Porpoising is out of control!!

I had a guy tell me that there was no way to equalize the camper once you loaded it up and hooked it to the truck with those small bars they give you to assist in equalizing your trailer.  when we were hooking up i would hook the trailer to the truck fastening the ball and locking it down.  I then would use front jack to raise trailer back up not real high but high enough so that when you hooked up your weight bar you actually were transfering some weight.  that seemed to work well with my camper at the time.  good luck

lone_star_dsl said:

I think he was commenting more on the vehicle itself rather than the driver of the semi.

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You are correct. I was not ragging on the drivers themselves. As a matter of fact, I work for the DOT as a construction inspector and have had many projects on the interstate highway system. I see firsthand who the really horrible drivers are on the big road and I can tell you its not the guys in the 18 wheelers for the most part. I am appreciative of the big truck truck drivers due to the fact that most of them will slow down through construction zones and most of them will move over a lane when I am parked on the shoulder for whatever reason. I can say that very few people driving cars or pickups will do the same. They tend to blow by me at 80 MPH or better and never move over the least little bit. Don't even think about slowing down in a construction zone!

As far as the wind factor of big trucks, a lot of what I was refering to has to do also with general wind speed. I noticed this effect much more a few weeks ago when I was towing the TT to a park south of the Dallas area. The wind gusts were hitting me in the side at 40 MPH. That combined with the big trucks made for a little nerve racking towing. Other times when the wind was not quite so bad, I have had no issues.

Let me speak to the dreaded Big Rig Shock Wave Threat from the standpoint of a TT tower out here in the West with 15+ years experience towing. 

First of all, let me say that 18 wheelers are a mixed bag.  Those with the big overcab spoilers are no problem at all -- those spoilers do a great job on ameliorating the trucks shock wave.    They slide right on by no problemos.  My pet hate is those big short haul panel vans and rental rigs  -- they have a shock wave like an F-15 and tend to go as fast as they can.  Motorhomes and large passenger buses are also inevitably a PITA to us trailer trash.

All that said, a well balanced TT with a good WD hitch with integral sway control will solve almost all a TT's problems with passing big rigs.  You will feel the thump of the bow wave hittting the side of your trailer, but the hitch system will control any incipient yawing (sway).  All that is really needed is for the driver of the TT to keep an eye on his side mirrors so that the arrivial thump of that shock wave does not startle him and he will be OK. 

When I first read the post, I thought this may have been caused by traveling the roads of Louisiana.  ;D

wgb1 said:

You've seen how a porpoise (dolphin) swims as comes up out of the water and then down under as it is traveling in a straight line. That is porpoising. I guess another way to look at it is kinda like fishtailing but up and down instead of side to side. Porpoising is the vertical form of fishtailing............I guess you could say. 

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A couple of years ago I had a RV dealer set up a 2007 Chevy Silverado for a new trailer.
It was the worst job ever.  That's when I learned about Porpoising...  Scared the crap out of me.
I got with a buddy who is a long time TT owner and he reset my hitch.  He lowered the hitch and fixed my problem.
When I traded trucks we set my F-250 up, by eye balling it. (Dead On)  No more 'White knuckle' driving.
When you are set up correctly it's a smooth ride and 'That Puppy' will follow you anywhere w/o bouncing around or trying to drive the truck. (It's a joy to tow now)

Ole Man Dan said:

A couple of years ago I had a RV dealer set up a 2007 Chevy Silverado for a new trailer.
It was the worst job ever.  That's when I learned about Porpoising...  Scared the crap out of me.
I got with a buddy who is a long time TT owner and he reset my hitch.  He lowered the hitch and fixed my problem.
When I traded trucks we set my F-250 up, by eye balling it. (Dead On)  No more 'White knuckle' driving.
When you are set up correctly it's a smooth ride and 'That Puppy' will follow you anywhere w/o bouncing around or trying to drive the truck. (It's a joy to tow now)

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Right now, my truck and trailer ride perfectly level.  Do you think I should drop the hitch down a hole or two to bring the nose of the TT down?  My "fix" was to increase the downward angle of the hitch and tighten the spring bars up.  They are so tight that I really have to muscle them into position.

The transition from flatbed gooseneck to a bumper pull TT is not an easy one!!

lone_star_dsl said:

Right now, my truck and trailer ride perfectly level.  Do you think I should drop the hitch down a hole or two to bring the nose of the TT down?  My "fix" was to increase the downward angle of the hitch and tighten the spring bars up.  They are so tight that I really have to muscle them into position.

The transition from flatbed gooseneck to a bumper pull TT is not an easy one!!

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Our library has a procedure for determining the proper weight distribution with a WD hitch system.  Give it a read HERE.

Another good lesson here is when you are pulled over on the shoulder, either changing a tire or broke down or whatever.  Semi drivers can't always change lanes to avoid rocking your car or rv.  Maybe only 1 lane or traffic prevents a lane change. 
If you're changing a tire, make sure your vehicle tire is chalked.  When that truck does comes by your vehicle it won't fall on you or to the ground and "rock your world"

I see you have a 2002 truck, have you changed the shocks?  You may not think they are bad, but you will notice a big difference, when you tow.

SLJKansas said:

I see you have a 2002 truck, have you changed the shocks?  You may not think they are bad, but you will notice a big difference, when you tow.

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I replaced them about 40k miles ago with some cheapos from O'Reilly.  They just might be nearing the end of their life.  I plan to install some Bilsteins before our trip to California.

As a side note, I will be ordering a sway bar ASAP.  I had some crosswind which moved the trailer around a little but the passing semis put me in a couple white knuckle situations.

Towing experts recommend 2 sway bars (one on each side of your hitch) for trailers over 24-26 feet in length, makes a huge difference.

Towing experts recommend 2 sway bars (one on each side of your hitch) for trailers over 24-26 feet in length

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Real towing experts recommend a hitch with built in sway control, e.g. the Reese Dual Cam, the Equalizer, the Hensley Arrow or the Pro-Pride hicthes. The friction type add-on sway controls are a band-aid at best.

Talking about semis pushing you around when they pass; I see this happen when we pass a smaller truck/trailer combination that is not rigged correctly.  We have a big diesel pusher and  I can see in my mirror the effect my passing has.  When they are rigged correctly I don't see as much effect. 

Marsha~ 

I'm so glad I didn't get my head taken off.  After the statement I posted back in early May warning of some of us that make a living driving 18 wheelers.  My hat is off to all of you who posted after.  I expected to read a bunch of posts about those "darn semi trucks".

After my original posting, I decided to go away for awhile.  Tonight I thought I would check back to read what havoc I may have created.
My thoughts about RV drivers and big truck drivers are solid.  I just knew there was a camaraderie on these roads.

Lone_star_dsl and wgb 1 have the right idea, and I am greatfull.  I have been driving a big rig for over 25 years and have met many RV'ers over the same period of time.  I have always enjoyed the friendship and stories at the nearby Flying J Travel Plaza. 
I travel all week long on somebody elses schedule for a living.  That is why I boondock on the weekends. 

My point is that I appreciate the cooperation and friendship amongst the RV'ers and those "darn semis" (tongue in cheek).
If some RV drivers would just remember the first time they pulled that new 5er they just bought.  Or maybe that new 30 foot TT they are trying to pull wet with a half ton pick up with the bed full of cut firewood.  Not to mention the 3 screaming kids in the truck and the dog trying to jump out out of the window into the middle of the highway for relief!  Or the 5er driver wondering why his boat is fish tailing behind him at 75 mph...so he goes 45 mph instead.  On an Interstate... The list goes on and on....

I remember the first time I had 63,000 lbs. of aluminum coils on my flatbed trailer.  Scared the crap out of me!  I developed confidence in my securement of my cargo over the years and kept going.  RVers need to do the same thing.  Become familiar with what they are attempting to tow and with what they want to tow it with.  In other words, if you own a half ton pickup and want to pull a 37' TT....
You get the idea.

Thank you guys for understanding.  I just drive the big truck.  I really do try to minimize the impact on your vehicle/vehicles as I come along side you on the road.  I know how it feels because I own a TT and have been in the same "drivers seat".  I can't help how much air the truck I drive pushes.