Chucking

[Rfirth]

Hello, my husband and I are new to RV life. We just got a 2022 ford f350 with an andersen hitch. We are pulling a 2021 montana high country 335bh.

We are using the rota-flex lockout kit but the truck feels like its jerking forward and backwards quite a bit. I'm just curious to know if this is normal and if this is something yall experienced as well.

Any advice or guidance yall could provide would be greatly appreciated.

[jsb5717]

Welcome aboard! Glad you're here.

We have no chucking at all with the Andersen hitch. We also have air bags that help smooth the ride. There's always a bit of an arm-wrestling match between the truck and trailer but it can be minimized. Our pin box is a basic one so nothing to lock out. If you're experiencing movement at the hitch then perhaps somethings isn't set correctly with your lockout.

[DQDick]

Welcome to the forum. We use a pullrite hitch with a Morryde pinbox (used to be standard on Montanas) and have very minimal movement. When I was the vendor coordinator at the two national rallies previous to this more people than I could believe dumped the rotoflex for the Morryde and gave chucking as a reason.

[Salineriverman]

Welcome to the forum. I too presently have a Anderson UH in a Ram 3500 6’4” bed for a Montana 305rl.
I experience some chucking on rough roads but am strongly considering purchasing a B&W Hitch for my TV.
I love the ease of installing the hitch but believe the B&W might offer a more stable ride.

[PSFORD99]

Originally Posted by Salineriverman

Welcome to the forum. I too presently have a Anderson UH in a Ram 3500 6’4” bed for a Montana 305rl.
I experience some chucking on rough roads but am strongly considering purchasing a B&W Hitch for my TV.
I love the ease of installing the hitch but believe the B&W might offer a more stable ride.

Having the same truck Ram 3500 short bed , I disagree with the Andersen being the problem. I can't see where the B&W would make for a more stable ride . That Andersen is pretty solid, unless you are getting some back ,and forth movement out of the Andersen .

[WeBeFulltime]

Before you throw $ at it maybe you should calculate your pin weight. Not enough pin weight will cause chucking. May just be an issue of weight distribution. Just the opinion of a retired trucker. You SHOULD ideally have 19-24% pin weight.

[Rfirth]

I want to thank you all for your input. I didn't realize there was sooooo much to learn about RVing. I thought we were ready but it looks like we have a lot to learn. The ride seemed to smooth out after about 45 mins of driving so IDK if it was the road, the truck or us just getting used to towing. We had a great first camping trip with only a few minor hiccups. The auto leveling system wouldn't work and when we connected the black tank #2 flushout it eneded up flooding the back bathroom.....we took it in stride and figured it out. So with that said, thank you again for all of your help/input.

[Kyle and Lisa]

Originally Posted by Rfirth

I want to thank you all for your input. I didn't realize there was sooooo much to learn about RVing. I thought we were ready but it looks like we have a lot to learn. The ride seemed to smooth out after about 45 mins of driving so IDK if it was the road, the truck or us just getting used to towing. We had a great first camping trip with only a few minor hiccups. The auto leveling system wouldn't work and when we connected the black tank #2 flushout it eneded up flooding the back bathroom.....we took it in stride and figured it out. So with that said, thank you again for all of your help/input.

We occasionally have the same issue "on rough roads", simply slow down and it goes away, then resume your speed, ours is 65 mph on the highway at all times.

[Mikelff]

Originally Posted by Rfirth

I want to thank you all for your input. I didn't realize there was sooooo much to learn about RVing. I thought we were ready but it looks like we have a lot to learn. The ride seemed to smooth out after about 45 mins of driving so IDK if it was the road, the truck or us just getting used to towing. We had a great first camping trip with only a few minor hiccups. The auto leveling system wouldn't work and when we connected the black tank #2 flushout it eneded up flooding the back bathroom.....we took it in stride and figured it out. So with that said, thank you again for all of your help/input.

FYI, “chucking” is a horizontal movement. “Porpoising” is a vertical movement. Not enough pin weight will cause porpoising. Chucking is caused when you hit a bump in the road, causing a instantaneous slowing of your trailer as it goes in and out of the dip in the road, whether a hole, bridge expansion joint, that pulls on your truck, causing a back and forth “chucking” motion. There are pin boxes available that are made to dampen these effects like the Lippert “air ride” pin box. They help tremendously, but do not completely eliminate it. Happy trails!

[mhs4771]

Some may disagree, but I say "It's impossible to totally eliminate Chucking". Most chucking comes from the TV and RV hitting seams in the highway at different times, especially on Concrete highways.
The best you can do is to soften the effects of chucking, and the Mor/ryde pin does a very good job and an air ride hitch or some other form of cushioned hitch helps. With the Andersen your connection between TV and RV are pretty solid.
My opinion on chucking only.

[airboatart]

Welcome to the forum. I have the Morryde pinbox and a B&W hitch, works well for me.

[Theunz]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Some may disagree, but I say "It's impossible to totally eliminate Chucking". Most chucking comes from the TV and RV hitting seams in the highway at different times, especially on Concrete highways.
The best you can do is to soften the effects of chucking, and the Mor/ryde pin does a very good job and an air ride hitch or some other form of cushioned hitch helps. With the Andersen your connection between TV and RV are pretty solid.
My opinion on chucking only.

I think mhs4771 hit the nail right on the head. Give yourself some time to get used to it and pay attention to what kind of roads it happens on. A pin box change may help, but won’t eliminate it.

[team bradfield]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Some may disagree, but I say "It's impossible to totally eliminate Chucking". Most chucking comes from the TV and RV hitting seams in the highway at different times, especially on Concrete highways.
The best you can do is to soften the effects of chucking, and the Mor/ryde pin does a very good job and an air ride hitch or some other form of cushioned hitch helps. With the Andersen your connection between TV and RV are pretty solid.
My opinion on chucking only.

Agree, our last rig we had a air ride pin box, now we have a mor-ryde, I actually think the mor-ryde is better, but as one mentioned, load distribution is very important.

[Mikelff]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Some may disagree, but I say "It's impossible to totally eliminate Chucking". Most chucking comes from the TV and RV hitting seams in the highway at different times, especially on Concrete highways.
The best you can do is to soften the effects of chucking, and the Mor/ryde pin does a very good job and an air ride hitch or some other form of cushioned hitch helps. With the Andersen your connection between TV and RV are pretty solid.
My opinion on chucking only.

I agree. You never really get rid of chucking. You can mitigate it with a new pin box designed for that purpose. It appears many folks really don’t understand what “chucking” is. It has nothing to do with your hitch causing it. It has to do with the physics of push/ pull caused by bumps and humps in the road on your truck and 5er. As your trick hits a bump it slows your truck for an instant, and your trailer is moving faster than your truck for that instant, causing it to push your truck. As your trailer hits the same bump, your trailer slows for an instant, causing your trailer to pull on your truck as it has slowed going over the bump. The rougher the road the more chucking you will have, and may experience more porpoising. On a nice smooth road you may not experience any chucking. Obviously, this is a simplified explanation. Porpoising is the up and down motion, mostly caused by bumps in the road but weight distribution can also cause porpoising as well as an unbalanced or over taxed suspension on your truck. The Lippert Air ride pin box system dampens both porpoising and chucking. There are others that have similar dampening qualities. Air bags i have found also help to smooth out the ride. I have ridden with more than one person that swore they had no chucking. They all had some chucking, some more than others. Slop in your hitch hook up is not chucking, but the slop has a similar feel. Slop in your hitch can be very dangerous, so if you have slop, excessive movement in your hitch you need to address it immediately. I have the Lippert Air ride system and it made a huge, huge difference in dampening the chucking but on rough roads I still have some. I would suggest you do more research on different pin box remedies and pick the one you think will give you the most dampening qualities for both chucking and any porpoising and shock from bumps in the road.

[RMcNeal]

I have the original Lippert Rotaflex type pin box with a B&W Companion hitch on the Ford puck system. I also put on Timbren suspension blocks to help prevent the up/down porpoising but chucking is minimal in this set up except on the worst roads.
Keeping the hitch and king pin lubricated make a big difference. I use a lube plate, but still put Lithium grease on the king pin. The hitch has urethane bushings where the plate mounts, and I also grease them as well.

[DadsHemi]

I too had some slop/chucking going on, I replace my Curt to a B&W, rebuilt my morryde pin head and re-torque every bolt/nut from the pin head forward. I can honestly say I don’t get that loose chucking anymore. Every time before we hook up I check every bolt from the axles to the bolts that hold down my hitch in the bed of the truck, surprisingly there is always 1 that my be loose on the pin head assembly. Your truck and 5th should feel like it’s as one unit going down the road, makes it a much more pleasurable ride.

Anderson is a great hitch and I’m sure you will work out the bugs to get that ride your looking for.

[Hblick48]

We had major chucking. After a cross country trip, our backs were hurting. Wife has back issues.

Upon arrival to the east coast, installed a Reese Fifth Airborne pin box. It eliminated all of the chucking. Used to grit my teeth everytime we went over a bridge transition. Now I still grit my teeth, but after we're over it, I wonder why?

[PSFORD99]

Originally Posted by Rfirth

Hello, my husband and I are new to RV life. We just got a 2022 ford f350 with an andersen hitch. We are pulling a 2021 montana high country 335bh.

We are using the rota-flex lockout kit but the truck feels like its jerking forward and backwards quite a bit. I'm just curious to know if this is normal and if this is something yall experienced as well.

Any advice or guidance yall could provide would be greatly appreciated.

I have towed two different fifth wheels with the Andersen . One with the MorRyde , and one one with a standard pin box, neither had any chucking. Plus both of those fifth wheels with a Reese manual sliding hitch ,same results no chucking. IMO the Andersen has nothing to do with your chucking. It's a combination of tow vehicle ,and fifth wheel ,some do ,some don't . Again IMO a MorRyde pin box would be your best bet on eliminating a lot of the chucking .

To add ,one of those fifth wheels was also towed with two different trucks , that fifth wheel was the one with the MorRyde ,and also towed with the two different hitches Andersen ,and Reese slider , again no chucking .

[432bartman]

Zero chucking from our Anderson. Maybe start with the factory Ford setup and make sure that's tight, and work your way up and back to the trailer. Does the trailer sit level on the truck?

[jsb5717]

Does it help to define terms?

When I think of chucking I think of slop/movement within the hitch itself...the Andersen doesn't have any of that. However, if the hitch isn't properly torqued to the bed then there could be movement and noise there.

I think I hear the OP taling about porpoising, mentioned earlier, where the truck and trailer battle for equalibrium when going over various bumps. That's not a hitch issue but a spring, air bag, timbren kind of thing. That can be minimized though not totally eliminated.