Rough riding F350 - RV-Dreams Community Forum

phyllen · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rough riding F350

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have an older lower mileage Dually but it rides great towing or not. Sorry to hear about your troubles, but some of the guys on here can really help.

Sherry

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I would check tire pressures if the ride is that rough loaded sounds like they are high or your trying to drive 55 on the jersey pike!!!

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

It sounds like it's more of a problem with the ride of the 5th wheel. I'm assuming the clothes and crockpot were in the 5th wheel. Look through Howard's posts for the conversion to a MorRyd suspension on their 5th wheel. It may solve your problem.

Our 5th wheel has a rear kitchen so we have learned to cushion breakables. The rough roads can do amazing things to the inside of an RV. We hit a bump on I-5 in California and it knocked the door off on our refrigerator. What a mess to clean up.

The last return trip my DW was following in her car, she said all four tires on the 5th wheel were in the air after I hit another bad bump. For just a moment, our 5th wheel escaped the bonds of gravity and was free.

For the dually ride, lower the tire pressure when not carrying a load, add some weight in the pickup bed...a friend has mounted a rectangular plastic 200 gallon water tank at the very back of his pickup bed. It is removable for when he tows. When not towing he fills it full of water. He says it really helped smooth out his ride.

My newer C4500 chevy dually has a Link air ride suspension in the rear, air ride mounts for the cab and air ride seats. It's still a rough ride when empty. The guys with this truck say to change out the front springs for a set from Deaver Spring Co. and add Bilstein shocks up front. They say it improves the ride by 50%. I don't drive it empty enough to justify the $2500 cost for this improvement.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Is you roughness only an "up and down" roughness, or do you feel a "forward and backward" roughness? Or both? The forward and backward roughness is usually referred to as "chucking" with the sense that when hitting road transitions such as going onto or off of a bridge one gets jerked around.

If it is the forward and backward roughness, you may need to look into either a fifth wheel hitch or pin box that is "anti-chucking." For instance, our trailer has the Trail-Air air ride pin box with what is called "Tri-Glide." The Trail-Air cushion bladder and shock absorber works well for up and down movement and the Tri-Glide works to diminish the chucking. The only time we've seen a violently rough ride was when we crossed some of Oklahoma's turnpike's elevated roadways.

Terry

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

phyllen wrote:
We have a 2011 F350 dually we bought new. I am telling you, this is one rough ride.
We changed our kingpin to an air ride and it helps some.
To you who have dually's, is this to be expected?

Not with our two DRW trucks. Not at all.

You say the truck ride calms down a bit with the trailer connected but it is still pretty rough. A suggestion to get a point of reference: Go to a Ford Dealer and try to find a F-350 DRW and take it for a drive for reference. Ford suspension improvements began with a major change in 2011. So drive a 2012-2013 F-350 DRW, with the same GVWR and it should have the same suspension. If that test ride is better, or the same, then you at least have a point of reference to perhaps know if something is wrong, or not, with your truck in so many words.

As pertains to the trailer, if you don’t have enough air in the air hitch it can actually make the ride worse because it can rebound too much and literally throw stuff up in the trailer during that "rebound." Just like a teeter totter. We’ll assume you have the proper inflation, but I make the point for just for information.

The comment about the MOR/ryde IS suspension Howard installed is a very good suggestion. He put his on sometime after we and others made the same upgrade. It is a vast improvement over any leaf spring system with or without air bags as it is a truly independent suspension system. No "bumps" are transferred between wheels. It can be installed on any trailer. But they are not inexpensive. A MOR/ryde pin box will also make a huge difference in the back and forth “chucking.” This can be retrofitted as a bolt on. Other brands may work as well, I know this one works.

Good luck. I know this can be frustrating.

RickandJanice · RV-Dreams Family Member

Another vote for MorRyde pin box. We also added Firestone air bags and were extremely happy with this set up. Finally added MorRyde independent suspension and cannot believe the difference that also made in towing. Have talked with several people that us air bag on truck and also on pin boxes and found the most repeated issue with using air is not using a high enough pressure to start with and also not adjusting it based on road conditions.

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

Rick:

I noticed you have a MS. We’ve been at the MOR/ryde plant several times and recently there always seems to be some new MS “Snowball” trailers there getting the IS installed. DRV is now offering the MOR/ryde IS as a factory provided option based on my last discussions with them at the DRV plant. They tow them over to MOR/ryde in Elkhart; MOR/ryde takes out the factory suspension and then puts in the IS; then tow them back to DRV for paint, completion, etc. and delivery.

Glad the IS has worked as well for you as it did for us.

Bill

RVKevi · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have a 2013 Ram 3500 dually. The ride is not at all rough when not towing. Kev says it is worse when towing. We're scheduled to get the MorRyde IS put on in September when we leave our summer workamping job. We think that will help a lot.

soos · RV-Dreams Family Member

Our F450 felt rough too, but it has the FX4 package. Hubby swapped out the Rancho shocks with better ones and that helped a lot.
We also added the tri-glide which helped when towing. He also added air springs on the truck to level it out when towing and he lets air out when we aren't going to be moving soon.

Sue

Dranoel · RV-Dreams Family Member

If it helps, we have a 2013 F350 DRW, Trailersaver hitch, Mor/Ryde pinbox & IS. The ride is very good - little bounce and minimal chucking. The trailer weight is around 17K.

waltben · RV-Dreams Family Member

We've a new/used '06 F350 dually and it doesn't ride hard at all. Previous owner put air bags on the rear springs and I've been trying them out - 40 lbs without our 3665 RE Monty is harsh, but not with it hooked up. Since it doesn't have an on-board air compressor, I've settled on 20 lbs and everything's fine hooked up or not.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

We're looking at different options to improve the ride on our F450 / DRV Mobile Suites. Looking at the Mor/Ryde website and it appears all installations are done at their factory in Indiana. Is this correct? Are there not any other dealers out there certified to install this system? We have NO plans to be anywhere that far east in the next year.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Dale & Ruth,

I may well be wrong but I seem to recall posts saying installations done at Mor/Ryder far superior. Believe Howard had theirs done there but a call to Mor/Ryde should give you good advice.

We're thinking of doing the same install but don't have any problems (yet).

Sherry

Bill and Linda · RV-Dreams Family Member

NWescapee wrote:
We're looking at different options to improve the ride on our F450 / DRV Mobile Suites. Looking at the Mor/Ryde website and it appears all installations are done at their factory in Indiana. Is this correct? Are there not any other dealers out there certified to install this system? We have NO plans to be anywhere that far east in the next year.

Dale and Ruth:

Sherry’s comment is spot on. May I suggest you call the MOR/ryde factory, (574) 293-1581, and ask for Todd Obergfell. Todd is the Inside Sales rep. He might be able to give you a list of places that offer the installation – or more specifically are qualified to install the system. I have a list of “dealers” but it is somewhat old. I can tell you the IS will significantly improve the ride, and towing quality, on any trailer including the MS even if it has the Trailair Equaflex system. That’s because it replaces the one thing that causes the poor ride – springs and axles that tie the wheels together. That’s why the product has the name “Independent Suspension.”

(As an aside I can tell you DRV actually has MOR/ryde do the IS installations for them on the new MS rigs. They actually take the trailers from Howe to Elkhart for the installation and alignment work.)

Now, in the case of the truck, MOR/ryde offers an incredibly good upgrade for pickup truck suspensions as well. I put it on our 2006 and it really improved the ride – especially solo. However, I don’t know if it is offered for the model year of F-450 you have. The 2011’s and forward (Ford and GM) changed their rear suspensions and according to some conversations I had with MOR/ryde that upgrade won’t be available for model year 2011 and forward unless something has changed. Maybe it has.

Even though we had a suspension like yours, the IS upgrade was worth every dime. When we purchase another trailer if it doesn’t offer the IS we will take it to the plant and have the IS installed. We were surprised at the number of new trailers at the plant, Mobile Suites included, having the IS installed. Some of rigs didn’t have 100 miles on them.

FWIW hope this perspective helps.

Bill

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Bill!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Ruth,

Does your trailer have the Trail-Air air ride suspension and the Trail-Air air ride pin box? If so, what air pressures are set for each side of the coach? Plus, if you have the Trail-Air pin box, make sure that the arrows on the shock absorber line up close to the outer housing of the part that flexes down. Also, if you have the Trail-Air pin box, does it have the Tri-Glide plate on the bottom? If you have the Tri-Glide, there will be three grease zerks on each side of the pin box and three up inside the pin box housing. The Tri-Glide zerks need to be greased about every 1000 miles for it to operate properly.

We have the Trail-Air suspension and pin box on our 2010 and we have a very smooth ride with ours.

Now, as for the Mor-Ryde system, I've heard a lot of good things about the system, so I agree with Bill to ask Mor-Ryde about "authorized" facilities that would install the system for you. I seem to remember that DRV now has the ability to install the system at the DRV factory, however, if one is in that area anyway, I'd have the Mor-Ryde experts install it for you. I've heard that they have some kind of laser system that helps get everything aligned properly with regards to the frame and even the pin on the pin box. I don't know whether their "authorized" installers have the same system.

Terry

TheHarveys · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have a 2008 F450 and it also rides very rough. I have an air hitch in the truck and that helps with the ride on the trailer, and our trailer also has the MOR RYDE IS suspension system.
I am having the Auto Flex air suspension system installed on our truck. Hopefully, it will be completed today or tomorrow and I can try it out. It looks like a great system and I am anxious to see how it works.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

After a little more research Dale also decided to have the Auto Flex system installed on our truck. Looks like we're headed to Colorado for the last week of August to get this done.

TheHarveys · RV-Dreams Family Member

Just to followup... We have had the Auto-Flex air suspension system installed on our F450. After about 100 miles of driving, including towing the trailer, I can say the difference is like night and day. The truck now seems to "float" over bridge transitions, expansion joints, etc.. Whether loaded and towing or completely unloaded, the truck is so much more comfortable to ride in, it continues to amaze me.
I find myself clenching up my stomach as I approach rough sections of road, only to find the truck is so much smoother that "clenching" is no longer required. My mechanic said he was impressed with the quality of the components, their size and strength and how well engineered the kit is.
In short, even though the system is not cheap, I am thrilled with the results.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

We're headed to Colorado next week to have the same system installed at Transwest in Frederick CO, hoping for the same wonderful results. So glad to hear the Auto-Flex system gave you the results we're looking for with our install next week!!!