Horrible Bumpy Ride in 1/2 ton pulling TT
Hello to all! We are newbies and just bought a 2014 chevy Silverado Z71 1/2 ton with towing package and a 32 foot 7000lb Springdale Travel Trailer. We love the TT but the ride towing is miserable! We ...
Forum Discussion
As mentioned, do you know for absolutely sure what the weights of the trailer are? There will be a sticker, usually on the exterior streetside, with the dry weight and GVWR, among others. Those are just numbers to sorta go by, but you do need to go to a CAT scale and weigh everything separately and then together + a tongue weight. Sometimes you find that what you thought was the true weight is actually wishful thinking. And you need to know for sure what the towing capacity is. Never mind reading the manual because it'll list all the available models. Get your VIN and have the dealer pull up the specs with the exact info. Not all trucks and towing packages are the same...you could be over capacity and not know it.
Also agree on the set up of the WDH.
This may sound crazy, but when driving the new truck without the trailer, does it ride smoothly and no bumping?? When we bought our F-150 CC in '03 it came with General tires. It really "rode like a truck"...after just a few miles of driving, DH realized it was awful. He took it back and they checked balance. Checked for out-of-round. Checked all the front end stuff. DH just could not have a brand new truck that rode like that. The dealer contacted Ford and they said that they would supply 2 new Michelin LTX (I think), the dealer would buy 1 and we would buy 1. Pricey tires but made all the difference in the world, so have your tires checked out if any question.
Finally, does this bumping happen just on certain roads or all of the time when towing? Example...our F-150 rides perfectly both towing and not towing on most roads. Driving through Birmingham enroute to FL each year, we all dread it....like driving on a washboard. All the cabinets need to be straightened up after we finally get through there. Consider when this happens and where you're driving.
I certainly would not make a jump to a 2500 without knowing exactly what's what...you'll take a bath financially on that deal. Same with the trailer. You need to figure out what is causing this and then decide.
Also agree on the set up of the WDH.
This may sound crazy, but when driving the new truck without the trailer, does it ride smoothly and no bumping?? When we bought our F-150 CC in '03 it came with General tires. It really "rode like a truck"...after just a few miles of driving, DH realized it was awful. He took it back and they checked balance. Checked for out-of-round. Checked all the front end stuff. DH just could not have a brand new truck that rode like that. The dealer contacted Ford and they said that they would supply 2 new Michelin LTX (I think), the dealer would buy 1 and we would buy 1. Pricey tires but made all the difference in the world, so have your tires checked out if any question.
Finally, does this bumping happen just on certain roads or all of the time when towing? Example...our F-150 rides perfectly both towing and not towing on most roads. Driving through Birmingham enroute to FL each year, we all dread it....like driving on a washboard. All the cabinets need to be straightened up after we finally get through there. Consider when this happens and where you're driving.
I certainly would not make a jump to a 2500 without knowing exactly what's what...you'll take a bath financially on that deal. Same with the trailer. You need to figure out what is causing this and then decide.
