jacks. Some have welded on scissor jacks.

4. Use aluminum stacker jacks (or equivalent) at each of the 4 corners of the frame. The problem with the stacker jacks is that they aren't tall enough when extended and you need to use cribbing or blocks to build them up. I tried them and find they are too slow to set up and didn't help much. When using a 3rd pair of jacks like this, sometimes the ground can settle unevenly and result in a jack becoming loose.

5. Install Torklift Glowsteps. With ordinary foldout steel steps, there is a lot of leverage that causes movement. The Glowsteps make a HUGE difference. I can now sleep in when DW gets up early and goes for a walk. See ours in 2nd photo.

I haven't installed stabilzer struts to the front elec. stab. jack yet because we're now at a point where movement is reduced enough to make it acceptable. I may add them at some point when I've run out of other mods. to do. Tongue jacks can move around quite a bit. I've often wondered if support was added to the underside of the A-frame if that would reduce motion much. I think I'm going to try that one day.

With some TTs, the frame is simply more flexible than others and there's only so much that can be done. Also, some floors have floor "joists" too far apart, subfloor material that is too thin for the spacing of the joists and/or joists themselves aren't strong enough. Just walking around inside a weak floor can make it move around a lot. Friends of ours have a TT like that.

Go take a look at your elec. stab. jacks while someone walks up and down the steps and you will be amazed at how much they move around. They don't really stabilize a whole lot and regular scissor jacks are better. Stabilizer struts can help a lot for either type of jack.

:R

Typical "response" I have come to expect on this forum concerning trailer bounce..

Let me point out EXACTLY the issue the OP is complaining about by snipping the important part of their post..

"When parked if I am sitting down or in bed and anyone walks inside trailer I get up and down bounce. It is very annoying and if asleep wakes me up."

Please note the spot I bolded in the above Italics..

Bal Chocks nor any other squeeze in between the wheel chocks will NEVER FIX UP AND DOWN MOVEMENT the OP is feeling.

The up and down movement is coming from the SPRINGS AND TIRES along with 36ft of trailer frame bending and flexing.

The REAL "fix" is to divide and REDUCE the distance between the existing stabilizers.

That is done by simply using an additional jack IN THE MIDDLE of the trailer on both sides. Effectively firming the trailer frame flex and the suspension flex.

No need for expensive hardware, a simple jack or stand will do.

Your trailer is on rubber tires and leaf springs. So unless you raise the trailer tires off the ground, you're always gonna have some "bounce". The more stabilizers you have, the better; but you're not gonna get rid of it totally. Get use to it.

Ron

I have a Coachmen FE 276rkds. I added 2 Bal scissors stlye jacks. 1 on each side about 3 foot in front of axles. It helped a good amount but still has a little bounce. As stated above I dont think you will eliminate all of it.

Before spending all sorts of money on this or that, go to your local junk yard and for about $5 each you can pick up a pair of scissor jacks to put under the frame between your wheels. Once you have your end jacks down and the unit leveled use the scissor jacks to lift the frame just slightly. This will take the bounce out of the frame of such a long TT>

Things you can do:

1. BAL X-chocks will reduce most of the fore/aft movement, but not all.

2. Install stabilizer struts as mentioned in above post. Depending on how many and how you install them, they can reduce side to side and fore/aft movement quite a bit and even a little vertical movement. We have BAL Lockarm struts because you can buy them as a pair only. I mounted them to the underside of our bumper which reduces fore/aft and side to side movement. The 1st photo shows how I did ours.

3. Use jacks just ahead of the axles under the I-beams. These can be bottle jacks, aluminum stacker jacks or scissor jacks. Some have welded on scissor jacks.

4. Use aluminum stacker jacks (or equivalent) at each of the 4 corners of the frame. The problem with the stacker jacks is that they aren't tall enough when extended and you need to use cribbing or blocks to build them up. I tried them and find they are too slow to set up and didn't help much. When using a 3rd pair of jacks like this, sometimes the ground can settle unevenly and result in a jack becoming loose.

5. Install Torklift Glowsteps. With ordinary foldout steel steps, there is a lot of leverage that causes movement. The Glowsteps make a HUGE difference. I can now sleep in when DW gets up early and goes for a walk. See ours in 2nd photo.

I haven't installed stabilzer struts to the front elec. stab. jack yet because we're now at a point where movement is reduced enough to make it acceptable. I may add them at some point when I've run out of other mods. to do. Tongue jacks can move around quite a bit. I've often wondered if support was added to the underside of the A-frame if that would reduce motion much. I think I'm going to try that one day.

With some TTs, the frame is simply more flexible than others and there's only so much that can be done. Also, some floors have floor "joists" too far apart, subfloor material that is too thin for the spacing of the joists and/or joists themselves aren't strong enough. Just walking around inside a weak floor can make it move around a lot. Friends of ours have a TT like that.

Go take a look at your elec. stab. jacks while someone walks up and down the steps and you will be amazed at how much they move around. They don't really stabilize a whole lot and regular scissor jacks are better. Stabilizer struts can help a lot for either type of jack.

The more you do to try to alleviate it, the more sensitive you'll be to it. My wife is sensitive to the bounce. If it were up to me, I wouldn't even put the stabilizers down.