# "galloping"



## Howie (Jun 19, 2005)

_*Ok, The Tundra towed fine this time but no sway but I did feel like I was riding a horse and galloping or lunging forward. I think it was from the bumps in the road but not sure. It did it more on the way there and not as much on the way back. What is this caused from and of course how to stop it.............. the TT felt nice back there................this camping is gonna be fun!*_


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## wercertifyable (Jun 23, 2005)

Hello!

I am no expert but it sure sounds like your not utilizing the weight distribution set-up enough. Are both vehicles level when on a level surface? Also examine how the vehicles are loaded, too much weight in the front or rear of the TT or too much in the bed of your Tundra might cause it to "gallop". Search this site for weight distribution hitch set up instructions. How many links of your WD chains are "hanging"? The Reese is a top of the line hitch from what I know. I had some "gallloping" and when I changed to 4 links hanging, it rode much better. If the WD changes don't remedy your situation you might want to check into adding a leaf or two to your rear springs. From what I read the Tundra tows nicely but you may be pushing its capacity a little. Adding an overload leaf spring may help, consult the vast and knowlegable resources on this site.

I hope this helps!


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## Howie (Jun 19, 2005)

_*When I left the dealer they hooked up and leveled (eyeed) the setup on the WD. they had 3 links hanging.............. I added a bunch of weight and then hooked it up with 3 links hanging and the back of the TT was down enough that you could tell it was. I went to 2 links hanging and it's all nice and level. Maybe it was the weight that I had in the bed of the Tundra. I only had charcoal , 2 bikes, case of bottled water and some 2 by 6's for leveling. oh and a 30 pack and not much in the cab either. I'm trying to figure out what I did different on the way home. It rode much better but I had the setup the same........ hmmmmmm*_


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

This is known as "porpoising" and it results from your trailer (TT) hitting bumps when your tow vehicle (TV) is not, and vice-versa. Every time a bump is hit, or when your trailer is on a piece of road with some tilt, some of the forward energy (inertia) is spent moving the trailer upwards. This slows the TT down very slightly and it is felt as a tug by the trailer. This also happens anytime the TV and TT are hitting bumps out of phase with one another or when one vehicle on an up-slab and the other is on a down-slab.

A flat road will give a smooth ride with no porpoising. A road with slabs up and down will give the sensation you describe. The more pronounced the road irreguarities, the more pronounced the porpoising. Shock absorbers on the trailer are said to minimize this phenomenon, but as yet I haven't installed them. Others have. Mabe they have some comments concerning the benefits of shock absorbers.

The above explanation does not describe all the dynamics and variations occuring as you pull your trailer on imperfect roads, but it may give you an idea of why porpoising happens.

Bill


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## Martybeech (Mar 13, 2004)

I had this problem pulling my 28BHS with my old Ford Expedition. It might be your WD hitch settings but in my case turned out to be the stock mushy SUV shocks and P265 passenger tires. I changed shocks to Rancho 9000 adjustable and to LT tires. When I set the shocks to the stiffest setting it made a world of difference in staying in control over bumps. I have also experienced a similar (but less dramatic) improvement in my newer HD pickup where the stock shocks were very poor so I upgraded to Bilsteins. Next to a good WD hitch, high quality shocks are the best $ spent for towing IMHO.


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

wercertifyable said:


> I had some "gallloping" and when I changed to 4 links hanging, it rode much better.


Yeah, ditto... Dealer set up 3 hanging. When I went out fully loaded this weekend got the effect you describe. Switch to 4 hanging on the way back and it made a world of difference.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

To get a better understanding of the effect of the weight distribution hitch you should measure the ball height after changing the number of links. This will show the tension used no matter how you load your trailer. As an example you pull up the WD bars and have 3 loose links and your ball height is 24" and the trailer tows great but the next time you go out you have 3 links loose and the ball is now 23" and it porpoises down the road.

What has happened is the tongue weight has gone up ( you loaded front heavy or the tanks are filled differently) but you did not compensate for it. Going to 4 loose links would tend to bring you back up to a ball height of 24" (more or less) and improve your ride.

So pull the trailer and try changing the tension on the WD bars and when you find a setting that works measure the ball height and then when you hit the road make sure the ball is at that level. Be it 3 links hanging or 2 or 4.


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## Howie (Jun 19, 2005)

_*ok now I am confused AGAIN. Dealer set up was 3 hanging. When I loaded it up with what I did and not totally full it dipped in the back so I moved it to 2 hanging and the rig looked level front to back and it dolphined on the ride there. So what's the deal? Which should I use 3, 2 or 4? I drained the fresh water tank at the site before coming back so would that have made a difference also?

It did ride and tow about a million times better on the way home. Enough so that my DW thought maybe I was getting the feel of towing. lol I told her NOT! but it's getting better.............thanks*_


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Howie said:


> _*ok now I am confused AGAIN. Dealer set up was 3 hanging. When I loaded it up with what I did and not totally full it dipped in the back so I moved it to 2 hanging and the rig looked level front to back and it dolphined on the ride there. So what's the deal? Which should I use 3, 2 or 4? I drained the fresh water tank at the site before coming back so would that have made a difference also?
> 
> It did ride and tow about a million times better on the way home. Enough so that my DW thought maybe I was getting the feel of towing. lol I told her NOT! but it's getting better.............thanks*_
> 
> ...


Dont look at it measure it. You will be surprised the changes that occur when you add and subtract stuff to the truck and trailer.

BTW - If the DW says she thinks you have the hang of anything go with it. You never know when you will get that kind of compliment again.


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

CamperAndy said:


> BTW - If the DW says she thinks you have the hang of anything go with it. You never know when you will get that kind of compliment again.
> [snapback]47163[/snapback]​


Andy is indeed a very wise individual!


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Forget how many links are hanging and focus on which link you are actually hooking onto. Count up/away from the cam or bar. If your ball is tilted back enough you should be able to balance the load on the 5th or 4th link.

You've got alot of tongue weight causing the porposing. This can be reduced by:

1. Getting your WD bars tight enough
2. Good shocks on your truck.
3. Better truck tires (LT, etc...)

Again, you're trying to mitigate the effects of the heavy hitch load you're carrying. Some of this can never be corrected when towing with a 1/2 ton truck but it can be improved.


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

I would just like to add that in my naive determinition, this is something that takes a while to "figure out". I think that's part of what everyone is saying.

For some reason the 31RQS seems to be very tongue light from the factory... like 8% or something ridiculous. And this is a 7,000 pound trailer so it takes a bit to get up that additional 5% or so (especially keeping in mind that you're also loading weight overall, not just to the tongue, so the 7,000 has become 7,300).

So I purposely loaded some of my heavier items into the front storage... the folding tables, portable gazebo, etc. Probably a couple hundred pounds worth. This of course changed the dynamics of the tongue weight as it relates to the WD hitch.

I'm just saying all this for other newbies also trying to get their setup optimized - and (at least in my case) not having the experience that would lead me to knowing what the "right" feel I'm hoping for is in the first place. I mean, should I be thrilled with the current feel, even though there is a slight squirrely feel, or should I be shooting for not even knowing the trailer is back there (doubt that's possible with 7000 pounds).

It seems to me it's almost a requirement to get the whole thing weighed so I can know that I'm at least technically set up proper in terms of tongue weight and then also see what the WD hitch is doing on the TV.

If all the numbers are there than I can be assured I'm riding about the best I'm going to be able to, short of whatever improvement a Hensley might bring.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Sometimes we forget that when we are driving our vehicle and not towing, trucks and wind do affect it a little. That said get it the best you can by following the instructions on set up procedures. I have readjusted mine 5 times and am 99 % it is finally correct.

John


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

I am going through this exersize in getting the WD setup correct as we speak, so to say. The problem I have is that I could not get the Outback level or slightly nose down with the setup that I had for my old Tahoe. I just had to go out and buy a longer shank, this set me back $118.00 dollars. Tomorrow I will try again to get the front of the Suburban to drop some. On my last TV I found that counting four links from the bracket would lower the Tahoe front and back. Like stated above, do not eyeball it, get out a tape and go through the measurements and know it is correct, chances are the dealer did not set it up correct and sent you out on the road in the default setting. A good way to tell if you are set correct is it should take a little effort to lock down the chain, if you can put it on without effort it most likely is not set up right. Kirk


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

I need to try and setup my hitch on the new truck tomorrow.
I afraid I may have to buy a new shank too.
The new truck sits higher than the old one did and the ball was already dropped to its lowest setting before.


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

Martybeech said:


> I changed shocks to Rancho 9000 adjustable and to LT tires. When I set the shocks to the stiffest setting it made a world of difference in staying in control over bumps. Next to a good WD hitch, high quality shocks are the best $ spent for towing IMHO.


I 2nd this solution!

I've towed many different things over the years, using a variety of TV's. In every instance I've upgraded the shocks to Rancho 9000's -- that adjustability is unparalleled. Instantly the bounce is either eliminated, or becomes virtually unnoticeable. And I don't use a WDH either.

Personally, I don't crank mine up to their stiffest position, but I do firm up the front and rear (front up 1-2 clicks and the rear 3-4). This makes a *world* of difference.

LT tires, if you don't already have them, are another substantial upgrade. Between those two, and the WDH you already have, I'll bet you can eliminate almost 100% of the porpoising (I'm not certain it's possible to eliminate it all, but you can come pretty darn close).


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