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Old 08-20-2018, 04:37 PM   #1
Bredencamper
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Smoothing out the towing experience on rougher roads

I am new to towing. This is my first truck, and travel trailer. We just returned from a trip that took us from southern Ohio through Indiana, Illinois, up to northern Wisconsin, and back along almost the same route. I am very happy with the truck, and travel trailer combination. The towing experience was great along smooth state routes, and interstates at 55/65 mph. Semi trucks passing hardly cause any movement.

On rougher roads the experience is not terrible, but I can feel the bumps, and there is barely noticeable porpoising. Is this just part of the normal towing experience? Can the rough road towing experience be improved?

I did all the weight calculations based on the weight information on the truck door sticker. My truck can handle my travel trailer and much more.

I was wondering if a different weight distribution hitch would make a difference. I bought the travel trailer used and the seller gave me his hitch. All I did was adjust the height of the hitch to get the travel trailer level.

Truck:
2008 Toyota Tundra Crewmax SR5 4x4 with 102,000 miles. The shocks/struts are original.
Michelin LT275/65R18 E load range tires at 70 psi.

Hitch:
Haul Master 67649 10,000 lbs weight distribution hitch with separate friction sway control.

Trailer:
2013 Keystone Passport Ultra Lite Elite 23RB
Trailer King ST225/75R15 tires at 65 psi.
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Old 08-20-2018, 05:10 PM   #2
slow
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bredencamper View Post
I am new to towing. This is my first truck, and travel trailer. We just returned from a trip that took us from southern Ohio through Indiana, Illinois, up to northern Wisconsin, and back along almost the same route. I am very happy with the truck, and travel trailer combination. The towing experience was great along smooth state routes, and interstates at 55/65 mph. Semi trucks passing hardly cause any movement.

On rougher roads the experience is not terrible, but I can feel the bumps, and there is barely noticeable porpoising. Is this just part of the normal towing experience? Can the rough road towing experience be improved?

I did all the weight calculations based on the weight information on the truck door sticker. My truck can handle my travel trailer and much more.

I was wondering if a different weight distribution hitch would make a difference. I bought the travel trailer used and the seller gave me his hitch. All I did was adjust the height of the hitch to get the travel trailer level.

Truck:
2008 Toyota Tundra Crewmax SR5 4x4 with 102,000 miles. The shocks/struts are original.
Michelin LT275/65R18 E load range tires at 70 psi.

Hitch:
Haul Master 67649 10,000 lbs weight distribution hitch with separate friction sway control.

Trailer:
2013 Keystone Passport Ultra Lite Elite 23RB
Trailer King ST225/75R15 tires at 65 psi.
Welcome to the forum.

Our F250 and 23RB ride much better with a half tank or more water in the FW tank. 70 psi for the Tundra seems high. I run 60 psi in the rear and 55 in the front of the F250 with LT275/70R18E tires.
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Old 08-20-2018, 05:45 PM   #3
sourdough
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You have a lot of issues that I would correct.

102k on the truck with OEM shocks/struts and towing a trailer? No way.

Haul Master (Harbor Freight?) 10k hitch with "add on" sway control? No. Get a GOOD WDH w/built in sway control.

2013 trailer with Trailer King tires? NOOOO!

You obviously have some sort of problem towing, and probably many you don't know about....see other threads that speak to the issue...."you don't know, what you don't know".
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Old 08-20-2018, 07:41 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
You have a lot of issues that I would correct.

102k on the truck with OEM shocks/struts and towing a trailer? No way.

Haul Master (Harbor Freight?) 10k hitch with "add on" sway control? No. Get a GOOD WDH w/built in sway control.

2013 trailer with Trailer King tires? NOOOO!

You obviously have some sort of problem towing, and probably many you don't know about....see other threads that speak to the issue...."you don't know, what you don't know".
Hey Danny stop sugar coating!
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Old 08-21-2018, 04:00 AM   #5
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Admitting the use of Trailer King tires is a bold move! Hopefully we can get another lively tire discussion cooking!
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Old 08-21-2018, 04:21 AM   #6
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Is there pass through storage in the front? You might try adding more gear there for more weight on the tongue, if you don't like the idea of adding water.

Other than that, find smoother roads lol. There are some stretches in michigan that I either take other roads around them, or I just find the lane that is the best and stick with it. Either way isn't ideal, but you just learn to make the best of it.
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Old 08-21-2018, 04:21 AM   #7
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Several items:
1) Replace those shocks (at a minimum) ASAP. Check the springs out and replace if necessary. Also check the other steering and suspension components. I would not be shocked to find some items might be significantly worn on a 10 year old truck with 100k+ miles.
2) Running 70 psi in the truck tires is going to give you a far rougher ride than you need to. Those truck tires can handle that trailer at a lower psi. 70 psi in the truck tires is definitely giving you some of the bumps.
3) Get a good WDH, like an Equalizer with 4 pt sway, or a Husky Centerline.
4) This is not related to the rough ride, but replace those trailer kings with some new tires ASAP. That is merely to save you a nasty blowout.
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:05 AM   #8
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everything suggested in great, good luck. maybe reduce your psi in your tires too?

point of interest, your tires are not 75psi. Michelin E tires are eithe 40 something psi or 80psi.
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:55 AM   #9
Bredencamper
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Originally Posted by {tpc} View Post
Is there pass through storage in the front? You might try adding more gear there for more weight on the tongue, if you don't like the idea of adding water.

Other than that, find smoother roads lol. There are some stretches in michigan that I either take other roads around them, or I just find the lane that is the best and stick with it. Either way isn't ideal, but you just learn to make the best of it.
Yes, there is a pass through in the front. I could add more tongue weight there, in the trailer, or by adding water as suggested by @slow.

I think you are saying that some roads are just rough and upgrading the truck/trailer will just not make the towing experience smoother on these roads.
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Old 08-21-2018, 09:15 AM   #10
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Admitting the use of Trailer King tires is a bold move! Hopefully we can get another lively tire discussion cooking!
I am aware of the hate for Trailer King tires. I did not want to hide the fact that I use them. The ones on my trailer are in great condition. I was hoping someone would suggest another brand for a better towing experience. But yes, I will be replacing them with another brand.
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Old 08-21-2018, 09:26 AM   #11
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everything suggested in great, good luck. maybe reduce your psi in your tires too?

point of interest, your tires are not 75psi. Michelin E tires are eithe 40 something psi or 80psi.
Yes, good feedback from everyone.

Michelin publish load and inflation tables for their tires. Some are on their website, others you have to get from the dealer. For my tires the pressure table vary from 35 psi, to 80 psi, in 5 psi increments. 70 psi means the tire can carry 3,150 lbs. At 80 psi the tire can carry 3,415 lbs. It is better to use higher inflation without exceeding the maximum. If the inflation is too low for the load it can result in a blowout.

I will investigate lower pressures based on the load.
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Old 08-21-2018, 09:34 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bredencamper View Post
I am aware of the hate for Trailer King tires. I did not want to hide the fact that I use them. The ones on my trailer are in great condition. I was hoping someone would suggest another brand for a better towing experience. But yes, I will be replacing them with another brand.
I replaced my Trailer King tires with Carlisle Radial Trail HD Tire ST225/75R15 load range D after three seasons based on the numerous positive reports on this and other forums. After two seasons, I am also happy with them.

Given the relatively low weight of the 23RB, I did not see the need to go to load range E. The four Ds are twice the capacity of our loaded trailer.

When replacing the tires, consider adding steel valve stems to properly support TPMS sensors. I use the TST 507 TPMS system.

BTW: be sure your hitch ball is not set up to high. Ideally the loaded trailer is level when the WD is engaged.
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Old 08-21-2018, 01:09 PM   #13
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Yes, good feedback from everyone.

Michelin publish load and inflation tables for their tires. Some are on their website, others you have to get from the dealer. For my tires the pressure table vary from 35 psi, to 80 psi, in 5 psi increments. 70 psi means the tire can carry 3,150 lbs. At 80 psi the tire can carry 3,415 lbs. It is better to use higher inflation without exceeding the maximum. If the inflation is too low for the load it can result in a blowout.

I will investigate lower pressures based on the load.
Having the right load on the TV can help with handling. If it's over inflated, your contact patch can be lower.

For the TT, it should be the max on the tire wall.
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Old 08-30-2018, 07:57 AM   #14
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I think replacing your OEM shocks with high quality (a little stiffer) shocks will make a huge difference (Rancho/Bilstein). As others have said, make sure your psi is right for your tires. I would start with that and go from there. We tow a 5th wheel, so I don't know what to tell you about your hitch.
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Old 08-30-2018, 08:13 AM   #15
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I replaced my rear axle bumpers with these: https://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Sus...id=20171008274
For your truck of course.
Quick, easy and cheap they really help with porpoising.
Oh, and I agree with shocks.
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Old 08-30-2018, 08:49 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by wiredgeorge View Post
Admitting the use of Trailer King tires is a bold move! Hopefully we can get another lively tire discussion cooking!
Well, mine have sat for two years since the day I bought the TT and parked it at the campground. I won't go into all the numbers here, Keystone 26RB with D rated Trailer Kings. I just raised them to the recommended 65 psi (they sat at 55 since new) and tomorrow morning will hook and pull it 150 miles to Bald Eagle State Park. Coming back Monday, and then leaving Tuesday for Ocean City MD.
If I survive those two trips, I'll be pulling the tires and replacing with reputable E loads next spring, in preparation for many more trips. We've had three TT's with these kind of tires and made numerous but short-distance runs without an issue, but I figure I'm running on borrowed time...
Honestly, before I joined this forum I never would have thought twice about tire quality or lack thereof. Or TPMS's. Or electrical monitoring gadgets. But since I'm keeping this unit for a long time, I might as well add some quality bells and whistles to protect my investment.
You heavy-mile guys serve a good purpose for us weekend warriors who just hook up and go without thinking about the details other than is it aired up and hooked properly. I pulled doubles for a long time and this camper stuff is just as detailed as in the big truck world.
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Old 08-30-2018, 10:45 AM   #17
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First, by way of background, I am towing a 2018 Outback 324CG toy hauler with a 2018 Nissan Titan XD crew cab diesel. Loaded with dirt bikes, water, full fuel in the truck, my wife and I (and dog) and we scale out at about 80 pounds under our Nissan's GVWR with tongue weight at 12% of total trailer weight.

This is my first large travel trailer - but by no means my first large trailer (towed big race car hauler trailers for 20 years.) When I bought the Outback this summer, I brought along my trusty old Reese round bar WDH. We installed it during a rainstorm at the dealership, the tech "eyeballed" it, gave it a thumbs up, and we drove into Ohio construction traffic in the pouring rain. SCARY time with concrete barriers on both sides and 5 o'clock traffic. On top of this trial by fire, it turns out that the hitch was nowhere near being adjusted properly. Pretty much a white knuckle experience for 300 miles before we stopped for the night and I took up another link on the bars. The remaining 200 miles the next day were much better, but I knew things were not really adjusted to my satisfaction.

When I got home, I went through the process of properly setting ball height, angle, and bar positions. I towed the rest of the summer with not too many problems - unless you count one of the round bars falling out of the hitch as we crested a slow hill and turned into a campground! Anyway, the rig towed great with ZERO sway even in crosswinds or when passing a semi (I typically tow between 72 and 75 mph on the highway.) Driving the rig was simple with only one hand lightly on the wheel.

However, after using the CAT scales to get real official weights and making further adjustments, it became apparent that my 10,000 pound hitch with 1,000 pound bars was not quite adequate for the load (9,800 pound trailer with 1,100 pounds of tongue weight.)

On top of that, we had a few complaints with this style hitch. First, the "jounce" over concrete highways with expansion joints or secondary roads in less than stellar condition REALLY bothered the wife. We also were annoyed by the clanking and clunking from the WD bars. Another issue was that I am a bit of a klutz and managed to ruin several pairs of jeans on the greasy WD bars and hitch ball. So, with all this in mind, I set to researching WDHs. At first, I was leaning towards one of the Hensley types - but I just couldn't see spending over three grand on a hitch, when in reality, I was quite satisfied with the overall handling and performance of the rig.

So after much research, I purchased an Andersen WDH from HitchSource (SUPER-fast free shipping and awesome customer service, BTW.) After installing it and checking adjustments, we left our summer place in New York for the 1,200-mile haul to our home in Florida. To make this very long story somewhat shorter, the hitch was FABULOUS. Absolutely silent in use, no grease to ruin any more of my limited wardrobe, super simple to connect and disconnect, and best of all, the jounce is pretty much all gone. Those urethane cushions really get rid of the issues on rough roads. The O.P. might consider an Andersen when he upgrades all the other issues. It will definitely help with much of the rough ride.
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Old 08-31-2018, 06:03 AM   #18
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I pull a 2011 Premier 19FBPR with my 2017 Platinum Tundra. I have a 14000 lb ez hitch weight distribution hitch with Reece friction anti sway control. We have no problems with sway or rough ride. I run 36-40 psi which is what my dealer recommend. I have Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus
275/55R20 111H tires rated at 44psi. I have POWER KING TOWMAX STR
Tire size (Full Spec)*Radial 205/75 R14C = 26.1" X 8.1" R14 speed rating 75 mph tires on the trailer. Have had no problem with the trailer tires. Run them at the recommended 50psi. At 5 years I put a new set of the same tires on the trailer.
Try going back to the recommended tire pressure on the truck you should have a better ride. Get the shocks replaced and that’s the cheapest way for a fix. Increasing the tension on the weight distribution hitch may help also.
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Old 08-31-2018, 06:14 AM   #19
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Try going back to the recommended tire pressure on the truck you should have a better ride.
It looks like you have car tires, I wouldn't suggest running the OPs tires that low. They are light truck tires (LT). I run my LT load range D tires around 50-55 PSI.
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Old 08-31-2018, 07:45 AM   #20
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It looks like you have car tires, I wouldn't suggest running the OPs tires that low. They are light truck tires (LT). I run my LT load range D tires around 50-55 PSI.
Agree. I had P rated tires on the truck when I purchased it. Terrible towing no matter the pressure. Tried all variations. Switched to E rated LTs run at 50# all around. Totally different towing experience. I use an Equal-i-zer E4 hitch also. YMMV
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