Trailer sway with air ride

[Tony's Rebel]

TL 35’ tongue to tail

 

[hotjava66]

Glad you were able to correct the swaying problems. My 2019 Tradesman Quad 4x4 without air suspension is experiencing the same major swaying issues pulling my 5000lb travel trailer. Unsafe at speeds above 60mph. Forget trying to trailer on a windy day. I’ve adjusted the WDH tension, ball height, tire pressures, weight loading on trailer and truck several times without any noticeable improvements.

One thing I noticed with this truck is the side to side movement when pressing sideways on the rear bumper. With minimal alternating pressure, you can get the front and rear to start swaying considerably. Anyone else able to duplicate my findings? I’ve tried the same test on several other brand trucks and get almost no movement. I’m leaning towards replacing the Bridgstone Dueller HT 275/65R18 factory tires being the biggest issue. Next would be adding the Hellwig sway bar.

I have found the same thing, changed tires and sway bar, helps some but truck is still gets pushed around pretty easy

 

[Bt10]

I also have very bad sway with my '21 4x4 pulling a 5000lb TT. I used to tow with a 1/2 ton chevy, and it was perfectly stable, even with 305/70/16 tires and completely worn out suspension. No air suspension on my tradesman, and I didn't see in the truck manual how to set up differently for ram WD hitches. Need ideas, because this is a white knuckle ride for me.

 

[jdefoe0424]

I also have very bad sway with my '21 4x4 pulling a 5000lb TT. I used to tow with a 1/2 ton chevy, and it was perfectly stable, even with 305/70/16 tires and completely worn out suspension. No air suspension on my tradesman, and I didn't see in the truck manual how to set up differently for ram WD hitches. Need ideas, because this is a white knuckle ride for me.

Have you set up the WDH per its manual for your RAM? Or did you just swap it over without making any adjustments?
I agree that the XL rated tires suck for towing and do contribute to sway but it shouldn't be a white knuckle ride with the WDH set up properly.

 

[Bt10]

I'll have to find the manual for this hitch and redo it; yes, I transferred over. The hitch heights are very close, and I pulled the same amount of bar on both trucks. Not sure if mentioned, I also pulled with no bars (full tongue weight on rear) and just as bad. But am I expecting to see in the hitch manual a different setup for Ram? How could they try to list all the different vehicle and trailer types out there? Are there Energy Suspension bushings available, at least for the track bar?

 

[jdefoe0424]

I'll have to find the manual for this hitch and redo it; yes, I transferred over. The hitch heights are very close, and I pulled the same amount of bar on both trucks. Not sure if mentioned, I also pulled with no bars (full tongue weight on rear) and just as bad. But am I expecting to see in the hitch manual a different setup for Ram? How could they try to list all the different vehicle and trailer types out there? Are there Energy Suspension bushings available, at least for the track bar?

Since you don't have air suspension, there's nothing special to do on the truck about setting up the WDH. It's all about transferring the weight back to the front axle and keeping the truck level when hitched up. The hitch height may be the same but spring rates could be different and could be causing issues.
Seeing as you replaced the tires on your previous truck, I'm going to guess that they were an LT rated tire? I have 20's with stock tires and can feel the sway, I couldn't imagine the sway with the 18's and a non LT tire.
What tire pressures are you running on your RAM?

 

[Bt10]

Low 40's psi. Technically a C range LT tire, but yeah probably softish sidewall, but as soft as 305/70/16's with 40psi? LT E range I guess though. I just switched the old truck to 285/75/16 E range and towed once and it was "wobbly".

The sway comes from the back, like the trailer is pushing sideways on the back of the truck, from the littlest car passing me on freeway. Interesting, on the throttle, I can pass a semi with no sway. Another member posted that it seemed very "loose" sideways just pushing on the side of the box by hand. Also, doesn't max towing require the 18"s?

 

[devildodge]

Max towing is specific to the truck. Each truck is different. The max towing number will never be achieved with a camper. I have explained numerous threads why this is.

It is possible that your bars are either too much or too little capacity. That matters too.

Also, how you load your trailer will cause sway. If you have an odd balance in the rear...you are going to sway badly.

As to the 18 inch tire max tow question. Has nothing to do with making it to max tow.

All trucks have the same capability as the next truck.

The change is the weight of a truck. A tradesman and a limited both have 7100 GVWR and 17000 GCWR. But the tradesman has more towing and payload capacity...only because it is lighter.

As far as the max tow package. No one here has reported buying it.

It is a 2wd quad cab tradesman with 5.7l hemi eTorque and the super dana 60 rear end with 3.92 gears.

 

[buffalobill]

It takes some work to get the weight distributing hitch set correctly and most rv dealers don't have a clue . with the air suspension I've noticed if you put too much tension on the bars it makes the rear suspension too soft and sway is worse much worse .

 

[MaximumEffort]

It takes some work to get the weight distributing hitch set correctly and most rv dealers don't have a clue . with the air suspension I've noticed if you put too much tension on the bars it makes the rear suspension too soft and sway is worse much worse .

I agree with the RV dealer hitch installation. Interesting thought on the bar tension as I would have thought the opposite. The sway I experience seems to be mostly with gusty winds. Not necessarily a white knuckle ride in every situation but much more vigilance and small steering corrections required the entire trip.

I would like to hit that magic dial configuration that makes some noticeable improvements but going through a trial and error exercise with my WDH would probably try my patience.

 

[MaximumEffort]

I just noticed that the Equal-i-zer folks recently posted a WDH setup video that focuses on tow vehicles that have four-corner air suspension. Part of their video uses a RAM in their instructions.

Very helpful IMHO. I need to run through this and likely make some adjustments before the next outing.

 

[buffalobill]

Finally a manufacturer addressed this , every time I tried to talk to one they thought I was crazy . I think I finally got mine dialed in but it took about 10 times .

 

[Trooper4]

dslowell, glad to seeyo

D

• 2019 Dodge Ram Forum

Severe sway pulling toyhauler

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Dslowell
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Discussion Starter • #1 • 4 days ago
I have a 2019 1500 with air ride that starts swaying severely above 60mph.

I have taken it to the dealer multiple times and they have checked everything and say there is no problem with the truck, it is my loading causing issues.

I have tried loading all configurations, dropping, raising ball, aft, forward. Even at 8500, lightly loaded it still does it.

I have weight distribution and sway bars, and have towed this trailer with my 2014 1500 for over 20k miles now, at much higher weights. It still currently tows this trailer now without issues.

Am I the only one having a towing issue?

Any help would be appreciated, Dodge has not been helpful.

Thanks

Glad to see you got the issue sorted out. Going to the Hellwig and a stiffer sidewall rear tire in the thing that made my Ram feel better while towing. One other thing to consider when towing is the trailer tires. Manufacturers put on tires that are soft walled and just barely rated for the weight of a dry trailer. It is extremely easy to overload, and thereby easy to create trailer sway. On roads that are heavily used by semis, the grooves they produce are enough to make even a fiver feel squirmy at times.
Happy towing.

 

[Willwork4truck]

I did something driving down the interstate today after making some lane changes through some construction, and feeling some away with no trailer. A couple fairly quick back and forths, about 1/4 lane change each, and I was feeling about like I had a trailer swaying around.

Makes me wonder a bit.

RAM‘s soft coil suspension, lack of or too soft of a sway bar, p rated tires... all contribute.

 

[Willwork4truck]

dslowell, glad to seeyo

Glad to see you got the issue sorted out. Going to the Hellwig and a stiffer sidewall rear tire in the thing that made my Ram feel better while towing. One other thing to consider when towing is the trailer tires. Manufacturers put on tires that are soft walled and just barely rated for the weight of a dry trailer. It is extremely easy to overload, and thereby easy to create trailer sway. On roads that are heavily used by semis, the grooves they produce are enough to make even a fiver feel squirmy at times.
Happy towing.

Thats a really good point on the tires Trooper. Some are ST rated, others are standard car P tires. Either way it bears examination, as well as air pressures.

I can’t tell you how many rv’s I see on the side of the road with blown trailer tires as I travel. While road hazards do their share of damage, tire mismatching, overloading, underinflating and plain old tire rot certainly have something to do with it.

For some additional info, look at a short article dated Nov 8, 2019 from rvtravel.com entitled

RV Tire Safety: Should ST tires be outlawed?​

A quoted portion is shown below:

“A review of some comments on this forum shows the truth in what I am saying. The new Goodyear Endurance seems to be providing a significant improvement in tire durability for ST-type tires, but we see several people stating they are not willing to pay the price.

If you are only willing to pay Harbor Freight prices for your tools, why would you expect SK, Milwaukee, Proto or MATCO quality?

From day one, ST-type tires were introduced as a low-cost option to higher-cost Light Truck-type tires when comparing pounds load capacity per dollar cost. We also had the 55 mph national speed limit, so offering tires with a 65 mph max wasn’t a deal breaker.”
End of quoted article

 

[Willwork4truck]

I have found the same thing, changed tires and sway bar, helps some but truck is still gets pushed around pretty easy

A 35’ trailer which is taller, longer and heavier than the 20’ truck. Classic “tail wagging the dog” issue. We can make a lot of improvements in tow vehicle suspension, tires etc but theres just some physics that can’t be fixed with a long trailer and certain pivot points.

You can certainly improve your towing experience however theres going to be a limit with a 1500 and a long, tall and heavy trailer. I”ll wager if you towed a similar weight 35’ equipment trailer like the hotshotters use, you’d feel like it was an easier towing experience.

Best of luck dialing it in. Keep your speeds down, thats always a good idea while towing.

 

[Bt10]

RAM‘s soft coil suspension, lack of or too soft of a sway bar, p rated tires... all contribute.

Of interest, my truck is ORP with the standard C range (2500 lbs) LT tires, Falken wild peaks. P tires for this size are usually 114 or 116 load ranges; approx 2600-2900 lbs. Even with the 9% reduction in rating for truck use, it still is higher than the axle. I realize this may not be representative of sidewall stiffness. That said, I will probably end up with e range tires next, simply because that is where all the choices are.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Of interest, my truck is ORP with the standard C range (2500 lbs) LT tires, Falken wild peaks. P tires for this size are usually 114 or 116 load ranges; approx 2600-2900 lbs. Even with the 9% reduction in rating for truck use, it still is higher than the axle. I realize this may not be representative of sidewall stiffness. That said, I will probably end up with e range tires next, simply because that is where all the choices are.

You’ll likely be chasing this for awhile and spending $$ as well. Just do one thing at a time from the list of upgrades or mods like tires/load range/inflation, adding a sway bar, WD and anti-sway hitches (and adjusting them), your total weight loading, % tongue weight, shocks, air bags etc.

Do try and keep vehicle speeds, the route and wind conditions the same as well. If you “mix and match” you may never know what helped and what wasn’t needed to buy. Allow some time for this to all gel. You have a capable truck, its the “dialing in” part that is hard to get right.

 

[Bay Area RAM]

I

I realize i am towing heavy. I have a Eaz lift wd hitch with sway bar. 2 point. We dont have t storms, thankfully, but really crappy roads with stud grooves in them. I have e rated tires on my 14, and will probably switch to try them on the new truck. But the p tires lasted a while on the 14 and never did this. Tires are jacked up to max pressure, on both the trailer and truck.

It is not so much as a sway issue, as a rear end lateral push that seems to increase in amplitude and cause a steering input that makes it feel uncontrolled is the best way to describe it. It is not feeling like when the front is light and improperly loaded. It is difficult to explain, easier to feel.

I was just wondering if others have had this issue.

D

I'm Just curious if you did the full WD setup required for this truck. Involves multiple measurements with air ride on and off and measuring distance from ground to fender before and after putting the trailer on. Somewhere in the forum and I believe in the manual explains the procedure and needing to fall within a certain percentages Related to those measurements. Not just a matter of lowering or raising the hitch.... I did mine when I first got it and it tows my 8500 lb TT like a dream.

 

[MLB12]

Since November 2014 I've had a '15, '16, and '19 Longhorn, all equipped with the 5.7, 4-corner air, and 3:92s. I tow a 24' ATC car hauler carrying a '67 Coronet R/T Hemi car, so the whole travelling road show towed weight is 7216#, give or take a few pounds depending on how much fuel is in the car's tank. The tongue weight is 1350#.
With each new truck I've seen the 'built in' anti-sway program as well as the fine-tuning of the air ride firmware improve significantly.
For the '15, and part way through the '16 I had a Reese 10,000# Pro Series, no anti-sway add-on as I don't want to be drilling into the aluminum tongue of the trailer. The Ram's anti-sway worked very well, but given I live 55 miles east of the base of the Rocky Mountains and have been hitting more car shows/show 'n shines on the west coast, I decided to change hitches.
I went with a Blue Ox and frankly, the reduction in the already minimal sway I've previously experienced through the Rockies and across the Canadian prairies is very noticeable.
My '21 Longhorn 10th Anniversary is due to land at my dealer's in mid-February, so I'm quite interested to see what improvements Mother MOPAR RAM will have now.
I think that so often we see people who don't have a lot of towing experience getting fed a line of BS from whomever they're dealing with, solely chasing the almighty buck. Typically these so-called solutions these characters come up with are only looking at one portion or another of the towing situation. Experience from towing drag race car trailers all over North America for the last 50 years has shown me that you have to consider each of the sections to be just part of the whole, in other words ensure that you're buying the right pieces and that they all work together, as a system so to speak. Don't ever hesitate to take a friend along, one who has towing setup experience.
Just my 2 cents worth.