Porpoising, sway, coil vs lead, airbags, TT vs 5er, and more!

[UglyViking]

For the weight of my current trailer, I don't think a WDH is really necessary for the weight part of it, the thing I was looking for was sway control. I towed without the WDH but everything else the same and she wanted to dance quite a bit. I think that bags may fix the problem at least partially, but I'm unsure how much.

 

[Brutal_HO]

For the weight of my current trailer, I don't think a WDH is really necessary for the weight part of it, the thing I was looking for was sway control. I towed without the WDH but everything else the same and she wanted to dance quite a bit. I think that bags may fix the problem at least partially, but I'm unsure how much.

Bags alone, while they'll raise the rear of the truck, will also tend to actually take weight off the front (for bumper pull).

 

[darrellr]

My 3500 SRW is rock solid/stable towing our boat.

We are also considering buying a 5th wheel and traveling/working from the road next year and thus have started looking at pretty big premium 5th wheels (39-42 feet).

Sorry, going OT for a minute.

A 3500 DRW will be much more suitable for a premium 42' 5th wheel. In that range, you are looking at a lot of pin weight on the rear axle and the extra stability on the dual rear wheels will be greatly appreciated.

 

[tchur1]

Sorry, going OT for a minute.

A 3500 DRW will be much more suitable a premium 42' 5th wheel. In that range, you are looking at a lot of pin weight on the rear axle and the extra stability on the dual rear wheels will be greatly appreciated.

Ya I dont want to thread jack but if we do end up going that route Ill be ordering a DRW.

 

[Razzman]

I'm going to jump in here as I have some experience on this as well.

2020 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 - CCSB
1" Thuren front coils / stock rear coils
Thuren Sway bar
Fox 2.0 shocks
LT285/65R20 Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws
No rear assist

Trailer;
2020 Nash 23D 28' OA 7,500 GVWR / weighed @ 6,820
Equalizer e4 WD hitch @ 100%
12% tongue weight @ 825 (up to 14% at one time)

This setup has porpoised from day one regardless of WD setup, weight on the tongue or weight in the bed. I've come to the conclusion that it's a coil spring thing. Trailer never sways, sits perfectly level and rides like glass since upgrading trailer suspension and tires. I left the truck factory rear springs because I tow, tow a lot in fact. Of the now 15K on the truck, almost 11K is towing and regardless of the tongue weight it has always done it. I've moved the batteries off the tongue (not due to this) and it didn't change it one bit. I've towed it with an empty bed and with 400lbs in the bed, doesn't change it. I added a 100lb generator on the rear bumper, nothing, nada.

I actually towed this trailer initially with a 2017 1500 CCSB Hemi w/ 3.92s and factory four corner air suspension. It never porpoised because the four-corner air suspension did an amazing job of controlling it. But the truck just wasn't enough for this trailer, had virtually no payload.

I've talked with Air-lift & SuperSprings and they both said the same thing, it's common on RAMs and must be the coil springs. SuperSprings recommended their two-part Sumo spring setup as a solution, very similar to bags and cradles. I might go that way as I don't want to hassle bags, airing, compressors and such. Been there and it's a pain, I want set it and forget it.

UglyViking hope this helps some, you're not alone!

 

[UglyViking]

I'm going to jump in here as I have some experience on this as well.

2020 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 - CCSB
1" Thuren front coils / stock rear coils
Thuren Sway bar
Fox 2.0 shocks
LT285/65R20 Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws
No rear assist

Trailer;
2020 Nash 23D 28' OA 7,500 GVWR / weighed @ 6,820
Equalizer e4 WD hitch @ 100%
12% tongue weight @ 825 (up to 14% at one time)

This setup has porpoised from day one regardless of WD setup, weight on the tongue or weight in the bed. I've come to the conclusion that it's a coil spring thing. Trailer never sways, sits perfectly level and rides like glass since upgrading trailer suspension and tires. I left the truck factory rear springs because I tow, tow a lot in fact. Of the now 15K on the truck, almost 11K is towing and regardless of the tongue weight it has always done it. I've moved the batteries off the tongue (not due to this) and it didn't change it one bit. I've towed it with an empty bed and with 400lbs in the bed, doesn't change it. I added a 100lb generator on the rear bumper, nothing, nada.

I actually towed this trailer initially with a 2017 1500 CCSB Hemi w/ 3.92s and factory four corner air suspension. It never porpoised because the four-corner air suspension did an amazing job of controlling it. But the truck just wasn't enough for this trailer, had virtually no payload.

I've talked with Air-lift & SuperSprings and they both said the same thing, it's common on RAMs and must be the coil springs. SuperSprings recommended their two-part Sumo spring setup as a solution, very similar to bags and cradles. I might go that way as I don't want to hassle bags, airing, compressors and such. Been there and it's a pain, I want set it and forget it.

UglyViking hope this helps some, you're not alone!

I'm glad I'm not alone, but bummin that you and others are dealing with it as well.

I think at this point I'm gonna try and keep the truck by swapping the rear coils to the Carli R2 and doing airbags and cradles. I think that is probably not the most ideal situation, since a 3500 would just be flat out better, but with the cost of trucks right now, there is just no way I could get into something similar without taking a pretty substantial hit, and thats without accounting for the stuff I've put into the current truck.

Who knows, maybe a better opportunity will present itself. Either way, I've got a lot of time coming up to do more research and make a plan. Expecting a second kid any day now so won't be doing much traveling for the next 6-12 months anyway sadly, at least not as a fam.

 

[Nick]

If you want to get a fiver for Boondocking Arctic Fox makes a great box frame for their trailers . Certified off road capable . They are heavy for their size and not cheap but well made . I would definitely go with a one ton and an air ride hitch if it is in you budget . You cannot beat them for absorbing the bumps and holes on roads whether dirt or paved . I have the factory air and have had zero problems with it , well worth the money . 5th wheels do much better in crosswinds dealing with passing semis and are easier to control in emergency stops because of the way they are connected and sitting in the bed on the rear axle vs a bumper hitch .IMHO