First tow with new 2019 Ram 3500 and ...disappointed.

[jeffjcalweb]

Hi - First, not disappointed at all with anything remotely to do with power, exhaust brake, transmission, adaptive cruise control. Those were awesome and no problems at all.

My first tow, its a 2019 3500 4x4 long bed with 20" OEM wheels and crapstone tires. I towed home a new 5th wheel (Keystone Cougar 364BHL which is probably in the 12-13K lbs range. had 2 full propane tanks, half full fresh water, two batteries, no other gear). I am using a Andersen Ultimate gooseneck setup.

What I was really disappointed with was how much 'tugging' i could feel on the back of the truck while driving. This wasn't from braking, this was just rolling down the highway steady speed of 60mph. For those in the area, this from Grants Pass, OR down to Sacramento, so talking about 300+ miles of I-5.

I was ready to get out of the truck after just 200 miles. Dreading every time I hit a rough patch or going over a bridge etc. Tug. Tug. Tug.

I don't know if that's the hitch, if this is typical of a 5th wheel (never towed a fifth wheel before), but it really was fatiguing and not something I had expected to feel. Looking for any suggestions on what I might need to improve. Thank you for any advice offered.

[C_Schomer]

My trailer was perfectly level but the axles are a little bit farther back than most and it's really hitch heavy. We usually do weeklong camping trips and not much cargo so I can't do very much with weight distribution and the water tank is centered between the axles, so no help there either. Long story short… Because of a hitch and pin box change I ended up with the front of the trailer a little higher than I wanted but that made it ride much better. Try changing the level of your trailer. Craig

[LIKE2BUILD]

jeffjcalweb wrote:
....2019 3500 4x4 long bed with 20" OEM wheels and crapstone tires. I towed home a new 5th wheel (Keystone Cougar 364BHL which is probably in the 12-13K lbs range. had 2 full propane tanks, half full fresh water, two batteries, no other gear). I am using a Andersen Ultimate gooseneck setup.

What I was really disappointed with was how much 'tugging' i could feel on the back of the truck while driving. ......Dreading every time I hit a rough patch or going over a bridge etc. Tug. Tug. Tug.

I have no experience with the Andersen hitch. Do you have a B&W turnover ball mounted in the gooseneck location or does the Andersen use the OEM round shank gooseneck receiver?

In my 2014 Ram 2500 long bed I towed a 14,000lbs 5er using a Curt Q20 5th wheel hitch and the OEM puck mount system. Sure, I could feel some bumps but never felt chucking or tugging from the 5th wheel. I saw you found the hitch was reversed and hopefully that solves it.

[rhagfo]

hotpepperkid wrote:
Does the Dodge have an anti trailer sway option. Ford has one and if it detects the trailer swaying it applies the trailer brakes. And dont ask me how it works I have no clue

While it is a nice feature not necessary with a 5er.

[gkainz]

Thermoguy wrote:
I have wanted to try the Anderson hitch but what you said is the reason I have stayed away from it.
...
One of the questions about the Anderson Hitch, does it have any adjustments?
...

Update - clearance of your pinbox, frame etc, to bed must be checked by you and this post contains no warranty that these settings or positions will clear all obstructions in your particular installation.

Quote trimmed to address adjustment on Andersen hitch - The Andersen Ultimate 5th wheel hitch has 4 combinations of positioning that can adjust fore and aft placement of the pin. I had a write-up on that somewhere but can't find it right now, so forgive me for not including the actual length of adjustment, but I can find it again if you're really interested. Be right back ... ok, the documentation and specs can be found here pick the spec to match the hitch you're curious about

The Andersen frame (at least mine - older version) is labeled with "This side towards cab" but communication with Andersen verified I can install it either direction. The ball leg of the frame is offset from the gooseneck ball connector 5.375". So, that gives you 10.75" of adjustment fore and aft of the gooseneck ball (not variable adjustment, just 2 different "placements").
The adapter plate that mounts to the kingpin has a 4" offset, and can be oriented forward or aft, yielding an 8" difference.

So, ranges of adjustment from the gooseneck ball (my example) can be:

Option 1
- frame pointed aft -5.375"
- adapter pointed aft -4.00"
total aft offset -9.375"

Option 2
- frame aft -5.375"
- adapter forward +4.00"
total aft offset -1.375"

Option 3
- frame forward +5.375"
- adapter aft -4.00"
total forward offset +1.375"

Option 4
- frame forward +5.375"
- adapter forward +4.00"
total forward offset +9.375"

2nd update - I only addressed fore and aft adjustment. The ball has 3 height positions - from the bed of the truck to the top of the ball - 16.5", 17.625" and 18.75"

[hotpepperkid]

Does the Dodge have an anti trailer sway option. Ford has one and if it detects the trailer swaying it applies the trailer brakes. And dont ask me how it works I have no clue

[Thermoguy]

jeffjcalweb wrote:
Well a funny update, maybe nothing, maybe something. The service dept at the dealer installed the hitch facing wrong direction. This maybe part of the issue, maybe it's just how this setup 'feels', but for sure it was not in correctly. Which means the trailer was probably 4-6" forward where it should have been further back. Probably explains why I also with an 8' bed couldn't actually get close to a 90d turn before seeing rear bumper almost touching trailer.

Kind of goes to my point about hitch position. Hopefully positioning the hitch is the key to your issues. As others have said, putting gear in correctly and balancing your weights can be another issue. Many have posted positive reviews about the Anderson hitch. So, try out the other things before trying a new hitch. There is no reason that the hitch you have and your truck you should have issues. A 5th wheel does pull different from a bumper pull, but typically better with less bounce.

[SteveB]

Being a new-to-you trailer this will require some fine tuning. My Jayco with a gross of 9500 chucked badly when I first got it. This was with my ‘01 Ram dually Using either a Reese 15K Pro or Reese 22K hitch. Added shocks and a 5th Airborne pinbox that helped a lot. Still chucked on the westbound end of the old Tappan Zee though to the extent I almost got car sick.
Anyway same trailer, same setup, either hitch but towing with ‘15 RAM dually, very rare to chuck and is usually the road surface where maybe slowing down or speeding up a little helps.
All that to say you will need to tweak your setup to get into the sweet spot for towing comfort.
Best luck, this is all part of the fun!

[JIMNLIN]

Good catch. Hopefully turning the hitch head will fix you up.
A different brand hitch may or may not help with chucking issues as many rv folks have found out. Too many players about what causes chucking in different combinations to guess why its chucking.

[jeffjcalweb]

Well a funny update, maybe nothing, maybe something. The service dept at the dealer installed the hitch facing wrong direction. This maybe part of the issue, maybe it's just how this setup 'feels', but for sure it was not in correctly. Which means the trailer was probably 4-6" forward where it should have been further back. Probably explains why I also with an 8' bed couldn't actually get close to a 90d turn before seeing rear bumper almost touching trailer.

[rhagfo]

Well 11,225# listed DRY weight and 2,200# pin is 19.5%, so a bit light, get it loaded it has a 14,000# GVWR and load towards the front and the ride should be better.

[jeffjcalweb]

Thank you all for the replies. It is not a short bed truck for whoever "guessed" and I'm crabby so apologies now but I even said "long bed" 🙂

And I really do appreciate people taking a moment to post things to consider. Fifth wheel is new to me, Andersen hitch new to me too. I had read plenty and talked to several different RV dealers, I thought I was making a good decision.

I will take a look at some of the other options. Good news is the hitch is brand new and while I might take a bit of a loss if I have to go that route and sell it, I'd rather deal with it now and not later.

[Jackathan]

With my Anderson, I make sure to re-torque the hitch after the weight of the camper is on it, per the instructions. Really helps.

[Thermoguy]

I have wanted to try the Anderson hitch but what you said is the reason I have stayed away from it.

I have a different set up, a 3/4 ton Chev with a 32' 5th wheel that weighs in about 11K. We bought the B&W Companion, but no one helped me position it, I had to do it by trial and error. One of the questions about the Anderson Hitch, does it have any adjustments? The B&W has a lot of adjustment options. My first attempt was to place it as far forward and try to set the trailer level. I found out that that caused all kinds of chucking and such. On our first trip with the 5th wheel we drove to Yellowstone, so every night I would move the hitch back, up, down, etc, until it felt the best. I also have a gooseneck horse trailer that pulls like a dream so I was really disappointed with the fifth wheel at first. I have gotten used to the difference in how it feels, but it took a while to get it good. I also found that if I have a full tank of water it rides better, that actually puts weight in the back, which would lighten up my pin some. So, if you don't have the ability to go by a new air ride hitch, and if the Anderson has some adjustment, I would start there. As others have said, load it up with your typical gear first, check for level, and then start adjusting things. With a 1 ton long bed you should be able to get better results than I can with a 3/4 ton short bed.

Good Luck and Happy Camping.

[ppine]

Towing heavy trailers is not as easy and some make it sound.
Weight distribution is the first thing to look at.