2024 ram 2500 Uncontrollable Trailer Sway

[turkeybird56]

Heck of a thread with a lot of information. A good read for a Novice Person towing a Big Load to learn a lot of good things.

I tow local, no WDH, STOCK TRAILER 2,150 LBS plus LOAD, usually 4K of hay. No issues. Trailer weight all the same as fully loaded. BUT I drive to conditions and no hurry, and sure happy I have electric brakes.

TOO BAD the OP ghosted and not came back, lol. PPL sure going on and no OP, so funny, to me.


But I's just a BOIRD. What do I know? lol.

 

[Dean2]

I honestly do not believe the OP is willing to take any responsibility for this accident. He 100% wants to blame the pickup for the issue, and posting anything other than that is not going to be valued by him. Unless he can come back and show that the vehicle had mechanical issues, then his contention is nonsense.

He clearly screwed up on the tongue weight, level towing, lack of proper brakes and likely weight position on the trailer, cause those are the only things that lead to a trailer swaying out of control. Even a severely overload pickup won't cause trailer sway, it would cause lack of steering control or problems stopping, but it doesn't make the trailer fishtail..

Hate to say it, but "Told You So". Like I said before, show us the mechanical defect on the pickup or Bog off!

It is not going to matter one lick if 5000 people tell this OP the same thing. He is going to deny, deflect, and shortly disappear because we aren't validating him with a participation trophy.

I posted this Feb 6th and 7th. OP did not get the love and support he was looking for. He is not coming back because we are a bunch of meanies. Turned into a good info thread but don't expect it to solve the OP's issues because he isn't reading this

 

[markabby]

when i tow, the heaviest weight is over the axles. From there light stuff evenly distributed. I have air suspension too, (1500) but it also has front and rear anti sway suspension...according to the sticker.

only time i had a sway issue was with a 1998 ford f150 hauling a trailer filled with oak firewood. they loaded the wood with the weight towards the back. I had to pull over and struggle to adjust the weight. problem solved and lesson learned.

i'm really happy with this 2020 Ram, never any problems, but, wife has been after me to trade it in for a GMC Yukon Denali SUV...ugh. So, to convince her otherwise, i showed her the prices...lol

 

[joesstripclub]

I too am having problems with my 2024 RAM 2500 Power Wagon, all factory tires sizes,
B & W hitch, no add on suspension pieces. Had a 2019 RAM 2500 Power Wagon as well and never
had the problem pulling the same loads and trailers. A trip I just got back from hauling
4,000# load on a 32 PJ Gooseneck, good trailer, tires, etc. When accelerating above 60 mph the
truck starts doing a top heavy side to side rolling action, if you don't come out of it, probably would
jack knife the trailer, very uncomfortable. Funny this is after delivering the equipment, it started
doing it worse empty, also does it on my car hauling trailer that is a bumper pull. Currently have
it in the shop now having the suspension looked at, also the Axle Lock light flashes, won't go out
or lock in the on position. The mechanic says they have no stored codes in history relating to
the situation, so going to get my 32' tomorrow and for for a ride with the mechanic to see if
it throws a code. BTW, I've had probably 12 Rams by now and haven't ever seen anything
like this. Any ideas maybe on the tires, have 34000+.View attachment 564012

Look into getting some helper air bags. Putting bags on because you are maxing out a 1500 or a standard 2500 is just masking the issue as you are maxing out other components as well, not just the springs. On the PW with its softer suspension though, you can air them down and have your offroad capability and air them up and basically have a standard 2500. My brother had the same issue with his, poor towing performance when he got it but after he added bags to it, it now does great with some really heavy stuff. Has a trailer behind it 1/3 of the time now I would guess.

Does your PW have factory air or coil springs? I added air bags with cradles to mine and it pulls a 10k toy hauler bumper pull with no issues.

 

[Ratman6161]

Theory. I have a 22 !aramje gas engine 2500 with springs and no air bags. My payload rating is 2939. Most similarly equipped diesels I've seen have payloads in the 2200 range. Minimum tongue weight for a 10k trailer would be 1000. Unloaded except for batteries and propane, my travel trailer was 7034 on a CAT scale with a TW of 914 or about 13%. my WDH weighs 106 so the total weight added to the back of the truck by hooking up the trailer is 1020...so about the same as the minimum for a 10K cargo trailer. According to the CAT scale, my front axle was losing 320# even with my weight distribution bars in place. I dialed in some more weight distribution but havent reweighed. I think without the WDH, my front axle would be way to light. Would the weight of the heavy diesel engine in the front help? Dont know. Is the ops TW heavier than mine? Don't know but probably. So based on my experience, my theory is that his front axle was way to lite. As others have said, the air suspension made the truck and trailer look level which masked the issue. Solution: get a good WDH. No, I would not weigh it every single time. But then again, there isn't going to be a huge difference in the weight of our camper from one trip to the next. I do, do the measure the front method once at the start of every trip. If inhad an equipment trailer that could vary a lot, I'd probably get one of the weigh safe hitches with the built in scales.

 

[Maycraft1800]

I have a brand new 2024 Ram 2500 Crew Cab Laramie with the air bag suspension (Christmas Present!!).
At 842 Miles I towed a 16' loaded car trailer (10,000#) w/hydraulic brakes.
Hitting a bump, just before a curve, caused the trailer to sway uncontrollably resulting in a jack-knife into a fence accident.
I have tows trailers and loads of all sizes countless times and am no rookie by any means (for any nay-sayers).
But, it seems getting rid of the tried and true leaf springs and moving all rear end support way inside the frame has severely compromised the stability and safe usability of these "Heavy Duty" trucks, and replacing the heavy springs with rubber air bags only made it worse.
Has anyone else had any kind of issues with these trucks swaying while towing?
Does anyone know how to "fix" this problem for real and not just put a band-aid on it?
If you have, and/or do, please reach out to me directly
I'd love to hear about everyone's experiences and fixes.

I had a 2011 ram 1500 with leave springs and towed my 7000 lb camper up and down the east coast and it handled great.. I bought a 2016 ram 1500 bighorn with coil springs and air bags and it scared me. Just a little sway but it does feel like it bounces left to right like a see saw.. Can’t wait to get rid of this truck….

 

[Dean2]

Op still hasn't been back I see. What a shame.

 

[LouM]

This has been an interesting thread, I have changed tow vehicles this summer. I've gone from a 1500 Laramie with the full air suspension to a 2500 Laramie with the rear air suspension.
Neither one has given me any handling issues, my heaviest load with the 1500 was 4 tons of coal on a heavy 14K deck over trailer. Now that truck did spin out on the driveway and I had to call for assistance. My brother came over got the tractor and snaked me right on up.
This 2500 has had about 12,600 pounds of concrete block on my 14K aluminum deckover absolutely no issues on the road, dropped her into low range first gear and walked up the driveway with no issue, I did have my brother over and going up in front of me just in case on the first load (driveway is dirt/gravel and a 14-16 degree slope, 20-23%).

Only 3 and half blocks, I do like the weigh safe indicating hitch

 

[Pitpig]

Thank you for all your replies. Let me clarify some things.
It had hydraulic brakes so TBC doesn't matter, nor should it.
All tires were max pressure.
Bought a brand new Reese drop hitch (2.5" to remove sleeve slop) to make sure the trailer was level.
Truck loaded and overly secured on trailer nose first, tongue weight not an issue.
The truck has the stock air suspension, so there are no rear coil springs, only rubber air bags to hold up the rear end.
No, a WDW was not being used, nor has this trailer ever needed one to pull safely, and it has been used to haul large fork lifts, tractors, skid steers and more without thought.
Until putting behind this air ride Ram, it pulled like a dream.
Like I said, I'm no rookie. I've pulled trailers of every size and load, in every king of weather, wind, rain, snow, 50/60+ cross winds (those will make you pucker), through the Rockies, north and south across country without incident.
My father-in-law, who probably has more experience than me, also checked over the set up, as father-in laws like to do!
Believe me when I say the set up was correct.
So, any other thoughts/suggestions?
Please, do keep them coming.
This truck is not safe and need to be able to be made so.

I have to agree with you. I have a 2022 with air suspension. With a pallet of deer corn (2000lb) in the bed against the cab, it sways excessively. Not uncontrollably, but it definitely get your attention. That being said , I also tow a 33 foot fifth wheel camper and have not had any noticeable issues with swaying.

 

[miket1]

I have a brand new 2024 Ram 2500 Crew Cab Laramie with the air bag suspension (Christmas Present!!).
At 842 Miles I towed a 16' loaded car trailer (10,000#) w/hydraulic brakes.
Hitting a bump, just before a curve, caused the trailer to sway uncontrollably resulting in a jack-knife into a fence accident.
I have tows trailers and loads of all sizes countless times and am no rookie by any means (for any nay-sayers).
But, it seems getting rid of the tried and true leaf springs and moving all rear end support way inside the frame has severely compromised the stability and safe usability of these "Heavy Duty" trucks, and replacing the heavy springs with rubber air bags only made it worse.
Has anyone else had any kind of issues with these trucks swaying while towing?
Does anyone know how to "fix" this problem for real and not just put a band-aid on it?
If you have, and/or do, please reach out to me directly
I'd love to hear about everyone's experiences and fixes.

Curious, how fast were you going ?

 

[JJEH]

when i tow, the heaviest weight is over the axles.

That blanket statement can get you in trouble, because it's the tongue weight that will make or break you.





2007 Malibu curb weight ~3,297 lbs, so this one was a tad heavier.
U-Haul trailer ~2,000 lbs
= ~5,297 lbs total weight.

Tongue weight ~760 lbs, which comes back to ~ 14% of the total weight.

This thing drove live a dream, didn't even flinch pulling that weight to be honest.

IF the main weight would have been over the axles (i.e. car loaded backwards, which U-Haul doesn't allow), the tongue weight would have been too light, and potentially deadly sway could have occurred.

Tongue Weight Safety Demonstration

Proper trailer tongue weight improves the vehicle and trailer towing experience by improving performance. Not enough tongue weight or force on the hitch/tow ...

youtu.be

I highly recommend Weigh Safe hitches. No more guessing, worth the money, and made in the U.S.!!!