5th wheel rough ride,on rough roads ?

[dkasten]

We have a 2006 Dodge 2500, short bed, 4door. A 34', 2011 Sierra 5th wheel. On rough roads we get alot of bounce in the truck. They have upgraded tires, and have me trying a Patriot hitch. We have moved the rails fwd so pin is over the axle. have raised the pin box so truck and trailer sit level. Unit rides smooth on good/asphalt roads. Dealer thinks we should try some type of rubber shackle kit, Joyride, Equaflex etc. Anyone have experience with this ? Unit has been scaled several times and we do Not excede any limits on axels or GCVW.

[TXiceman]

Welcome to iRV2. Have you weighed the truck and trailer to see where you are weight wise on the pin weight and the limits on the trucks GVWR?

Ken

[RoyM]

We have a similar set up, only thing is to slow down and enjoy the scenery. We hate having to pick up dishes and canned soup off the floor at each stop.

[waroland]

Check your shocks. I replaced mine at 18k and they were shot.

[Ray,IN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by waroland Check your shocks. I replaced mine at 18k and they were shot.

X2! OEM shocks seem to last a maximum of 20K miles, much less when frequently hauling heavy loads. I suggest the OP look into Bilstein or Rancho shocks. Both have a lifetime warranty. I had Sears install Rancho shocks when I bought my dually. They replaced them once, then just the rears last year. No hassle either time.

[RustyJC]

If you're getting bouncing in the rear of the truck, my experience is that the OEM shocks really don't have enough rebound damping to handle the pin weight of a larger 5th wheel. I used the 5 position Rancho 9000s in my 2002 Ram 3500 dually and found settings of 3 front/2 rear good for unloaded ride but 4 front/5 rear really snubbed things down when towing. The newer Rancho 9000s are 9 position shocks, so those settings wouldn't directly correlate.

As far as changes to the 5th wheel are concerned, I will say this - our current 5th wheel with Mor-Ryde equalizers in the suspension and a Demco Glide-Rite pinbox extension to mimimize fore/aft "chucking" is more comfortable to tow in all conditions than any of our previous lighter 5th wheels with conventional Dexter leaf spring suspension and solid pinbox extensions.

Rusty

[lynn boyd]

KYB monomax heavyduty shocks improved the ride of my truck especially when towing. Ive been very happy with them.

KYB Shocks and KYB Struts for High Performance Cars and Trucks

[Cat320]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman Welcome to iRV2. Have you weighed the truck and trailer to see where you are weight wise on the pin weight and the limits on the trucks GVWR? Ken

Good advice. Most Sierras are around 14k GW...too much pin weight for a 3/4 ton.