"Bucking" feeling while towing in-town (trillium 1300/volvo 245) - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-13-2011, 07:41 AM   #1
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Volvo 245 pulling '71 Trillium 1300
Ontario
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"Bucking" feeling while towing in-town (trillium 1300/volvo 245)

On our way home with the new trailer, the highway driving was really smooth, but when we got to the city, I had some really unsettling bucking on a not-so-great stretch of road leading into the city. I could feel the trailer pulling back and pushing forward on the car as we went over some bumps - but it was almost as if we were getting into a resonant frequency where it would buck a bunch of times in a row.

The trailer is gutted so should be fairly light. The previous owner put new tires/wheels/bearings.

I have towed my utility trailer all over town without such unsettling bucking. WHen empty, it just bounces over bumps and when full I can feel the weight but I never feel like the trailer is driving the car. Any tips for troubleshooting? I'd like to start with the easiest checks and move on from there :-)

Thanks!
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Old 10-13-2011, 08:19 AM   #2
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a set of Firestone air "helpers" in my rear coils really helped my Sienna van smooth out the Trill 1300's ride.
Likely a gutted trailer lacks the tongue weight needed for a smooth pull (10 to 15 % of trailer weight on the hitch)
I use shims and an after market tightener to keep my hitch bar snug in the cars receiver...stops clunks.
Good luck with your new rig
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Old 10-13-2011, 08:36 AM   #3
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volvo

You just need some more tongue weight. I use "Airlift" spring bags in our 245.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alistair Camelford View Post
a set of Firestone air "helpers" in my rear coils really helped my Sienna van smooth out the Trill 1300's ride.
Likely a gutted trailer lacks the tongue weight needed for a smooth pull (10 to 15 % of trailer weight on the hitch)
I use shims and an after market tightener to keep my hitch bar snug in the cars receiver...stops clunks.
Good luck with your new rig
Alistair in The Road Toad
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Old 10-13-2011, 08:45 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coalminecanary View Post
On our way home with the new trailer, the highway driving was really smooth, but when we got to the city, I had some really unsettling bucking on a not-so-great stretch of road leading into the city. I could feel the trailer pulling back and pushing forward on the car as we went over some bumps - but it was almost as if we were getting into a resonant frequency where it would buck a bunch of times in a row.

The trailer is gutted so should be fairly light. The previous owner put new tires/wheels/bearings.

I have towed my utility trailer all over town without such unsettling bucking. WHen empty, it just bounces over bumps and when full I can feel the weight but I never feel like the trailer is driving the car. Any tips for troubleshooting? I'd like to start with the easiest checks and move on from there :-)

Thanks!
I'm betting the road surface was concrete. Rythmic bucking is often caused on short trailers by a lack of competence on the part of the paver operator.
Of course you should check the grip on the hitch and the tightness of the draw bar.
The trillium 13 is particularly responsive to a friction anti-sway device since it likes to perform a slight "duckwalk" even when loaded properly.
(More of a quirk than a flaw) You should see an improvement when the axle is supporting a fully finished and properly loaded trailer.
Pavement quality and type will often affect the trailer's ride and so effect the TV's ride, and often must simply be tolerated until better pavement is found.
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Old 10-13-2011, 08:54 AM   #5
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Volvo 245 pulling '71 Trillium 1300
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Thanks - that's good to hear about the tongue weight. I plan to raise and stiffen the 245 eventually. It's all a matter of time :-)
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Old 10-13-2011, 09:23 AM   #6
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Hi Larry,

Same thing happened to me. Our little 13 footer is smooth as silk on the freeway but in a construction zone or going over speed bumps the trailer jerks a bit. Nothing to be alarmed about. It's just a bunch of competing forces pulling and pushing different ways. Just take it slow and easy.

Of course a light, stripped down trailer will bounce on bumps more and all the advice about tires, suspension, load balance is right on. But the same thing happened when I pulled a 2 horse trailer fully loaded with a half-ton Chev pick up. It won't seem too bad when you're used to it.

Phil
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Old 10-13-2011, 09:24 AM   #7
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Name: Jesse
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Double check the nut on the ball. This can produce similar symptoms. I also 2nd the hitch silencers. Quiets it down, plus less wear and tear on the hitch.
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Old 10-13-2011, 02:28 PM   #8
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Our receiver is basically fused in with rust. I have to verify that the ball is tight and the hitch is tight to the ball. Thanks for the tips!
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Old 10-13-2011, 02:42 PM   #9
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defintaly check the hitch on the trailer, I had borrowed a 13ft trillium for a wedding and encountered the same issue over a particularity undulating section of highway. The trailer had previously managed a partial escape on the owners TV as the coupler was very loose. I gave the nut a few more turns and it helped a bit, probably could have gone a few more though.
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Old 10-14-2011, 12:50 AM   #10
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We had the same problem, especially on concrete with the seams.

It turned out to be the ball was not torqued to the correct specification. I tightened it to 100 in-lbs.

Read this thread. I found the solution in post #24.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-37446.html
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Old 10-14-2011, 06:25 AM   #11
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Volvo 245 pulling '71 Trillium 1300
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Great thanks... It's hard to search for this stuff when the terminology is almost completely subjective (bucking, jerking, galloping...).

We won't be towing this little guy for a while yet so I suppose this issue isn't urgent but it's good to rack up a few solutions before it does become so :-)
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Old 10-17-2011, 04:05 AM   #12
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Talking Oops

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger C H View Post
We had the same problem, especially on concrete with the seams.

It turned out to be the ball was not torqued to the correct specification. I tightened it to 100 in-lbs.

Read this thread. I found the solution in post #24.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-37446.html
That is 100 ft-lbs, not in-lbs.

Darn Gremlins.
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Old 10-18-2011, 11:59 AM   #13
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I've found a few things that can cause this feeling.
Concrete roads when your speed and the expansion joints are in sync.
Tires under inflated.
Ball and hitch not the same size or not adjusted properly.

The last two you can fix, the first the only thing you can do is slow down. However slowing down can get you closer to in sync and make it worse. DO NOT speed up, loss of control is more likely to happen at higher speeds.
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