Do you even *need* a suspension?

[rowerwet]

was the TTT empty or loaded, most people find the trailer bouncy until they load it up for camping, then things settle down.

[aggie79]

Yes I have, and yes, so what? So what if it bounces around? I took my TTT on its maiden voyage last weekend. It bounced around like an empty tow dolly, despite having the lightest-duty springs and tires that exist. So what's the difference between that and no suspension at all?

If your TTT bounces around with a suspension, then the issue is not a question of no suspension versus suspension. If you don't match your loaded weight to the suspension it will bounce. My HF trailer that I use to haul materials bounces around unloaded. (I only drive it on local roads at comparatively slow speeds unloaded.) With a load near the rating of the trailer, there is no more bounce and I can travel at a high rate of speed. My teardrop has a torsion axle that is matched to the loaded weight and doesn't bounce at all.

[working on it]

If you have no suspension (no springs, no shock absorbers), there's nothing but the flexing of the tire's sidewalls to try to maintain contact with the road surface. Given the sorry state of public roads (at least around here), your trailer will be airborne as much as on the road. If It still bounces around with a suspension, then maybe changes in load or components is needed. I upgraded my carhauler suspension years ago, and I'm in the process of a long-needed upgrade to my TTT. I tried to get by with a "suspect" weak suspension that broke (in my garage, after a camping trip) but thankfully I found it in time to fix/upgrade before the next trip. I'll add shocks, even if it is just for my peace of mind. I NEVER want to have a catastrophic event when travelling. It'll ruin your day.

[eggsalad]

Well, I guess I'm out of options. I installed the lightest-rated slipper springs I could find for my configuration. I bought the lightest-rated 12" tires that I could find. Still bounces more than a 2-year-old in a bouncy castle.

[MtnDon]

Tire rating won't help change the ride. It might be possible to lower the pressure from the rated maximum if that doesn't cause overloading issues with the tires. Custom springs can be had for the right $$ and from the right spring company.

[rowerwet]

I found running my tires about half of max limit helped the ride.

[eggsalad]

Sorry for drifting too far off topic, but I've found (both on this forum and Internet-wide), there are two entirely disparate schools of thought concerning bias-ply trailer tires.

One is:

I found running my tires about half of max limit helped the ride.

And the other is:

OMGOMGOMG! DON'T EVEN *DARE* RUN EVEN *ONE* PSI LOWER THAN THE MAX PRESSURE ON THE SIDEWALL OR YOU WILL DIE IN A FIERY CRASH AND YOUR DOG WILL GET CANCER!!!!1!!

I have no idea which is the right answer.

[warnmar10]

Sorry for drifting too far off topic, but I've found (both on this forum and Internet-wide), there are two entirely disparate schools of thought concerning bias-ply trailer tires.

One is:

I found running my tires about half of max limit helped the ride.

And the other is:

OMGOMGOMG! DON'T EVEN *DARE* RUN EVEN *ONE* PSI LOWER THAN THE MAX PRESSURE ON THE SIDEWALL OR YOU WILL DIE IN A FIERY CRASH AND YOUR DOG WILL GET CANCER!!!!1!!

I have no idea which is the right answer.

Case in point: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=55770

A weight distributing hitch might be your answer. I use one on my 4x6 fiberglass trailer to keep it from bouncing back and forth from the left tire to the right. Like others have mentioned, it isn't a problem when the trailer is loaded but it can have your sphincter knitting button holes in the upholstery when it sets up that bounce in the rear view.

[rowerwet]

I started at the max 90, then over time dropped it 10 PSI at a time, 50 works fine, based on multiple trips. I was towing 1 hr each way weekly at the time.

[angib]

OMGOMGOMG! DON'T EVEN *DARE* RUN EVEN *ONE* PSI LOWER THAN THE MAX PRESSURE ON THE SIDEWALL OR YOU WILL DIE IN A FIERY CRASH AND YOUR DOG WILL GET CANCER!!!!1!!

I have a cat, not a dog, so what do I care?

The official tire pressure/capacity charts show that tire capacity as a percentage of the maximum is always greater than tire pressure as a percentage of the maximum. Or, to make it easier to understand:
- three-quarters maximum tire pressure gives a capacity of more than three-quarters of the maximum;
- half maximum tire pressure gives a capacity of more than half of the maximum;
- etc, etc.

It's interesting how no-one thinks to use the maximum pressure of the tire sidewall on the tow vehicle, but only on the trailer......

[Vedette]

Of course you do!
Unless you plan on just camping in your driveway??
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[Patrickteardrop]

Eggsalad, I sold car haulers and utility trailers for over eight years. Buyers always wanted to "cheap out" with passenger car radials. They are NOT and never will be right for ANY kind of trailer use! There are trailer-specific radials and bias-plies both. I've pulled my car hauler over 110K miles since 2000, and have had just two sets of 700-15 bias tires (8-ply) on it the whole time. I hauled anything from a Metropolitan all the way up to a 2-1/2-ton 1952 Dodge flatbed truck on it, and never, ever had a tire-related problem in towing.

For a light-duty and light-weight trailer like yours, you will likely be happier with a quality bias-ply trailer tire. I do not believe a 12" radial trailer tire even exists, but there might well be. Adjust your inflation, as others have suggested, and you'll probably find that happy medium without causing tire or trailer damage.

[cwegga]

They are NOT and never will be right for ANY kind of trailer use! There are trailer-specific radials and bias-plies both.

Would you mind explaining why? I've always heard that you need to use trailer tires but I don't actually know what the difference is and what the benefits of a true trailer tire are.

[jstrubberg]

If it's bouncing around, you already have a problem.

If you don't get that stopped, you will shake that little trailer to bits in short order.

As for bias ply tires, I've always had trouble with them roaming all over the pavement. The few times I've tried them, I could never get them to track well. Am I doing something wrong?

[MtnDon]

Trailer specific tires (prefixed ST for Special Trailer) come with less tread depth. That reduces tread flax and potential wiggle and heat build up. Nobody ever actually wears out a trailer tire, the tires timeout or reach age maturity before the tread wears. Then they also have stiffer sidewalls which can help with preventing or reducing trailer side to side sway. They also should never be used on a motor vehicle as they are not designed for cornering loads that a self propelled vehicle can produce.