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oldnbold
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2004
10:52:35
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 Subject: shocks for towing
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I've been towing my 6 x 12 enclosed dirt bike trailer approx weight 1800 lbs loaded with my '01 4.7 auto 3.55 club cab 2WD with 90k miles. the suspension is all original mfg equip. The ride is, IMO ,exceptionally rough. Tongue weight is about 200lbs (loaded) on the class III hitch. As a long time Motocross racer I think what is happening is the shocks are blowing through the compression stroke and then rebounding too slowly making successive bumps harsher and harsher. A friend pulled my trailer with a full sized van and the ride was much much smoother. The truck/trailer also has a tendency to front wheel slide during wet weather as if the weight bias is too far rearward (stock Eagle LS 16's). During cornering ,at speed, with bumps in curve causes the rear to "skip" outward making me oversteer.
Any suggestions for a cure?
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EBL
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2004
12:37:29
| RE: shocks for towing
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I think you are on the right track with replacing the shocks. It made an unbelievable difference when I replaced the 10 year old originals on mine :)
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jaggy
GenIII
1/21/2004
13:06:19
| RE: shocks for towing
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Shocks will help for the bumps and ride issues.
they will not help for the front end loosing traction. overload or helper spring would help support the weight of the trailer better.
Any good hydrolic shock will dramaticly improve your handleing all the way arround. I would recomend starting with those, all 4. I like the Rancho 5000 for an entry level or 9000's if you want to be able to stiffen them while towing or 4 wheeling.
good luck.
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hmmm
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2004
14:15:47
| RE: shocks for towing
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oldnbold,
What you describe is generally what happens to the factory shocks. Mine had at least 2" of freeplay on the compression stroke. You coul literally compress it by turning it over with your hand.
I would go with a HD gas shock for towing like the XD Bruiser from Gabriel, sold by CarQuest or the Monro-Matic Plus from Monroe. IMHO those are your best bets without blowing up your wallet. You don't need an offroad shock for towing. Towing and controlling a load is way way different than wheeling.
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AndrewM
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2004
15:53:25
| RE: shocks for towing
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You also might want to consider a weight distributing hitch.
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ohmygod
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2004
18:01:50
| RE: shocks for towing
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a wieght distrubuting hitch for a 1800 lb trailer LMFAO. that is only a 180 or 200 lb tongue load a TRUCK. heck you can pull that safely with a ball on your bumper!!!!!!
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2004
19:03:09
| RE: shocks for towing
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I put on the Carquest XD Bruiser shocks 2 years ago and wasn't that impressed with the ride and handling change, but it did improve some. I don't like that the truck will oscillate with the bumps of concrete freeways, buckled sections, going 75mph. Pulling my 2500# boat, 200# tongue weight, at 65 makes the problem worse. Without the boat and 300-400# in the back of the bed the truck rides as smooth as glass. I think this is the same problem that oldnbold is describing.
I have ridden in other cars and trucks that don't ocsilate going over these bumps, so it's not something that every car experiences. Any thought's on how to get the truck to ride smooth all the time? Should I have bought the Rancho's?
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MXer
Dodge Dakota
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1/21/2004
19:36:36
| RE: shocks for towing
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You may want to look into getting the Roadmaster Active Suspension System. It has worked vevy well on my truck. I pull two or three dirt bikes on a 5X10 open trailer without feeling a thing.
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
00:26:03
| RE: shocks for towing
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Summit Racing is having a sale on Rancho RSX1700 shocks, $44.99 each. Only $7 more than the RS5000, and almost 1/2 the cost of the RS9000.
I have a set of Rancho RS5000 on my QC, and they work great. I towed a small trailer (1,000#) from central CO to Yellowstone, and the truck handled perfectly. Hardly knew the trailer was there.
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DSW
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
02:08:30
| RE: shocks for towing
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.boB, did you notice a change in the ride and handling when you changed over to the Rancho's? How is it with the new shock when towing and not towing compared to the stock shocks?
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.boB
Dodge Dakota
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1/22/2004
10:27:52
| RE: shocks for towing
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The ride is a tad harsher, more truck-like. But the improvement in handeling is worth the trade off. And that's a relative term, mind you. I've had two Explorer owners comment how much smoother my vehicle rides compared to theirs.
I believe the towing was also improved, with less sway and wallowing. But that's kind of hard to quantify, since I didn't do much towing on the stock shocks. But I will say that with the new shocks towing was pretty effortless on both the highway and through the river canyons.
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