Time for some RV customization

[kenz]

Just came back from a trip down to Alabama. First long trip for the trailer. Mostly a good trip, nothing scary or broken.  But I did notice a few things that are gonna need addressing. First 'mod' on the list is a second battery. One just don't cut it, especially when boondocking. Second, is the bouncing. All the way down and back the trailer at times seemed to spend more time in the air than it did on the road. Was talking to Tom at the GTG about the air bags on Rich's truck and how much of a difference they make. Also have been thinking about a different kingpin for the trailer, something on the order of a Mor/ryde or such. But the truck rides like a cadillac on a cloud when towing, and there is minimal chucking, only on real rough roads. I had a mor/ryde on my last trailer, as the chucking was terrible and the hitch made a world of difference, both on the trailer and truck. But that trailer didn't bounce at all either.

So on the return trip I paid a little more attention to what was happening. Like what was the hitch/truck doing when the trailer was bouncing. I'm not 'feeling' any chucking or any movement in the truck when the trailer is bouncing, in fact I have to look to see it it is or not as I feel nothing while driving. So I came up with a possible game plan.

I can install bags on the truck. Go with the manual fill at first and see if I get any improvement. Cost isn't much, and if it does improve then I can go ahead and install the auto fill at a later date. A little more hassle filling and deflating, but can deal with it for initial testing. Install a hitch on the trailer. I know what they do, and at $800 or so, I'm not thinking this will solve all my problems. So will move this down to the bottom of the list.

Next would be trailer suspension upgrades. This would have to be planned right as it can get quite expensive, especially if moving in the wrong direction. I did have a previous rear kitchen 5'er that bounced (not nearly as bad) that had nothing but leaf springs. I installed shocks and made no difference at all. Later on I had 3 different RV places tell me shocks really don't do much on a trailer. Current trailer has no shocks but has the low end trail air equalizer on it. Beginning to wonder if this may be causing some of my added bounce. Looked today and the rubber in the equalizer appears to be what looks like weather cracked. Some of the choices would be a better quality equalizer (many on the market to choose from), full blown mor/ryde rubber suspension, eliminating the springs all together, or a full air ride. Last 2 options are on the high end price wise, so will have to do alot more research, which I got all winter to do. Either way it needs to be addressed before next spring rolls around.

If anyone has any ideas or experiences, float them my way.

[BigRiver]

Ken, my past camper had a Trail Air system on the kingpin as well as the axles. I don't know if there are various levels of the Trail Air family, but I know that even the axle system had a valve stem to regulate the air. The king pin and a double piece tires so to speak and really helped in the movement of the trailer. Of course on a crappy road system, it's impossible to keep a smooth ride back there, but from my experience, it was a good system.

[bikemancs]

If I still had the big trailer (that Rich now has) I would have put airbags on my truck... and probably upgraded the suspension to a equivalent of 3500 or higher

[Jims1dodge]

I have a Moryde pin box and Equaflex suspension and haven't noticed any major bouncing issues.  Now this rig also weighs 17k+ so it takes alot to bounce it.  Our last rig was a rear kitchen as well, 532RKS Carilite, it had shocks on the axles, with a standard pinbox and we had no issues.
I think alot of the bounce has to do with weight proportions of the trailer, to little on the springs and they don't work, to much and you blow tires. 

[behindbars]

You're also due for some new Mayfair approved shocks. 

[Cumminalong]

Ken, if it's the trailer bouncing, that's an easy fix......shocks!

If it was the nose of the trailer bouncing, I'd say do the airbags, they make a HUGE difference in the ride and bounce transmitted to the truck. But, if you're seeing the bouncing in the trailer, I'd simply add a set of shocks. Just figure out your suspension travel, find a good location to weld on some tabs for eye-eye shocks, do a little right angle trig to figure out how long the shocks need to be when compressed / extended and do away with the bouncing.

All bouncing is is uncontrolled suspension cycling. That's what shocks are for.

[kenz]

Moved the trailer into the grass and crawled underneath to have a closer look see. At first it looked like a simple install until I looked closer. The spring pack mounting plate has the the angle and holes in it for mounting stud type shocks. Unfortunately mounting them inboard of the frame is a no go. Reasons being that there is a gas line running on the inboard side of the frame so the shocks would have to move farther in to clear the line. Also with a inclosed underbelly I would have to cut holes in it to clearance shocks thru it to the upper mount. Not willing to cut up the underbelly. There appears to be room on the outboard side between the frame and the tire. I've seen a couple installs on the net doing this, and looks to be quite feasible. Would have to fab mounts, but shouldn't be that difficult. Was told that the local trailer repair place has pre-fabbed shock mounts-both stud or eye style-ready made for install or for sale for the do it yourselfer. Will go and check it out. Also looking at possibly the Monroe brand shock. I do know that the 'factory shocks' that come on some trailers are not of the highest quality, and Monroe makes a line just for trailers.

Buddy of mine had bags installed on his truck not long ago. While camping I asked how he liked the results. He was more than happy with them, but he's running a 1/2 ton truck with king pin weight near 1500lbs, so his main goal was to keep the bumper outta the dirt. But his cost was $400 installed, so doing it myself would be quite cheaper. So that is also on the list.

While going to Grayling last weekend I noticed no bouncing all the way there and back (100 miles one way). What was the difference? Road conditions about the same, only difference was weight distribution. My fresh water tank (60gl) sits above the axles. my gray and black tanks sit between the landing legs. I also have a 45gal tank for the kitchen sink that sits right on the back bumper. Coming home from down south my fresh water was nearly empty, and my front tank and rear tank were near full. I'm thinking the added weight on the rear bumper with alot less weight on the front may have had some effect on the bounce. Even though I had water in the front gray tank, I had the storage compartments mostly empty to make room for the tubing/supplies I took down, which I didn't bring back. When going north my fresh water tank was full, all other tanks were empty, and I had all the gear re-installed in the front pass thru storage, making it way more hitch heavy. And she rode real nice.

So I think what I'm seeing here is that when possible keep the rear tank empty. Also fab up some type of shock mounts. Also check the condition of the rubber in the equalizer and upgrade/replace if needed. And since I do my best work in the frigid cold, looks like a busy winter.  What I need to do is find a friend with a barn I can borrow for the winter.

Also did a test with the wind deflector. I did this a few years ago with the other trailer and noticed a difference of 1 1/2mpg between it being on and off. Being that its now a new trailer, and reading that because the front caps are so much more aerodynamic, a wind deflector is not needed. So I know that I got 13.3mpg on the flat going down south. heading up north with similar roads without the wing it came in at 12.1 mpg. Not much difference, and honestly driving habits can increase or decrease this much alone. But after seeing the insane amount of bug guts on the front of the cap, the wing is going back on regardless of whatever the mileage may have been. YUUCK!!

[behindbars]

Love my airbags. Only run 30 lbs in them with the 5'er on and it really softens things up.

[Cumminalong]

Yup. I run 35 to 45 depending on how much weight I have in the bed.

[Jims1dodge]

Weigh your camper and figure you need about 20% on the pin to make it ride well. 

[Cumminalong]

Ken,

If you can draw up what you'd need, I'm sure we can fabricate a few brackets to make a simple bolt on kit for a pair of shocks.

A few u-bolts and a bracket to mount to the frame and you'd be all set.

[kenz]

Thanks, just may take you up on the offer. Gonna be awhile, being that the nights are hovering around freezing, and the wife just emptied everything out of the 5'er, I think camping season's done for the year.  Right now I got a bunch of other projects that need to get done before the snow flies. Then I should be able to get to it. I was also thinking that I have a coworker friend that has a pretty large pole barn not being used for anything. Gonna see if he will let me use/rent some space. Would make working on the rig a whole lot more comfy. Then I can get the shocks, steadyfast arms, slide awnings, etc. done before spring. 

[Cumminalong]

Just lemme know. Mine has the enclosed underbelly also, so if need be I can do some test fitting on it.......it's a little warmer here.

lol