Aftermarket Shocks Help With 5er Chucking??
 

Quick background on the truck and trailer:

2012 MC 3500 4wd, ~70k miles, all stock suspension, Firestone airbags, B&W turnover ball 4" in front of the axle, stock sized tires and factory 17" wheels.

2018 Carbon 387 toy hauler, ~13,800lbs empty and let's call it 19,000lbs with a typical load. Trailer has been converted with a Reece Goosebox and the airbag in the Goosebox self-regulates pressure as pin weight dictates, maxing out at 50psi if memory serves.

First and foremost, I fully understand this is the wrong truck for the application, and that is NOT what I want this thread to be about. [nonono] What I'm looking for is feedback on whether or not higher quality aftermarket shocks might help alleviate some of the chucking we experience on certain sections of road. I hear nothing but good things about Bilstein or Fox shocks for typical empty driving situations, but I'm perfectly happy with the truck as-is empty, even with factory 70k mile shocks... Before I pull the trigger on spendy aftermarket units, I'd like to know if there is any chance of them helping with chucking?? I can see in my tiny brain how increased rebound control might help, but with the truck being so over-matched by the trailer I'm just not sure if it would even be perceptible??

I have considered the goose pin box for my RV as I also have the B&W turnover ball hitch, could you tell me the distance from the front of the pin box to the front of the box if you have a short box truck. I use a tool box and am concerned there wouldn't be enough clearance in my short box. Have you tried full potable water to give more pin weight?

Yep, my MegaCab is a short box so I'll get you a measurement this evening.

I have not put a full tank of fresh water in yet, so no we haven't towed with that configuration. Does chucking usually come as a side effect of low pin weight? I guess I can run through some scales and get a better idea of what I'm dealing with per axle...

My 5ver is a 36foot but not a toy hauler, I notice a big difference with full water compared to empty and I would imagine it would be more so with a toy hauler. Thanks in advance for the measurement.

Good shocks won't cure an inadequate truck, but Bilstein 5100's are terrific shocks. With 70K on your ride, I wouldn't be surprised that the OEM shocks are worse than when they were new. A heavy trailer just magnifies bad shocks.

www.4wheelparts.com usually has good prices.

Thats part of the problem with toy haulers, getting the weight distributed right. You might also check the shock on the hitch itself as airbags can cause a pretty good bounce themselves.

Don’t think shocks will help the chucking your getting. I would look at either a Trailer Saver Hitch or an Air Safe Hitch set up for a Gooseneck Hitch.
This is not a cheap fix.

Personally, I would go back to a standard fifth wheel hitch
and add a Mory/Ryde Pin Box unless you use the truck for other trailer applications. Adding the Air Hitch to the standard setup will get rid of all the chucking.

Generally, Fifth Wheel Trailers are Built light up front compared to Trailers Built for Gooseneck applications. Your adding a long lever that pulls hard on the trailer front framework that may have damaged the frame up front which might be what your feeling. Seen it before.

Oops, just remembered, Air Hitch won’t work in a short bed truck.

Dave

In my experience, I am going to say shocks are not going to help. More pin weight is the answer. I got a lot of chucking with my fiver when I bought it due to it not being level when towing it. It is an older unit, so it didn't sit high enough to be level. I did an axle flip and solved the problem. I am still not level, but only about 3" high in the front now. A full water tank also helps.

The OEM shocks are garbage. I swapped mine out the first week of ownership. My wife could easily compress them and she's no Amazon.
The Bilstein's would improve your ride and especially control.

I agree with Dave on the fix, but also agree that is not going to work with your truck. First thing I would do is get rid of that hitch setup. Go to a slider and the MorRyde pinbox. It allows the pinbox to absorb the fore/aft movement plus side to side. Amazing difference the pinbox did on my rig.
Bob