Truck rear end sway

[redneck]

10/4 trailer is rock steady at any speed trucks rear feels like it rocks side to side & a little fish tail ill try loading some more weight in the front of the trailer down here you get the finger & horn if you drive 70 mph on the interstate lol

 

[massram21]

I posted on another thread about this but would like to hear from the folks who have been having the same issue. Seems like a small percentage of us have had this issue and curious if there is a common configuration or circumstance that we may be able to narrow down. I really like this truck but if I cannot get this figured out I will be switching back to another brand. My truck is a 2020 1500 Laramie Crew 6.5 box non air ride 5.7. So far I have upgraded to 10 ply tires and a Hellwig sway bar, both of which have helped somewhat but not 100%.
Before someone throws out the improper tongue weight or setup statement, this is NOT the case or problem. I have extensive experience towing loads commercially, tongue weight is correct, trailers are level, truck squat is level, hitch is solid, no extended hitch, etc. Have towed two of my own trailers and also a friends trailer, all somewhat different configurations but all newer and it good order so not a trailer problem. They are all enclosed cargo or snowmobile trailers which do have more side area for wind to push.
Basically what happens is any little cross breeze, passing car, or other small wind disturbance, the trailer pushes the rear of the truck to the side, it’s almost as if there is enough give somewhere to allow the trailer to gain a touch of momentum, enough to give the truck a shove and push the rear off center. Then it hits the limit of movement and rebounds back. You can feel it seat of the pants and visually see the truck flex off center. Its enough that you have to counter steer a little, and is downright dicey on icy or slippery roads. It makes for an uncomfortable ride and not much fun having to be on your toes fighting it, especially if it’s a little windy. Passengers have commented on it and my wife almost gets motion sickness from it.
I am going to try a few more things but getting a bit frustrated with it, have owned both other brands of truck that did not feel this way, my previous 1500 Chevy towed the same trailer without this issue. I dont know if it’s this configuration, or the coil over suspension, or something that didn’t get done or tightened up on a few trucks but would like to see if there is correlation with others. Thanks for any input.

i have same problem and am l looking for suggestions on best airbag types and if they help with sway, not having issue with squat or bounce just seems like truck will suddenly shift 2 to 4 inches , Chevy i had had no issues with sway but not as much power as ram only 1600 miles on my truck ,dealer was no help i have newer camper now but on Sunday I was able to tow my old 2002 camper which i owned for 16 years and the Ram side shifted with that camper too, 2004 Silverado 1500 had no issues at all with it and Ram is rated to tow 3000 lbs more

 

[massram21]

That is the part that bugs me, I bought this truck partly because of the great towing reviews. I have checked all the obvious and easy stuff, air pressures etc first, lots of towing experience. Then started upgrading one at a time, tires, sway bar, to see if each was the problem. Have tried multiple trailers, same deal. Checked trailer alignment(dead on but it is nearly new didn’t expect anything). It bugs the hell out of me to troubleshoot, change parts, etc on a NEW truck on my dime and time. I’m pretty handy and fairly well versed in wrenching on stuff but I don’t have a hoist and again feel like I should not have to be crawling around under a NEW truck. It just feels to me like there is something loose or not tight in the suspension that is allowing a little yaw or lateral movement just enough for the trailer to be able to shove it a little. I did notice yesterday with windows down now that its warming up there is a slight rattle somewhere going over a bump, maybe something will show up.

exact same feeling i have

 

[redneck]

these trucks were made to ride smooth trailering was their 2nd thought when building & mpg was their very last thought lol

 

[Dragonmaster13]

More tongue weight and a properly set up weight distribution hitch. Probably 6/10 folks I run into in campgrounds have an improperly setup hitch. Seems to be an art form.

 

[massram21]

I posted on another thread about this but would like to hear from the folks who have been having the same issue. Seems like a small percentage of us have had this issue and curious if there is a common configuration or circumstance that we may be able to narrow down. I really like this truck but if I cannot get this figured out I will be switching back to another brand. My truck is a 2020 1500 Laramie Crew 6.5 box non air ride 5.7. So far I have upgraded to 10 ply tires and a Hellwig sway bar, both of which have helped somewhat but not 100%.
Before someone throws out the improper tongue weight or setup statement, this is NOT the case or problem. I have extensive experience towing loads commercially, tongue weight is correct, trailers are level, truck squat is level, hitch is solid, no extended hitch, etc. Have towed two of my own trailers and also a friends trailer, all somewhat different configurations but all newer and it good order so not a trailer problem. They are all enclosed cargo or snowmobile trailers which do have more side area for wind to push.
Basically what happens is any little cross breeze, passing car, or other small wind disturbance, the trailer pushes the rear of the truck to the side, it’s almost as if there is enough give somewhere to allow the trailer to gain a touch of momentum, enough to give the truck a shove and push the rear off center. Then it hits the limit of movement and rebounds back. You can feel it seat of the pants and visually see the truck flex off center. Its enough that you have to counter steer a little, and is downright dicey on icy or slippery roads. It makes for an uncomfortable ride and not much fun having to be on your toes fighting it, especially if it’s a little windy. Passengers have commented on it and my wife almost gets motion sickness from it.
I am going to try a few more things but getting a bit frustrated with it, have owned both other brands of truck that did not feel this way, my previous 1500 Chevy towed the same trailer without this issue. I dont know if it’s this configuration, or the coil over suspension, or something that didn’t get done or tightened up on a few trucks but would like to see if there is correlation with others. Thanks for any input.

just saw your post , received my truck on April 30 after custom building it to be able to tow 11561 lbs., and i have exact same problem ,i have posted on my own thread about this also ,I have 27 ft trailer which tows unsafely, truck seems to side shift constantly , need two hands on wheel at all times sometimes it is just light shifting but other times it is radical especially above 60 mph, I towed a trailer for 17 years with Silverado 1500 with absolutely no sway and my new trailer once with no sway.. I towed my old trailer 2 weeks ago and it swayed/ side shifted really and I also towed my new trailer with my sons gmc 1500 and i could let go of wheel and it drove straight and with no sway at all, something is wrong with these trucks (big horn 1500 with 392 axle quad cab 4x4 ) dealer mechanic says my trailer is longer than my truck is too big for truck and i need smaller trailer .not kidding he really said that . trailer is 2014 230 trs outback that weighs 5075 dry. I did not know there was a length limit and a weight limit , Who knew . dealer owner is looking into issue and I have complained to Ram , still waiting for call . I have tried all adjustments on reese WDH and I have sway bar with no difference in ride , WORST towing vehicle I have ever owned and I have been towing from 1973 and still going , extremely disappointed as I thought this would be maybe the last truck I would ever buy ,

 

[jdefoe0424]

just saw your post , received my truck on April 30 after custom building it to be able to tow 11561 lbs., and i have exact same problem ,i have posted on my own thread about this also ,I have 27 ft trailer which tows unsafely, truck seems to side shift constantly , need two hands on wheel at all times sometimes it is just light shifting but other times it is radical especially above 60 mph, I towed a trailer for 17 years with Silverado 1500 with absolutely no sway and my new trailer once with no sway.. I towed my old trailer 2 weeks ago and it swayed/ side shifted really and I also towed my new trailer with my sons gmc 1500 and i could let go of wheel and it drove straight and with no sway at all, something is wrong with these trucks (big horn 1500 with 392 axle quad cab 4x4 ) dealer mechanic says my trailer is longer than my truck is too big for truck and i need smaller trailer .not kidding he really said that . trailer is 2014 230 trs outback that weighs 5075 dry. I did not know there was a length limit and a weight limit , Who knew . dealer owner is looking into issue and I have complained to Ram , still waiting for call . I have tried all adjustments on reese WDH and I have sway bar with no difference in ride , WORST towing vehicle I have ever owned and I have been towing from 1973 and still going , extremely disappointed as I thought this would be maybe the last truck I would ever buy ,

What tires do these trucks have on them? If you still have the stock tires on your RAM I would suggest swapping them out for LT tires, they'll have a stiffer sidewall and won't sway as much. If you have 18" wheels then it could be worse than with the 20s.
The WDH was set up correctly with your RAM? I had minimal issues with a 32' 6700lb TT on my Laramie.

 

[Trooper4]

What tires do these trucks have on them? If you still have the stock tires on your RAM I would suggest swapping them out for LT tires, they'll have a stiffer sidewall and won't sway as much. If you have 18" wheels then it could be worse than with the 20s.
The WDH was set up correctly with your RAM? I had minimal issues with a 32' 6700lb TT on my Laramie.

I think that in an 18" rim size there is actually a much larger selection of "E" reted and heavier load rated tires than in 20 or 22 inch rims.Haven't looked, but 10 ply may even be available with much stiffer sidewall. Of course you give up much in ride quality.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

Not sure if it was mentioned before.. but don't we have a coil spring / 4 link setup with a Pan Hard bar? If so, Maybe the PHB bushings are very soft allowing the trailer to push the rear more right / left than a leaf spring equipped truck would?

 

[Trooper4]

Not sure if it was mentioned before.. but don't we have a coil spring / 4 link setup with a Pan Hard bar? If so, Maybe the PHB bushings are very soft allowing the trailer to push the rear more right / left than a leaf spring equipped truck would?

OP said he had air, but yes, with non air

 

[carl.net]

Glad to find this thread and at least know my experiences are not unique. I upgraded from a 2007 Dakota with towing package to a Ram 1500 big horn with towing package and supposed max towing capacity of 11,687.53LBS. I started out with a 30ft travel trailer that weighed about 5,000lbs on my Dakota and it pulled ok. Not great but the stability was fine and as long as I did not leave the state of FL and head for the hills, I looked a bit funny but at 60MPH was stable even when large trucks went by. I then upgraded to the 1500 and learned fear. Stock from the dealer with the same hitch (adjusted for the new truck) I almost wrecked twice. First from a gust of wind, second from a truck passing. If I had wrecked due to the exceptionally poor towing characteristics of the Ram I would have helped the other person sue me and Dodge and I hate lawyers! I have towed for over 30 years and this is by far the worst towing experience I have ever had. My grandfather’s old Chrysler station wagon towed his 30-foot air stream better.

Being a glutton for punishment I decided to “fix” the issue based on advice I got from multiple places and at the same time decided to upgrade my TT to a new unit. I put 10 ply tires on the truck, Helwig sway bar, and stiffer springs. Got a new upgraded and super different anti-sway hitch and went for my 1st short trip. Not really all that much better but by this time I had gotten used to the idea of hyper-alert white knuckle driving. The truck was still a class-action lawsuit waiting to happen and sitting in a puddle of your own sweat is not really relaxing. I finally got on the net and decided to buy a pro pride hitch as it was advertised to solve not just help with trailer stability issues. The new hitch helped a huge amount and from a stability standpoint, I am back to where I was with the Dakota. So, if you are not fed up with your truck and are looking for a solution to the issues Dodge created with our trucks spring for the $3,200 propride hitch and you will be much happier.

And for the fanboys out there I can tell you that besides the significant stability issue when towing a long trailer, I love my ram. Everything else about it rocks.

 

[silver billet]

My guess is that it's all due to the coil suspension. There are no loose parts, and while tires and hellwig may help a tiny bit, coils are just not as stable as leafs for towing. The upside is that our trucks are more stable unloaded (the chevy and ford will side skip in the rear going over tracks/bumps but our Rams stay 100% composed).

So we have to accept that for towing, it's going to get rough.

I get that many here have many years experience towing and get upset when we mention improper WDH setup... but having gone through this entire process myself, the only thing that made my experience go from white knuckle at 55 to "guess it isn't toooo bad now" at 63, was reconfiguring my WDH. Other trucks are more forgiving in this, but the Ram is not. I had to level my trailer down a bit more, fill up my fresh water tank to add tongue weight, and then really crank up the tension on the bars. With my hitch, the bars also serve as horizontal sway control, but if the bars aren't 100% (literally) flat on the brackets, then they don't rub against the entire bracket length so instead of 2 inches of friction we get 1/8'th or 1/4 instead.

The hensley stinger and propride hitch are better options in our trucks if you can afford them, but I did manage to get it tweaked using just my plain jane husky centerline as well.

Probably not the answer we're looking for, but I suspect looking for loose parts or whatever is a dead end, the Ram coil suspension is both the trucks great asset and great flaw depending on what you're doing with it.

 

[nc_beagle]

A lot of people mention getting air bags. Is that compatible with an air suspension? Can you have both?

 

[IvoryHemi]

A lot of people mention getting air bags. Is that compatible with an air suspension? Can you have both?

Nope

 

[Trooper4]

Glad to find this thread and at least know my experiences are not unique. I upgraded from a 2007 Dakota with towing package to a Ram 1500 big horn with towing package and supposed max towing capacity of 11,687.53LBS. I started out with a 30ft travel trailer that weighed about 5,000lbs on my Dakota and it pulled ok. Not great but the stability was fine and as long as I did not leave the state of FL and head for the hills, I looked a bit funny but at 60MPH was stable even when large trucks went by. I then upgraded to the 1500 and learned fear. Stock from the dealer with the same hitch (adjusted for the new truck) I almost wrecked twice. First from a gust of wind, second from a truck passing. If I had wrecked due to the exceptionally poor towing characteristics of the Ram I would have helped the other person sue me and Dodge and I hate lawyers! I have towed for over 30 years and this is by far the worst towing experience I have ever had. My grandfather’s old Chrysler station wagon towed his 30-foot air stream better.

Being a glutton for punishment I decided to “fix” the issue based on advice I got from multiple places and at the same time decided to upgrade my TT to a new unit. I put 10 ply tires on the truck, Helwig sway bar, and stiffer springs. Got a new upgraded and super different anti-sway hitch and went for my 1st short trip. Not really all that much better but by this time I had gotten used to the idea of hyper-alert white knuckle driving. The truck was still a class-action lawsuit waiting to happen and sitting in a puddle of your own sweat is not really relaxing. I finally got on the net and decided to buy a pro pride hitch as it was advertised to solve not just help with trailer stability issues. The new hitch helped a huge amount and from a stability standpoint, I am back to where I was with the Dakota. So, if you are not fed up with your truck and are looking for a solution to the issues Dodge created with our trucks spring for the $3,200 propride hitch and you will be much happier.

And for the fanboys out there I can tell you that besides the significant stability issue when towing a long trailer, I love my ram. Everything else about it rocks.

Might look at the ratings on the trailer China bomb tires. Trailer manufacturers are notorious for putting tires on trailers that just barely get them out the door. Look at an "E" rated or better to get rid of the sidewall flex.

 

[HEMIJAKE]

I had to level my trailer down a bit more, fill up my fresh water tank to add tongue weight, and then really crank up the tension on the bars.

This has been my experience as well. I had to put a tad more tongue weight on the truck and crank up the bars too. Seemed to help my case, but took a lot of adjusting to get there. I've got airbags coming tomorrow. I'm hoping those help a little too.

 

[IvoryHemi]

This has been my experience as well. I had to put a tad more tongue weight on the truck and crank up the bars too. Seemed to help my case, but took a lot of adjusting to get there. I've got airbags coming tomorrow. I'm hoping those help a little too.

Sorry to say you’re going to have to do more adjusting after the bag install.

inflate the bags to your desired psi first then re-adjust the WDH accordingly

 

[carl.net]

Might look at the ratings on the trailer China bomb tires. Trailer manufacturers are notorious for putting tires on trailers that just barely get them out the door. Look at an "E" rated or better to get rid of the sidewall flex.

Since it is the same issue across two different railers and one of the trailers used with both vehicles the tires are not likely the issue. But since I distrust trailer tires I had upgraded them on my old trailer and did the same for the new trailer. It is really as simple as if a Dodge Dakota can trailer it and be reasonably stable a 1500 sure as you know what should be able to as well...

 

[carl.net]

This has been my experience as well. I had to put a tad more tongue weight on the truck and crank up the bars too. Seemed to help my case, but took a lot of adjusting to get there. I've got airbags coming tomorrow. I'm hoping those help a little too.

I have bags sitting in the garage that I intend to install when it gets cooler. I will take any minor improvement in stability I can get... I would love to hear back if yours improve stability or just provide lift.

 

[HEMIJAKE]

Sorry to say you’re going to have to do more adjusting after the bag install.

inflate the bags to your desired psi first then re-adjust the WDH accordingly

Yeah I expected that. We have (possibly) our last camping trip coming up next weekend. I'm hoping to have this next week to get everything dialed in.