Truck floating in front of travel trailer

[danv1317]

I may be able to answer my own question, but just want confirmation.

I have a 29ft Springdale travel trailer that i was pulling with a 2wd dodge ram 2500 5.9L.

Since we stopped full timing, we got rid of the diesel and got a 2014 Ford F150 3.5L ecoboost. It's 4wd so it sits higher. To add some xtra umph to the suspension on it, i put on the Roadmaster Active Suspension.

I didn't change the height of the ball on the weight distribution hitch so it's still set for the dodge which was 2wd (lower to the ground) and didn't accomidate for the extra inch lift you get putting the active suspension on.

Driving down the highway today getting hte trailer fixed, the Ford feels like it's floating on clouds. Even at 30mph, it feels like i'm driving on snow, floating back and forth. I do have weight distribution hitch and sway bar.

I measured the front and rear of the trailer and the top of the ball is 2 inches higher than the rear of the trailer, so it does squat slightly.

Am i putting too much weight in the rear end?

Also, the truck isn't squatting really at all with the trailer on. Is this correct?

Thanks for the reassurance that i need to lower the ball if that is the case, if not, i appreciate any input. I know my TV is probably a bit overweighted, since i'm sure a lot of you will reiterate that to me.

[tdiller]

GordonThree wrote:

danv1317 wrote:
Will start from scratch on saturday and get everything in place. Thanks. i do have the P rated tires.

P tires are built for a nice soft ride carrying nothing more than groceries and the family dog. The treads going to wear pretty fast, you don't have to replace em right away just keep an eye on the tread and rotate often. You could try increasing the pressure but that's a stab in the dark without knowing axle weights.

When we bought my wife's 1500 Ram it had P tires on it. She was complaining about the ride being squishy when she loaded up the bed with hay. It was time for new tires anyway so I had the lt tires put on it. A world of difference. Now days with so many people buying trucks who never use them like a truck the manufacturers are trying to make them ride more like a car.

I use my truck as a truck almost every weekend hauling horses to or from show or hauling hay or other stuff.

[colliehauler]

The 150 doesn't handle weight like a 2500.

[ken56]

Switch to LT tires as soon as you can. P metric tires are too soft in the sidewall even when aired up to max pressure. I had Goodyear Wranglers and they were not stiff enough to prevent that wiggle feeling in the rear end. My new LT Michelin tires took care of that. Also, I agree that you need to reset the hitch set up. Go to the scales afterward and get proper numbers on your rig.

[dodge_guy]

Yes, definitely start from scratch. From the sounds of it, it sounds like you are taking too much weight off the rear axle.

Lower the hitch and set everything up properly. I`m sure it will then tow great.

[GordonThree]

danv1317 wrote:
Will start from scratch on saturday and get everything in place. Thanks. i do have the P rated tires.

P tires are built for a nice soft ride carrying nothing more than groceries and the family dog. The treads going to wear pretty fast, you don't have to replace em right away just keep an eye on the tread and rotate often. You could try increasing the pressure but that's a stab in the dark without knowing axle weights.

[danv1317]

Will start from scratch on saturday and get everything in place. Thanks. i do have the P rated tires.

[Sandia_Man]

I agree the photo shows nose is too high for my liking, I set up our WD/SC hitch where nose is just slightly lower than level. Re-adjust your hitch set-up where nose is at the very least level, LT tires are better for such a sizable TT. Don't know how much payload you have available, that Springdale is heavier than most TT's produced today of similar size. Not surprised your 3/4 ton Dodge handled the load better.

[coolmom42]

Get the trailer level and then re-adjust your weight distribution. Get some weights and make sure the tongue weight is 10-15 percent of the trailer weight. Then look at tires.

[jfkmk]

Looks a little nose high.

[danv1317]

[danv1317]

AmericalVette wrote:
Out of curiosity, did the "Trailer-Sway-Control" activate in your F150?

No. I didn't get any alarms or anything. Just had to pull off the highway going like 45mph cuz it was going all nutty. thought i was going to float into outter space.

[AmericalVette]

Out of curiosity, did the "Trailer-Sway-Control" activate in your F150?

[Ava]

Too much weight in the back of a trailer can cause a lot of sway which will affect driving control.

[Walaby]

Start from scratch and setup your hitch for your current vehicle. Then if you still have issues, take a look at TV tires (P rating vs LT), air pressure etc.. But, until you setup the WD hitch properly for the TV you will be chasing your tail.

Mike

[downtheroad]

Hard to say....
if "floating" could be tires (P rated) or tire pressure.
if "swaying" could be not enough tongue weight or improper hitch set up

These are just rough guesses.