New 5th wheel "chucking"

[1carguy]

Just bought a brand new Jayco 5er and we love the new layout over our last 31' bumper pull. The part we don't like is the severe "chucking" motion felt over bumps or dips in the road. I've done a lot of research on this and have found that it is very common and that it is pretty much a process of elimination when it comes to a remedy. Seems that there is no simple solution. Like everyone else, we have a huge investment in our new rig and are now faced with spending even more. If I knew about this condition ahead of time, I probably would have stuck with a bumper pull.

[jal0710]

One possibility might be that, somehow or other, the pin weight has been reduced thereby causing the front of the FW to "jump" up and down over bumps thereby causing the chucking. Maybe you have loaded a bit more in the rear of the FW than the manufacturer expected when they built the FW. Don't give up on it, I'll bet there is a pretty easy fix, in the long run.

[BigJohnD]

MORryde pin box will fix most of that. Are you still running the stock box?

[3'senough]

Originally Posted by BigJohnD

MORryde pin box will fix most of that. Are you still running the stock box?

x2 or 5th Airborne. You will not eliminate it all, but it's 90% less with a cushioned pin.

[JeremiahM]

Yeah, the pin box helps a lot, also, what hitch are you using?

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[bdreinv]

Originally Posted by 1carguy

Just bought a brand new Jayco 5er and we love the new layout over our last 31' bumper pull. The part we don't like is the severe "chucking" motion felt over bumps or dips in the road. I've done a lot of research on this and have found that it is very common and that it is pretty much a process of elimination when it comes to a remedy. Seems that there is no simple solution. Like everyone else, we have a huge investment in our new rig and are now faced with spending even more. If I knew about this condition ahead of time, I probably would have stuck with a bumper pull.

In are 2006 Dodge dully we added rear air bags by Firestone in 2006. Our pin weight is about a ton. We very seldom add more than 15 lbs of air to the bags. Helped a lot they are pretty much maintenance free.

[crumgater]

Is there an adjustment bolt on the hitch?

Ours had a bolt in the middle on the cab-side... loosen it to make un-hitching easier, tighten it after hitching up to stop the chucking when driving.

The other noisy spot on our setup was between the hitch and the bed-rails. We put squares of spongy shelf liner between the hitch and the rails (just around where the joint tabs are), before putting the hitch in the truck, and that cut that noise out completely.

It's a process, but I think you'll really enjoy the stability of towing the 5er!

[troutslayer]

Originally Posted by 1carguy

I probably would have stuck with a bumper pull.

Yea, but once you get the "chucking" taken care of it will be a much better pull. Less sway (if any at all), easier to hook up, more storage space, etc, etc.

[Tail_gunner]

We got the MorRyde pin box as a factory option and put a Pullrite Super 5th 20K hitch in the truck. Tows very smoothly.

[Cdash]

Ditto on the Morryde pin box. Old fifth had a standard box, or new one has a Morryde. Significant difference!

[jwmercer]

As others have said the Moreride Pi box will help a lot with this. In addition you need at least 20% of the weight on the pin. When you scale it out if your not at 20% then u need to adjust your load a little. The proper pin weight will solve 75% of this problem, the Moreride pin box will solve another 15%, the last 10% you have to fine smooth roads or live with it.

[1carguy]

Ok, to answer a few questions: Yes, it's the stock pin box. The hitch I'm using is a Andersen Ultimate hitch with upper ball adapter. The TV is a 2013 GMC Crew Cab 2500HD Duramax, which seems to have all the power (and more) needed to pull this rig. By reading all the specs on the truck and trailer, it falls way within the weight specs for the truck.
You guys might be on to something with the weight. I noticed that the ride home was better than the ride there. The difference was that the FW tank (located behind the trailer axles was down about a 1/3 tank. Also the black and grey tanks (forward of the axles) hadn't been dumped yet but only had maybe 8 gal each. Anyway the pin weight was definitely more coming home and it actually seemed to ride a little better. My DW disagrees with this but I thought it was smoother. My next step will be to empty the FW tank, put some ballast forward of the axle and test drive it. I'm also willing to invest in a new pin box. I'm going to look at MORryde, 5th Aiborne, and TrailAir.

[Cdash]

Originally Posted by 1carguy

I'm going to look at MORryde, 5th Aiborne, and TrailAir.

Just don't lose sight of the fact that you are pulling a heavy trailer. It should pull nicely, but don't let your expectations reach Cadillac levels. You're always going to have some type of feeling from it. Trick is to get it tolerable. I'd suggest playing with the loading and the tank levels until you get more used to pulling it.

Some roads will make a fifth wheel ride like garbage, guessing it is something with the joint spacing and the harmonics.

[Mopar_Earl]

High quality shocks are a must. Ditch the OEM shocks on your truck. OEM shocks aren't much to talk about and are normally bad by 20k. I Prefer Bilstein shocks.

A shock absorbing pin box is another must. I wouldn't own a 5th wheel without one.

Make sure your trailer is loaded correctly. You want plenty of weight on the pin as others have said. Make sure your tires are at the proper pressure for the load.

I would never go back to a bumper pull RV. Soon to take delivery of my 3rd 5th wheel.


Earl

[JeremiahM]

Originally Posted by Mopar_Earl

High quality shocks are a must. Ditch the OEM shocks on your truck. OEM shocks aren't much to talk about and are normally bad by 20k. I Prefer Bilstein shocks.

A shock absorbing pin box is another must. I wouldn't own a 5th wheel without one.

Make sure your trailer is loaded correctly. You want plenty of weight on the pin as others have said. Make sure your tires are at the proper pressure for the load.

I would never go back to a bumper pull RV. Soon to take delivery of my 3rd 5th wheel.


Earl

Everything he just said, I'd never go back either. I too have bilstien shocks and was a huge improvement over oem, but if ya got a little more money, go ahead and the fox 2.0s. I have pretty much no chucking with my combo, truck is an 06 6.0 psd CCLB, has b&w companion and firestone air bags, trailer has the moryde pin box, and cre3000 suspension with 16"wheels and maxxis tires

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[Chrisb-24]

I put this on my hitch and it really works. I copied the description and pasted it here for you to read.
Description:
Thank you for your interest in this New 5th wheel grip slip product which stops the clunk from the King pin sliding on receiving plate and hitting locking ring. Grip Slip will reduce king pin hitch damage, improve towing experience, and extend hitch life. Package includes two piece kit for single hitch application for right and left side of hitch receiving plate/saddle. Lube plate not required. See video link below for Demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hp7S2Vu3Qc

Hopes this helps you.
Chris

[Mopar_Earl]

Originally Posted by Chrisb-24

I put this on my hitch and it really works. I copied the description and pasted it here for you to read.
Description:
Thank you for your interest in this New 5th wheel grip slip product which stops the clunk from the King pin sliding on receiving plate and hitting locking ring. Grip Slip will reduce king pin hitch damage, improve towing experience, and extend hitch life. Package includes two piece kit for single hitch application for right and left side of hitch receiving plate/saddle. Lube plate not required. See video link below for Demo:

Hopes this helps you.
Chris

Wouldn't help for chucking though.


Earl

[etex211]

Originally Posted by 1carguy

Ok, to answer a few questions: Yes, it's the stock pin box. The hitch I'm using is a Andersen Ultimate hitch with upper ball adapter. The TV is a 2013 GMC Crew Cab 2500HD Duramax, which seems to have all the power (and more) needed to pull this rig. By reading all the specs on the truck and trailer, it falls way within the weight specs for the truck.
You guys might be on to something with the weight. I noticed that the ride home was better than the ride there. The difference was that the FW tank (located behind the trailer axles was down about a 1/3 tank. Also the black and grey tanks (forward of the axles) hadn't been dumped yet but only had maybe 8 gal each. Anyway the pin weight was definitely more coming home and it actually seemed to ride a little better. My DW disagrees with this but I thought it was smoother. My next step will be to empty the FW tank, put some ballast forward of the axle and test drive it. I'm also willing to invest in a new pin box. I'm going to look at MORryde, 5th Aiborne, and TrailAir.

Andersen recommends not using any kind of a cushioned pin box with their Ultimate 5th wheel connection.

The easiest solution is to just alter your speed. Most of the chucking occurs on concrete highways when the suspension gets in a rhythm with the joints in the highway. Slowing down about 5 mph might make a world of difference.

[Tail_gunner]

Originally Posted by Tail_gunner

We got the MorRyde pin box as a factory option and put a Pullrite Super 5th 20K hitch in the truck. Tows very smoothly.
Attachment 30219
Attachment 30218

And FWIW, one of the bigger reasons I chose the Pullrite hitch was because of the design of the latch. It is a 'rack & pinion' design that wraps around the king pin. Others have a 'clam-shell' style latch or even just a sliding bar that keeps the pin from coming out of the hitch, but little to keep it from rattling around in the hitch. From my time as a parts department guy in a RV dealer I saw several different types up close. For me, the Pullrite was the one that stood out from the crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR3IavQSGzU

[goducks]

Originally Posted by etex211

Andersen recommends not using any kind of a cushioned pin box with their Ultimate 5th wheel connection.

The easiest solution is to just alter your speed. Most of the chucking occurs on concrete highways when the suspension gets in a rhythm with the joints in the highway. Slowing down about 5 mph might make a world of difference.

Really? Then why are they shown mounting one using a MoRyde pin box?
Scroll down to the video with the Ford truck.

https://www.andersenhitches.com/Cata...onnection.aspx