Hello, and thanks in advance. I have a 2015 ram crew 1500 towing a 28 foot ultralite travel trailer. I have a E2 fastway weight distributing hitch that was professionaly installed. The ram and trailer are level when hitched. It tows great until i hit sections of concrete or asphalt highways that have been sawed for expansion strips. It bounces front and rear to the point where my wife and i talk funny until i travel far enough down the road where there are no dips in the sections. On asphalt that is not cut for sections it rides smooth. Does this sound like factory shocks not doing their job? Very annoying and we have only had the trailer out twice. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

Hello, couple of questions for you before we start spending your money. Lol


Is your truck a 2 or 4 wheel drive and does it have the air ride? I'm asking because there is a big difference between the two with 4x4 having struts on the front.


Another question is...how you have distributed the weight your trailer is hauling? If you don't have enough tongue weight, this could be the easy fix.
Also, are you traveling with water in your tanks? I usually travel with just enough fresh water to use in an emergency and then fill up at my destination. If your water tanks are behind the axles, that could make your trailers tongue a little light.


My 1500 RAM has coil springs in the rear. I like to adjust my WDH to allow a little bit of sag because of the way the springs work "the more the springs are compressed, the stiffer they become" by design.


Actually the thing I like the most about my truck is how smooth it tows my 5,000 lbs. travel trailer. I can travel up to 700 miles in one day before feeling worn out. The old recommendation was to only travel 200 - 300 miles.

 

Thank you for your reply. As stated earlier, the bounce is very annoying. I do have a 4wd and no air ride. Coils with shocks on the back. The dry wt of my openrange ultra lite was 5700 and I have about 400 in accessories inside. The tongue wt from factory is listed at 750 for the trailer. I have a fastway equalizer hitch and no water in the tanks. The drain hose for the fresh water is behind the rear axel so i think the tank may be above both axels. Not sure due to enclosed underbelly.
I do have coils with shocks on the rear no air ride. As stated earlier, the entire rig is level and i only have this rythmic bounce on areas of highway of concrete or asphalt that have dips where the sections are. Otherwise it is a smoth ride. Thanks again for any advice.

 

Break out your wallet my friend. Hehehe

I'm going to list a few options for your consideration:

Airbags. This is the least expensive way to go and lots of people swear by them.

Cons - you have to adjust the air pressure.
Running unloaded they only need 7 lbs. loaded 32 lbs. You can install an onboard compressor with adjustable control though. My experience was more ride control, with a stiffer ride (those expansion joints were more noticeable).

Tires. D rated with a stiff sidewall.

Cons - stiff ride all the time.
A good option though.

Upgraded shocks/lift. Rancho comes to mind.

Cons - none

I have new tires, a 2.5" lift kit and new OEM shocks, struts & springs.

Let us know if you get it worked out.

 

When my truck was new I towed an 8,000lb trailer with it. My rear was sagging big time and noticed I didn't have the control I wanted. I then purchased Air Lift 1000 airbags for $75 and pulled the same trailer 6 months later, hloy crap what a difference. My rear was almost level and it felt lighter. Now I do also have a 2" leveling kit and "E" rated tires, but I can pull that trailer easily now. I run about 10lbs of air when not loaded up.

 

Wow, thanks to all who inputed your ideas. I'll keep you posted as to the remedy to my problem when it becomes available.

 

2nd Everything Here!!!
Same setup over here for towing. Bilstein 5100 leveling, Airlift 1000, E rated tires.... NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!!!!!

 

Just wondering what the ram service department said about adding the airlift 1000 air bags and does it void the warranty? My local ram dealer parts said to check with service dept to make sure the warranty wouldn't be affected if i added the airbag. Thank you

 

I'm going to say yes, your warranty will be "effected." Let me explain:


People are funny about being given a little bit of power. If anything rear-end related were to fail and the service guys noticed your airbags...they would freak-out on you.


Now if, for instance, your A/C failed. That would still be covered by the factory warranty.


My recommendation is to try taking a little bit of slack out of the WDH and let the rear of your truck sag a little. Forget about vanity. Also don't worry about your headlights aiming a little high because hopefully you only tow during daylight anyway. Just my .02c and yes, I am following my own advice.


You can always start "modifying" when you are comfortably close enough to your warranty expiring.


Now lets talk about the nuclear option: A Heavy Duty Truck...

 

Funny�� Thanks again