Parkliner 2018 (2019) Lifted 4" - feels BOUNCY while towing

[Maria in MD]

Hi all, though I’ve not posted in a quite a bit I have not strayed far from this forum as I am often listed as a ‘guest’ as I drop in to read all the goings on.
I know that “ringa” has had his Parkliner lifted by 6”, welded on, no kit. There was one other person that indicated they’d had theirs lifted by 2” using an available kit and was asked if it towed ok, and this person said it towed fine. I just had mine lifted 4” because the tank emptying valves were only 7.5” from ground level, too close to an accidental catastrophe.
It is a welded lift. As I was driving it back to the storage facility, 9 miles from weld shop, it felt ‘bouncy’ and extremely light. I had not removed or added any weight from the camper or the TV (Tacoma 4x4). In July & Sept of 2020 I put about 1700 miles on it.
1) 1. 2018 (2019) Parkliner
2) 2. Had it lifted 4” - welded
3) 3. Hitch adjusted to the receiver to compensate for added height
4) 4. Wheel rubbing: After it was lifted noticed that there had been some ‘wheel rubbing’ on the wheel well, passenger side (top of the curve, hidden by the tire pre lift; didn’t notice until I looked at photo’s, no photos of driver side so need to check)
5) 5. Has 15” tires
I spoke with the etrailer folks AND CURT, explaining. They indicated that it sounded like I NEED AN ANTI-SWAY BAR, no WDH because the camper is so lightweight.
So am coming to this place that contains such a wealth of knowledge and ask for your opinions and help.
Question 1: What is the fix for the ‘bouncy’ ride?
Question 2: The tire rubbing on the wheel well. What is the fix IF the lift didn’t fix it?
“ringa” with the 6” lift, do you find it pulls solid or does it feel ‘bouncy’? If ‘bouncy’ what did you do to fix that?
ANYONE that has had theirs lifted, did you find the ride ‘bouncy’, and what was your fix for it?
Thank you all. Anxiously awaiting to hear as I want to take The Escape Pod out for a few months, after the cicada invasion

[Wayne Collins]

Check the air pressure in the tires. Too high? it will bounce instead of absorbing the bumps. I run ours at 35 - 40 psi.

[Maria in MD]

Thanks Wayne, I had no clue at what PSI to run it. I will check that. If that is the case, I find it odd that while driving it there when 4" lower there was no bounce, unless the added height is the culprit. It's in storage and they are closed today, but will check tomorrow.


Any thoughts on the tire rubbing on the wheel well?


Wayne, it has 15" tires. 35-40 PSI good as well?



Again, thank you.

[Wayne Collins]

the rubbing probably happened before the lift.
If it just made marks on the fiberglass but no damage, no problem.
Are the rub marks from the tread, or the inner sidewall of the tires?
Are the 15" wheels original? There should be clearance with the inside of the wheel well.

An ST205/75R15 ( tire has a rated load capacity of 1480 lb @ 35psi.
Double that for 2 wheels, = 2960 lb, axle load.
A (C) rated tire can carry 1720 lb @ 45psi. or 3440 lbs on the axle.
Do you know the weight of the PArkliner?
Ours is less than 3000 lb.

[Maria in MD]

Wayne, the spec sheet says it's 2700 lb dry weight (330 tongue weight).


I might have an additional 100# in it (lightweight camping dishware, 2 pots/pans, an electric skillet, coffee pot. The heaviest are the black tank cleaning and deodorizing solutions).


Do the specs in the dry weight include the two 20# propane tanks and 1 battery?


The wheel well only has 'scuff' marks from the inner sidewall of the tire. The tires are original.



Thanks.

[Ethan]

Well I strongly recommend an anti-sway bar. Learn how to use it. Not hard, just one more thing to mess with on trips. Our Parkliner came with ST205/75R14 tires. Not 15" The Decal on trailer says to run 50psi. Ran 60psi last trip, no problems. But plan on going back to trailer decal recommending 50psi. good luck!

[Wayne Collins]

Read the tires again.
It says something like:
Max Load at 50 PSI

That size Trailer Tire (ST205/75R14) has a rated Max load capacity of 1760 lb, or 3520 per axle. Your trailer is not that heavy.
The Tire & Rim Association publishes Load/Inflation Tables so that we can adjust the air pressure to suit the actual load on the wheels. That keeps the tire at its design profile - with the full tread width i contact with the road.
Over inflating a tire makes it bouncy, and more susceptible to damage from sharp objects like rocks and curbs.
Lower the pressure to 40 psi. You will like it.

[Glenn Baglo]

Attachment 141231Best to read all.

[Maria in MD]

Thank you Wayne, Ethan and 2nd 'n' is silent Glenn . Re tire size, am 99.9% sure I recollect from the seller that they were 15", but there is the rest of that % to deal with ::sigh::
Wayne & Ethan, will most definitely check the tire size & pressure tomorrow, and will make sure tire pressure is appropriate.
Glenn of the 2nd 'n' is silent (love this btw). The link does not work, says 'invalid attachment'. Would love to have that chart if I can get the link?
Thank you guys.

[Glenn Baglo]

Here's link:
https://www.expediter.com/wp-content...-Guideline.pdf

[Maria in MD]

Glenn, thanks. Got it, downloaded it and it's in my camper folder.

[Maria in MD]

Wayne, OMG I was all wrong on the tire size! They are as you said ST205/75R14, max PSI 50. Oh, and can you clarify for me if the dry weight includes the filled propane tanks (2 at 20#)? I have ordered the anti-sway kit, getting it on Monday & installed Monday, hopefully it will stop the bounce (along with 40 psi). Thank you all for your help. You all are rock stars

[Wayne Collins]

I believe the "Dry Weight" is just with basic/standard equipment.
You have to add for all options + water, Black tank content, and all your stuff.
The only way to know for sure how much yours is - is to weigh it.
Am surprised you need a sway bar. Ours tows just fine without it.
Part of the trick is keep the center of gravity ahead of the trailer axle.
At least 10% to 15% of trailer weight should be on the hitch. From what you said before, you are good there. Again, to know for sure … weigh it.
If you can find a scale (like at a feed store) that will work with you, and take the time. Place the trailer on the scale, and disconnect from the car.
That will give you the gross trailer weight. Then - reconnect, raise the hitch jack, and weigh just the trailer axle. The difference will be the hitch weight.
Then, with the whole rig on the scale, you get the Gross weight of both car and trailer. Have all passengers and stuff on board.
Another trick - don't carry heave stuff in the rear of your car. that will increase droop of the hitch ball, and transfer weight off the front steering wheels, and traction if you have a front wheel drive car.

[Maria in MD]

Thanks Wayne. I’m thinking the lift is what is causing the bounciness, and both CURT and etrailer said that an anti-sway bar is what I need. I’m thinking that at least it will provide a solid anchor point?
I don’t tow with any water in it, but will now put 1-2 gallons in black tank to swish around and help clean the monitor sensor. Pre-lift towing was no issue, straight, solid and no bounce. I didn’t even know it was back there, except for inclines. TV is a Tacoma 4x4, almost nothing in the bed.
Thanks for the weighing tips. Need to call around to see who can accommodate the different ways I need to weight it. I will go at whatever time they say is the best time for them.
I am very appreciative of all the help you folks have provided, and your explicit directions Wayne. Thank you.

[Mike_L]

If I understand correctly, your unit towed well on the way to the shop for lift kit installation and didn't tow well on the way back after kit installation?
This suggests to me that the difference is likely related to what happened at the shop?
Some info on what changes the shop made/some pics would help.
I've seen this happen to vehicles when springs were changed.

[Maria in MD]

Mike L, yes, towed fine pre-lift, felt 'bouncy', did not see it actually bounce. I will try to get photo's and post them. So Mike, those vehicles where springs were changed, was there a fix?
If the anti-sway bar doesn't fix it, is my only option to go back to original height or cut back to a 2" lift? I'm going back to the welder and ask him what he did, how he did it.
Thank you.

[Ethan]

My opinion is this newer design Parkliner is top heavy compared to earlier models. Added weight of double haul walls, not only roof ,now a celling, roof top air conditioning and the room in upper cabinets, that can carry a lot of gear.Then raising body of trailer changes center of gravity, changing handling and feel. To me You end up with more sway side to side, but also a see saw effect over the axle of trailer. The see saw effect can be controlled some what with air bags for rear axle of tow vehicle. Air bags and sway bar have worked very well for us. Using 4 runner for towing. 4 runners do not recommend WDH. This trailer can be close to max weight for tires and axle when loaded. 50psi would be as low as I would go. Weighing trailer would give good info into making adjustments. good luck

[Mike_L]

Originally Posted by Maria in MD

Mike L, yes, towed fine pre-lift, felt 'bouncy', did not see it actually bounce. I will try to get photo's and post them. So Mike, those vehicles where springs were changed, was there a fix?
If the anti-sway bar doesn't fix it, is my only option to go back to original height or cut back to a 2" lift? I'm going back to the welder and ask him what he did, how he did it.
Thank you.

Maria, the lift kits I have used increase height by increasing the distance between the chassis and suspension. Increasing height can cause some small amount of sway as the weight of the unit is higher but this is likely side to side sway.
I understand you have adjusted the hitch height so your trailer still travels level? Otherwise the rear end of the trailer is higher and this can cause instability as can the other factors previously mentioned in this post however the only change made between towing well and towing poorly was the lift kit installation.
I can't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to use a lift kit as long as it is the correct kit for your unit and it is properly installed.
I'm not familiar with the antisway bar recommended here. I have an antisway bar that came with my hitch, although I've never used it. Mine mounts at the hitch and as I understand it, is designed to reduce side to side sway but not bouncing.
It will be interesting to see what the shop has to say about this.

[Jon in AZ]

Exactly. An anti-sway bar dampens side-to-side movements. The only towing device that dampens vertical movement is a weight distributing hitch.

An empty trailer is naturally bouncy, and the lift may have made it more noticeable in the tow vehicle. First thing I’d do is load it for travel as usual, make sure you are sitting level with the correct tongue weight and see how that goes. If that is still not satisfactory I’d look into air bags and/or a light-duty WDH like the Anderson.

Lots of old threads on the pros and cons of air bags versus WDH. In general, the closer you are to the maximum rated tongue weight of your vehicle, the more you are likely to benefit from WDH. If you are well within your tongue weight rating but an overly soft rear suspension is allowing excessive movement, then stiffening it with airbags might be the better way to go.

Does your Tacoma have the TRD package?

[Maria in MD]

Ethan, Mike L and Jon in AZ. thank you. Hope the photo's help in advising/assessing the situation (I don't know why they are sideways ).
Before the 4” lift, I needed a 4” drop hitch.
Is this the error? The ball is 4” above the receiver. Should the ball be at the same level/height as the receiver? Do I need a straight hitch? (On Monday I will hook it up to Tacoma and see if it’s level with the 4” rise – OR – would reversing back to the 4” drop now make it level? ::sigh::
Receiver height from flat ground: 17” to the top of the receiver entry point
Coupler height from flat ground: 16.5” to the bottom of the coupler.