2024 Ram 2500 Uncontrollable Trailer Sway

[RTTS]

I have a brand new 2024 Ram 2500 Crew Cab Laramie with the air bag suspension (Christmas Present!!).
At 842 Miles I towed a 16' loaded car trailer (10,000#) w/hydraulic brakes.
Hitting a bump, just before a curve, caused the trailer to sway uncontrollably resulting in a jack-knife into a fence accident.
I have tows trailers and loads of all sizes countless times and am no rookie by any means (for any nay-sayers).
But, it seems getting rid of the tried and true leaf springs and moving all rear end support way inside the frame has severely compromised the stability and safe usability of these "Heavy Duty" trucks, and replacing the heavy springs with rubber air bags only made it worse.
Has anyone else had any kind of issues with these trucks swaying while towing?
Does anyone know how to "fix" this problem for real and not just put a band-aid on it?
If you have, and/or do, please reach out to me directly at [Mod redacted]
I'd love to hear about everyone's experiences and fixes.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

You loaded the trailer with to little tongue weight. There is nothing wrong with the 4 link suspension I tow all kinds of heavy loads with my 19. But I opted to not get the air ride as its not a great design

 

[Seadoorxpguy]

So I hate to be the one to break it to you. But most 2500 trucks have extremely low payload specs. My old 1500 2021 1500 had a higher payload than my friends 22 2500. So a incorrectly loaded trailer, no anti sway hitch, and a few other things could have caused this accident.

 

[Pearce]

Has nothing to do with the suspension or it's design. It has to do with how you loaded the trailer. Not enough tongue weight and/or hitch height. 16' car hauler with hydraulic brakes seems unusual. Was it a u-haul trailer? could also be the reason.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Has nothing to do with the suspension or it's design. It has to do with how you loaded the trailer. Not enough tongue weight and/or hitch height. 16' car hauler with hydraulic brakes seems unusual. Was it a u-haul trailer? could also be the reason.

If loaded right with proper brake adjustment that would stop the sway on its own typically.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

So I hate to be the one to break it to you. But most 2500 trucks have extremely low payload specs. My old 1500 2021 1500 had a higher payload than my friends 22 2500. So a incorrectly loaded trailer, no anti sway hitch, and a few other things could have caused this accident.

Payload means nothing legally or capability wise it is a Registration weight. And “anti sway” is a joke, just load the trailer properly and the trailer cant sway unless you are driving at unsafe speeds. Most people mistake wind pushing the trailer as “sway”

 

[Cseybert]

My 2019 2500 without airbags. Towed over 12,000 pounds skid steer 3000 pound trailer never was a problem for this truck loading your trailer properly and having the right tongue weight. I agree with others about tongue weight most important thing.

 

[Mopar73340]

My '23 2500 (with air suspension) tows my 24' enclosed trailer without any type of sway control just fine. I made sure I have between 10-15% of the trailer weight on the tongue and all is good. My guess like others have stated is that the trailer was not loaded correctly.

 

[Deleted member 47449]

Tongue weight per the experts.

 

[McHenry2500]

I’m calling BS. 1 post. Email replies. Nope.

No pictures of the supposed accident either?

I know folks on this site criticize the 2500's for the posted payload numbers but the fact that alot of us use it for towing substantial loads leads me to believe they are plenty capable.

I have a 16' utility trailer with brakes and when loaded properly it has never had an issue.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Assuming you're a legitimate truck owner and not trolling for emails or some other nefarious purpose, the problem is solved by putting sufficient tongue weight on the trailer.

Asking for email replies is not how forums work. If you ask for help, you do so in this public forum and this is where you come to see replies. This is how a community shares info.

 

[dieselscout80]

My 2500 HEMI with 4.10 gears has 2820lbs of payload per the factory sticker, however as driven with tools and such its really 2580lbs.

It tows the below setup (+9k lbs of trailer and tractor/equipment) very nicely with NO sway!

 

[RTTS]

Thank you for all your replies. Let me see if I can clarify some things.
The trailer is a Felling industrial tilt with hydraulic brakes so TBC doesn't matter, nor should it.
All tires were max pressure.
Bought a brand new Reese drop hitch (2.5" to remove sleeve slop) to make sure the trailer was level.
Truck loaded and overly secured on trailer nose first, tongue weight not an issue.
The truck has the stock air suspension, so there are no rear coil springs, only rubber air bags to hold up the rear end.
No, a WDW was not being used, nor has this trailer ever needed one to pull safely, and it has been used to haul large fork lifts, tractors, skid steers and more without thought.
Until putting behind this air ride Ram, it pulled like a dream.
Like I said, I'm no rookie. I've pulled trailers of every size and load, equipment, cars, building supplies, landscape materials, in every king of weather, wind, rain, snow, 50/60+ cross winds (those will make you pucker), through the Rockies, north and south across country and on roads that can hardly be called roads without incident.
I'm not just some idiot who thought he would buy a "big" truck and trailer and haul things
My father-in-law, who probably has more experience than me, also checked over the set up, as father-in laws like to do!
Believe me when I say the set up was correct.
So, any other thoughts/suggestions?
Please, do keep them coming.
This truck is not safe and needs to be able to be made so.
And by the way. I asked/offered email so those too embarrassed to tell there story in a forum could still share honestly without the criticizing and ridiculing judgement often received in forums.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

The trailer brakes are not working properly if the trailer was able to push you into the fence There is no ands ifs or buts about that….. the only difference between bags and springs is the ride it wont change the “sway”. You have an issue with your trailer setup or you were driving too fast. Plus ESC should have stopped any extreme “sway” you claim to have.

 

[Pearce]

I've towed a friends 20' tilt deck several times with no issue. Once with a skid steer on it. But it had electric brakes. I'd run through the trailer to make sure everything checks out. Also tow a 22' pontoon at highway speeds with surge brakes. Never an issue.

 

[dieselscout80]

Thank you for all your replies. Let me see if I can clarify some things.
The trailer is a Felling industrial tilt with hydraulic brakes so TBC doesn't matter, nor should it.
All tires were max pressure.
Bought a brand new Reese drop hitch (2.5" to remove sleeve slop) to make sure the trailer was level.
Truck loaded and overly secured on trailer nose first, tongue weight not an issue.
The truck has the stock air suspension, so there are no rear coil springs, only rubber air bags to hold up the rear end.
No, a WDW was not being used, nor has this trailer ever needed one to pull safely, and it has been used to haul large fork lifts, tractors, skid steers and more without thought.
Until putting behind this air ride Ram, it pulled like a dream.
Like I said, I'm no rookie. I've pulled trailers of every size and load, equipment, cars, building supplies, landscape materials, in every king of weather, wind, rain, snow, 50/60+ cross winds (those will make you pucker), through the Rockies, north and south across country and on roads that can hardly be called roads without incident.
I'm not just some idiot who thought he would buy a "big" truck and trailer and haul things
My father-in-law, who probably has more experience than me, also checked over the set up, as father-in laws like to do!
Believe me when I say the set up was correct.
So, any other thoughts/suggestions?
Please, do keep them coming.
This truck is not safe and needs to be able to be made so.
And by the way. I asked/offered email so those too embarrassed to tell there story in a forum could still share honestly without the criticizing and ridiculing judgement often received in forums.

Maybe it’s just the angle of the picture but the axles on that trailer look like they are mounted more towards the middle of the trailer.

It might make it harder to get enough tongue weight.

 

[flan]

Any chance your rear track bar is busted at one end? Would that cause it? Idk…

 

[jharp]

Appreciate you sharing your experience here.

One thing I noticed from our 2018 2500 with the air suspension, it was hard to 'eyeball' tongue weight by conventional means - truck squat. Every other leaf/coil sprung truck will give you some indication of tongue weight. Not the 2500 with full air in the rear. I remember thinking how nice it would be if Ram gave the air bag pressure on the infotainment, as a way to infer weight. When the factory setup gave out I contemplated a full manual conversion with gauges, but decided to trade it in.

Not saying you were under tongue weight, I just know that I had issues hauling utility trailers with light tongue weight, and it all felt really unstable.

I'd check your rear track bar and make sure it feels tight. Also double check the trailer brakes, I had a trailer with surge brakes that had the pivot pin seize up on the master cylinder. The part about 'just hit a bump before a curve' makes me wonder if the track bar was loose, or if the trailer brakes might have surged from the impact to the tongue just enough to make the trailer sway.

 

[gimmie11s]

The part about 'just hit a bump before a curve' makes me wonder if the track bar was loose, or if the trailer brakes might have surged from the impact to the tongue just enough to make the trailer sway.

My thought also after reading the accident story.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

I had a trailer with surge brakes that had the pivot pin seize up on the master cylinder. The part about 'just hit a bump before a curve' makes me wonder if the track bar was loose, or if the trailer brakes might have surged from the impact to the tongue just enough to make the trailer sway.

the brakes surging would have killed any sway as it pulls the tongue down when the brakes apply just as the vehicle will nose down when you hit the brakes theoretically.