Trailer Chucking

Trailer chucking and bucking is common for heavy 5th wheel camper trailers and gooseneck trailers. It is a very uncomfortable feeling as the trailer is jerking both forward and backward. This pushing and pulling motion between your pickup and trailer is intensified because of the larger load. This lurching, surging, bucking, tugging and rebounding felt can be caused by a number of factors from improper tongue weight to overall misalignment between the trailer and the truck. When you accelerate it feels like the trailer shoves the truck. You left off the throttle and feel the trailer pull back. This then repeats and if often worse on highways with expansion joints.

Causes of Trailer Chucking

  • Improper Weight Distribution: If there is not enough tongue weight or pin weight, often caused by having too much weight behind the trailer axles. This causes the trailer to push the tow vehicle pulling it forward and backwards. Recommended tongue weight for a gooseneck is 15% to 25% of the gross trailer weight, with 20% tongue weight being ideal. For 5th wheel campers recommended tongue weight is 15% to 25% of the gross trailer weight, with 20% tongue weight being ideal.
  • Road Conditions: Rough roads, uneven concrete highways, potholes, bumps and anything on the road the disrupts the velocity differential between your pickup and 5th wheel camper or gooseneck trailer.
  • Rigid Hitch Connection: If you are using a traditional hard connection for the gooseneck coupler or the 5th wheel kingpin, all of the tugs, jerks and bouncing felt by the truck is passed to the trailer and from the trailer to the truck. Standard hard connecting 5th wheel hitches and gooseneck couplers transfer all the shock directly into the truck from the trailer and then from the trailer back to the truck.
  • Brake Controller Gain To High or Too Low: If the trailer brakes are set to high, the trailer brakes grab harder than the truck brakes. When you touch the brakes, if the trailer brakes are set to high, the trailer momentarily pulls back harder that what the brakes are the truck are slowing it by. If trailer brakes are set too low, the trailer with push the truck to much. When this happens, the trailer surges back and then forward. This will feel like a push-pull or chucking and bucking feeling.
  • Worn or Stiff Suspension: Worn out or overly stiff suspension on the truck or trailer along with a stiff factory pin box and tradition gooseneck couplers cannot absorb or dampen the energy of the trailer or truck bouncing and reacting to the conditions of the road. If it’s feel by the trailer it’s felt by the truck.

Solutions to Trailer Chucking

  • Air Ride Hitch: This is the best solution for trailer chucking and surging. Upgrade to an air ride hitch. This will isolate the truck from the trailer. This will greatly reduces the the uncomfortable, jerking, forward-and-backward pushing and pulling motion between your tow vehicle and trailer. For 5th wheel campers, an air ride 5th wheel to gooseneck kit or an air ride pin box with kingpin are the best solutions. Another option is a in bed 5th wheel hitch with air ride. For gooseneck trailers, an air ride gooseneck hitch & coupler. Both can be easily adjusted for changing tongue weights. Both are relatively simple to install. Both filter, absorb and dampen the chucking and bucking, forward and back motions between the truck and trailer.
  • Cushion Hitch: You can upgrade to a cushion style hitch. This will isolate the truck from the trailer. This will somewhat reduce the the uncomfortable, jerking, forward-and-backward pushing and pulling motion between your tow vehicle and trailer. For 5th wheel campers, an rubber or urethane style cushioning 5th wheel to gooseneck adapter or a cushioning pin box with kingpin. Along options is an in bed cushion 5th wheel hitch. For gooseneck trailers, an rubber or urethane cushion gooseneck coupler. The draw back of cushion hitches is they can’t be adjusted for changing trailer or tongue weights. It’s likely to be either too stiff or too soft rather than ideal for your trailer’s weight. They are relatively simple to install. They will somewhat filter, absorb and dampen the chucking and bucking, forward and back motions between the truck and trailer.
  • Properly Set Brake Controller Settings: A good way to do this is the drive on a clear road at 25 mph. Apply brakes, if it jerks, chirps or skids gain is too high, if it barely slows the trailer, the trailer pushes the truck, you feel the trailer surge forward or the truck does most of the braking then the gain is too low. If set correctly, you show feel the trailer slowing the truck smoothly. It should feel like the truck and trailer are one unit with no pushing or pulling along with a smooth stop. The trailer tires should not lock, the trailer shouldn’t jerk and the trailer should not barely slow you down.
  • Upgrade Trailer Suspension: Enhancing your trailers suspension with upgraded or independent suspension systems. You can also add high performance trailer shocks. This will offer slight improvements to trailer chucking but will not solve the problem.
  • Adjust Tire Pressures: Often RV and gooseneck trailer owners run rear truck tires that are much harder than necessary when towing. Make sure the air pressures for the truck and trailer and set properly for the gross trailer weight.
  • Verify Tongue Weight: Make sure your pin weight for 5th wheel or your tongue weight for gooseneck is close to 20% of gross trailer weight. Recommended tongue weight for a gooseneck is 15% to 25% of the gross trailer weight, with 20% tongue weight being ideal. For 5th wheel campers recommended tongue weight is 15% to 25% of the gross trailer weight, with 20% tongue weight being ideal.
  • Properly Set Brake Controller Gain:
  • Make Weight is Properly Distributed: If you trailer weight is not evenly distributed, adjust as need to get to the ideal pin weight or tongue weight recommendations. Changing where the weight is located in the 5th wheel camper or on the gooseneck trailer will effect your pin weight for 5th wheel or tongue weight for gooseneck trailers.

Air Ride Gooseneck Hitch Video

Air Ride 5th Wheel to Gooseneck Adapter Video

FAQ