What makes My pickup hop stopping w/gooseneck

I have a 06 3500 Dodge and sometimes pull a 27' tiaxle gooseneck flatbed with elec brakes on all axles. When loaded real heavy, when I have to stop hard the truck takes to jumping up and down. Today I had a HUGE load of oak logs, probably way too much. I tried to stop hard for a red light and the truck started hopping. When It becam apparent I wasn't going to make it I stepped harder. The truck wheel were actually barking up and down. I know the electric brakes are working. Is the truck hopping because of the trailer wieght? Or is the trailer hopping the truck. I've seen this issue brought up on RV'ing forums too. Thanks

Sounds like the trailer is pushing the truck. If the trailer brakes are turned up as high as they go, that might be as good as it gets.

Basically the trailer isn't stopping as fast as the truck, so the truck brakes lock, and get pushed by the weight of the trailer. It sounds dangerous.

Your heavy trailer weight is transferring the weight from the rear wheels of your truck to the front wheels. This is making your rear end light so the tires bark as they hop off the ground.

Several problems can cause this.
Weight not balanced between front and rear of truck.
Front disc brakes are working better than rear truck brakes
Your trailer brakes are not working properly making the truck do all the work

The brake issues the others have brought up are very real and could very well and likely be the root of the problem you're experiencing. If that's the case you want to think seriously about cutting down your loads and NEVER pushing it on a wet or slippery day.

I'll just toss out a u-joint going bad as another possibility, and worth considering if you have hauled that heavy a lot or haul frequently even with a more customary load with an exhaust brake. A lot of folks recommend drivin' a Cummins' like you stole it, and I've been very happy with mine drivin' just that way, but that Jake does actually work very well up on the high end and stresses the u-joints. Dodge replaced my entire rear driveshaft under the extended warranty to fix a bad u-joint at just under 100k, and I had to replace one (center) of the u-joints in the new one just 30k later. If you detect that she's buckin' any without the load, I'd look at that as a possibility, too. Less of a possibility with a gasser or a diesel without the exhaust brake, but still a potential problem.

I have seen this problem one time,,, the purple wire that is the power feed wire to the trailer brakes was pinched tween the hitch and bumper

Lay on the ground and really look good to make sure you are not shorting out somewhere around the bumper and hitch

It was so bad (hop"n) it felt the trailer are truck wheels were leaving the ground

This was on a GMC but Chrysler has had their problems with rear wheel hop,,, I have removed a leaf in the rear springs and it did help

How does it do with the trailer brakes disconnected

It might be your ABS system acting up.

Sounds to me like you"re trying to play 18 wheeler with your Dodge and gooseneck....the tail is wagging the dog.

Time to trade up to a Peterbuilt with twin 44,000 screws and a Freuhauf, or haul more reasonable loads on your rig.

If you have an accident with an overloaded outfit like yours, may God help you then.

Does you pickup have a brake controller? That is what we have for all RV's. It has a sliding switch so you can control the amount of rear trailer brake. You can equalize them or by hand you can use the trailer brakes to slow you down without touching the foot brake. I do that sometimes so it avoid the feeling you get when it feels like it could fish tail and jackknife.

Even though you have the big plug and elec trailer brakes, I question whether or not you are getting much, any, or all the power to the trailer brakes. Some pickups require the brake controller.

Those trailer brakes may need adjusting anyway. They may be way out of adjustment and not really working. Some people without a brake controller on their pickup will just loosen them up so they can't accidently engage on them. Or they loosen them so they can move the trailer around without having to hook up power to disengage the brakes. Or as mentioned the wire can break or short out somewhere on the trailer.

First I'd go out and have someone press the brake while you listen and look at the trailer brakes for them engaging. jack up each side to check to see if they engage. Get a test light and see if you have power at the plug when the brake pedal is pressed and all along the trailer wire.

Finally, slow down before you plow through a red light into a bus full of kids. It could also cause the whole thing to fishtail and jackknife, dumping your load, taking out the school busses on both sides of you, force you into the ditch, median, or oncoming traffic. Not fun. Even worse when slick such as ice, rain water, loose sand on road, on a curve where your truck and trailer aren't in a straight line, brake out of adjustment so it pulls to one side, etc. Make sure your chains are crossed over under the hitch and secured.

Post back with what you find out about your brakes. Good luck.

May God help your passengers and everyone else on the road that may be innocent bystanders. Don't allow your loved ones to ride with you and please do not drive through any school zones.

Red...

Many of the brake controllers in the marketplace today are not very good. Many use a timed function to ramp up the stopping voltage, i.e. the longer your foot is pushing the brake pedal, the more agressive the trailer brakes get. In my towing experience, this is a totally bogus cheap design (and darn dangerous too). The better or best electric trailer brake controllers use aa accelerometer to sense the amount of braking the truck is doing and instantly give similar power to the trailer brakes. The brand I am familiar with that has this technology is the Tekonsha Prodigy model, and now the even better P-3 model.

My 2002 F350 diesel came with a Drawtite controller purchased by the P.O. I hate the thing, and will soon throw it in the dumpster. Just as soon as we buy the trailer we have been dreaming of, that Drawtite controller will be junked.

Is this your problem?? I don't really know, but with the timed brake function controllers, and a kind of quick stop with full load is a very hair raising experience. My older tow vehicles have had the Tekonsha controllers for the last 15 years, and I have gotten used to controlled and predictable stops. I had given no thought to the different brand in my new-to-me F350 until I pulled a farm tractor from Detroit to Minneapolis on a bobcat type trailer. There is a significant difference in controllers. I will be buying the P-3 model for that truck soon.

Be safe!

Paul in MN

Sometimes I've felt my ABS pulsing in similar situations. Speed is proportional to the problem and I usually granny drive when Im heavy. All I can think of is slow down and judge your distances. I normally plan on stopping at every stop light, if they arent red when I see them they will be when I get there. Usually at about 35 or so its not an issue. I'll push on up to 55 or so on the highway. Thats fast enough for me when the trailer gets up around 15,000.

I have not been in your truck so I can only guess,but my first guess is because of anti lock brakes or as I call them anti stop brakes !
I unhooked the control module for the ABS on my 1996 Dodge. This now lets me control the brakes ! If I get in a bad spot on dry roads I want to see 4 black marks when I get out to wipe. LOL before the rears would not even work.

I like that, anti stop! I think of it as a steering aid cause under the right conditions it sure won't stop.

I think john la has covered a lot of your problem - too much weight on the tires of your trailer and not enough on the back of your truck. Under hard braking all your momentum is pushing it to your front axle - especially under panic stops. That and your trailer brakes probably aren't working at all.

I have them on my cars, (1994 Olds & 1996 Olds) and I call them anti-stop brakes, hate them. Many a time when I get within 5' or less of stop they will releace and let me jump 5' beyond where I am supposed to stop and for me that is a big issue as I deliever newspapers on a rual route with boxes to put the paper in and not letting me stop when I should I have almost hurt my arm bad several times. If the third brake light goes out then the brakes work as they should but then I do not have that brake light or cruse control. Would love a way to unhook that anti-lock system without loosing the brake light or cruise control.

There is a brake control module up under the dash. Try unplugging it. Your brakes should work normal and the idiot light should be out. At least on my Dodge that was the only way to disable and have the light out. You can also unplug the abs motor/valve but this will leave the light on for sure.

had same problem once, turned out to be warped rotors on front...

This is just food for thought for those who have unhooked your ABS brakes, if you can t stop and hit me the first thing my insurance company will do is check your cell phone records to see if you were on it and next check your brake warning light.

the tongue weight on the trailer is not right. there is a formula, that trailer companies use to set this properly. has to do with axle location, average weight being hauled and the tongue weight on the hitch of the truck. had the same problem years ago with a 24 boat that was real heavy. my buddy at the time worked for a trailer/ rv dealer and set it up for me and never had a problem again

I know I was way too heavy. You know how its is, you start doing something and as soon as you do you know its wrong. I knew when I pulled out I had too many logs on. If I knew how to post pics I would post one of load. Its not wiring, warped rotors, or any other failure. I stopped good all the way except for that one semi-panic stop. I also blew one tire prior to that. What it was, was way too much weight and trailer brakes out of adjust or just not working too good coupled with brake controller probably not set right. a lot of us have done it....the trailr sits in the yard and we hook up, lights work, lets go. We load up a tractor or two or three and whoa! we hit the road and its heavy. I bet I had 18,000 lb 0n a 5,300 lb trailer rated for 21,000lb. No, I'll never do that again. Thanks for your input

You've wired your trailer wrong.
The electric trailer brakes are activated every time the turn signal blinks.