Rebel squats with only 350 pound tongue weight?

[Juli_hoop]

Hey everyone, new member and owner of a 2019 Ram Rebel. Last weekend I was finally able to take out the travel trailer and was surprised at how much the truck squatted, a good 2 inches i would have to guess. Trailer is a 2018 Jayco Jay flight 174bh baja edition so it has flipped axles and sits pretty high. dry weight is around 3000 pounds, fully loaded with water, propane tanks, and gear probably close to 4000 pounds. without the WDH the truck squatted to the point where it did not sit level. After the WDH the truck sits pretty level but i think i need to adjust the ball angle a bit more to put more pressure on the bars to level it out just a tad bit more. Does this sound normal? i thought i wouldn't even need a WDH on a new truck with such little tongue weight for it to sit level with just trailer weight alone.

 

[TruckDriver]

Was the tongue weight measured or assumed?

There's a few good easy ways to weigh the tongue on a bathroom scale with a 2x4 apparatus, or take a tape and measure from the receiver to the ground with/without the trailer and you can take ~350# of people on the bumper (2 adults?) And measure the receiver to compare...

I don't think you need a WDH at that weight either but there's a very good towing thread on this board that gets into WDH setting really well

 

[2wd]

The Rebel is purpose built for off-roading - and with the upgraded (softer) suspension for that purpose, you might see some additional squat vs a regular Ram 1500.

Even the vaunted HD 2500 Powerwagon suffers for towing compared to other 2500 HD's. I was at the dealership for a recall and peaked into a new unlocked Powerwagon and was shocked to see it had less payload than my 1500.

What was your previous truck? Sounds like you're still playing with the ball height and whatnot. Congrats on the truck Rebels are awesome

 

[Juli_hoop]

tongue weight is measured from the factory at 315 pounds. after gear and water im just guessing its probably close to 350-400? but my Rebel squats to the point where i need a WDH to bring it back to level which seems odd to me.

 

[Juli_hoop]

previous truck was an 03 silverado and it squatted about the same. was kinda disappointing when i saw the amount of squat i got with the rebel. same trailer set up and everything...i guess ill have to invest in some rear airbags to help with the squat.

 

[Chippy]

You did have the option of air. Just sayin

 

[Juli_hoop]

You did have the option of air. Just sayin

I did but i honestly didnt think i would need them with my trailer only weighing about 4000lbs. I've also read about how they can be problematic and expensive to repair outside of warranty which made me stay away from them.

 

[RAMpage]

I did but i honestly didnt think i would need them with my trailer only weighing about 4000lbs. I've also read about how they can be problematic and expensive to repair outside of warranty which made me stay away from them.

This is why I made the air suspension a MUST have for my new truck. Had it in my last RAM and never had an issue - even in winters down to -40. Was very impressed with it. I'm sure it costs more to repair outside of warranty but it's a fairly simple system. Reliable also - all the people I know with the air susp haven't had an issue (yet... knock on wood).
If you aren't towing the trailer very often - or very far - then I wouldn't be too concerned about the extra squat. Like 2wd mentioned it's more of an off-road setup so there will be more sag.

 

[ColoradoCub]

Get you a pair of air bags for the rear, IMO every half ton made needs them for towing any substantial load. 1/2 tons these days are made for supermarket loads and soft rides not for carrying much.

There’s been enough guys with factory air suspension failures that it scares me to death. Can’t imagine being 500 miles from home towing a trailer and have one side of your suspension collapse in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Juli_hoop]

I readjusted the angle on my WDH, added another washer for a total of 6 now. I’m hoping this will be enough to level out the truck when towing fully loaded or give me a bit of rake. I’ll find out this weekend when we hit the trails again. Thanks for all the input.

 

[RAMpage]

There’s been enough guys with factory air suspension failures that it scares me to death. Can’t imagine being 500 miles from home towing a trailer and have one side of your suspension collapse in the middle of nowhere.

Where have you seen that? I don't know anyone that had issues with it and even my cousin who has been a mechanic at a Chrysler/Dodge dealer for over 20 years said the same. Super reliable.

 

[ColoradoCub]

Where have you seen that? I don't know anyone that had issues with it and even my cousin who has been a mechanic at a Chrysler/Dodge dealer for over 20 years said the same. Super reliable.

< 1 month old truck with busted air suspension = Warranty Questions

I've had my '19 Limited less than a month and over the 4th of July we were moving my son and daughter-in-law from Fort Worth TX to Salt Lake City UT, I was pulling a 24' cargo trailer that weighs 5400#s and minimal cargo (two beds, one couch, 25 boxes, and a KTM dirt bike). We went through Raton...

5thgenrams.com

I also read about a bunch of problems with them in the cold too.

 

[TruckDriver]

[link]
I also read about a bunch of problems with them in the cold too.

That's the first A/S issue for a '19 so far on the boards - (and yet to be reported what actually happened)
Cold weather issues were with the pre-19 system, which is a completely different compressor/tank setup which caused the freezeup issue (there's a good thread on the boards about it)

@Juli_hoop I 2nd the suggestion of the air bags - you can do it inexpensively without even needing a permanent compressor/tank setup. Quite a few good threads on the 2 or 3 options out there with install pics etc.

good luck on the tow and have fun this weekend!

 

[RAMpage]

< 1 month old truck with busted air suspension = Warranty Questions

I've had my '19 Limited less than a month and over the 4th of July we were moving my son and daughter-in-law from Fort Worth TX to Salt Lake City UT, I was pulling a 24' cargo trailer that weighs 5400#s and minimal cargo (two beds, one couch, 25 boxes, and a KTM dirt bike). We went through Raton...

5thgenrams.com

I also read about a bunch of problems with them in the cold too.

So no less reliable than anything else on the truck as since day one I had water leaking, flakey backup camera, etc.
haha

I've used my air suspension down to -40 with no issues. It's slower, but it works.

 

[JJRamTX]

I love the Air Suspension which is one of the main reasons I upgraded from my 2007. Haven't had any problems and it even leveled back to Normal Height with 4,020 Lbs of rock in the bed....
yes I know that is way overloaded....
Capability is underated on these trucks and I am about to downsize from my Motorhome to a 30+ foot travel trailer that will have a tongue weight between 700-950 lbs. The truck rides amazingly smooth for this kind of payload and towing capacity for a 4x4. Love my Ram!

 

[CornTrucks]

I wouldn’t worry about the rear end sagging unless I’m going to hit bump stops while driving. I want it to drop down 2-3 inches depending on load.

My dealer warned against air suspension specifically for towing because it will store error codes if it thinks you are overweight, and who wants to deal with that excuse for a denial of warranty repairs.

 

[TruckDriver]

My dealer warned against air suspension specifically for towing because it will store error codes if it thinks you are overweight...

Huh, first I'd heard of that but that's a concern in a way - I wonder if any Ram Tech's can confirm that A.S. errors are stored in the ecu/eeprom permanently.

That said, the payload varies from truck to truck, I'd doubt they've programmed each truck's payload into the suspension monitors and it takes a bit of serious weight to overweight the suspension system, still thats a valid concern if true

 

[brody.cepeaux]

Ram coil suspension is quite unique. The coils are progressive meaning the first portion of absorption is quite soft and mallable. This is meant for daily driving comfort. Once the truck takes on weight, the coil begins to compress into the secondary function which is towing. This is a firmer portion of the spring meant to take on the load. Its both a benefit and annoyance for someone who tows. I will be testing mine this fall to see how bad the squat is. If its something i wajt to correct i will be installing aftermarket air bags, the HD style not the half ton style where the cylinder goes inside the coil. I am going to test it first but i am sure i know what i will end up doing.

 

[brody.cepeaux]

Huh, first I'd heard of that but that's a concern in a way - I wonder if any Ram Tech's can confirm that A.S. errors are stored in the ecu/eeprom permanently.

That said, the payload varies from truck to truck, I'd doubt they've programmed each truck's payload into the suspension monitors and it takes a bit of serious weight to overweight the suspension system, still thats a valid concern if true

Its true ive seen it happen first hand in my previous truck. If you have too much weight in the box it throws an error on the EVIC and tells you that air suspension is inop until the payload weight is reduced.

 

[brody.cepeaux]

< 1 month old truck with busted air suspension = Warranty Questions

I've had my '19 Limited less than a month and over the 4th of July we were moving my son and daughter-in-law from Fort Worth TX to Salt Lake City UT, I was pulling a 24' cargo trailer that weighs 5400#s and minimal cargo (two beds, one couch, 25 boxes, and a KTM dirt bike). We went through Raton...

5thgenrams.com

I also read about a bunch of problems with them in the cold too.

The problem in the cold only exists when the truck is stored in a heated garage and then drives out into the -25 or lower temp. The trucks on the lot that stayed out in the cold all day and night had no problems. Its the heating and freezing that causes the issues.