Rear bounces when towing

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91sonoma

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Hope someone can help. I have a popup camper that weighs 2600 lbs. When I start from a stop it feels like I am bottoming out in the rear. Any idea's what can cause this. I have new shocks all around. The truck is lowered 2 inches all around so should still have plenty of suspenion travel.
 

91sonoma

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The truck is a 1500 rcsb. Front Is 2in lowering springs and the rear is with shackles. Sorry that I did not put that in. Was told that it could be the draw bar bouncing in the hitch.
 

GoToGuy

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Have actually weighed the tongue at the hitch?. Have you loaded the trailer properly? Are also carrying a cargo load in the bed at same time? Exceeding the capacity of your truck?
You can check your receiver hitch for play, use some plastic shims or large area washers to snug it up. Rear shocks worn out?
 

91sonoma

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May only have about 200 lbs in bed when I tow this camper. will have to check out the tounge weight. Shocks are new all four corners. I found a bracket that bolts the hitch and draw bar tight to each other, going to try this, but will take all suggestion and try them. We have a big scale at work I can bring home to weigh the tounge and move things around inside. This trailer weighs 2600lbs with stuff in it maybe 2800, what should the tounge weight be?
 

thinger2

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do you have the correct size ball for the hitch?
They are not all the same and is pretty dangerious to use the wrong size.
Even on the "Universal Clamping" type.
Do you have an old pop up trailer with the pinned together extenable tongue? and if ypu do are those pin holes way out of round.
At 2000 pounds Im going to assume that if it has any trailer brakes at all they would be electric.
Any slop or a slow to release brake can send a thud right through the truck that feels like the ass end of it is coming loose.
I bought a 27 foot 2.5 ton Soling sailboat and hitched it to my lowered 1970 f-100.
I had the same type of problem.
Every time I hit the gas it thumped hard and pulled the back of the truck down.
I knew it was way too much boat for the truck so I paid the guy another 400 friggen dollars to leave it at the dry storage while I fixed the truck at home.
It wasnt the truck, it was the trailer.
2.5 tons on a single axle leaf sprung surge brake trailer that had been parked next to the saltwater since 1972 or so.
I bought the boat based on it being a "fixer upper" on a good trailer.
And the trailer looked great!
And it was a do or die situation. The state of washington passed a law where towing unstable loads on single axle trailers was illegal

This friggen guy took that rotted out trailer and dropped the boat in water and blasted the trailer and bondoed the rust and painted it and put the boat back on it.
That thump and feeling that the ass end of the truck felt like it was coming off was the left wheel of the trailer locking up and the axle sliding across that new paint like it was grease.
And that will wag your tail like a dog looking for treats.
Turns out that trying to tow a 2.5 ton 12 foot tall sailboat with a lowered 70 f100 with a maybe 180 horse 68 merc 302 and a three on the tree while you freak out your girlfiend and make her scream.
Not my finest hour.
The part of relationships that I sometimes have to remind myself about is that even if I dont give a flying **** about what happens to me I have a duty and a responsibilty and a debt of soul
to the people who do care about me.
Some idiots see that concern as represion.
You really need to pay attention to that you dopes.
That doubt, that pullback from affection is when she is loosing confidence in you.
Or, Shes a ******* loon that will suck the life out of you.
Either way, whether she takes alll of your money or wraps your head in a plastic bag in the middle of the night....
If you live through it,
No matter what happens or what the cops have to say....
Fuckem all
You still need a truck.
 

RichLo

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Well that took a dark turn Thinger

Another thing is how you load the trailer, with a light pop-up you could have too little tongue weight if you load all of your extra stuff behind the axle. This could cause the trailer to go neutral or negative tongue weight on bumps causing that clunking 'bottoming out' feeling.
 

91sonoma

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Thanks for all the advice. will open up the trailer and move as much to the front as possible and check my tounge weight. This is not a bolt together trailer tounge so no holes to get out of round. What is a universal clamping hitch. trailer takes a 2 inch ball and that is what I have on the draw bar.
 
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