Good w/d hitch choice for improving the ride in the TV

[RDMueller]

I'm looking for opinions from those who have towed with different hitches regarding which ones performed the best in terms of the ride.

My setup:
TV is a 2001 Ram 2500 diesel quad cab long bed
TT is a 2015 FR Wildwood 28DBUD (29 footer with a GVWR of 7805)

I initially towed with just a weight carrying hitch and a friction sway bar. In this configuration the truck stayed level and the steer axle still had 3400 lbs on it, a reduction of less than 200 lbs. Tongue weight was about 900. There was no sway and handling was fine. On smooth roads, it towed great, no issue whatsoever.

The problem was simply ride quality on poor roads. Driving over a bump or dip in the road would cause a front to back rocking motion that was pretty uncomfortable at times. So began my quest to improve the ride. Here's what I've done so far:

1. Replaced the aging shocks on my truck with Bilstein HD shocks. This produced a modest improvement, but the front to back rocking was still present, just not quite as severe.

2. Upgraded my hitch to an Andersen no sway no bounce w/d hitch. I did a lot of research here and elsewhere before deciding on this hitch. It seemed that "bounce" was probably the best word to describe the front to back rocking I was experiencing and this hitch was supposed to address that. Some did say the Andersen has a hard time restoring enough weight to the steer axle with heavier tongue weights, but because of the very long wheelbase of my truck, that was not really the issue. Anyway, I will say the Andersen made a substantial improvement. However on the worst highways and interstates, the front to back rocking when hitting a bump or dip is still very much present and can be quite annoying.

3. Upgraded the trailer suspension to the Dexter E-Z Flex suspension. I'm sure this made a huge improvement inside the trailer itself, but it didn't make that much of a difference in ride quality in the truck.

At this point, I don't know - maybe this is just as good as it gets. After all, it tows really well on good roads. But we all know, the condition of our highways and interstates in this country is often not great. It is what it is. But I do find myself wondering if there would be a better hitch option that would smooth things out some more.

It does seem to be almost universally accepted here that a Hensley or PP is the best hitch you can buy. However the issue that seems to be front and center when talking about a Hensley or PP is sway and how their design prevents sway from ever beginning. I have no issues with sway whatsoever. I'd be happy to invest in a Hensley or PP if it would substantially improve the ride. But I'd really hate to spend that kind of money only to get little or no improvement over what I'm seeing with the Andersen.

I know a lot of people swear by their Equal-i-zer, Reese dual cam, or Blue Ox sway pro. Judging by what I see walking thru campgrounds, those make up the vast majority of the w/d hitches. I almost never see another Andersen and not very many Hensley or PP hitches. Since the first 3 don't represent a huge investment, I could just try one and see if I like it better than the Andersen. But before I do anything, I'd love to hear from people here who have likely gone down this same path.

As usual, thank you in advance for the good advice I know I will receive!

[RDMueller]

Thank you everybody for all the info! Lots to consider. I like the idea of the air safe hitch. It almost certainly would make a big difference, but when you consider the price tag, well, it won't be my next step. Timbrens are a great idea too and for $200, sounds like something definitely worth trying. Probably the biggest thing though would be to at least try a different w/d hitch.

To be clear, the only w/d hitch I've used is the Andersen. When I first bought this trailer, I towed without a w/d hitch and the porpoising was much worse than now. The Andersen helped a lot. But it can't even restore 50% of the weight to the front in my case. I always thought that didn't matter because the truck sits level and doesn't have much of a reduction in the first please because of the long wheel base. But, perhaps from the standpoint of the porpoising, it will make a big difference.

I do love the simplicity, ease of use and quietness of the Andersen. If the ride with a different w/d hitch ends up similar, I'll probably go back to it. But I think it is worth trying at least one other with a better ability to restore weight to the steer axle.

Again, thanks for all the input! I appreciate the advice.

[IdaD]

I added Timbrens to my Ram and it helped the truck not bounce so much when I would hit bumps at high speed. I wasn't having excessive squat so that wasn't the issue, but it would seem to dip a bit more than I liked on those bumps, especially the bigger ones. The Timbrens are zero maintenance plus have no impact on the unloaded ride quality, and for $200 they might be worth a shot.

[LIKE2BUILD]

My previous truck was an '04 Chevy 2500HD and the TT was 34' long with about 800# tongue weight. I towed it a few times short distances without the WD hitch which was well withing the ratings of my receiver. Those experiences were as you describe: just fine on straight runs, no sway, but dips in the road created uncomfortable porpoise conditions.

I have no other hitches to give as comparison, but the EAZ-Lift hitch with Reese Dual Cam that I used made a fantastic combination. When using that WD hitch I never had sway even in high winds and when I hit dips or rises the entire rig moved but immediately together and returned to a level/balanced attitude.

[BarneyS]

RDMueller wrote:

BarneyS wrote:
What you describe sounds like not enough weight on the front axle.
Barney

Snip... Maybe a hitch that can restore 100% to the front axle would help?

That is essentially what I was saying. 🙂
Barney

[ktmrfs]

after you get the hitch set up correctly, have the best shocks you can get for towing (I like the Bilsteins on my GM's) have LT tires on the TV, inflated correctly, etc. there is one other improvement that I've found makes a very very big ride improvment. But, like most things in life, you get to choose, good or cheap, and it ain't cheap.

That is an Air Safe Air hitch. Basically it uncouples the trailer movement from the TV, so frost heaves, expansion joints etc. don't have near the effect on the TV. I can go over a frost heave and see the trailer front moving up and down and not feel anything in the TV. Before you'd feel the trailer push the TV rear up and down. But unless you do a lot of traveling, the cost probably isn't worth it.

I have the Class VII 2.5" shank unit, and it is around $1500!! But for us it is worth every penny since we travel 10K miles/year all over the place. I'm using it with our 3/4 ton duramax both 04.5 I had and now the 2015.5. Our trailer is big, 10K lbs or so loaded, 35' long with pushing 1500lbs on the tongue.

And it does work with virtually any WD hitch.

IMHO it is an excellent solution and product, but isn't for everyone given the price. And it isn't light either, around 100lbs.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

Heavier rear springs.

Your truck's rear springs are likely too soft.

[RDMueller]

BarneyS wrote:
What you describe sounds like not enough weight on the front axle.
Barney

Well that could mean that a conventional w/d hitch that can restore 100% of the weight to the front axle might help. The Andersen cannot in my case, but it wasn't a problem in terms of how the truck sits. Like I said, because of the very long wheel base of my truck and heavy engine at the front, it was fine even with no w/d at all. Well fine in terms of how the truck sits and steering/control, but possibly not fine in terms of ride. Maybe a hitch that can restore 100% to the front axle would help?

[DutchmenSport]

I've had 2 WD systems on my current camper and truck. First was an old style Reese with the chain links attached to the bar and a separate sway bar. Second is an Equal-i-zer. Difference in porpoising??? none. It's really freaky when it does porpoise, but a dip in the road is a dip. Truck goes up, trailer goes down. It's going to porpoise, sometimes it's just not avoidable.

[BarneyS]

I agree with the post above. What you describe sounds like not enough weight on the front axle. Give it a try. Go back to the hitch that worked in the beginning and take up another link or two and see what happens.

I would not invest the money in a Hensley or ProPride hitch in your case. They are great for sway control but do not do much of anything above a normal hitch for porpoising.
Barney

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Pretty hard to tell, but IMHO it's pretty much as good as it gets.

The more you tighten up on your WDH the more it will take the porpoising out of the setup. The problem with that is it will stiffen the ride overall. You could try to tighten up your WDH and see if you can get an happy medium. You already have a good set of shocks on your truck so you're good there.

On some roads your setup is just going to porpoise.