Question on gooseneck

Chris611 · May 25, 2010

I just started pulling a 25' Loadmax 14K gooseneck trailer with my '05 Duramax Crew cab short bed. I pull an 8000lb pickup on the trailer. Last weekend was my first weekend pulling this setup. I noticed a lot of for aft jerking when hitting bumps in the road or on rough roads. Is this normal? Do I have a weight balance issue?

Thanks
Chris

LaVoie Equipment · May 25, 2010

You could have several different issues. First go to a known flat area, length of vehicle. Measure height at center of axles (equalizer), then measure at front of deck. You should be a minimum of 1" higher at front of deck. Now there will be varying opinions on this, but typically this is where we start for a dually. You may want to be 2" at front for single wheel truck.

Second; do you have coupler tensioners (bolts) around the coupler? Some manufacturers are doing this and this will remove a lot of the bucking.

Load positioning could be a problem. Gooseneck trailers are designed to carry more tongue weight....

Lastly, it could be your hitch. B & W makes (my opinion) the nicest gooseneck hitch for any truck. Standard position for the ball is 4" to 6" in front of the rear axle - towards the cab. Less than 4" will cause bucking - not enough weight transfer to front of truck.

Now, some forward and rear movement is going to happen with any replaceable / turn over ball hitch. If you are using a drawtite or reese hide-away ball this could be your problem - they have been known to have excessive amounts. I am not knocking them just trying to help.

Tony

Diamondpilot · May 25, 2010

The post above was excellent. Very good advise give. 9 times out of 10 its the placement of the ball in relation to the rear axle or the amount of pin weight.

Chris

tractorboy5500 · May 25, 2010

Maybe you didnt have enough weight on the ball, it will jerk around if you dont have enough tongue weight.

Chris611 · May 25, 2010

Some good advice. I will check into the front being higher than the rear. I have a BOSS flip ball gooseneck hitch and mounted it where the directions said for the short bed I have. I can't remember the exact number, but I can believe it's close to the 4-6" ahead of the rear axle. The trailer is pretty close to my toolbox when hooked up. The BOSS hitch is appears to be exactly like the B&W flip ball. I compared mine to a buddy with a B&W and I'd say it's an exact copy. Only difference is I can't store my ball upside down in the holder, I can only remove it completely. Maybe next time I will try putting the truck farther ahead on the trailer. It is squating the truck pretty good, so I figured that was far enough. I also think maybe I should shim the ball in the socket. I did hear it clank when going from forward to reverse.

I don't get much bouncing or squating of the truck when I hit bumps. That feels good. My biggest complaint is the "jerking" for and aft.

wmonroe · May 25, 2010

Any time I have had a for/aft jerking feeling it has been because I didn't have the load set up quite right.
The clanking would concern me if your hitch is set up like a B&W. I have a B&W and have no clanking. Check and make sure everything is bolted up tight.

jayste · May 25, 2010

I would definately check out the "clanking" noise. I've had numerous gooseneck hitches and never had a clanking noise. As others have said, jerking motion may be the weight position on the trailer. Let us know how it goes. Again, find out what's clanking for sure.:thumbsup:

Diamondpilot · May 25, 2010

Check the clanking. A big complaint I have from lots of my customers is the low GVWR of the 2500 series GM trucks. It is only 8,800# which is light. Your truck weighs about 7,000# plus whatever you have in it, (tool box/tools/chains/ect), and the people riding may only leave 1,200# or less for available pin weight. I hate doing this because its a band aid in my eyes but a set of Rear Air Bags or Over Load Springs may be in order.

That Load Max is probably in the 5,200# range empty plus the 8,000# truck and chains its at the max for a 2500 GM. The simple fact is the engine and tranny are way more capable than the chassis. That is why I always advise my customers to skip a 3/4 ton and go strait to a 1 ton SRW. I know your pain. I bought a new 3/4 ton Diesel 4x4 F-250 with 10,000# GVWR in 2004. Less than 6 months later we got a new boat and it was too much for it. I limped by for a year then got a Diesel 4x4 F-350 with 11,500# GVWR and it was a world of difference.

Chris

tractorboy5500 · May 25, 2010

Chris611 said:
Some good advice. I will check into the front being higher than the rear. I have a BOSS flip ball gooseneck hitch and mounted it where the directions said for the short bed I have. I can't remember the exact number, but I can believe it's close to the 4-6" ahead of the rear axle. The trailer is pretty close to my toolbox when hooked up. The BOSS hitch is appears to be exactly like the B&W flip ball. I compared mine to a buddy with a B&W and I'd say it's an exact copy. Only difference is I can't store my ball upside down in the holder, I can only remove it completely. Maybe next time I will try putting the truck farther ahead on the trailer. It is squating the truck pretty good, so I figured that was far enough. I also think maybe I should shim the ball in the socket. I did hear it clank when going from forward to reverse.

I don't get much bouncing or squating of the truck when I hit bumps. That feels good. My biggest complaint is the "jerking" for and aft.

A normal messurement is 3" to 4" in front of the rear axle, mind is about 3", i had it installed when i had the bed liner spayed in. This also helps with putting weight on the front axle some.