Nearly unendurable backseat ride while towing with 2020 Crewcab w/ TRD package (not TRD Pro)

We are new to trucks and just bought a new 2020 Crewcab Limited with the TRD package. We tow a '04 Fleetwood Mesa, which is probably around 4,000lbs. We don't have a Weight Redistribution Hitch. I don't know what the actual tongue weight is. We also had some minor stuff, robably between 75 and 100 lbs in the bed when we drove towed for about 700 miles last week and I rode in the backseat for half of that. It was a super bouncy ride: It seemed that every time the suspension was compressed it rebounded and then bounced at least 1x again for each bump. And, this was amplified when going 70mph over expansion joints where the bumps just built one into the other and it was so bouncy I couldn't even ready the text on my phone. The front seat was much better.

So... is this just the way it is? Despite doing a weight balancing hitch, and moving stuff in the trailer to reduce the tongue weight - is there any simple modifications I should consider?

Please don't hesitate to share your insight! We're drinking from a fire hose on this truck stuff!

-Mike

 

Read for some info: https://www.tundras.com/threads/tundra-towing-truths.71018/

Single axle trailers bounce but a pop up shouldn’t act like a pogo stick on a tundra. Your Mesa should be only around 2400 lbs dry but excessive bounce may be because your tongue weight is too low.

 

many people around here do quite a bit of towing. standby for the barrage of information soon to come your way.

welcome from south texas!

 

Thanks for that link. I did read it last night before posting the question, but didn't see anything in there about ride quality. But I AM impressed with the amount of great information shared here!

I must have become confused with the weights - I see the trailer's GVW is 3,500 and your 2,400 dry weight is accurate. So... with this lighter weight maybe there is a simple solution?

I'm curious about the impact of a too-light tongue weight. Can you explain further?

-Mike

 

Thank you for the welcome! I look forward to learning from everybody's experience!

-Mike

 

I think @mountainpete nailed it. Try throwing more weight in the bed and see if that helps.

 

A picture of your setup will help us a lot with refining your set up.

Short answer- a weight distribution will fix 90% of the issues your experiencing, the problem is poor loading and the inherent porpoisng a single axle Will induce.

Long answer- with a trailer that light load closer to to 15% tongue weight to help smooth out the ride

Make sure the trailer is level or a little nose low

Fill up you water tank, it adds a lot weight low which help lower the center of gravity.

Seriously a properly set up weight distribution system will have you towing that light of a trailer with on hand on the wheel at 65. The key word here is properly set up.

 

There is a caveat - I did not spend a lot of time riding in the back w/out the trailer. So my impression is based on an assumption that the ride quality could not be so poor except for the trailer.

But I am rethinking that becuase you are suggesting that the load is too light. Does this mean that the back seat ride quality is always poor unless there is a load on the back axle? And, if so, what should I do? Carry several bags of salt at all times?

I think I have to ride in the back more to sort this out. And I think I need to find a scale someplace to get the weights with and w/out the trailer. Oh boy, this will be an adventure!

-Mike

 

Do a search on here for bed bounce. I agree a single axle trailer enhances the issue. @19crewmaxTRD has some good suggestions above.

 

No tundra back seats are very comfortable, what’s happening is you have an unstable load hook at the farthest end of the truck. The importance of this is that the trailer has a lot of leverage over the truck, a wdh system really tightens up the lever point which reducing bouncing cause by the single axle trailer loading and unloading the hitch due to a high center of gravity and uneven road conditions.

The reason for more tongue weight isn’t to make the ride better, it is to make the truck ride more consistent and stable. With out a wdh system it will actually make the truck bottom out easier and ride “looser” but a heavier tongue on the trailer will cause it to teeter less due to the front being substantially heavier than the rear. You can get away with this because you have a light trailer.

Those of us with heavier trailers shoot for closer to 10% tongue weight because tundras have a very low payload rating and we try and stay within ratings. But even my setup which is a lot heavier than yours pulls like a dream due to having a probably set up weight distribution system and having close attention paid to loading for trailer to be probably balanced.

 

Not sure about one part... a tent trailer of that weight should rarely need a wdh. If the Mesa has C channel frame, which many pop ups back then had, it can cause frame issues along with overweight axles.

Better to endure the ball height is correct and hitch weight is right.

 

Too little tongue weight adversely affects stability.

https://youtu.be/qEHD9Wjw3lk

 

Toyota recommends any trailer over 5000lbs to use a wdh. I’m not sure but if I had to guess I’d say he’s probably around 5000lbs fully loaded.

I’m sure I could set up this trailer up to ride pretty good without a wdh but no matter how good I set it up a wdh would always be an improvement.

 

Jinx! In spirit at least.

 

The trailer is in storage - I don't recall if the front of the frame is C channel or not.

The top of the trailer hitch is at 19" high when level, so I put a 4" drop on the hitch and it all lines up well so the trailer is level when being towed. The truck settles maybe an inch when the trailer is attached.

I'll have to take some photos and figure out how to get everything weighed - that's going to have to wait for a week or so, darnit.

-Mike

 

Good video. We hadn't previously worried about how the trailer was loaded. I will have to evaluate it on a scale

 

I need to get to a scale and find out what the weight is. I guess we are just spit-balling w/out that.

-Mike

 

If it’s 5000 lbs it’s severely overloaded and should be off the road. It’s likely a 3500 GVWR - it’s a tent trailer after all.

 

According to an ad here this is the weight ratings of a 2004 Fleetwood Mesa.

 

And here is the manual for that trailer which shows it has a surprisingly high tongue weight - 450 lbs. (page 13)

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0273/4347/files/2004_owners_manual.pdf?13230720448029520186

 

I don t tow a thing, but I found that 200 to 300 lbs in bed, (right now I have 4-60lb sand bags directly over the axle), is a much better ride.

 

Don't drive 70? Most trailer tires aren't even rated that fast.

 

I did a bunch of additional reading on the forums last night. I don't know if the weight distribution hitch is necessary based what I've read, and what many of you have suggested - I guess just gross weight is the issue: It needs more. I have seen a number of things such as the shuretrax that may make some sense. But first I'll try before / after trips down some poor roads, using salt bags or a set of barbell weights. This gives me something to do next week!

-Mike

 

If I need more weight to quell the bed bounce, than this should work to my advantage.

 

Weigh the trailer. That’s your next step.

 

if your trailer is actually 450 lbs hitch weight and less than 3620 lbs total loaded you shouldn’t need more weight. That should tow decent.

Based on what you are saying, I suspect you are overweight for the trailer.

 

I'm towing a Lance 1995 trailer, 5100# axle (double axle) weight, I stopped at a scale today to check. Tongue weight was 640# or 12.5 % of axle weight same as original poster. The trailer towed like sh-t, usually my tongue weight is around 720#, closer to 15% of the axle weight, and it tows and rides great. In my experience the Tundra does better with a relatively high tongue weight.

BTW, adding weight in the bed does not increase the 'tongue' weight although it might make the ride harsher since the overload spring will be more compressed.

 

He is pulling a pop-up that can be towed by a Highlander. I highly doubt he is sitting on the overload.

 

Bouncing on freeway expansion joints is common across almost all pickup trucks. It can be almost unnoticable in the front seat, but terrible in the back.