New to RV's and Towing!

Mastiffking · Jun 1, 2013

Hello Everyone,

I have a question related to the way my truck feels when pulling my travel trailer. When we are pull I notice a push/pull motion in the truck, almost like the rear end is bouncing. The thing is neither the trailer or the truck has an noticeable bounce other than the feeling.

Here are the specs
Truck
Ford F-150 4x4 SCrew 6' bed EcoBoost V6 with 3.55 rear and 7200 GCWR

Hitch:
Equalizer WD hitch.

Brake Controller
Tektronic

Trailer:
27BHS
Dry 6300lbs
we have added maybe 600 lbs.

So my biggest questions are

Is this normal?

And if it is what is the best way to reduce or eliminate it?

Any help is much appreciated!!

Chris

jimtoo · Jun 1, 2013

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I'm sure you will get some answers soon from our family that tows similar trailers. The only thing I could think of that may give that feeling is maybe not enough tension on the WD hitch allowing a lot of up and down flex in the hitch.

We will see what others have to say... enjoy the forum.

Jim M

Mastiffking · Jun 2, 2013

Jim,

Thanks so much looking forward to our first trip next weekend!

Regards,
Chris

Ray LeTourneau · Jun 2, 2013

Chris, Welcome to the Heartland Forum. Does this feeling occur all the time while towing or only on some roads? First, I feel hitch set up is very important. The ball height on the truck and coupler height on the trailer should be very close to the same before hooking up the trailer. When the trailer is connected, the whole package should be level.
You didn't mention if your truck was equipped with a towing package. There is a towing guide on the Heartland website and you can check http://fifthwheelst.com/ for some good info.
Concrete roads and bridges will cause the "bucking" or push/pull feeling no matter how well your hitch is set up.

ILH · Jun 2, 2013

Hi Chris,

I towed a 34' TT for many years. I believe the problem you are describing is called 'porpoising'. There are many causes of this - but frequently you can make simple modifications to reduce it by shifting the weight in the trailer ahead or behind the center point. If you don't already have one, consider a weight distribution hitch if your tow vehicle is hanging low.

My best advice is to seek out a good hitch installer and let them see your set up.

pegmikef · Jun 2, 2013

It almost sounds like your tongue weight might be a little light. The tongue weight should be 12 to 15 percent of the trailer's weight. As mentioned earlier, check your ball height on your wd hitch and make sure it is adjusted in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. My EAZ-Lift WD hitch requires that the ball height be one eigth of an inch per hundred pounds of of tongure weight above the trailer ball cup (e.g., 800 pounds tongue weight = 1 inch above the ball cup). . . but different hitches may have different requirements. Also on mine, the instructions specify that the torsion bars and ball be greased with a good quality grease.

Mastiffking · Jun 2, 2013

Ray LeTourneau said:
Chris, Welcome to the Heartland Forum. Does this feeling occur all the time while towing or only on some roads? First, I feel hitch set up is very important. The ball height on the truck and coupler height on the trailer should be very close to the same before hooking up the trailer. When the trailer is connected, the whole package should be level.
You didn't mention if your truck was equipped with a towing package. There is a towing guide on the Heartland website and you can check http://fifthwheelst.com/ for some good info.
Concrete roads and bridges will cause the "bucking" or push/pull feeling no matter how well your hitch is set up.

Ray,

Yes it has the standard tow package not the Max Trailer Package. So essentially, My truck came with a Hitch, pre-wired, and a transmission cooler. So ball height seems to be spot on. Once I have it coupled, I raise the trailer in order to load the equalizer spring arms.

Regards,
Chris

Mastiffking · Jun 2, 2013

ILH said:
Hi Chris,

I towed a 34' TT for many years. I believe the problem you are describing is called 'porpoising'. There are many causes of this - but frequently you can make simple modifications to reduce it by shifting the weight in the trailer ahead or behind the center point. If you don't already have one, consider a weight distribution hitch if your tow vehicle is hanging low.

My best advice is to seek out a good hitch installer and let them see your set up.

ILH,

Hitch was installed by RV center we purchased the TT from and they walked me through the initial set-up. I have the Equalizer WD hitch and I was being very very liberal with the 600lbs we have added. All we have added to the trailer is the kitchen supplies and we bought all light weight pots and pans, regular cheap walmart utensils, and plastic cups and dinnerware, a LED TV, and the essentials, Leveling blocks, chocks, sewer hose, etc...

Regards,

Mastiffking · Jun 2, 2013

Ray LeTourneau said:
Chris, Welcome to the Heartland Forum. Does this feeling occur all the time while towing or only on some roads? First, I feel hitch set up is very important. The ball height on the truck and coupler height on the trailer should be very close to the same before hooking up the trailer. When the trailer is connected, the whole package should be level.
You didn't mention if your truck was equipped with a towing package. There is a towing guide on the Heartland website and you can check http://fifthwheelst.com/ for some good info.
Concrete roads and bridges will cause the "bucking" or push/pull feeling no matter how well your hitch is set up.

Ray,

Yes my truck has the standard tow package. Which is a pre-wired hitch and transmission cooler. I don't have any sag in the truck or the trailer. the hitch and trailer cup are level prior to hook up, and once hooked, trailer is raised in order to load the equalizer spring arms.

Regards,
Chris

Mastiffking · Jun 2, 2013

pegmikef said:
It almost sounds like your tongue weight might be a little light. The tongue weight should be 12 to 15 percent of the trailer's weight. As mentioned earlier, check your ball height on your wd hitch and make sure it is adjusted in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. My EAZ-Lift WD hitch requires that the ball height be one eigth of an inch per hundred pounds of of tongure weight above the trailer ball cup (e.g., 800 pounds tongue weight = 1 inch above the ball cup). . . but different hitches may have different requirements. Also on mine, the instructions specify that the torsion bars and ball be greased with a good quality grease.

Thanks, I will make sure I grease and I will check the tongue weight. I believe Heartland states that the tongue weight as 750lbs

Regards,
Chris

berky · Jun 2, 2013

Chris,

I too had some porpoising initially with my combination, a Silverado 1500 crew cab and a NT 26LRSS with a loaded tongue weight of 820#. The porpoising was worst while the TV tires were cold and also on certain roads. I got rid of the porpoising by taking up another link on he WDH and switching to LT tires.

If you have P tires, the softer characteristics of them (compared to LT tires) will contribute to bounciness in the TV's rear end. It's not enough to see, but you will definitely feel it.

As for the WDH, the more you lift the hitch before hooking the spring bars, the more weight you can transfer away from the TV rear end. A real quick check is to measure the drop of the rear bumper before and after hooking up the spring bars. You're on the correct link when you recover about half of the unassisted drop when you hook up the spring bars.

Kbvols · Jun 2, 2013

Chris

how much water where you carrying? Adds a lot of weight and depending on tank capacity, location of tank and how full can create a "sloshing" effect causing push/ pull feeling in TV.

Mastiffking · Jun 5, 2013

Kbvols said:
Chris

how much water where you carrying? Adds a lot of weight and depending on tank capacity, location of tank and how full can create a "sloshing" effect causing push/ pull feeling in TV.

Kb,

I bet you are correct! Fresh tank is 1/3 full so say 15-18 gals. Put in by the dealer!. I will drain and see how it feels.
Thanks,
Chris

Mastiffking · Jun 5, 2013

berky said:
Chris,

I too had some porpoising initially with my combination, a Silverado 1500 crew cab and a NT 26LRSS with a loaded tongue weight of 820#. The porpoising was worst while the TV tires were cold and also on certain roads. I got rid of the porpoising by taking up another link on he WDH and switching to LT tires.

If you have P tires, the softer characteristics of them (compared to LT tires) will contribute to bounciness in the TV's rear end. It's not enough to see, but you will definitely feel it.

As for the WDH, the more you lift the hitch before hooking the spring bars, the more weight you can transfer away from the TV rear end. A real quick check is to measure the drop of the rear bumper before and after hooking up the spring bars. You're on the correct link when you recover about half of the unassisted drop when you hook up the spring bars.

Thank you. I will consider LT tires!

Mrsfish · Jun 5, 2013

Originally Posted by Kbvols
Chris

how much water where you carrying? Adds a lot of weight and depending on tank capacity, location of tank and how full can create a "sloshing" effect causing push/ pull feeling in TV.
Kb,

I bet you are correct! Fresh tank is 1/3 full so say 15-18 gals. Put in by the dealer!. I will drain and see how it feels.
Thanks,
Chris

we have some friends that were pulling their 30 ft trailer through the mountains when they lost control, rolled and destroyed everything. Lucky they weren't killed. The reason? It was ascertained by the highway patrol, the tow company and the insurance that she was driving with the tanks almost full and the sloshing around the corners altered the weight of the trailer so much that it tipped it over. I will recognize that this was before they put baffles in The tanks to help prevent this, but the story always sticks in my mind. Besides weight and gas prices, there could be a safety issue

eddylives · Jun 5, 2013

I pulled our 26 FQB off the lot brand new with my 97 f 150 ext cab 4X4 and I porpiosed like I had never felt before , it was amazing how much. I installed air bags right away and thought it would cure it.....helped some but still there. Then I hit the highway and "holy mother of pearl!!!" within the first 1-2 miles at hwy speed the sway was so bad it would throw the whole rig from shoulder to shoulder....good thing I am a transport driver and knew how to get things under control. I then added a equalizer sway bar set up...the E2 by fastway and it now tows like a dream. I have never been able to figure why it was so bad to tow compared to my old 26ft 84 citation TT other than the tongue weight of the new one was a **** of a lot more.

JRBEN · Jun 6, 2013

I had the same problem with my 2011 F150 4x4 Crew cab whenever I was driving up a grade pulling my 26LRSS. Since I plan on upgrading to a 5th wheel in the next few years I took the plunge and traded the F150 for a RAM 3500 DRW. This is serious overkill pulling the 26LRSS, but I can tell you I can't even tell its back there now.

Mastiffking · Jun 6, 2013

Mrsfish said:
Originally Posted by Kbvols
Chris

how much water where you carrying? Adds a lot of weight and depending on tank capacity, location of tank and how full can create a "sloshing" effect causing push/ pull feeling in TV.
Kb,

I bet you are correct! Fresh tank is 1/3 full so say 15-18 gals. Put in by the dealer!. I will drain and see how it feels.
Thanks,
Chris

we have some friends that were pulling their 30 ft trailer through the mountains when they lost control, rolled and destroyed everything. Lucky they weren't killed. The reason? It was ascertained by the highway patrol, the tow company and the insurance that she was driving with the tanks almost full and the sloshing around the corners altered the weight of the trailer so much that it tipped it over. I will recognize that this was before they put baffles in The tanks to help prevent this, but the story always sticks in my mind. Besides weight and gas prices, there could be a safety issue

Now I will go Empty! Thanks for sharing!
Chris

P.S. Did you see my other post? "Scared to Tow now!" Hahaha Just kidding Thanks again!

New to RV's and Towing!

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