RAM 1500 and 21BHS

[ammobob]

Glad you confirmed that our suspensions should be similar. Gotta believe then it has something to do with tongue weight. I will get that done this weekend and kick that number back to you once done. I'll get that and all the other weights Friday when I can hit scales.

[ammobob]

Well I finally got out and got some weights on Friday. Did the tongue weight on bathroom scales and weighted in at 600 +/- (scales did not let me zero and would not pick-up weight of 4x4). Truck came in at 6220 with half tank of gas and no cargo on CAT scales and GCVW 10,650. Trailer came in at 4430 loaded like we would if going camping. So here's the odd part. When I hooked up the campers and ran my Anderson adjustment up to 8 threads (same as I used towing to Yellowstone) the truck stayed level and the camper was up in the front end. So my only conclusion is that I had the bed of the truck overloaded and really hit the tongue harder than anticipated. Have moved the ball on the Anderson down 1 hole but not tried it yet. Will do that this coming weekend. I also installed a set of airbags inside the rear coil springs on Sunday as an added measure for future camping trips. Will work on keeping weight in truck bed in front of rear axle in future also.


Keep you posted on results.

[djsamuel]

Let me know how the air bags work.  Where did you get them?

[ammobob]

[quote timestamp="1437440613" author="@djsamuel" source="/post/13393/thread"]Let me know how the air bags work.  Where did you get them?[/quote]Amazon for $87. Took about an hour to install. Have 30 lbs in them right now and can't really tell they are there but just driving around town doesn't mean much.

[ammobob]

[quote source="/post/13393/thread" timestamp="1437440613" author="@djsamuel"]Let me know how the air bags work.  Where did you get them?[/quote]Heading out on the 13th for a 3 day weekend trip. Plan on hooking up and loading the truck (properly) mid-next week. Will check the drop on the truck, levelness of truck and camper and let you know how the airbags went. Plus if I had to add any air to the bags beyond the 35 lbs recommended. Can go to 100 lbs max but hope like heck I don't need to do that.

[ammobob]

Finally getting the TV and TT leveled out. Truck still dropped 1" with 35 lbs in airbags. I am going to move it up to 50 lbs for our Labor Day trip and see if that makes any difference. I found no difference in ride and towing with the airbags so far. Might change as I introduce additional pressure but day to day at 35 lbs I can't tell they are there. Update again after Labor Day trip and 50 lbs.

[djsamuel]

That looks like a huge improvement.

[mjhall]

Hello Ammobob, I have a 2014 Ram 1500 towing 21 BHS and I get about a 2" squat in rear end with everything loaded up. I do not have weight distribution, as it was not recommended when we purchased the LL and was towing it with an Ford Explorer prior to purchasing the RAM truck.  I was looking at air bags and or Timbren SES suspension bumpers, replacing the yellow ones that sit over the rear axle. http://timbren.com/timbren-ses/  I wonder how the airbags hold up and any issues to look out for.  Did you have to change your receiver set up  drop or height measurement with and with out the air bags?  I need to recheck my receiver measurements too to see if I need a little more height.  We had no trouble towing with our current set up during our trip to FL, no sway passing or being passed by semi's at 65 mph. At one point I hit 70mph not paying attention and the trailer was towing fine, didn't feel any changes in tow effect.  The squat is a bit of a concerning and I read WDH are the best way to remove it, but I'm not comfortable with stressing the aluminum frame with the force from WDH. I spoke to a Ram 2500 truck owner, who's towing a steel frame xtra lite toy hauler and he said he has 3" of squat, that's with leaf springs. If you have any thoughts let me know.

Peter

I tried to upload a picture but I can't figure out how to get it to work.


 

[djsamuel]

I don't think 2" of squat is enough to worry about. My 1500 will squat almost that much if I don't have the Andersen hitch on it but it tows fine. As long as there are no problems towing, I wouldn't worry about it. You're well within the limits of the Ram.

[mjhall]

djsamual, have you notice if the yellow frame bumpers hit the rear axle when your loaded up with trailer and gear (if your truck has coil spring) ? This is my first truck with coil springs and towing a 21' trailer so I didn't think to look at them before with the trailer hooked up and loaded. After the last trip and doing some research to see if the truck squat was excessive or an unsafe condition as some say the truck should be close to level along with the trailer. I think that can be unrealistic depending on set up and load placement. So far towing the camper even through West Virginia mountains I felt safe towing with no weird sway or bounce.  I'm going to take another look at my measurements the next time I'm loaded for a trip. It seems to me the truck can handle the load as it's a light trailer in comparison to others on the market. 
Thanks, Peter

[ammobob]

[quote source="/post/14873/thread" timestamp="1441461442" author="@thiel"]djsamual, have you notice if the yellow frame bumpers hit the rear axle when your loaded up with trailer and gear (if your truck has coil spring) ? This is my first truck with coil springs and towing a 21' trailer so I didn't think to look at them before with the trailer hooked up and loaded. After the last trip and doing some research to see if the truck squat was excessive or an unsafe condition as some say the truck should be close to level along with the trailer. I think that can be unrealistic depending on set up and load placement. So far towing the camper even through West Virginia mountains I felt safe towing with no weird sway or bounce.  I'm going to take another look at my measurements the next time I'm loaded for a trip. It seems to me the truck can handle the load as it's a light trailer in comparison to others on the market. 
Thanks, Peter[/quote]Peter, I looks at replacing the stops but opted for the airbags. Main reason was that when not in use I could let the air out and have same ride I had without the camper. Slightly stiffer ride with them aired to 35 lbs. I do have the Anderson WDS and it provides a little help with WD but not much. I have the RAM dropping around 1" - 2" now. One thing to remember between me and Doug is I have a camper shell on the back of my truck which ads to my hitch weight considering the majority of the shell is behind the rear axle. I pissed off a lot of drives on our Yellowstone trip with the front end of the truck pointing up too much and the headlights hitting them. I have no issues with the set-up as it is now. I would recommend the airbags as a start ($89 investment) and go from there. Might be the only solution you need. Good luck.

[mjhall]

Ammobob, Thank you for the advice. I have a Jason camper topper on my truck, I also packed as much of the heavy weighted items that go into the bed of the truck forward of the axle. I'm going to look at the air bags and give them a try.  I opened a Pinterest account and still trying to figure out how to post pictures correctly. The photo transferred in as huge. The 18' surf ski's on top weight 35 lbs each and that's spread out as the balance mid point of the ski's is at small epic sticker so very little weight on rear saddle points. Other sporting good gear in the back.  It's down a bit in the rear and maybe a slight down pitch on the trailer. Next time I'm loaded going to get some better measurements and level reading.

[djsamuel]

[quote source="/post/14873/thread" timestamp="1441461442" author="@thiel"]djsamual, have you notice if the yellow frame bumpers hit the rear axle when your loaded up with trailer and gear (if your truck has coil spring) ? This is my first truck with coil springs and towing a 21' trailer so I didn't think to look at them before with the trailer hooked up and loaded. After the last trip and doing some research to see if the truck squat was excessive or an unsafe condition as some say the truck should be close to level along with the trailer. I think that can be unrealistic depending on set up and load placement. So far towing the camper even through West Virginia mountains I felt safe towing with no weird sway or bounce.  I'm going to take another look at my measurements the next time I'm loaded for a trip. It seems to me the truck can handle the load as it's a light trailer in comparison to others on the market. 
Thanks, Peter[/quote]Peter,

I have the coil springs and I don't think the truck has even come close to hitting the bumpers. I've loaded the truck down more by hauling something in the bed than with the trailer.  Even without the Andersen hitch the truck sits nice and level.  The fifth post of this thread has a picture of my Ram and 21BHS.  There is no WDH in use in the picture and you can see how level it sits.  The topper on your truck would add a bit of weight in the rear, but I believe the margin is there so you're fine, with more to spare.

Looking at the Ram's numbers, the 21BHS doesn't really come close to the GVWR of the truck.  We've towed from Florida to Arizona and Utah and have never felt like the truck was struggling, at all.


Hope this helps.

Doug

[mjhall]

Thanks Doug,  We ran the tow numbers on the truck before we purchased it, as we knew when we got the trailer we would need a new tow vehicle. Next time I'm loaded up I'll check the measurements and see how close I am to the bumpers. I find towing with the Ram a breeze and have had no issues.

Peter 

[gerry]

I have a 2014 Ram 1500 with air shocks.....I also use the Andersen WD HItch......my trailer is an Access 22....I only need to tighten the Andersen hitch to four threads......it rides level and very smooth....I find I have to look back to make sure it's still there!!  My truck has the small Italian Diesel engine......I have gotten 14 mpg with one motorcycle in it!