Decreasing towing fatigue in Ram 3500 4x4 single

[norfla71]

I pull a 34' Salem toy hauler and, lately, have noticed the truck loaded or empty is not nearly as stable as when I bought it. It currently has 72,000 miles and, aside from the usual suspects (ball joints, tie rods, bushings which will be inspected Saturday) it was never really that great to begin with. I have to fight the wheel for constant corrections. Every 4x4 I've towed with (2000 Super Duty previously) has been tiresome to tow long distances; my 04 2500 2wd was excellent and I could tow heavy and not feel like I had been to the gym for a couple of hours afterward. Tires are 265/70 Dueler Revo's, and I'm not overly impressed (stock BFG's were much more stable).

Questions:
- aside from replacing normal wear items, are there any aftermarket bolt-ons that will increase stability to near dually levels? A conversion is not is the budget. Things like a rear sway bar, front arms, adjustable trac bar, A/S tread tires, etc.
- are wider tires worse for towing than keeping close to the stock size? I'm thinking about bad weather and how a wider tire will handle sudden downpours we always seem to get here in FL. I don't go offroad much, either, so popular 35" and 37" upgrades won't work for me.
- speaking of tires, any good luck with Nitto Duras v/s the LTX A/S?
- I hate the way the pin always slams around in the box on rough roads or when taking off from a stop. Other than shelling out big dollars for a Fifth Airborne or equivalent is there a lower cost solution? I'm running a Reese 15k Pro.
-

[norfla71]

Shop reports front end is drum tight, just needed an alignment. Mine needs one about every 6,000. A slow leaking left rear tire didn't help, though; it was 20# lower than the right. Easy fix; dirt got between the bead and rim. Just ran about 500 miles from Destin to Ellenton (south of St Pete) and truck ran like a dream, but wrist still hurts. Steering is 99% again. Still don't care for the tires and I think the reason is simple; the Revo's are great in a P-metric due to not needing to be built to so heavy. Since they are not built to carry heavy loads they are run at a lower pressure, seem to be stickier/softer and have more bight. My father had a set on his 1500 and loved them. The LT sizes are built to handle a load, but compromise traction for it. If you lower pressure they suck for towing as the sidewalls get really squishy/bouncy. I've torn up my grass and have to use 4x4 every time I move the RV when its wet.

If I'm going to deal with the traction issue anyway I'm getting something more suited for towing and abuse; top of the list is the Duravis R500, followed by the Dura, then the Rugged Trail/Commercial TA/TransForce HT/Michelin A/S (all interchangeable IMO) or Wrangler Pro's, in that order.

Brakes, however, are a different story, as they are always talking to me now. Searcing for a new set of pads/rotors, but that's for a different thread.

[norfla71]

glamisorbust wrote:
Wow, really? I towed mine probably 30k miles or more, and never heard anything like that out of mine. I think it's time for a new hitch. The companion is awesome with the under bed rails, and I think it is still made on our own soil in the USA.

What really sucks is I've used it about 10 times in the past 2 years and, having moved it into a second truck (factoring in the cost of rail install for both), I could have gotten a Companion for not much more; what I wanted anyway. Yep, B&W is still made here. For what I plan a goose neck is looking like a need down the road, anyway

[glamisorbust]

Wow, really? I towed mine probably 30k miles or more, and never heard anything like that out of mine. I think it's time for a new hitch. The companion is awesome with the under bed rails, and I think it is still made on our own soil in the USA.

[norfla71]

glamisorbust wrote:
As long as you own a 5th wheel, you're always gonna have SOME pin movement in the box.

Some movement is fine; always sounding like it's torture testing the metal composition of the hitch and rails are another. It's been bad enough that my wife had me stop and actually check to ensure we didn't break the lock bar or pin.

[norfla71]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Should update my sig but can't figure out how to do it. Here's a list of my current mods:

Custom Diesel steering brace ($110 shipped)
Bilstein 5100's about a year ago
Non suspension list is way longer and includes a Mini Max with Overdrive, Ryan's tuning (anyone on the Cummins forum knows what I'm talking about), fully deleted and a bunch of small stuff. Early production 08 and still running the earlier steering; debating on cost v/s benefit.

I hate the Reese, also: Chinese and in-bed rails. Next up is either a Companion (I like being able to use the full bed) or an under bed rail system and air ride box.

I'm looking into a full Carli system (Pintop or similar) with their front end and sway bar upgrades, a set of Black Ops arms and rear sway bar.I also want to start checking out steering boxes. For tires I'm thinking about a set of 275/65r20 Nitto Duras on a set of American Outlaw Scorpions (3,600# capacity).

I've seen short bed quads and Mega singles pulling much larger triple axle haulers without complaint so I know this should be an easy fix. Barring any act of God or idiocracy this will be my last truck and plan on converting the rear into a sleeper for long trips after the kids leave the nest. I need to get this sorted as we also plan on a much larger and heavier fiver.

[JesLookin]

The OP says " I hate the way the pin always slams around in the box on rough roads or when taking off from a stop. Other than shelling out big dollars for a Fifth Airborne or equivalent is there a lower cost solution? I'm running a Reese 15k Pro."

My old hitch was the 15K Pro. The bar that slides across to capture the pin bent to the point that the sliding portion was no longer captured by the hitch, causing a lot of fore & aft movement of the pin. I was afraid the hitch would fail completely. Junked it and got a new hitch.

[BenK]

Ford calls it a 'Track Bar'.

The more generic name is "Panhard Rod" and normally goes with other 'links'

Panhard is to locate the axle assembly side to side. The other links forward
and rearward

All of these MUST be very stout in reference to the other suspension,
steering components

Leaf spring packs do NOT need them, but a good Panhard Rod on a leaf
pack (designed correctly) addes precision to it's tracking and steering

[thomasmnile]

ib516 wrote:
Track bar and sway bar (anti roll bar) are 2 different things.

The track bar locates the axle under the vehicle laterally, because coil springs don't.

IB: Thanks for the enlightenment, with pictures no less! (I love pictures! :B) I knew 4WD front ends were different, but that's a lot of stuff under there. Another reason why if it's more than an oil change, I seek "professional help" for all matters mechanical! 😮

[Cummins12V98]

TrailAire pin box and a B&W hitch will make you smile!

[rhagfo]

rhagfo wrote:
Ball joints, track bar bushings, and SHOCKS, for both the TV and the trailer.

Hitch, look at the new Reese R16K.

Linky

So I had some of the same issues with my 01, constant corrections "wander"

All of my tie rod ends are tight.

This is what I did in order;

Steering box brace. (helped some)
Replace track bar bushings, and install a Luke's link
Replace ball joints
Installed Bilstien 5100 shocks.

[glamisorbust]

As long as you own a 5th wheel, you're always gonna have SOME pin movement in the box. You can tighten up the insides of the hitch to grab onto your kingpin a little tighter to keep the front/back movement down to a minimum which you would notice when stopping or starting. Take it to an alignement shop after you get all the worn out parts replaced for a fresh alignment. It will likely drive like the day you bought it.

[Bionic_Man]

Another vote for an air pin box. I just added a TrailAir to my trailer. Towed for the first time last weekend. Huge difference.

[rhagfo]

Ball joints, track bar bushings, and SHOCKS, for both the TV and the trailer.

Hitch, look at the new Reese R16K.

Linky

[ib516]

Track bar and sway bar (anti roll bar) are 2 different things.

The track bar locates the axle under the vehicle laterally, because coil springs don't.