Trouble with towing. Need advice

[Quique309]

Hello there everyone. We recently upgraded from a pop up camper to a travel trailer in the late fall. Today I was able to take it on the road again and the drive was a bit unpleasant. I can’t really complain about power or sway with the trailer but there was something i did not like. The ride felt very bouncy, so I maxed out the psi on the tires and it did help but there is still too much bounce. I suspect worn out shocks. Any ideas?

 

[DF5.4]

What kind of TT? What size? Are you using a WD hitch?

 

[Quique309]

The travel trailer is a 29 foot Puma. I am using an Equilizer 4 point wdh.

 

[Bedrck47]

Rather than saying a 29 foot Puma It would be better to know the year and model of the Puma also the gross weight of the TT not the dry weight

 

[Quique309]

Okay. It is a 2018 Puma 29QBS. It's gvwr is 8500 lbs. however the dry weight sticker says 6800 lbs and that is after options propane batteries ect. The dealer set it up with the Equilizer hitch and installed a Prodigy trailer brake control.

 

[Bedrck47]

Dry weight means nothing UNLESS you are going to be towing it empty

Specs for that model also show 33 ft 11 inches Correct me if I am wrong But that is a big difference than just saying its a 29 ft Puma That extra 5 feet may cause a big difference in how it rides Also that TT is much bigger, longer and heavier than a pop up camper

I would suggest you take your TV and TT to the cat scales and have your weights checked


You may also need to fine tune your hitch and make sure it is set up correctly

Would be nice to know YOUR ACTUAL hitch weight But you will know that when you go to the CAT scaled

 

[Bedrck47]

Read both of the attached links for some good information

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f37/how-to-weigh-your-tv-tt-3871.html#post24549

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f7/length-to-weight-27899.html#post308925

 

[Quique309]

I do have intentions to take it to take it to a scale here soon. Maybe I will do that after loading it up for camping to get an accurate weight. I agree with you on the dry weight and towing empty but it does let me know where the start of the weight is. I guess I can take it back and have them adjust the hitch if necessary.
It is worth noting that my Expedition has 130k already.

 

[Bedrck47]

Rather than taking it back to the dealer It would be best for you to read the setup instructions for your system and learn how to make those adjustments. It may seem complicated at first but you will find it is very easy to do and if you feel you need some adjustments while towing it would be better to know how rather than driving white knuckled Also with that length of a trailer I strongly suggest you consider some sway control bars.

I am not familiar with that make of hitch and do not know if that make has away control included But at least look into it.

 

[Quique309]

Thanks, I will have to look into learning how to make some of those adjustments for myself. The length of the trailer seems ok to me. The Equilizer hitch has sway control built into it along with weight distribution. The sway control must work fine since I haven’t really felt it move on the highway, even when I get passed. However I am concerned with how bouncy it feels.