I have a 86 Dodge W150 that I've owned since 1992. It is a short bed single cab 4X4 in very good shape. The only issue I have with my truck is the handling when pulling a heavy load. I have a 78 Trans Am bracket car that I pull to races. Any time I get over 45-55 MPH or bad winds, it becomes a handful. My trailer is a commercial (not homemade) one in very good shape. I have a heavy duty reinforced bumper but no hitch. I can add one but I wonder if the wheel base is just too short for pulling a heavy load. The suspension is great, it has heavy duty Monroe shocks on it (rides rather stiff without a load). The only other thing I can do is to move the car back a foot to 18 inches on the trailer to reduce the tongue weight but that's it. All tires are excellent and properly inflated. Any opinions or suggestions?

 

Get a bigger truck. :-p

Add a hitch. It will reposition the tow point and should smooth out the ride. Thats my thought.

 

Try a Reese Hitch....even Walmart carries them.
If you are JUST using the ball on the bumper for transporting a car transport
it's weight load may be way over the capacity.

Be carefull.

 

The shocks have nothing to do with weight bearing capacity. They're only to slow the weight down when you hit a bump

Does it still have the stock leaf springs in the rear? If so, you might want to replace them with stiffer 3/4 ton springs, or get a few add-a-leafs for it. The 3/4 ton springs would be better than the AALs.

A reciever hitch would also help.

 

i tried moving my car and trailer once with the bumper ball on the ramcharger, and it about bent the bumper in half...but my car weighs more than most, and the trailer is a solid floor..

 

The truck is bone stock except for the stiff shocks. It has the stock leaf springs but it is a 4x4. The car weighs 3700; I haven't weighed the trailer but it's fairly light with a wood floor. It has a bumper from hell on it but I agree and will soon add a hitch. I wish it was a club cab, a couple more feet of wheel base wouldn't hurt. The truck only has 84k on it. It has sat a lot over the years as I'm in the Army and have been overseas quite a bit.

 

The wheelbase wouldn't help that much. Adding stiffer leaf springs would though...it would help a LOT more than adding a hitch and should be your first investment.

 

I don't feel it is good pull an over 4000 pound load with just a hitch ball on the rear bumper.
Safety is important for you and the people sharing the road with you.

Here is a good reference.

http://www.trailersforless.com/dt_de...hitch_type.htm