my first towing experience

[glenlhein]

On Friday, I picked up my new 2018 Jayco 195rb (baja edition). It has a gvwr of 3750. I'm towing with a 2006 Chevy Silverado 2500HD w/ 6L gas (121k miles). On Saturday morning, I left Phoenix for the high country, up to about 7000 ft elevation. Overall, it went well, and spending a day and night up in the mountains was great.

However, I suspect that my truck needs new shocks. The front end feels quite bouncy when going over dips in the highway. And there is this oscillating feeling when the truck then trailer goes over the dip. The front doesn't keep bouncing, so I suspect the shock is doing some work, but not as much as it should.

I bought the truck used at 72k miles. I have no idea if the previous owner(s) changed the shocks. The shocks don't look aftermarket, so I'm guessing they are the originals.

Here are my truck weights with and without the trailer:

Truck Only
Front: 3200
Rear: 2920
Gross: 6120

Truck and Trailer:
Front: 2980
Rear: 3540
Trailer: 3020

The gross axle weight limit of the trailer is 3500.

I'm not using a WD hitch. I do have an anti-sway bar.

The truck is rated to two 10,000, so it seems like WD hitch is over-kill.

Also, the truck doesn't have any noticable sag in the back end. It squats just a little bit.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QZx...ew?usp=sharing

[ttavasc]

Looking at the picture you linked it appears that the nose of the trailer is just slightly above level. This can contribute to some instability. I had a similar issue with my unit when I first got it. In my case the dealer wasn't familiar with my 4-corner auto-leveling suspension. Once I readjusted to account for the suspension behavior it was a lot more stable. I would suggest dropping the ball down an inch or two to achieve a slightly nose-down posture, then see how it handles and go from there.

It looks like you've got about 400lbs tongue weight. Mine runs about 440lbs with a loaded trailer weight of 3700 and 3260 on the trailer axle. Overall sounds like a successful first outing up in the high desert - one of our favorite places to go. Our youngest daughter went to NAU in Flagstaff so we've spent quite a bit of time in and around that area. She lives in Chandler now so that helps keep us coming back regularly.... :-)

Here's a shot of mine after I lowered the nose to about 1.5" below level:

[glenlhein]

That's interesting about the ball height. The dealer (Little Dealer Little Prices, Phoenix) selected it. It's an 8" lift. When I level the trailer on flat ground, it seems like a 6" lift would be a lot better.

[ttavasc]

Looking at the extended specs for my 2015 the hitch ball height when level is 26" - yours is probably the same. Measure from the ground to the top of the ball and see what that is. It could be that they adjusted a little bit high thinking it might sag more than it is so the 6" rise would probably be a better option.

[glenlhein]

And after looking at things for closely, Little Dealer Little Prices really messed up. The ball mount they used is rated for 3500lbs, but my trailer is 3750lbs. It's also rated for 350lbs tongue weight.

[Midnightmoon]

Get yourself a good adjustable hitch if you don't want to go with a WD hitch. I have a B&W tow and stow for some of my equipment trailers and I am very happy with it.

[Campingteacher79]

I think a weight-distributing hitch may still be a good idea. For a small trailer, it doesn't need to be an expensive one. When I had my 2500 and Springdale 179, I had a hitch with the L-shaped bars and friction sway control that attached to the side with two little balls. I found that it made the truck and trailer move more as one over bumps and dips.

[Campingteacher79]

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by glenlhein

The truck is rated to two 10,000, so it seems like WD hitch is over-kill.

The need for a WDH is not directly related to the towing capacity of the vehicle. In fact that should not really even be considered when thinking about a WDH.

What you do need to look at is how high your front end rises when the trailer is connected. GM spec (in your manual) is to adjust a WDH so that the front fenders are at stock height.

However, with a 2500 I'd be really surprised if you needed a WDH. I think ttavasc raises a good point about the front of your trailer. I will also say that even though that trailer is pretty light for that truck, you'll still feel it going down the road and it will make you bounce more. New shocks and struts will certainly help.

[bdreinv]

Your truck looks pretty new, we did Rancho 5000's 70000 miles back no issues! Thanks

[ShawnR]

You don't need a W/D hitch for that weight but since you're lifting 220 lbs from the front axle it would improve the driving experience to install one. I would replace the shocks due to milage regardless. Bilstein 5100's

[glenlhein]

So, I've lowered the ball mount by two inches, and I had four new shocks installed. The truck does handle better with the new shocks while driving empty. I'll find out Friday how it handles on the highway. I'm headed up towards Woods Canyon Lake, AZ for some National Forest camping with friends :-)

[Tree Catcher]

My wife and I were up at woods canyon lake in June of this year, it was great, we really enjoyed the view from the Rim. Have fun up there. We did that trip with a jeep liberty diesel and the Jayco x17z. We had a great time up there and wish we could have spent more time exploring the forest but sadly the forest was closed due to all of the fire activity up there. Looking forward to going back and exploring the area some more. Hopefully next time we can have an actual campfire.

[glenlhein]

Update: With new shocks, the truck handles better. I've made three trips up to the mountains from Phoenix and I'm happy with the way it tows. My average fuel mileage is even acceptable (averages 10.5 mpg).