Bouncing While Towing

SouthernCamper · 04-20-2021, 12:28 AM

Hi! We're driving from Louisiana to Colorado in a few months for a neck procedure, and I need help with reducing how towing our 2018 21' makes the ride so bouncy. Riding in my husband's 2013 Tundra TRD is just fine normally, but with the camper hooked up it bounces me so badly that I feel it won't be safe after my procedure, especially for 18 hours of riding home. I've ridden home from lesser procedures both with and without the camper and it's so much nicer without it. With my bigger procedure I need to either reduce the bounce or leave the camper behind

Is bouncing just inevitable or is there something that we can do to reduce it?

We travel with all liquid tanks empty, fridge pretty full (but not tons of heavy things) and personal items pretty well distributed high and low, front and back and no where near packed full.

Thank you so much for your insight. I'm going to be so bummed if we have to go up there without it!

Centex · 04-20-2021, 12:38 AM

Do you use a WDH (weight distributing hitch) of any sort with your rig?

oldwave · 04-20-2021, 12:43 AM

Use a wdh
We use one with the f150. Also TRD off road packages in tundras are much more stiffly sprung.

cpaharley2008 · 04-20-2021, 07:02 AM

I believe the term is called "porpoising"....like the fish in/out of water....

Iowa Dave · 04-20-2021, 08:27 AM

Depending upon where your tire pressures are now, if you’re up towards the maximum you migh consider lowering the tire pressures to a min/max median to see if that helps. You should be able to tell pretty quickly and either go with it or play with them a bit. Sorry I’m assuming that you have an inflator device with you, if not you might have to spend a couple bucks along the way by using a commercial inflation device at service facilities along the way. I’m a weight Distribution hitch proponent also but I do not have a tundra. On your tow vehicle, if you can hear the tires going “boing, boing, boing as you go over “rough” paving your inflation pressure is likely more than it needs to be. Hope this helps for now.
Iowa Dave

SouthernCamper · 04-20-2021, 09:51 AM

We bought the most expensive hitch accessory option from escape, is that a WDH?

SouthernCamper · 04-20-2021, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldwave

Use a wdh
We use one with the f150. Also TRD off road packages in tundras are much more stiffly sprung.

I'm not sure? Would we have bought that from Escape? We never bought anything separate.

We have a hitch on the truck and when my husband hooks up it's the big black ball hitch and two chains. He said he also uses sway bars when we go into the mountains.

RBRV · 04-20-2021, 11:40 AM

hi neighbor! i agree with the other thoughts posted above, check tire pressure. I tow my 19 with an 04 tundra 2wd doublecab and I find slowing down helps also but nothing helps if you travel down the Evangeline thruway!

Ops · 04-20-2021, 11:47 AM

You may want to look at the Roadmaster Active Suspension to supplement your Tundra/E21 combination. Although we ordered/installed the WDH (Fastway) when we picked up our E21NE, I noted porpoising even with the WDH/anti-sway. The roads here on Vancouver Island are far better on average to those elsewhere in Canada...so it was a bit of surprise to experience this modulation.

A little research on this forum suggested the Roadmaster Active Suspension. My experience? It works very well with our 15Tundra. You can go to YouTube and see a number of videos as it relates to this RAS system.

oldwave · 04-20-2021, 12:05 PM

The weight distribution hitch has bars the help equalize the weight on the suspension transferring more weight to the front of the truck. There are some hitches that have both sway control and wd. Be helpful to know which one you bought. It’s the wd only, then the bars not being installed would account for the porposing

Steven M · 04-20-2021, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthernCamper

We bought the most expensive hitch accessory option from escape, is that a WDH?

Is it the E2 by Fastway? As stated above it has bars to equalize the weight from the front to the back. If I remember correctly the top of the ball should be approximately 19 inches above the ground. If it is too high or too low it affects the handling of the tow vehicle and trailer.

EDIT: The Fastway company has a video on installation of the hitch and they say measure the trailer hitch top as the trailer is level and the ball should be at that height and no more than one inch above that.

Mike G · 04-20-2021, 04:18 PM

"Porpoising": as you go over bumps, the trailer rocks forward and back and this rocking motion on the hitch ball makes your truck rock forward and back also. The weight distribution bars are meant to push the back of the trailer and the front of the truck down somewhat, redistributing some of the weight off the truck's rear end, but they also serve as a steadying 'bridge' to resist the porpoising motion. Usually the bars make a huge difference in ride quality versus without them.

If you're already using the bars, though, my next thought would be maybe they aren't adjusted properly. Even if ETI set it up for you they are human and could have gotten it wrong. If it's the E2 Fastway setup, a measurement procedure can be downloaded from Progressive Industries' website.

Iowa Dave · 04-20-2021, 04:34 PM

You original adjustment may have been correct but now that you’ve made the trailer yours, your payload and loading pattern might require an adjustment in the WDH. Just a thought.
Iowa Dave

HABBERDABBER · 04-20-2021, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SouthernCamper

I'm not sure? Would we have bought that from Escape? We never bought anything separate.

We have a hitch on the truck and when my husband hooks up it's the big black ball hitch and two chains. He said he also uses sway bars when we go into the mountains.

Unclear to me if a WDH is also used.

Steven M · 04-20-2021, 08:27 PM

Ok, if you don't have any bars to attach to the hitch you don't have weight distribution. When hitched up is the truck still level? No lowering of the rear and rise on the front, if you do then you need a weight distributing hitch.

**John in Santa Cruz** · 04-20-2021, 09:08 PM

here is a classic spring bar Weight Distributing Hitch.

note the black bar on the bottom with the gold chain hooked up to the stirrups.

you measure the bumper height of your tow vehicle as loaded but without the trailer, then drop the loaded trailer onto the hitch and hook the chains up to the stirrups and measure it again, if the spring bars are properly adjusted it should only be 1/2 to 1" lower. if its much lower than that, unhook the spring bars, and there's an adjustment nut on the hitch assembly that would lower the angle of the bars so when you hook those chains back up, they are applying more 'down' force onto the front A frame of the trailer, and 'up force' onto the tow bar assembly on the truck. you can also adjust how many links you have in use on those gold chains, but you don't want the spring bars dragging too low.

first time I set it up it took me a couple horus playing around in the driveway, and I needed some big half inch sockets and breaker bars. once it was adjusted right, I didn't have to adjust it again, as we always seem to end up towing about the same thing.

the SWAY CONTROL is a separate thing, also in this same picture, its that funky old looking horizontal thing that says CURT SWAY CONTROL and has that rusty looking locking lever

btw, someone said the TRD Off Road are STIFFER? no, no, they are SOFTER, they have long travel off-road suspension meant to soak up big bumps. the TRD Sport versions are stiffer. the truck in that picture is a Tacoma 4x4 TRD off Road, and the trailer is a Casita 16, this combination was very bouncy stock.

I later put airbags on that truck along with beefier shock absorbers, and found they did 90% of what the WDH did with zero hassle, so I stopped using the WDH.

George Johnson · 04-20-2021, 09:28 PM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned weight distribution within the trailer as a possible source of the porpoising problem. When loaded for travel, the weight on the tongue should be between 10 and 15% of the total loaded weight of the trailer. If the tongue weight is too light, there could be problems, even with a weight distribution hitch.

There are lots of posts regarding the importance of proper tongue weight.

UncleTim · 04-21-2021, 05:57 AM

Okay so there are a number of ideas presented so far. I had this problem in my 5.0, so I don't know if this is applicable.

I have the TRD 4x4, off road package on my 2018 Tundra. The Tundra has good mass that counteracts most of the bumps but not all of them. It is a good tow vehicle.

5.0's don't shift from side to side much, they go up and down instead. What I found that helps me is this. Fill the fresh water tank. This has been discussed at length on this forum. That balances out the trailer, fore and aft. So the trailer is not throwing around it's weight on axis as much. Filling it all the way up seems to help too. YMMV. Also we pack light and do without. Both for the trailer and the truck. So far.

I also have air bags which seem to help. Never pulled without them, so I am not sure.

Look at the road conditions coming up. If I am on a downhill with a bridge at the bottom, I know there is a good chance of an abrupt grade change at the bridge transition. So l (as we all already know) look for rutting to avoid and a smooth path for your wheels to track, and then slow down.

You won't miss them all, but it helps a lot. BTW for mountain driving, Vail Pass and the tunnel approaches on I-70 suck right now. They are very rutted and in poor condition. They need serious work. There is very little way to miss everything that pushes a trailer and TV around. That will not be in your path unless you go into the mountains. Also, do not travel East on I-70 out of the mountains from the continental divide to Denver on a Sunday afternoon during ski season. Any season for that matter. It is just too crowded. Every Sunday! You will spend hours in line going 5 mph or less.

p.s. If you need a driveway to park in while you are in our fair state, please consider yourself invited. We are 35 minutes from Denver on a good day.

SouthernCamper · 04-22-2021, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RBRV

hi neighbor! i agree with the other thoughts posted above, check tire pressure. I tow my 19 with an 04 tundra 2wd doublecab and I find slowing down helps also but nothing helps if you travel down the Evangeline thruway!

Whoa! No way!! Another escape/tundra pair in Lafayette! Woo we're fancy around here lol. This is so exciting!

Pretty much maybe Alexandria to Lafayette is HORRIBLE! it beat me the heck up last trip!

SouthernCamper · 04-22-2021, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleTim

.

p.s. If you need a driveway to park in while you are in our fair state, please consider yourself invited. We are 35 minutes from Denver on a good day.

You are too kind for all of your information and the invitation! Thank you!

We'll be staying in the national forests probably ahead of time, but for the procedure I'll need to be very close to Broomfield. I would LOVE any ideas on where we can stay for a few days near there. I've had trouble locating a spot nearby and we were going to wind up getting a hotel for a few days and just leave the camper in the parking lot like we did in July. Do you know any good spots to camp near there?

Can you tell me more about air bags? I've never heard of them. Can you use it with a WDH like the E2?

You may also like: