Poor towing experience

[mark_anderson_us]

Just picked up my 2022 Intech Flyer Pursue. 1600lbs dry weight, tongue weigh about 200lbs

I drove from VT to KY to IL. the owing experience is horrible (stock equipment: only light bedding added). I'm towing with 2020 Ranger FX4 with tow package (7500lbs capacity) and every time I go over bumps or even slight undulations on highway it's bouncing so much that it feels like the car is misfiring (feels like a back and forth push-pull).

I've towed a Bantam T3-C (no shocks) for a year and that bounces all over the place, but I've never felt it in the truck (half the weight though). Hitch height is perfectly set, and I have a 2-inch WeighSafe ball hitch for the trailers 2-inch receiver.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks
Mark

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[Tom_C]

I can't really offer any advice.. But, if the truck tows, then I'm not sure it's the trucks fault. First, do have an anti-rattle hitch?

 

[VegasRanger]

Get Eibach rear shocks. Fx4 shocks are garbage

 

[D Fresh]

The lighter weight is exposing the the garbage factory shocks.

This spring I pulled a U-haul car transport trailer while I was still on factory suspension. When the trailer was empty the trucks natural handling characteristics remained. Bouncy and uncontrolled just like when unloaded.

With my Jeep on the trailer everything settled in just fine and the truck handled fine.

I've yet to tow with my upgraded suspension. But given the difference unloaded I can't imagine I'll be disappointed.

At a minimum some rear shocks that are better matched to our springs should go a long way towards helping you out. But while you're in there, you know, I'm just saying.


Also, nice trailer!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Just picked up my 2022 Intech Flyer Pursue. 1600lbs dry weight, tongue weigh about 200lbs

I drove from VT to KY to IL. the owing experience is horrible (stock equipment: only light bedding added). I'm towing with 2020 Ranger FX4 with tow package (7500lbs capacity) and every time I go over bumps or even slight undulations on highway it's bouncing so much that it feels like the car is misfiring (feels like a back and forth push-pull).

I've towed a Bantam T3-C (no shocks) for a year and that bounces all over the place, but I've never felt it in the truck (half the weight though). Hitch height is perfectly set, and I have a 2-inch WeighSafe ball hitch for the trailers 2-inch receiver.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks
Mark

That’s too bad Mark - that’s a pretty light load. Maybe @the1mrb can offer some advice - he has a fairly light looking teardrop and has had a lot of experience with it. Just a thought. Matt, you out there?

 

[Frenchy]

So just from looking at the pictures it seems the rear is loaded a bit much you think? Not just the toung weight but also the added weight in the bed and your topper. To my understanding the Smart Cap weighs around 200 lbs by itself not counting Amy accessories and that is a lot if you ask me. Chances are you are overloaded for the current suspension. Can changes be made to fix this? Absolutely but you need to be careful and chose your parts wisely.

 

[JesseS]

I tow a lot, and it looks like your rear is squatting a lot, excess toungue weight combined with the soft FX4 rear shocks could be causing this. I would suspect if you put a set of scales under the landing wheel you would find it is more than 200 lbs of tongue weight.

 

[jblc]

To my understanding the Smart Cap weighs around 200 lbs by itself not counting Amy accessories and that is a lot if you ask me. Chances are you are overloaded for the current suspension.

Hmmm...200 lbs smartcap weight should be fine though, no? Combined load carry is max ~1500 lb, so that leaves 1300 lb for people/accessories/tongue weight.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Just picked up my 2022 Intech Flyer Pursue. 1600lbs dry weight, tongue weigh about 200lbs

I drove from VT to KY to IL. the owing experience is horrible (stock equipment: only light bedding added). I'm towing with 2020 Ranger FX4 with tow package (7500lbs capacity) and every time I go over bumps or even slight undulations on highway it's bouncing so much that it feels like the car is misfiring (feels like a back and forth push-pull).

I've towed a Bantam T3-C (no shocks) for a year and that bounces all over the place, but I've never felt it in the truck (half the weight though). Hitch height is perfectly set, and I have a 2-inch WeighSafe ball hitch for the trailers 2-inch receiver.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks
Mark

Hi Mark,

There is something weird with this picture. Is the trailer axle set back as far toward the rear as in the photo? What is in the front box of the trailer? What is in the pick up box. My first reaction is there is more going on here than the picture shows, but I suspect much more tongue weight is involved. This is where scales are needed to verify weights...not speculation or "factory Specs" for a dry weight trailer if this is the case with your trailer.... Something here is wrong.... Take it to a trailer place where they have the capability to weigh it and to your truck stop where you need to weigh the entire setup, your truck as loaded and the trailer as loaded with out the truck. I think you are overloading the truck/trailer.... JMO... Need real data....

best,
Phil

 

[Frenchy]

Hmmm...200 lbs smartcap weight should be fine though, no? Combined load carry is max ~1500 lb, so that leaves 1300 lb for people/accessories/tongue weight.

Weight in the bed area is still applied to the toung weight believe it or not. With that said it can make a difference. If memory serves me correctly the max toung weight for a stock Ranger(no GVM upgrades) is 750 lbs. 200 taken from the trailer and 200 from the Smart Cap leaves just 350. And if more than 350 lbs is in the bed that we dont know about then that will be enough to cause overloaded suspension causing the horrible ride quality.

 

[BassRanger]

Weight in the bed area is still applied to the toung weight believe it or not.

I've never heard this before. The tongue weight rating is normally related to the hitch.

 

[Big Blue]

I agree with all the above opinions. It is from picture hard to tell because of the angle and the terrain, how level you setup is. It does look a little low in the back though. Without actual scale numbers as loaded it is hard to tell where your tongue weight and trailer balance is.

If you are really that light is the trailer bouncing or the truck?. Totally agree with the comments about factory shocks. I'm running Bilstiens on mine, helped alot towing and not. Trailer may also be sprung for for heavier loaded weight.

 

[jsphlynch]

The lighter weight is exposing the the garbage factory shocks.

This spring I pulled a U-haul car transport trailer while I was still on factory suspension. When the trailer was empty the trucks natural handling characteristics remained. Bouncy and uncontrolled just like when unloaded.

With my Jeep on the trailer everything settled in just fine and the truck handled fine.

I've yet to tow with my upgraded suspension. But given the difference unloaded I can't imagine I'll be disappointed.

At a minimum some rear shocks that are better matched to our springs should go a long way towards helping you out. But while you're in there, you know, I'm just saying.


Also, nice trailer!

This mirrors my experience. I moved earlier this year, which involved making a few round-trips (loaded one way, empty the other) with an enclose u-haul trailer behind my stock 4x4. When the trailer was empty, it bounced all over the place and those bounces reverberated through the truck. With the trailer loaded, the bouncing was substantially reduced and the drive was much more pleasant!

 

[jblc]

Weight in the bed area is still applied to the toung weight believe it or not. With that said it can make a difference. If memory serves me correctly the max toung weight for a stock Ranger(no GVM upgrades) is 750 lbs. 200 taken from the trailer and 200 from the Smart Cap leaves just 350. And if more than 350 lbs is in the bed that we dont know about then that will be enough to cause overloaded suspension causing the horrible ride quality.

Huh -- i thought it was this: the maximum payload is ~1500 lb, and tongue weight (aka max 750 pounds, which is 10% of 7500 lb max towing capacity) is part of the payload capacity.
So if using the full 750 lb max tongue weight, the rest of the vehicle can only have 1500-750=750 lb payload.

 

[BassRanger]

Just from my experience with light single axle trailers. I'd suggest first getting the trailer weighed. Then run the tongue weight on the heavier side 15-20%. (of course make sure you're within all the hitch, axle and vehicle weight ratings). Then run the trailer hitch height so the trailer is slightly nose down. I've used this technique before and it has helped.

My dual axle car trailer rides the same way unloaded. Loaded it rides like a Cadillac with the car on it, but unloaded it's a bouncy house.

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