Trailer Suspension limiter straps/brackets

[kellikastle]

Suspension limiter straps/brackets
Has any one used these on off road trailers?? The trailer I have bounces a lot on the road and is just scary off road when it is unloaded or even lightly loaded even at low speeds. It comes completely off the ground! I am thinking that limiter straps could help with this and be unhooked for off road use when loaded. I have used detachable straps for a street legal rock crawler/mudder years ago so I have a good idea of how they work with full vehicle weight, just no idea if it would help with a light bouncy trailer. I put cheap shocks on it and do plan to upgrade them asap. Any advice would be helpful. My current trailer is a 86 ford truck bed trailer.
Thanks!

 

[ntsqd]

When it was the rear half of a truck it presumably didn't bounce all over the road. What is different about the suspension now that it is a trailer?

A friend and I built the trailer below and it doesn't bounce much unloaded and doesn't bounce at all when loaded. Another friend borrowed it and certified it stable to 85 MPH with just a quad and a dirt bike in it.

 

[greentruck]

One thing that can contribute to bounce in a pick-up bed trailer is the fact that pick-ups are notoriously nose-heavy without anything in the bed. Take that weight off the front and all of the sudden, you get bunny bounces out of what is left.

for the OP,
Was the donor truck for your trailer a 1/2 ton or a 3/4 ton? If 3/4 ton, you've probably got too much spring. Even if 1/2 ton, still might be an issue until you get a load in there.

Just my opinion on the limiting straps, but I think you'd lose more than you'd gain. They'll limit articulation (but I doubt you're planning on any serious crawling with your tow vehicle unless you drop the camper.)

Might also check tire pressure. If they are stiff truck sidewalls rated at E or above, drop the pressure when unladen. Lower rated tires may also need lower pressure reductions to help cut bounce.

 

[ntsqd]

Trailers have no need for suspension articulation. They are a 3 point system, they've always got all of their contact points on one plane and there is nothing to force the suspension to articulate since there is no fourth contact point to be off that plane. One tire bumps are a different thing entirely.

FWIW that green trailer has 3/4t leaves under it with no mods. We did fab mounts for shocks that we had that didn't fit the OE mounts. These shocks are stood straight up for best effectiveness.

 

[greentruck]

...One tire bumps are a different thing entirely...

That's it. Poor choice of words on my part. Not talking about the 3-legged stool part of things, but the weird stuff that happens with things get to bouncing too much. I've not had a chance to do much wheeling with the trailer yet, but I've already learned to watch my mirrors a lot...

 

[kellikastle]

OK, the truck bed trailer is a stock 1986 F-150 8ft, bed and rear end, original leaf springs and axle assembly. No I do not intend to “rock-crawl” with it but I do get on unpaved roads and trails often. I will never be pulling it up the Rubicon, I hope. It will be loaded with about 1800+ lbs about half the time. I have now test hauled it with 2 – 55gal drums of water and 500 lbs of sand. It was just fine with the load and had no problematic bounce. I was hoping to also use use it as a general trailer and tow it unloaded to or from picking up loads. As I understand it now the limiter straps would only save the shocks from being topped out and damaged. The cheap shocks I had on it for the unloaded tests are ruined and will need to be replaced. The problem is one or both wheels bouncing and coming completely off the ground when unloaded. Perhaps the frame on the ¾ ton trucks is heavier and weights the bed down but not on this ½ ton. It currently has a standard ball hitch on it but soon will have a pintell & lunette ring hitch on it and the truck.

 

[greentruck]

I assume the shocks that are now trashed were as specified for the original Ford truck.

Is it possible that lack of a load and not having the front half of the truck to dampen things might have caused the over extension and damaged the shocks? If that if the case, then longer shocks might do the job.

A couple of things. 1800 lbs sounds like it might be an overload for a 1/2 ton trucks, although I realize most are actually placarded for higher capacity.

I know of some cases where folks have taken out a leaf or two for similar reasons. Obviously that would cut into the capacity and sounds like won't work with just that for your needs. However, what might work is taking out a leave and then adding air bags for when loaded. Best of both worlds? Maybe, but I'm not absolutely sure we've found the cause yet.

 

[kellikastle]

The shocks I had first put on were NOT the right ones, they were way too short. I took them back to the store and got credit on them and picked up the correct shocks. I also replaced the tires with a pair of 225/75/15-ST , it pulls great now. I have run it empty and with a test load of, 110 gal of water (2-55 gal drums), two full size spares, and 250 lbs of bagged sand,over 1150 lbs. I hardly felt it back there when it was loaded. It was a bit slower off the line and did push some when stopping but even that was less than I expected. It appears the problem was both the way too short shocks and cheap used car tires it had on it.

 

[kellikastle]

I have decided the trailer will be a dedicated fuel and cargo trailer for my truck/camper set up. Once I tried to move the drums filled with water I realized if they were fuel I would not be able to just dump them over so they would have to stay in place. So it will always have at least 900 lbs in it between the water tanks and fuel drum. I am planning on a well ventilated camper shell to hide the diesel fuel drum and putting the RV water tanks under the bed where the original fuel tanks were. If I need to haul a big load of junk-n-stuff I will get a different trailer for that.