Need help with a strange trailer problem

[montanaman]

Well I have owned a trailer for a few years now that just tows like junk. It's a 24' gooseneck rated at 14'000 lbs and has Dexter axles with slipper spring suspension. The reason I have put up with it for this long is that life just goes by fast.

When I bought the trailer and towed it home empty, within a few miles, I noticed that it seemed to buck when you hit bumps in the road. I figured that with some weight on it, it would calm down. I made a few highway trips with it loaded and it never got any better. I called the dealer about it and was told that they build two of these a day and just don't get any complaints about them. We talked about the hitch I had, the gooseneck height, etc. He wanted me to tow it back to him so he could have a look but winter set in and it just never happened. I have a few trailers so this only gets pulled with two tractors on it. Time went by and the next time I needed it, I got upset again and called him. At this point, we agreed that there is no reason that I should put up with a trailer bucking like this and I was told that he would pick it up and take a look at it. As I'm sure you guessed, more time went by and that didn't happen. So I still have a low miles 04 trailer that bucks!

To explain the problem, it is like the jolly green giant is grabbiing the gooseneck ball and shoving the truck back and forth when you hit a bump or even expansion joints on the road. It is bad enough at times that if my wife is with me, she has to cross her arms across her chest.

It has done this with both a HD2500 and a 1 Ton dually, both with B&W turnover ball hitches.

The last time I talked to the dealer, he suggested that there could be a chance that the equalizers and spring eye bolts were all too tight??? I don't know if this could cause this and why it took him two years to think of this but I just wonderd if anyone thought this could be the trouble? I guess it's easy to picture the new kid not knowing any better and jamming everything down with an impact gun.

I can't continue towing this thing the way it is and will not sell it as is but I sure can't just go buy another trailer and burn this one up for scrap so any suggestions would be appreciated!!

I will leave the company name out of this as I think they are a good company and they produce a lot of trailers. I have also talked to a few people with the exact same trailer that have reported NO problems. I have measured the frame rails to the spring hangers and it seems like everything is square.

I have looked at every aspect of the truck and hitch and like I said, the trailer has behaved the same on two different trucks.

The thing is still buried in snow so I haven't had a chance to look at it but I will be needing it soon.

Thanks,
Ken

 

[BrianW]

Can't really help you on this one, but if it makes you feel any better I have a fifth wheel travel trailer that tows like a dream as far as sway is concerned. Tractor trailers do not even affect it like they did with my travel trailer, but when I hit bumps it feels like the hand of god is pushing and pulling my pickup! My wife has no need to cross her arms though (unfortunately).

 

[montanaman]

Can't really help you on this one, but if it makes you feel any better I have a fifth wheel travel trailer that tows like a dream as far as sway is concerned. Tractor trailers do not even affect it like they did with my travel trailer, but when I hit bumps it feels like the hand of god is pushing and pulling my pickup! My wife has no need to cross her arms though (unfortunately).

Just curious as to what you tow it with?? I had been thinking of changing out the shocks on my truck as I hear some find much better towing with good aftermarket shocks.

Just hate the thought of making the mortgage payment on the truck ANY replacing parts with 3,000 miles on them too!

Ken

 

[George2615]

I will agree with what the dealer told you that the equalizer and spring eye bolts may be over tight not allowing proper movement. I'm guessing you have electric brakes and no surge brake that could be malfunctioning. Also check the height of the gooseneck mount. Mine was set too high when I got it and the trailer frame at the axles was not level. What tipped me off to this was when I replaced my brakes I noticed that the rear axle tires had rubbed against the under side of the deck boards where the front axle tires had not. This put more weight on the rear axle than the front but did not cause the back and forth motion you describe. Mine is 20' plus 4' dovetail and I'm guessing yours is too. It may just be the distance between your trucks rear wheels and the trailer wheels is setting up a harmonic movement at the road expansion joints. You can also check the spring eye bushings for wear. Forgot to mention I tow mine with a 2500HD also but have the extended cab. A friend of mine has the same 2500HD but no extended cab and he gets that front and back movement with any trailer he tows. He says its because of the shorter wheelbase.

 

[montanaman]

I will agree with what the dealer told you that the equalizer and spring eye bolts may be over tight not allowing proper movement. I'm guessing you have electric brakes and no surge brake that could be malfunctioning. Also check the height of the gooseneck mount. Mine was set too high when I got it and the trailer frame at the axles was not level. This put more weight on the rear axle than the front but did not cause the back and forth motion you describe. Mine is 20' plus 4' dovetail and I'm guessing yours is too. It may just be the distance between your trucks rear wheels and the trailer wheels is setting up a harmonic movement at the road expansion joints. You can also check the spring eye bushings for wear.

Yep, same deal, 20+4. Electric brakes too. The trailer does sit just a tad high in the front but it doesn't have the high-rise gooseneck like some trailers do. If I go to the next lower hole, I'll run the risk of a neck to truck problem so I'm stuck with what I have!

I figure it is less than ideal but there is nothing I can do about that and if the equalizers ARE working, the load should still be balanced between the axles.

With a good load, it is pretty close to level.

That is one suggestion I would have for anyone looking for a gooseneck equipment trailer. A high gooseneck is good insurance to have!! I've been in some off-camber situations where I've been SOOO close to the trailer contacting the bed! I've also avoided a few situations that I wasn't too sure about but there could be that one day that I'm not thinking about it and that would really stink!!

Ken

 

[BTDT]

First opportunity, take it back to him. He has already said he would look to see what problem is, let him. I know you said he would pick up, the second time you called, but I would take it and give him the chance to make it right. You may get a "new" trailer if he see's it's not been abused, and you have a legitimate complaint. Good luck.

 

[CATMAN]

I think George2615 might possibly be on to something with the electric brake system. If there was a broken return spring inside the hub that was suppose to hold the brake shoes in the "released" position, but if broke it, would allow the magnet to swing freely on every bump. This may cause the brakes to intermittently lock and unlock. I would think you would hear tire squeal if it truely lock up the wheel/tire for any distance thou. Just a thought.

 

[BrianW]

montanaman,
I tow my fifth wheel with a Dodge 3/4 ton diesel. I have only had one fifth wheel and I have never towed a gooseneck so the other answers you are getting here are much more informed than mine. I have talked to a lot of other fifth wheel camper folks and they have all described the problem just like you did. Of course we are all towing loaded trailers. In the fifth wheel hitch market there is an air ride hitch to help soften the "Jolly Green Giant" effect.
I have a friend who has a 4X4 that sits high. He could not lower his fifth wheel hitch enough to make his trailer sit level due to truck bed clearance problems. The trailer dealer flipped the axles on the trailer to raise the trailer up. I don't know if that is an option on your trailer.

 

[Bird]

All good advice so far. Like BrianW, my brother's 38' three axle heavy Carriage fifth-wheel had a tendency to buck when he hit bumps. He tows with a F350, 2-WD, crew cab dually powerstroke. He solve the problem by changing to a Moryde pin box attachment on the hitch that absorbs that motion. We went to the Dallas RV Show at Market Hall today and I noticed lots of the big fifth-wheel trailers were equipped with that Moryde or another brand that does the same thing.

But of course that can't be done with the gooseneck trailer. Getting everything level will undoubtedly help some, but sometimes very simple things can be seen by hitch experts that others will overlook. It was in 1975 that I bought a little 18' conventional pull, 4000 pound travel trailer and let the dealer install the hitch on my Olds. It looked good but bucked even without hitting bumps. The RV dealer sent me to a hitch dealer who took one look at and said to raise the ball one inch and tilt it back about 1/8 inch and that fixed it.

 

[montanaman]

First opportunity, take it back to him. He has already said he would look to see what problem is, let him. I know you said he would pick up, the second time you called, but I would take it and give him the chance to make it right. You may get a "new" trailer if he see's it's not been abused, and you have a legitimate complaint. Good luck.

That has been the plan for a long time! You know, this is the reason that I have been suggesting to customers to buy local even if it isn't the best price and it turns out that I am just as guilty!!

We don't have a lot of trailer places near me and the ones that we do,don't usually stock gooseneck trailers, so I made a 100 mile or so trip each way to get this one and finding the time to make that trip again is tougher that it should be!!

Hopefully in the future I'll be stocking and selling a few trailers and at that point, I'll want to sell the one I have and replace it with the brand I'll be selling. Really bad business practice to sell one brand but use another!!

If the spring parts aren't way too tight, I'm going to just have to make the time to get this back to where I bought it. The weather has turned cold again here but I'm going to work on getting it moved and looked over this Sunday. I need it to move a few loaders and a backhoe that are on pallets because my bumper pull has sides and doesn't work well for side loading so it needs to come out now either way.

At this point, 15 gallons of fuel and most of the day is cheap if it can make this problem go away!

I also think that as severe as this problem is, the owner of the company that built it needs to experience it with a test drive! This is a c-channel frame trailer but he swears that the channel is a higher weight per foot that most of the I beam used for trailers and actually has less deflection so it can't be caused by the gooseneck flexing. That's really what the problem feels like to me though?

Ken