Do I have a sway problem?
Sounds like a dumb question, I know... I've never pulled anything bigger/heavier than a 14' utility trailer with 3 4-wheelers on it - until now. I've got a 33' ~7500# TT behind a Ram 1500. I've pulle...
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First get to a CAT scale and get weights for your truck and trailer combo. If you aren't sure how to do it then ask. Make sure you aren't exceeding any of your limits. If you are then you'll need to look into getting a different truck if you want to pull that trailer.
If you have to ask, then it's probably not sway. A sway event is pretty scary and nerve racking. It feels like no matter what you do, you just can't keep control of the combination and things keep getting worse. The pucker factor normally goes off the charts, your heart races, and you're breathing more heavily lol.
You'll get moved around by big rigs, that's normal. Even the guys in 1 ton duallys get moved by large vehicles. You'll also get little wiggles from the wind; this is normal as well. When you say that the combo recovers immediately then that makes me think everything is working. When the rig is having problems recovering then that's a sign that there's a problem.
The bounce and squishy feeling is most likely coming from a combination of tires and the suspension. Most of your half tons have a tire and suspension that's aimed more towards comfort. It's meant to ride like a car or an SUV. But when you add significant weight things get bouncy quickly.
Your tires are probably P Metric (Passenger) tires aired to the pressure listed in the door jamb. They're nice and soft which help absorb those road imperfections, but that's not what you want when carrying weight. You want something stiffer. The first thing I would do is increase your tire pressure to the max cold pressure listed on the sidewall of your tires. For some this is enough. If there's still too much squirm going on then you can upgrade your tires to P-XL or LT tires. Stiffer tires will give you more stability since they're more resistant to compression.
When it comes to the suspension you can add Firestone Work Rites or Timbrens. These devices are basically really large bump stops. When they're engaged they help to take some of the travel out of your suspension when your truck is loaded. This will also reduce the bounce and will give you a little more stability.
I'm not sure what hitch you have, but since you say you're getting a decent recovery you probably don't need to replace the hitch. Have a look at the setup instructions and see what you can do to adjust it to get better performance out of it.
If you have to ask, then it's probably not sway. A sway event is pretty scary and nerve racking. It feels like no matter what you do, you just can't keep control of the combination and things keep getting worse. The pucker factor normally goes off the charts, your heart races, and you're breathing more heavily lol.
You'll get moved around by big rigs, that's normal. Even the guys in 1 ton duallys get moved by large vehicles. You'll also get little wiggles from the wind; this is normal as well. When you say that the combo recovers immediately then that makes me think everything is working. When the rig is having problems recovering then that's a sign that there's a problem.
The bounce and squishy feeling is most likely coming from a combination of tires and the suspension. Most of your half tons have a tire and suspension that's aimed more towards comfort. It's meant to ride like a car or an SUV. But when you add significant weight things get bouncy quickly.
Your tires are probably P Metric (Passenger) tires aired to the pressure listed in the door jamb. They're nice and soft which help absorb those road imperfections, but that's not what you want when carrying weight. You want something stiffer. The first thing I would do is increase your tire pressure to the max cold pressure listed on the sidewall of your tires. For some this is enough. If there's still too much squirm going on then you can upgrade your tires to P-XL or LT tires. Stiffer tires will give you more stability since they're more resistant to compression.
When it comes to the suspension you can add Firestone Work Rites or Timbrens. These devices are basically really large bump stops. When they're engaged they help to take some of the travel out of your suspension when your truck is loaded. This will also reduce the bounce and will give you a little more stability.
I'm not sure what hitch you have, but since you say you're getting a decent recovery you probably don't need to replace the hitch. Have a look at the setup instructions and see what you can do to adjust it to get better performance out of it.
