I tow a 35' 15kGVW 3 horse LQ trailer with a 2008 Ford F350 DRW (6.4 diesel) 4 door long bed. I have a B&W gooseneck hitch on the truck. I have owned the trailer for about 4 months and I continue to experience front to back jerking while towing the trailer on the highway. It seems as if every little defect in the road surface, including expansion joints on concrete pavement, will result in this jerking issue. I have seen a number of other postings involving this same problem on this site and others. I have also talked with trailer service companies and the trailer manufacturer. There does not appear to be an obvious solution to this problem. I have investigated buying a shock absorbing hitch to at least reduce the severity of the jerking problem. I am wondering if anyone has experience with the Shocker Gooseneck Surge Hitch which mounts onto the trailer side coupler. I also found a less expensive trailer mount shock absorber on e-trailer.com called a Convert-A-Ball Multicushioned Gooseneck Trailer Coupler. It is about 1/3 of the cost of the Shocker brand surge hitch. Before I spend any money on either of these possible solutions, I would like to hear from anyone who has tried either of these shock absorbing hitch couplers or any other product that might be on the market
Posted 2015-09-20 7:25 AM (#164758 - in reply to #164742) Subject: RE: Shock absorbing hitches
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350
Location: Penrose, Colorado
we have an AirSafe on our Lq and will never be without it on a large trailer it makes a lot of difference on the way that it feels while being pulled on rough roads, it also takes alot of the stress off of the hitch.
Posted 2015-09-23 12:40 PM (#164804 - in reply to #164742) Subject: RE: Shock absorbing hitches
Veteran
Posts: 233
Location: Pataskala, Ohio
I cannot comment on the cushioned hitch but the condition you describe is similar to what I experience when I have a partially filled water tank. My experience is mostly side to side on turns but stops can make the truck and trailer buck a little.
Posted 2015-10-17 8:42 PM (#165134 - in reply to #164742) Subject: RE: Shock absorbing hitches
Member
Posts: 11
Location: Pontiac, IL
Thanks to everyone who responded to my original post. I installed override leaf springs and air bags on my Ford truck. Both of those measures improved the truck's towing performance, but we continued to experience front to back jerking while towing our 35 foot 3 horse LQ trailer whenever we rolled over even minor bumps on the road surface. So, I bit the bullet and purchased the Shocker Gooseneck Surge hitch. After I installed the hitch on the trailer, which took about 20 minutes, my wife and I left for a several hour road trip with our horses to southern Missouri. Along the route, we traveled several very bumpy roads. However, the front to back jerking that we had experienced in the past was virtually eliminated. My Ford truck towed the trailer like a dream. The hitch worked perfectly. At one point on the trip, my wife turned to me and said "That was the best $900 that we ever spend!". I recommend the hitch to others who are struggling with the same problem.
Posted 2015-10-17 11:04 PM (#165137 - in reply to #165134) Subject: RE: Shock absorbing hitches
Elite Veteran
Posts: 610
Location: Northern CA
Do you have a flatbed on your truck? I ordered the same hitch..."shockerhitch" but it would not work for me as my trailer then rode nose high. Even after adjusting the stinger on the gooseneck as low as it would go. My trailer is a newer one (2012) My truck a 2002, which is much lower than the new ones. I was not about to put a lift kit on my trailer axles, so I sent the hitch back. I'm really bummed about that as I too, experience a rough ride. The roads are so bad here in California.
Posted 2015-10-18 6:02 AM (#165138 - in reply to #164742) Subject: RE: Shock absorbing hitches
Expert
Posts: 3802
Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
Originally written by Hawkeye58 on 2015-09-18 11:11 PM
I tow a 35' 15kGVW 3 horse LQ trailer with a 2008 Ford F350 DRW (6.4 diesel) 4 door long bed. I have a B&W gooseneck hitch on the truck. I have owned the trailer for about 4 months and I continue to experience front to back jerking while towing the trailer on the highway. It seems as if every little defect in the road surface, including expansion joints on concrete pavement, will result in this jerking issue. I have seen a number of other postings involving this same problem on this site and others. I have also talked with trailer service companies and the trailer manufacturer. There does not appear to be an obvious solution to this problem. I have investigated buying a shock absorbing hitch to at least reduce the severity of the jerking problem. I am wondering if anyone has experience with the Shocker Gooseneck Surge Hitch which mounts onto the trailer side coupler. I also found a less expensive trailer mount shock absorber on e-trailer.com called a Convert-A-Ball Multicushioned Gooseneck Trailer Coupler. It is about 1/3 of the cost of the Shocker brand surge hitch. Before I spend any money on either of these possible solutions, I would like to hear from anyone who has tried either of these shock absorbing hitch couplers or any other product that might be on the market
You do know this Convert-a-ball hitch is only rated for 2000# tongue weight, even though it has a 30000# trailer weight rating...... Better keep a check on that tongue weight!!!
Posted 2015-10-18 8:57 PM (#165141 - in reply to #164742) Subject: RE: Shock absorbing hitches
Expert
Posts: 1989
Location: South Central OK
Popup makes an entire line of shock absorbing itches and the only one I've found so far that can be used in my flat bed with a permanent ball mounted inside a recessed flip top box. The other models will hit my bed and therefore are deal breakers for people with my style of truck bed.
Posted 2015-10-26 3:02 PM (#165191 - in reply to #164742) Subject: RE: Shock absorbing hitches
Veteran
Posts: 147
Location: Harrisburg, OR
You might double check where the hitch ties into the frame. Some trailers just don't pull well but it has also been our experience that if they are not gusseted correctly there can be too much flex which will also cause the jerking sensation you are experiencing. Often times a cushion hitch will work as a bandaid but you'll still be getting too much flex/tork on the hitch. Thad