Not a smooth ride

[hawaii]

I have a tundra towing a lance 23ft trailer. The hitch is a e2 hitch trunnion. The distribution weight on truck and trailer is level. The problem is when traveling on a freeway, at speeds at 55-
60mph, is not a smooth ride. With the weight of the trailer it should be a enjoyable ride.
The truck has 53.000 miles and never had a heavy load, since I owned it. It has a off road
Package, but no 4x4. I appreciate your help.
Thank you.

[tuffr2]

The only truck that I had that road smoother with a trailer was a truck hauling a 5th wheel. All other trailers made my truck ride not as good as not towing. The Tundra is not really noted for a smooth non towing ride, is it?

Towing a trailer naturally upsets the suspension on the truck. The truck hits a bump but the trailer did not yet. Then the truck is over the bump but not the trailer hits it.

Towing a travel trailer my truck always rode rougher.

[craigd853]

Originally Posted by hawaii

I have a tundra towing a lance 23ft trailer. The hitch is a e2 hitch trunnion. The distribution weight on truck and trailer is level. The problem is when traveling on a freeway, at speeds at 55-
60mph, is not a smooth ride. With the weight of the trailer it should be a enjoyable ride.
The truck has 53.000 miles and never had a heavy load, since I owned it. It has a off road
Package, but no 4x4. I appreciate your help.
Thank you.

Hello, check your toungue weight. You don't explain exactly what your problem is sir. Rough ride can mean a lot of things. If the truck is upset everytime you hit a dip in the road or gets out of balance when hitting bumps in the road I would suggest one of two thing are causing this. One is a lack of tongue weight on your hitch and the other may have to do with how you are packing you TT. By loading your camper you should be putting the center of your weight between your trailer axles which centers your weight distribution on the camper. After doing this I would then check the weight on your hitch. Hope this helps and good luck.

[Cumminsfan]

Which Lance trailer and what are the spring bar ratings for the E3?
Like mentioned above have you actually weighed your setup?
FWIW every TT I've pulled was jerky at some point on some roads.
Even my 5x10 utility trailer full with 2000lbs in it will move my Ram 3500. Bumps and road undulations will always have some effect on the truck when towing a travel trailer.

[bneukam]

Tow a Lance 1995 with a Ram 1500, and it rides almost as good towing, as it does empty.

Are you over compensating with the WDH?Measure the ride height on the front end of your truck empty, and then after the WDH is installed. If the front ride height is lower with the WDH on, you went too far.

We like having at least 15 gallons in the fresh water tank, and run tire pressure on the Lance according to the load chart plus 25%.

Tongue weight is usually around 750 to 800lbs, which squats the truck 1 3/8”, and doesn’t take much tension on the WDH to get level.

Too much tension equals rougher ride, not enough equals more porpoising. It’s a game of the right balance, that also includes loading of the trailer. Once you get it narrowed down it’s a pretty simple process.

[Grit dog]

Was there a question you had, or just an observation?

If the latter, I agree with you, it will ride different than running bobtail.

[CecilD]

Welcome to the forum 1st generation Tundras had short wheelbases with long overhangs; a bad towing combo especially with a lightweight V6 up front. I had a T100 with the same scenario and even a tent trailer bounced it all over the place.

Disregard this if you have a newer generation Tundra with a longer wheelbase and a heavy V8.

[Jay D.]

MY 2010 1500 GMC crew cab pulls a 27' TT 6500# and IF the HI way is smooth the tow combo rides glass smooth. IF the HI way has expansion joints or in poor condition its going to ride accordingly. we came back from Alaska a few years ago and in Canada they had just resurfaced about 50 miles of hi way, it was absolutly glass smooth. you could hardly feel the truck going down the road.
Jay D.

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by CecilD

Welcome to the forum 1st generation Tundras had short wheelbases with long overhangs; a bad towing combo especially with a lightweight V6 up front. I had a T100 with the same scenario and even a tent trailer bounced it all over the place.

Disregard this if you have a newer generation Tundra with a longer wheelbase and a heavy V8.

2000 and newer 1st Gen Tundras were available with a 4.7L V-8.

I had a 2001 with the 4.7L, but the 1st Gen were much smaller and lighter overall vs the 2nd Gen's.