Alright ----

I know I am very conservative, and many people have successfully towed to the limit.

I have also witnessed many (4 or 5) very heavily overloaded combination that have rolled over on the highway -- total loss to both.


Looking at the detailed specs... a 3.73, 2wd, crew cab, drw gets you to 15,800lbs.


I think you need to check for weight balance and loading in the trailer.


Consider getting it weighed (fully loaded) at each wheel and see if there is an imbalance.. also check tongue weight if possible...




If you are doing 16,000 lbs.. you should be aiming at 3,000lbs tongue weight...



Then aerodynamics... that is a lot of surface area... do you have things like hay on top.. adding to the square footage?



Is it possible that the trailer hitch / goosneck, etc. trailer chassis is warped / bending / damaged / wheels out of alignment?

 

Does this bucking occur at all times? Does it happen when the speed control is engaged?

 

My advice (which may be worth exactly what you're paying for it) would be to start with asking the trailer dealership if they have a wind deflector you can borrow. Hook it up and take the rig on a short drive at speed and see if that makes a difference.

It's a lot cheaper than buying a new trailer or a new truck.

 

Hmmmm, looks like the answer is that there is no definitive answer. I put my money on the trailer/truck combination. From what I hear, the consensus is that although the truck "should" pull the trailer, because it is not, then either get rid of the trailer, or buy a bigger truck for the trailer.

 

Unless you investigate further into it, that's really about all that we can get from here. I know it's not the best news that you can get, but I think that's all we can give at this point.

 

Shot in the dark here about your 350, would it happen to be a stick? if so have them check the grease on the throw-out bearing. My 08 250 6.4 was having a similar issue only when pulling a heavy trailer. Ford dealer greased it up and the chatter/buck went away.

If these were older trucks I'd say an improperly adjusted clutch adjustment...but that's hard to do with all hydraulic slaves.

Also check the U-joints...one of the caps may have busted from the weight load; especially from a shock pull, or hard hookup to a 5th wheel on a paved surface.

I drive professionally, and from the sounds of it your truck has the GVW to do the job with your trailer. I don't see why it would have a problem, check the trailer brakes...see if one is hanging up. Good Luck.

 

What do you mean exactly by bucking and surging. Are you talking about the truck jumping around, the trailer pushing the truck around? Or are you talking about the engine bucking and surging.

When I first read bucking and surging I assumed engine problem. But maybe I'm reading it wrong.

 

can this be a CAC or EGR problem?

Sam

 

No, the truck is an automatic. I do like your idea of having everything gone over to make sure nothing is wrong with the truck. I have wondered about that very thing as I feel that the bucking has gotten worse over time.

 

To answer sdetweil, no it is not the engine surging. The dealer hooked up his computer and rode with me to make sure of that himself. No, this is a physical reaction that occurs in the truck, especially when hitting a bump. Some people have told me that it is the truck bottoming out on the overload springs and that causes a reaction between the trailer and truck. Kind of like they are fighting one another. It quiet's down quickly, especially if I take my foot off the accelerator. But it can really jerk you around, especially if you're on a potholed dirt road. Hope that helps describe the situation. I called it surging, others call it bucking.

 

Oops, I meant to say I was responding to dchamberlain's questions.

 

I'm sorry, I re-read the topic, and don't think I understand your problem well enough..

could you describe the scenario?

for example

pulling onto the highway loaded, at 45mph, press accelerator to the floor and ........
or
at a traffic light, turns green, press accelerator to the floor and ..........


or whatever it is..

thanks.. I think the truck should handle this without any problems..

my 08 F350(4.10 gear) acts like there is nothing there with my 7000lb car trailer attached..

I burned rubber with the trailer pulling out into a busy 3 lane side road a while back..

 

I don't think you've got too much trailer for the truck. But it does seem like you could have a load balance problem.

What I would do is this. First, find a truck scale. Weigh and record the front and rear axle of the truck empty. Then hook up the trailer and load the truck and trailer as you normally would. Weigh the front and rear axle of the truck, and the trailer axles. Find out how much weight you are adding to the front and rear axle of the truck. Either too much or not enough could be causing your problems.

Also, how much air pressure are you putting in your truck and trailer tires?

 

Agreed. It sounds like there is something hinky along those lines.

 

CAT Scales are at most truck stops, only about 9 bucks here where I am at. Well worth the money.

Just be sure that you have an axle on each scale so you get each axle wt.