2500 Ram Box air ride rocking back and forth with a 5th wheel camper

[MrThury]

I have a 2020 2500 Diesel Ram Box with factory air ride. When I'm pulling my camper, 42' weighing 14,000 lbs it starts rocking back and forth once I get above 65 mph. It has done this since new. I have 2 large 5th wheel campers and it does it with either one. I'm sure it isn't the campers because it doesn't do it with my 97 GMC longbox. It has also done it one time when I had about 500 lbs of weight in the bed and went over an interstate overpass. I finally took it to the dealer once I knew it wasn't the campers. The weight in the bed was a tell tale to me that it wasnt the camper. The service department says they cannot find anything wrong in the rear end. They are saying they are sure the camper weighs to much. I will be taking it to a scale one of these first days to verify the hitch weight along with the camper weight. Has anyone else had this problem, and if you did how did you fix it?

 

[jejb]

Measure the pin weights of your RV's, weight of the truck and do the math. I'm pretty sure you're going to find you've exceeded the truck's capacity.

I have the same basic truck, 22 2500 air suspended Rambox CTD. I bought it knowing I was not going to tow anything near as heavy as you tow, and I've never had any problem with the air suspension.

 

[Riccochet]

^^^^^

You are way over payload for that truck.

 

[68PowerWagon]

Is your GMC a 3/4 or 1 ton? The long box on it stretches the wheel base out so that might be helping some with that. That much weight you probably should be using a 1 ton SRW or even better DRW. As stated above, you likely are going to be over on 1, if not both of your truck axles.

 

[stevenP]

I also have a 2500 with the factory air ride option. I noticed the same type of rocking ride when pulling my fifth wheel, used the alternate ride setting(button on dash) which lowers the ride height..it helped. My fiver isnt as heavy as yours though.

 

[runamuck]

may not be the cause but I imagine you are over loaded. I have '22 2500 dsl laramie and my payload is only 2100#. a 14000# 5er may have 1800# pin wt. or more. could also be a hitch issue. my truck does not have air ride but I do have the factory pucks and use a B&W slider and roto-flex pin box. my 9000# 5er rides pretty smooth.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Demasiado payload. Like way demasiado.

 

[2003F350]

First, many of these guys in this thread are correct - you're under-trucked. Your 42' fifth wheel likely weighs 14k EMPTY. Loaded it could weigh as much as 18k depending on what your GVW on it is. Your pin weight is likely north of 1800 lbs, depending on layout could be closer to 3000 lbs (a front kitchen or front living room layout).

You've really got the wrong truck for the job. I pulled a 42' toyhauler and a 43' Jayco Pinnacle front living layout, and it squatted the dually I had at the time enough that I was on the secondary springs. The Pinnacle had roughly 2700 lbs of pin weight too.

Having just gotten a '22 2500 CTD, I wouldn't put that much weight on the back of it.

 

[MrThury]

When I ordered the truck I asked the salesman about the 3500. He thought I would be okay with the 2500. The tow ratings we found listed were 19,810 and 3180 for cargo weight. The cargo weight listed on the door of the one I have is 2034 lbs. The one camper I'm pulling is a Jayco Pinnacle that is completely empty including furniture. The other is a toyhauler with 2 big bikes in it. I'm sure I am overloading the pin weight with the toy hauler. The thing that aggravates me most is I could pull both of them just fine with my 2014 ¾ ton Ford diesel. Even my 97 ¾ ton GMC pulls them ok but does really squat. It just doesn't have the power when there are hills. I traded the Ford because I wanted modern comforts. The other thing that makes me question that there may be something wrong with the truck is that it started rocking extremely bad when I went over an overpass in a curve on the interstate with around 500 lbs of fencing in the bed.
Bottom line, I will be taking it to the scale and getting some exact numbers to see where everything stands.

 

[mrack]

Asking the salesman is where you messed up… never ever go off what the truck or trailer sales people say as you’re finding out the hard way. Hope you can figure out a solution

 

[MrThury]

The salesman and GM of the store is my nephew. We looked at what the published numbers were. I ordered it around the beginning of February 2020 and got it the end of July. His reasoning for not going with the 3500 was the 3500 rides much rougher. When unloaded. The other thing I just remembered is I have a friend with pretty much the exact same Jayco camper and a 2020 2500 long box without air ride. He has a 100 gallon fuel tank in the pickup plus their camper is full of extra weight (unneeded junk) and they run down the interstate 75 to 80 mph without a problem.

 

[Tulecreeper]

The closest Jayco Pinnacle that I can find at 42 total feet is the 37MDQS; it is 41' 7" exterior length. It has a dry pin weight of 2920#, and a dry UVW of 14,395. The rule of thumb with trailers - bumper-pull or 5th-wheel - is to add 25% - 30% to the hitch weight after you load your gear. I'm surprised you can even get it rolling with that much weight hanging on the back. God forbid you have to slam on the brakes in an emergency. Even the next model smaller still has a dry pin weight of 2710#. You're way overloaded.

 

[Tulecreeper]

The salesman and GM of the store is my nephew. We looked at what the published numbers were. I ordered it around the beginning of February 2020 and got it the end of July. His reasoning for not going with the 3500 was the 3500 rides much rougher. When unloaded. The other thing I just remembered is I have a friend with pretty much the exact same Jayco camper and a 2020 2500 long box without air ride. He has a 100 gallon fuel tank in the pickup plus their camper is full of extra weight (unneeded junk) and they run down the interstate 75 to 80 mph without a problem.

Until...

Another rule of thumb. Never...never...tow anything faster than 65 MPH. No one is ever in that much of a hurry. And I have a 15k+ towing capacity with 3900# of cargo capacity, towing a 10,000# TT with a 900# hitch weight.

 

[MrThury]

The closest Jayco Pinnacle that I can find at 42 total feet is the 37MDQS; it is 41' 7" exterior length. It has a dry pin weight of 2920#, and a dry UVW of 14,395. The rule of thumb with trailers - bumper-pull or 5th-wheel - is to add 25% - 30% to the hitch weight after you load your gear. I'm surprised you can even get it rolling with that much weight hanging on the back. God forbid you have to slam on the brakes in an emergency. Even the next model smaller still has a dry pin weight of 2710#. You're way overloaded.

I agree I am overloaded on pin weight without even weighing anything. As far as adding anything extra weight wise I'm selling the Jayco so it is %100 empty there is also nothing currently in my pickup. I just took the camper out of storage so I can park it on a consignment lot. The only added weight is the hitch in the pickup. It was swaying worse than I remember. As far as being able to stop I have noticed that when I'm pulling my campers my safe driving monitor says I'm braking excessively hard. I've almost always felt I have a shorter stopping distance with the camper brakes doing their thing.

 

[Ratman6161]

I agree I am overloaded on pin weight without even weighing anything....

Yup, there's your problem.

 

[yrraljguthrie]

Just because your other trucks didn't rock doesn't mean they weren't overloaded also. They were. And maybe(likely) they were just as dangerous to drive as your Ram that rocks. Maybe it's doing you a favor by telling you to get a bigger truck. A 42 foot fifth wheel on a 3/4 ton truck is just asking for trouble. Ludicrous. The other commenters were being courteous by not calling you out more forcefully. That's heavy and long for a 1 ton truck.

 

[Johnnyroastbeef]

I have a 19 2500 CTD and I use it to haul payloads around 1900 lbs. I notice the truck rocks a little, especially when I start from a dead stop. It feels almost like a super heavy cross wind? if anyone knows that feeling. I bet if i'm not slightly over, i'm close, to the max payload.

 

[68PowerWagon]

Ya know they claim that on these air rides that each bag is supposed to compensate for the other going around curves, hitting pot holes & such. It almost sounds like yours is giving you the opposite effect. Like whatever sensor is supposed to monitor that is wired backwards. I am not really impressed with the rear air ride in my new truck. Sure in the heck not for an additional $1,700. I feel like my 2016 2500 with coils & after market air bags, handled my 5th wheel (12,500lbs.) better than my 1 ton with factory air. Your nephew was right, the 1 ton does ride a lot stiffer when unloaded. Many people don't like coils on a truck, but I thought they rode great & had very little squat when heavily loaded.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I have a 19 2500 CTD and I use it to haul payloads around 1900 lbs. I notice the truck rocks a little, especially when I start from a dead stop. It feels almost like a super heavy cross wind? if anyone knows that feeling. I bet if i'm not slightly over, i'm close, to the max payload.

Your payload is on the sticker on your B-pillar. That will tell you for sure.

 

[2003F350]

The salesman and GM of the store is my nephew. We looked at what the published numbers were. I ordered it around the beginning of February 2020 and got it the end of July. His reasoning for not going with the 3500 was the 3500 rides much rougher. When unloaded. The other thing I just remembered is I have a friend with pretty much the exact same Jayco camper and a 2020 2500 long box without air ride. He has a 100 gallon fuel tank in the pickup plus their camper is full of extra weight (unneeded junk) and they run down the interstate 75 to 80 mph without a problem.

Your friend is living dangerously pulling his camper that fast. It's just not safe to pull something THAT BIG, THAT FAST. You just can't stop it or maneuver as well in emergency situations. He may never end up in such a situation, but why risk it?