5th wheel Truck combo = terrible ride

[Wood_chip]

It is just painfully rough going down the road. Here are my stats
2015 chevy 2500 Duramax crewcab standard bed ( weighs 8,000lbs at cat scale)
2015 Glacier Peak ( weighs in 10,800lbs at cat scale)
Pin weight 2,200lbs at cat scale 20.3%
Drive axle 5360 lbs
Steer adel 4840 lbs
Truck tires at 80 psi
Trailer tires at 80psi
Bilstein 5100's
"Stable load" spring enhancement kit
B&W Patriot hitch
Standard Lippert extended pin box

Should I try to take some weight off the pin? Should I drop tire pressure ? Not sure where to start? I feel the weight of trailer lunging and pulling the truck pretty bad.

[ken_burke]

Wood chip wrote:
Another question for the experts here. Lets assume I need as much sag in my truck to level the trailer but I want to try airbags to improve the ride. It seems that I would NOT be able to add enough air to improve the ride without raising the rear. Does anybody have experiance with this same scenario?

The trailer should be lever. As to the air bags, I don't think that they will improve the ride.
ken

[ken_burke]

Wood chip wrote:
It is just painfully rough going down the road. Here are my stats
2015 chevy 2500 Duramax crewcab standard bed ( weighs 8,000lbs at cat scale)
2015 Glacier Peak ( weighs in 10,800lbs at cat scale)
Pin weight 2,200lbs at cat scale 20.3%
Drive axle 5360 lbs
Steer adel 4840 lbs
Truck tires at 80 psi
Trailer tires at 80psi
Bilstein 5100's
"Stable load" spring enhancement kit
B&W Patriot hitch
Standard Lippert extended pin box

Should I try to take some weight off the pin? Should I drop tire pressure ? Not sure where to start? I feel the weight of trailer lunging and pulling the truck pretty bad.

I looked at your numbers, and they looked okay. I don't think that you are overloaded. Especially for the tires. You are getting a lot of advise about tire pressure. If your tires say to put 80 psia in there, you need to use 80 psi for the rear tires. I use 60 psi for the front tires.
I don't know what the Blisteins do for your ride.
The B&W hitch is a good hitch, IF installed properly.
I had real problems with my 5th wheel when we first got it. The trailer was riding very rough. I put on a TrailAir hitch. It helped. It turned our that our Reese hitch was bad.
You have something wrong, and you have to find out what. Beat the dealer up to help with the ride problem. Have someone look at the hitch.
ken

[Wood_chip]

MoparBob wrote:
Any updates on your ride issue?

Really improved the ride with replacing the lippert pin box with a Mor-Ryde pinbox.

[MoparBob]

Any updates on your ride issue?

[Cummins12V98]

rhagfo wrote:

chevor wrote:
Don't worry about level so much. All these new trucks are way to high.

Maybe not for the TV, but I still have about 2" to get to level. Having the trailer level is very important! a nose high trailer will not tow as smooth as one that is level.

My experience with towing my MobileSuites 2" high in the front is I don't see how it could tow any better. The bad part is you will have more weight on the rear axle of the RV. mine for example had 6,340# front axle and 7,540# rear axle. That was a couple years ago. I am not worried because I have 9,600# tire capacity per axle with the GY H tires. I have lowered everything I can on the RV suspension and have 5 1/2" bed clearance. Saying all that my new truck and RV should be sitting "level" when I finish adjusting them for height.

[Donaldchris]

Well I would recommend including some pin weight, nearer to 19%. I know the vehicle is a conventional bed but it may help to shift the Patriot hands, further ahead to get a several inches wide before axle middle.

[rhagfo]

chevor wrote:
Don't worry about level so much. All these new trucks are way to high.

Maybe not for the TV, but I still have about 2" to get to level. Having the trailer level is very important! a nose high trailer will not tow as smooth as one that is level.

[chrizg]

When I first got my truck and was just starting out I ran my tires at 80PSI(MAX) and after the first year or 2 I had bald spots in the middle of the tires due to running them at max. I got lucky since the tires needed replaced anyways and the new tires run at 60 now.

I sometimes get the chucking with my setup but it is only on certain roads.

[Cummins12V98]

Wood chip wrote:
Another question for the experts here. Lets assume I need as much sag in my truck to level the trailer but I want to try airbags to improve the ride. It seems that I would NOT be able to add enough air to improve the ride without raising the rear. Does anybody have experiance with this same scenario?

I added bags to my 11 Dually I did not need them. I ran 30psi loaded and it did not raise the truck if any no more than 1/2" that was with 4k pin weight.

BAGS AND BILSTIEN'S REALLY HELPED EVEN OUT THE BUMPS.

[chevor]

Don't worry about level so much. All these new trucks are way to high.

[Wood_chip]

Another question for the experts here. Lets assume I need as much sag in my truck to level the trailer but I want to try airbags to improve the ride. It seems that I would NOT be able to add enough air to improve the ride without raising the rear. Does anybody have experiance with this same scenario?

[allen8106]

Dave H M wrote:
Describe the rough ride. Is it up and down, back and forth? :h

I run 80 psi in the rears of the TV and 80 on the fifth wheel that weighs around 10K. No problem.

Ditto

[alboy]

MY fresh water is approx 80 gal,never more than 1/2 full , 55000 miles later its still there. I had quit doing it for a few years as i was maxed on weight,Took a trip from Kelowna to Prince ALbert Sask,worst highways i have ever being on including I5.Added 20/30 gal ,smoothed it right out, my pin was around 2900.

[Wood_chip]

Winged One wrote:

Wood chip wrote:

alboy wrote:
OP try carrying some water ,i carry approx 30 plus gal and find it will really dampen the suspension.

I agree and will try this

You might want to consider this from an RV tech.

Tanks

Wonderful. I Read the link. Makes me think twice about that now