New tow vehicle and trailer, experiencing ‘chucking’

[BritCanuck]

So finally picked up our 5.0 on Friday, yippee, love it so far. However the towing experience is not smooth, in fact it can be quite disconcerting.

I believe I’m experiencing what is called ‘chucking’. A general feeling of jerkiness and being pushed by the trailer even when cruising at highway speed.

Tow vehicle - 2022 F150 2.7EB, towing capacity 10,100lbs, payload 1900lbs

Hitch - Anderson ultimate rail mount.

Driving in tow haul mode, truck + trailer are level as far as I can tell.

Trailer tire pressures at 56psi at cold.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this?

[Rossue]

Lower tire pressure to 50. What is TV'S tire pressure?

[BritCanuck]

Originally Posted by Rossue

Lower tire pressure to 50. What is TV'S tire pressure?

I’m at 35psi which is recommended cold pressure. Not sure if that changes if I’m towing?

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by BritCanuck

I’m at 35psi which is recommended cold pressure. Not sure if that changes if I’m towing?

I put my TV at max tire pressure listed on the sidewall. In my case it is 44 lbs. For the trailer it is a harsh ride in there over 50 lbs.

[splitting_lanes]

That TV tire pressure sounds good, I run mine 35-40 and our 5.0 at 50 psi.

We also use a rail mount Andersen hitch, we turned our hitch around so the ball is forward. That pulls the trailer forward enough that we can’t lower our tailgate when hitched, but it tows better, less ‘chucking’.

Is your trailer sitting between level and an inch high in the front when hitched? If it’s tail high, try raising the ball.

Also, if you have the tanks empty, try trailering with the fresh tank half full. Alf ( a guy on here ) swears by it, and I usually have a quarter to a third tank. It affects the trailer balance which will change the way it tows.

We have a smoother ride after trying these things, I think you’ll find your sweet spot too

[JohnBrendan]

We had the same issue the day we picked our 17B up. Turns out the water tank was half filled at Escape for leak tests but wasn’t emptied before we picked it up. The half full tank was causing water to slosh, resulting in jerkiness - took us a bit to figure out. Traveling with fresh full or empty, no issues.

[BritCanuck]

Originally Posted by splitting_lanes

That TV tire pressure sounds good, I run mine 35-40 and our 5.0 at 50 psi.

We also use a rail mount Andersen hitch, we turned our hitch around so the ball is forward. That pulls the trailer forward enough that we can’t lower our tailgate when hitched, but it tows better, less ‘chucking’.

Is your trailer sitting between level and an inch high in the front when hitched? If it’s tail high, try raising the ball.

Also, if you have the tanks empty, try trailering with the fresh tank half full. Alf ( a guy on here ) swears by it, and I usually have a quarter to a third tank. It affects the trailer balance which will change the way it tows.

We have a smoother ride after trying these things, I think you’ll find your sweet spot too

Thanks for all the advice folks, will try all of those.

So on the 5.0 isn’t the fresh water tank under the dinette? If I left that half full I’m reducing pin weight, and just reading the Escape manual it states to drive with the fresh water empty if possible.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by BritCanuck

So on the 5.0 isn’t the fresh water tank under the dinette? If I left that half full I’m reducing pin weight, and just reading the Escape manual it states to drive with the fresh water empty if possible.

You should determine the actual pin weight by weighing your truck with trailer attached but with the trailer’s wheels NOT on the pad at a truck weighing facility. Then disconnect and weigh the truck alone. Subtract to determine the pin weight (at the moment the weights were recorded. That way, knowing what you put inside the truck and what the load capacity on the pillar of the driver’s door will not be exceeded.
I personally always tow with an empty fresh water tank, and with tire pressure at 50 psi, even though the Goodyear Endurance tires on the trailer have a maximum sidewall pressure of 65 psi. As stated, higher pressures (than necessary for the actual weight load) will cause the trailer to bounce. In addition to towing with water in the tank, Alf also sets his tire pressure (also Goodyear Endurance) at 45 psi. When I first had my 5.0 TA I towed a couple of times with water in the fresh water tank, and did not perceive that it made a bit of difference in “ride quality.” Furthermore, water weighs around 7 lbs per gallon, not sure of the metric equivalent but it would suffice to say water is heavy, and I believe the generally stated rule of thumb is that 100 lbs increase in cargo results in 3% loss in fuel economy. I have not experienced chucking, but I use a traditional 5th wheel hitch. I chose this method of connection because I previously owned a Scamp 19, which is often called a 5th wheel but actually has a coupler (like the Andersen). With that setup, I experienced chucking occasionally when encountering changes in the pavement’s surface. Manually activating the trailer’s brakes momentarily would stop the push/pull effect, but if chucking is somewhat constant, momentary braking would not be an acceptable solution.

[occer]

I had the same concern and contacted Andersen. They suggested “5th wheel sound damping pads”. Cost under $5, it does help some. They are little square rubber pads that go between the Andersen hitch and the rails.

I set up my phone and videoed the hitch and connection. There is a small amount of movement between the rails and hitch, the adjustable ball and the hitch and the adaptor and the ball. The damping pads stop one of the three,

[bristol5.0]

I agree with occer and the rubber damping pads. There is a noticeable amount of slack between the hitch and rails without the pads. The pads reduce the slack and dampen the movement of the hitch. I think the "chucking" at the base is more apparent because of the moment arm to the hitch ball.

[splitting_lanes]

Originally Posted by BritCanuck

So on the 5.0 isn’t the fresh water tank under the dinette? If I left that half full I’m reducing pin weight, and just reading the Escape manual it states to drive with the fresh water empty if possible.

Yes, the fresh tank is under the dinette. I weighed my pin weight at 790lbs, a little over the quoted 600lbs. So some water in the fresh tank and a bike rack with bikes on it reduces pin weight. I haven’t measured with the above in place, but I’d guess it’s still at 700+

Edit:
Oh yeah, I have some of the damping pads occer told me about, but we haven’t been out since I got them. Here’s the link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004IY9FQO...roduct_details

[SageRpod]

All very interesting. We've traveled with the fresh tank in all varying degrees of fullness/emptiness and have never noticed any difference in how the rig handles. FWIW, we have the Anderson Ultimate hitch with the goose neck ball, trailer tires at 55psi. TV psi 37 front and 42 back, hitch adapter facing back on the pin box and the entire rig is level front to back. The only thing that I may have different is Road Active Suspension springs on the rear leafs.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Rossue

I put my TV at max tire pressure listed on the sidewall. In my case it is 44 lbs. For the trailer it is a harsh ride in there over 50 lbs.

tire max pressure is suitable when the tires are at their max rated load. I would start with the vehicles recommended pressure when at the /vehicles/ max load, and maybe increase 5 psi at a time, staying below that tire max pressure, til you find the sweet spot.

extreme case: My Tacoma TRD 4x4 specified, I think, 35 PSI, but I had load range 'E' all terrain tires on it which had a sidewall pressure of 70 PSI and were suitable for a 3/4 ton pickup like an F250. I typically ran them at 35 normally, 40 PSI when towing. The "E" tires were far more durable on sharp rocks and such and worked really well offroad.

[BritCanuck]

Originally Posted by splitting_lanes

We also use a rail mount Andersen hitch, we turned our hitch around so the ball is forward. That pulls the trailer forward enough that we can’t lower our tailgate when hitched, but it tows better, less ‘chucking’.

Interesting idea. I’d be afraid that my rear fender would hit the trailer on turns though with the ball forward? Not sure I’ve got enough room.

[WanderBred]

We also have the Anderson hitch, but not the rail system, and we have no chucking whatsoever.

[GeorgeB]

This might be a dumb question. Could he have the wrong size ball at the end of the Anderson Hitch? What is the sized needed for a 5.0?

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by SageRpod

All very interesting. We've traveled with the fresh tank in all varying degrees of fullness/emptiness and have never noticed any difference in how the rig handles.

Yes, and I find any recommendation to travel with the water tank empty to be absolutely not realistic for real world use.

We fill up when we're leaving on a trip, or part full if we're going to be climbing high soon after leaving. Our tank is always what it is. Full at the start and then varying amounts as it empties.

Not having a fifth wheel "chucking" was a new one for me.

Ron

[splitting_lanes]

Originally Posted by BritCanuck

Interesting idea. I’d be afraid that my rear fender would hit the trailer on turns though with the ball forward? Not sure I’ve got enough room.

If you have room to drop your tailgate when connected now, I think you’ll have enough room with the ball forward. I suggest you try it out, have someone watching or take some sharp turns slowly while getting out to check. You might be surprised how much flexibility there is in hitch location, I was.

[SageRpod]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Not having a fifth wheel "chucking" was a new one for me.

Ron

I am in no way dismissing the OP's situation, but there is certainly some relativity and perception when it comes to trailer feedback. If you tie 5000lbs to the back end of a truck, it is going to give you some feedback. As I have mentioned before, when we towed the Rpod with our Frontier, everyone in the cab was an active participant in the experience whether they wanted to be or not. Now, take that experience and relate it to pulling a 5.0 with a 3.5EB F150. The 5.0 rig will seem to be riding on air compared to the Rpod rig.

So that's where I'm at. Our rig may be chucking to beat the band but relative to our previous experiences, it is smooth as silk.

[sofmerc]

I have the Andersen rail system... I have never experienced chucking .unless crossing a rail road crossing. smooth as silk all other times