New, old member - chucking problem

[davidkelm]

We recently upgraded our Outback 300BH to a Raptor 332TS. We love it. However, since this is the first time I've owned a 5er I was looking to understand chucking and how to prevent it.

I have a Reese 20K Pro Series hitch and understand that may be what is causing the chucking. Does any have an opinion on the Mor Ryde rubber pin box and how that mitigates chucking?

R/DM

[theeyres]

I have always understood that the main problem of chucking is caused by too little pin weight. I have owned many fivers with standard hitches and the only time I ever had chucking was when one was empty. Once I loaded adequate weight in the front, never had the problem again.

[accordionman]

agree with theeyres . need some weight up front . also, make sure your 5er rides as level as possible . the hitch you had mentioned is more for stpping and starting i asked my local rv tech about that hitch also . they had a 5er hooked up to a hitch like that in for service , and you could see the marks made by the pin sliding,thus the rubber to absorb the movement

[davidkelm]

Thanks. Maybe I'll carry enough water to prevent the chucking.

[davidkelm]

agree with theeyres . need some weight up front . also, make sure your 5er rides as level as possible . the hitch you had mentioned is more for stpping and starting i asked my local rv tech about that hitch also . they had a 5er hooked up to a hitch like that in for service , and you could see the marks made by the pin sliding,thus the rubber to absorb the movement
Got it. I think the Mor Ryde will help with stopping and starting and coupled with the extra water, I may have a good solution. My daughters hate the sounds of the chucking so close to them in the rear seat of the crew cab.

[Jim W]

Some of the chucking has to do with the roadway surface also; if the roadway surface is in terrible shape this will cause some chucking of the 5er to the TV. This is due to the trailer and truck being out of phase as it is towed. One vehicle is going up and the other vehicle is going down in relation to each other. I experience this in West Virginia on their toll road; as I was leaving Ohio going to Virginia. Our solution to this issue was to install the Trail Air pin box which has an air bag and shock absorber to react to the chucking in two planes of motions; one up and down and the other fore and aft. The other two brands of pin boxes like Mor-Ryde work will in one plane usually fore and aft, for some this is enough.

Jim W.

[rjsurfer]

Trail Air pin box is the way to go, after 6 years of banging up and down the road it's a great solution, should have done it when I got the trailer. Even my wife noticed it right away and we didn't even get out of the Camping World parking lot ! (they did the install for me).

I never had an issue with fore and aft banging as some people have experienced so I didn't get the more expensive Trail Air that works in the two planes.

Ron W.

[jlb27537]

We recently upgraded our Outback 300BH to a Raptor 332TS. We love it. However, since this is the first time I've owned a 5er I was looking to understand chucking and how to prevent it.

I have a Reese 20K Pro Series hitch and understand that may be what is causing the chucking. Does any have an opinion on the Mor Ryde rubber pin box and how that mitigates chucking?

R/DM

Hi David. The Reese 20K pro series has a set of cast jaws. They are not machined to a tight tolerance. This means the pin will fit loose in the jaws. there is no fix for this except to change hitches and go to something like a B&W Companion hitch with machined jaws or a Pull rite. (go to a shop that carries both Reese and B&W and look at the jaws. You will then understand why one is $200 more expensive.

The Reese hitches mount on bed rails. They can lift out of the rails up to the mounting pin, causing the head to actually rock for and aft on a bad chucking event or when stopping the rear legs lift up and when starting the front legs can raise up.

This is part of why the new trucks have pucks in the bed floor, to secure the hitch tighter to the truck. The B&W Companion is actually pulled down to the mounting pin and then u bolted to it.

I have the Mor/ryde rubber pin box and it is a huge help. Not a fix, but a improvement. If you get one, be sure you get the right "rubber spring" in it. The springs are numbered and go by trailer GVWR. My Montana weighs 14,500 loaded and I use a #4 rubber. The spring number is molded in the side of the spring. Their specs say I should use a #5, but it is too stiff for my liking.

Next, what is your pin weight and what are you towing with. You MUST have at least 22-25% of the trailers weight on the pin. To light of pin and it will aggravate chucking. The closer to 25% you get the better it will be. I doubt you can get that heavy on a Keystone product. My Montana is at 22% 3180 lbs and is much better than when I hauled it home empty.

To get rid of or minimize chucking you need to address several things and there is probably a combination of things causing your Chucking. You can not get rid of it, but you can minimize it.

Happy camping

Jim

[Drew Waller]

I purchased a Trail-Air Tri-Glide and had it installed and all those problems went away. Good advise about being light on the pin. That helps to add weight there.:)

[davidkelm]

Hi David. The Reese 20K pro series has a set of cast jaws. They are not machined to a tight tolerance. This means the pin will fit loose in the jaws. there is no fix for this except to change hitches and go to something like a B&W Companion hitch with machined jaws or a Pull rite. (go to a shop that carries both Reese and B&W and look at the jaws. You will then understand why one is $200 more expensive.

The Reese hitches mount on bed rails. They can lift out of the rails up to the mounting pin, causing the head to actually rock for and aft on a bad chucking event or when stopping the rear legs lift up and when starting the front legs can raise up.

This is part of why the new trucks have pucks in the bed floor, to secure the hitch tighter to the truck. The B&W Companion is actually pulled down to the mounting pin and then u bolted to it.

I have the Mor/ryde rubber pin box and it is a huge help. Not a fix, but a improvement. If you get one, be sure you get the right "rubber spring" in it. The springs are numbered and go by trailer GVWR. My Montana weighs 14,500 loaded and I use a #4 rubber. The spring number is molded in the side of the spring. Their specs say I should use a #5, but it is too stiff for my liking.

Next, what is your pin weight and what are you towing with. You MUST have at least 22-25% of the trailers weight on the pin. To light of pin and it will aggravate chucking. The closer to 25% you get the better it will be. I doubt you can get that heavy on a Keystone product. My Montana is at 22% 3180 lbs and is much better than when I hauled it home empty.

To get rid of or minimize chucking you need to address several things and there is probably a combination of things causing your Chucking. You can not get rid of it, but you can minimize it.

Happy camping

Jim
Jim,

Thanks a million. I suspected the hitch contributed to the chucking. I'm towing a Raptor 332TS with a 3200lbs pin weight. I doubt I have that much weight on the pin, but your percentages sounds accurate. Again, thanks.

R/Dave

[davidkelm]

I purchased a Trail-Air Tri-Glide and had it installed and all those problems went away. Good advise about being light on the pin. That helps to add weight there.:)
Thanks Drew. I will start carrying more water. I never did when towing a travel trailer with a Yukon XL. Whole new world with a 5er.

R/Dave

[davidkelm]

Some of the chucking has to do with the roadway surface also; if the roadway surface is in terrible shape this will cause some chucking of the 5er to the TV. This is due to the trailer and truck being out of phase as it is towed. One vehicle is going up and the other vehicle is going down in relation to each other. I experience this in West Virginia on their toll road; as I was leaving Ohio going to Virginia. Our solution to this issue was to install the Trail Air pin box which has an air bag and shock absorber to react to the chucking in two planes of motions; one up and down and the other fore and aft. The other two brands of pin boxes like Mor-Ryde work will in one plane usually fore and aft, for some this is enough.

Jim W.
Thanks Jim

[limit4]

I hate I have to ask this, it shows how little I know , but what is chucking?

[pol1122]

I hate I have to ask this, it shows how little I know , but what is chucking?

It's a forward then aft jerking motion felt in the tow vehicle. It's like the feeling when your riding a manual shift car and the driver is first learning how to drive stick. The 5thwheel motion is being transferred into the truck. I feel like I riding a bucking bull. IMO.

[limit4]

Thanks. Now I know.

[bobbecky]

Think about your hitch in the bed of your truck as a lever and when the road surface is rough or there is some other event which causes the trailer to bounce on it's suspension, the trailer pushes and pulls the hitch forward and back, which is the chucking action you get with a 5th wheel trailer. The hitch is transferring weight which is making the front of your truck move up and down. We have driven both non-dampened 5th wheels and dampened, the Mor-Ryde, which are worlds of difference in ride quality. I'm sure there are a number of other king pins and hitches which also will do the same thing, so it's the same thing as picking a tow vehicle, personal preference.