AS I said before the scales are your friend.
Something else that I did was make my Duramax a better handling truck.
I went to an 8 " wide Weld Aluminum wheel instead of the factory 6.5" wide wheel. I changed my factory 245/75 R 16 to Michelin Highway 265R75 x 16 Load Range E.
My truck handles considerably better not towing and towing than before. I put snow tires on my factory 6.5" wheels each winter and it is a considerable difference when I switch to 265's on 8" wheels in the spring.
I live in Bend , near the Cascades. We drive 2 lane mountain passes to get to the population centers of Oregon frequently.
Folks that drive on Interstates do not have the same necessity for good handling that we do.
Hence, our focus on good handling trailer setups.
I have decided on a set of Bilstein shocks for my truck. They don't seem to expensive and the truck probably needs them any ways. I am also looking into the Reese Dual Cam Trunion 1,500lb or 1,700lb bars. I talked to a lady yesterday about weighing my rig at the rock quarry and she said no problem. Will these scales work? If not I'll buy a Sherline. As far as the wheels go, it will take some convincing the wife to allow me to do that in the name of TT stability, but thanks for the tip.
Properly loaded you will need either the 1200 or 1500lb bars. however I don`t think your hitch is rated for more than 1200/12000 lbs! going to a bar that isn`t sized properly could give you the same towing experience.
Wife Kim
Son Brandon 11yrs
Daughter Marissa 10yrs
Dog Shadow
07 Cherokee 32B
02 Excursion 4X4 V-10 4.30 gear 5Star tuner Y-pipe mod Hellwig sway bar
Reese HP dualcam Prodigy brake controller
A bad day of camping is
better than a good day at work!
M GO BLUE wrote: A better hitch does not take the place of an inadequate TV...upgrade the truck
He has a 2500 HD thats more than enough for his trailer! I think what you meant to say was a bigger truck will not take the place of an improperly setup hitch!
I think the op needs to weigh his truck anf trailer and see where his numbers really are. I think if you get a Reese DC and setup the hitch properly with the right sized WD bars you will see a hige improvement!
Don't tell me what I wanted to say...and if you would of taken note I responded BEFORE WE ALL GOT THE FULL SPECS OF HIS TRUCK...
Upgrade the OEM receiver if that is what you have. The 2007 Classic has the poorly designed round tube style that many RV owners crack and fail. 1500/15k pound rating would be good. Not sure which bed length you have.
New WDH with integrated sway control (4pt Equil-i-izer, Reese Strait Line, Blue Ox, Hensley, Propride) would all be noticeable upgrade to your towing experience. 1400 pound bars are appropriate.
Upgrade shocks. As others have mentioned, GM truck shocks seem worn out/under damped when new. I know my brand new 3/4 ton Suburban shocks suck. I don't know how long I'll be able to keep them.
You have plenty of truck to handle the size/weight of your TT. If you think the ride is bad now, a 5th wheel with double the weight on the truck will not make you happy. Then you'll want shocks and air bags.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009 2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS 2012 VW Passat TDI
I had a Draw Tite receiver installed when I got the truck. It is rated at 1,500lb hitch and 15,000 trailer. When this receiver was installed it seemed to bring it up an inch or two higher than the stock one. So I'm guessing I shouldn't go above a 15,000lb WD, right?
Will getting new shocks affect my WD set up? There's a place in town that can give my the tongue weight and do the install. I just don't want to have the WD installed then the new shocks throw it all off.
Also, will the bathroom scale trick work with a TT as heavy as mine? Using the lever method of course.
davisenvy wrote: I have decided on a set of Bilstein shocks for my truck. They don't seem to expensive and the truck probably needs them any ways. I am also looking into the Reese Dual Cam Trunion 1,500lb or 1,700lb bars. I talked to a lady yesterday about weighing my rig at the rock quarry and she said no problem. Will these scales work? If not I'll buy a Sherline. As far as the wheels go, it will take some convincing the wife to allow me to do that in the name of TT stability, but thanks for the tip.
Your on the right track. Get it weighed first before you buy shock or do anything else. Once you know your scaled weights you will be able to determine what is going on. Once you know your real weights you can come back to the forum and inquire if you need help deciphering the numbers
Load truck with gas tank full ready to camp without trailer attached. Weighed truck only with trailer attached. Weigh truck and trailer together.
07'Duramax dually,12'Open Range 399BHS
Hawkshead TPMS,Hensley BD3,Killerbee exhaust brake
Blue Ox Bedsaver,air bags w/compressor
Arvika pin box bike rack,Bak Flip tonneau cover
5500 Onan LP,EMS-HW-50
14'Porta Bote w/8.0 Nissan
Vu Cube 2000,Splendide 2000S
davisenvy wrote: I had a Draw Tite receiver installed when I got the truck. It is rated at 1,500lb hitch and 15,000 trailer. When this receiver was installed it seemed to bring it up an inch or two higher than the stock one. So I'm guessing I shouldn't go above a 15,000lb WD, right?
Will getting new shocks affect my WD set up? There's a place in town that can give my the tongue weight and do the install. I just don't want to have the WD installed then the new shocks throw it all off.
Also, will the bathroom scale trick work with a TT as heavy as mine? Using the lever method of course.
If you have original (OEM) shocks, you will be quite surprised what a set of Bilsteins can do for you.. I also use the KYB Monomax shocks with good results too. Sometimes the Bilsteins can be hard to get..
It is the first upgrade I do on any gm truck I purchase. The OEM's are marginal at best.. Honestly, give the shocks a try before you buy any new hitches, etc..
davisenvy wrote: I have decided on a set of Bilstein shocks for my truck. They don't seem to expensive and the truck probably needs them any ways. I am also looking into the Reese Dual Cam Trunion 1,500lb or 1,700lb bars. I talked to a lady yesterday about weighing my rig at the rock quarry and she said no problem. Will these scales work? If not I'll buy a Sherline. As far as the wheels go, it will take some convincing the wife to allow me to do that in the name of TT stability, but thanks for the tip.
The Eaz-Lift hitch, that you have, has a couple of advantages over a Reese Dual cam. One is the ability to disconnect the sway control to prevent the tendency to be forced to keep going straight on slippery roads when you want to steer around a curve. The other advantage is lower cost for essentially the same performance. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, you can buy an entire Eaz-Lift 1400# hitch for under $320, if you actually need the heavier bars. The Reese will sell for considerably more.
Just the heavier Eaz-Lift bars, in the pdf link I previously furnished, might fit the hitch you have. There supposedly is such a thing as too heavy of WD spring bars, where the joint is too solid, and excessive "road-bump" stress is transmitted to the tongue and receiver assembly. Otherwise there would be one-size-fits-all bars. Additionally, since your hitch weight may be very close to 1000#, you may already have the right bars. But your set-up is definately off now. The clear lane sway will literally disappear when the Eaz-Lift hitch is properly adjusted. There will always be some minor sway, or buffeting, when a truck passes, even with a Hensley/ProPride type hitch, and they are the best and a unique instance where more money does buy a better hitch.
Quote: I had a Draw Tite receiver installed when I got the truck. It is rated at 1,500lb hitch and 15,000 trailer. When this receiver was installed it seemed to bring it up an inch or two higher than the stock one. So I'm guessing I shouldn't go above a 15,000lb WD, right?
Will getting new shocks affect my WD set up? There's a place in town that can give my the tongue weight and do the install. I just don't want to have the WD installed then the new shocks throw it all off.
Also, will the bathroom scale trick work with a TT as heavy as mine? Using the lever method of course.
The Eaz-Lift Elite Installation pdf I furnished, also has part numbers for "Adjustable Shank Extra Low" if your Drawtite receiver has lifted the truck hitch level too high to work with standard shank hole range. The extra holes will allow lowering the front of your TT while still maintaining weight distribution. Even if you buy an entirely different brand of hitch, the shank range is something to note.
The shocks won't affect the WD set-up. They will control the "rock back and forth several times" porpoising you described in your first post. Some folks like the Ranchos because they can adjust additional damping to tune them. But the Bilsteins seem to work just fine without the extra effort.
Yes, the bathroom scale trick will work, if you can arrange the leverage to stay within the bath scale range. Incidentally, ProPride currently (as of 4/16/12) has a $120 sale on Sherline scales.
Wes
...
Days spent camping are not subtracted from one's total.
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