bucking while towing

[Zenchal26]

Got a new to me 23 Sierra 2500 slt crew cab 6.6 gas 28k mile, snow plow, and camper package. Pulled my 26' bumper pull camper for the first time and it pulled great except the truck bucks like a bronco on surface roads. Rides ok on the highway but no where as smooth as my last truck. My last truck was an 03 Sierra 2500 slt extended cab 6.0. Anyone have this issue and solve it? Could it be just needing shocks? I don't use load level or sway hitch with the camper, I did not use it on my old truck either and as far as ride goes the 03 was a more comfortable ride no bucking.

[AndrewF]

Was it all the time or just certain roads?  There are a few highways by me that the concrete pads must be heaved so towing a trailer on these few mile sections is brutal with the bucking back and forth.  

 

But if it is all the time might be worth upgrading the shocks (stock ones on these aren't the best) or looking into how the weight is distributed on the trailer tongue (either too much or not enough for the springs in your new truck).

Edited August 25, 2025 by AndrewF

[Zenchal26]

Was thinking of getting new shocks. new truck is rated for more weight than the old one. It has camper and plow package on it. Rides worse than old truck on all roads pulling trailer.  

[Epsilon Plus]

If you have a larger budget, Fox 2.5 HTOs were designed for HD trucks. Mix of control and soft ride. Large diameter and extra cooling capacity to tame the super fast suspension movements of a torsion bar front.

 

For lower budget the Bilstein 5100s are super stiff and will take out the body roll and could help the porpoising as they are digressive and in my experience not soft. Unloaded ride takes a hit though. Bilstein 4600 might be best overall if just a highway tow pig.

 

With camper bars up front though don't expect a half ton ride from anything though. Even with the HTOs, 4800# bars, more travel from the ZR2 lift, and 37s @ 45psi my truck still rides like a covered wagon.

Edited August 25, 2025 by Epsilon Plus

[Zenchal26]

The "ride" is not my issue I am use to 3/4 ton trucks. Its the bucking seesaw action thats the problem. 

[asilverblazer]

I doubt shocks to be a culprit here based on the low mileage.

 

They may not be the BEST, but you're not going to notice a vast difference by changing them. 

 

I would make sure the torsion bars are set at their factory ride height. 

 

I also wouldn't expect a 26' travel trailer to be exceptionally heavy. Have you scaled it to check how its balanced? Comparing it to your old truck, I'd bet the new one is sprung considerably heavier. 

[Chuck FB]

Have you looked at all four shocks for signs of oil seepage. Also with just the truck on its own have you experimented with driving over speed bumps in a parking lot to feel the reaction the truck has, if the front or rear of the truck tends to pogo along after the bump indicating the shocks are not capable of controlling the suspension properly. 

 

I can't claim your stiff front torsion bars are causing any of this issue but from a logical ride quality stand point I can't see them being helpful. As was mentioned if you were able to get the trucks axle weights on their own and then again with the trailer hooked up to see how much weight is coming off of the front axle, how much is being added to the rear axle etc might be of help and perhaps your setup might benefit from a weight distribution hitch even though its not seen as a "big" trailer. 

 

 

[Another JR]

Snow plow springs on the front, 2500 rear springs, trailer tongue weight, and inertia of the trailer all contribute to the front suspension being much faster to rebound from a bump or dips than the rear. That causes the front to pitch up when going over bumps or dips at speed rather than the whole vehicle rising up or dropping down without significant pitch change.
 

I ordered my 2021 3500 hd cclb gas srw with camper springs (5600 lb) and experienced the pitching I describe above. I eventually changed the torsion springs to the standard 5200 lb springs and eliminated the objectionable behavior. When I hit a dip at highway speed the front and rear now respond about the same with no pitch up. I posted a thread on my DIY torsion spring change in early 2022. The springs were $600 for the pair and the job took me about 2.5 hours (I had never jacked the front end of this truck up before and had never done any torsion spring replacement before). I set the truck to the exact same height so no realignment was needed. 

Edited August 26, 2025 by Another JR

[Meade2024]

Defintely check the balance your camper, go tongue heavy if you need to.  I towed a 33 ft tow behind trailer without a weight distribution hitch prior to upgrading to a 5th wheel.

 

Id recommend looking into sumo springs over replacing your factory.  Cheap, easy, and i was shocked by the improvement in bucking 

[Z45]

I never pulled a camper but I pulled a tandem enclosed trailer loaded with supplies.  Only time I experienced bucking was with load that were unbalanced in the trailer, too heavy up front toward the tongue. I went about 50 miles and could not take it. So I moved the 55 gallons drums to over the axle and the bucking went away.