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[7Iron]

We have just recently moved from a pu to a Coachmen Freedom Express 246 RKS. I pulled it from SE MO to Mobile AL (500 miles) and 3 other trips of 150 miles or so. And my wife has to use a 2x4 to pry my butt from my driver’s seat. I don't know what "normal" trailering feels like, but if this is it....I don't think that I will be doing it for long.

Our TV is a 2007 Avalanche 5.3 2wd 3.7 gear ratio, 13000 GCWR and a GVWR 7000 or 6800 depending on what document. The TT has curb wt of 5076 and we have it loaded to abt 5900 (three CAT scale weighing). The dealer installed a Pro Series 49903 WD/Sway system, rated for 10k and 1k. (BTW only one friction sway bar....2nd will arrive from eTrailer tomorrow)

So the problem statements:
1. Push and pulled by passing 18 wheelers....very very uncomfortable
2. The rig feels "tender"....I would not want to turn the wheel quickly!!! Just too "tender"
2. Occasional "porpoising"....not a big issue but not comfortable

Observations
a. Just noticed that the passenger side WD bar is skewed towards the a frame (the chain is resting against the a frame) and the driver’s side is skewed away from the a frame...see pictures
b. The ball has worn a lot..
c. The TT is 2 3/4 inches higher at the bumper than at the hitch when coupled.
d. The front wheel well is within 1/8th-1/4 inch of original position after coupling
e. The rear wheel well is 2-2.25 inches lower than baseline position after coupling
f. The hitch socket on TT is 21.75 inches when tt is level
g. The ball on TV is 23 inches before coupling
h. Tongue wt for 3 weightings 636,617,700 (derived by subtracting TV wt with TT and TV wt w/o TT)
i. The WD bar chain on passenger side is not vertical ...the bracket is about 3/4 inch more forward than drivers side.


What can I do to take the very uncomfortable and downright scary pushing and pulling and very “Tender” feeling??

[klrobert]

Since no one has replied, I will give you my opinion. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you need a bigger tow vehicle. From the numbers you posted, you are right at the limit. In my experience, towing with the TV at the limit is not a pleasant experience. At the very least, I would get an equalizer or equivalent hitch and take the time to set it up properly. There is no comparison between the equalizer type hitches and the old school hitches with the friction sway control. I used a centerline TS Pro on a previous vehicle and it was great.

[doc73]

There are smarter people than me on this... But I would think the truck should have come back up a bit higher inthe rear if the WD was right? I towed with a similar WD setup (A Valley but with the chains and friction things) on a Chevy 1500 5.3 with a 6000 or so lb trailer and the WD sucked.. Got a better WD (an Equalizer in my case) and it was much more stable with the truck push, as in no more. I would still get some porpoising on the bad PA reads made of concrete (the expansion joints) once in a while. I added airbags, not for the weight but for the dampening, and that went away.

[llr]

The trailer should be level or slightly nose down, so you need to raise the ball. A better hitch is a must if close to limits, after reading reviews I just bought the Reese sway pro, the equilizer 4 point is supposed to be good too.

The hieght recovery on the front sounds good but if you can't get a good tow you need to get scale numbers.

[SailorSam20500]

Looking at your diagram (nice job on it BTW), you show the trailer unlevel by 2 3/4" when hooked up. Seems the ideal is dead flat or within 1 inch of level. From the picture of the hitch, the bars are angled, again ideally they should be parallel to the ground. Can't say anything else about the setup.

Personally, I'm an advocate for the ProPride hitches. They don't control sway, they prevent the trailer from swaying. They don't use chains for WD, there is a screw jack to apply the tension. They are more expensive, you need to decide if they are worth the cost. Most people I've conversed with who have them believe the are. One upside, you won't get any wear on the ball - the trailer does not pivot on the ball, so no chance of wear.

[bikendan]

I also own a 2007 Avalanche.
same engine and rear end ratio of 3.73.

I suspect your issue is payload capacity and tongue weight.

I just upgraded to a bigger TT with a heavier tongue weight and I'm feeling right at my Avy's max.

Avys have soft suspension and poor payload capacities since they're basically Suburbans with a pickup bed.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by bikendan

I also own a 2007 Avalanche.
same engine and rear end ratio of 3.73.

I suspect your issue is payload capacity and tongue weight.

I just upgraded to a bigger TT with a heavier tongue weight and I'm feeling right at my Avy's max.

Avys have soft suspension and poor payload capacities since they're basically Suburbans with a pickup bed.

to the OP, what's your Avy's payload capacity and the trailer's tongue weight?
And what's your estimated passenger/cargo weight in the truck?

[7Iron]

Here are the 3 weights from CAT Scales:

TT 5816 5817 5960 (6k would be normal)
TV 6644 6160 6320 (6440 would be norm)
Total 12460 11977 12280

Tongue 636 617 700

[23dks]

Tires are another issue with the Avalanche. They are light duty with flexible sidewalls for a better ride and those flexible sidewalls allow the vehicle to sway. I had a 1500 Suburban that was pushed all over the road by a 3000 lb pop-up. The first time it happened I was sure we were going to crash when we got hit by a side gust in a canyon. I had to put sway control on it when we could find a trailer supply store. The same trailer pulled with my 2500 pickup that has load range E tires can't move the pickup at all even with 60 mph side winds while driving by bridge guardrails without sway control.

[BigDaddy1967]

I review your set-up. I also reviewed the installation video, https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...s/PS49903.html

My sense of reading your post, it seems to be installed correctly, however,
"a. Just noticed that the passenger side WD bar is skewed towards the a frame (the chain is resting against the a frame) and the driver’s side is skewed away from the a frame...see pictures"
I am concerned about the skewed issue. Did the dealer install? I am not familiar with your WD hitch. I have a Blue Ox, Sway Pro, WD hitch. About $600, but I paid $700 when dealer installed, but after watching him, and watching the video, I could have easily done it myself. I have read other forums, the Equalizer 4point, seems to a good, commons hitch, I think $600 online. I would consider replacing the hitch before upgrading TV


'b. The ball has worn a lot.." I am assuming you liberally apply grease to the ball when you are hitching up, and you cleaned up for the pictures.

When I bought my trailer last year, and first large thing I pulled on the Interstate, I scared myself. Had a mean 25 knot crosswind, with tractor/trailers passing me. The tractor/trailers did cause my truck and trailer to be pulled and pushed away. I slowed down from 60 mph, to 55 mph, and it was helpful to reducing the problem. Now after a year of towing, and more than 10k miles, I am much more comfortable towing, and when it is windy, or tractor/trailers are passing me, I pay extra attention.

Hopefully, you are able to mitigate some of these issues, without too much extra cost.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by 7Iron

Here are the 3 weights from CAT Scales:

TT 5816 5817 5960 (6k would be normal)
TV 6644 6160 6320 (6440 would be norm)
Total 12460 11977 12280

Tongue 636 617 700

what's the payload capacity from the driver's door yellow sticker.

[Zak1]

You need a Propride 3P

It will take care of our problem, completely

[TKPINSC]

Before buying a new hitch or TV take some time to dial in the one you have. Some hitches are designed better than others but none work satisfactory unless they are installed and adjusted correctly.

Some observations about problems with your current settings and adjustments that should help.

The trailer should be level or within an inch of level. The chains should be even on both sides and the bars parallel with the ground and trailer frame. The chains should be verticle with 6 or more links in use and free from interference when tight. Ball and bar sockets need a light coat of grease. Friction plate adjustment screw may not have been tight enough or a second friction plate is required.

To achieve these goals.

It appears the hitch head needs to be tipped back so the bars point further downward when loose. Not familiar with your exact hitch but expect you need to loosen the bolts holding the head to the shank and add some washers/ spacers to a pin. The goal is to adjust the tilt so when the bars are tensioned enough to lift the trailer level they are parallel with the frame and the front fender over the axle has settled back to roughly its unloaded height. You may have to adjust the ball height as well to accomplish this.

Note that most hitch heads require a lot of torque. You shouldn't be able to loosen/tighten the bolts without at least a 1/2" breaker bar with a piece of pipe as a handle extension.

While working on the level adjustment keep in mind the WDH transfers weight from the ball to the front axle of the Truck and the trailer axles. The goal is to bring the front back to its original weight, or at most slightly more, maybe 1/4" lower depending on the vehicle. I am not familiar with the specifics with the avalanche, but doubt it is much different than other half ton chassis in this regard.

A trick to tightening the chains is to lift raise the trailer jack after fastening the trailer to the ball.

Now with the bars tipped adjust the chain hooks on the trailer directly above the chain attachment point on the bars by sliding the attachment points forwards or backwards.

The sway plate friction screw adjusters need to be quite tight before they are effective.

IMPORTANT.
When everything is dialed in and level load as you would for a trip take a test drive. If it still is swaying tighten your friction bars more, they are probably still not tight. When I switched from a 16 ft hybrid to a 25ft Micro lite it took several tries to convince myself to tighten the bars enough to eliminate the sway.

FINALLY.
The final step is to visit a CAT scale and weigh the fully loaded rig with hitch set up for towing. If any of your axle weights are over their gawr or the TV or TT is over their individual maximum weights. Sometimes the weights can be brought in line by adjusting the chains up or down a link while at the scale.

If it isn't possible to bring the axle, TV and TT weights in line OR the combination is over your vehicle GCVW it is time to decide who or what stays behind or shop for a new TV.

[hdmtnrider]

As just stated above and looking at your pictures I think you need to start over with the WD set up. I too don't think it is set up correct. Good luck.

[7Iron]

Dan,

The cargo&psgnr allowable is 938 lbs

[7Iron]

938
me 75 .+150 incl
Ms Khani 160
ttt 592
hitch 101
Bumbie 35
Stuff 31
Reserve 6

[johnbryanpeters]

Originally Posted by 7Iron

938
me 75 .+150 incl
Ms Khani 160
ttt 592
hitch 101
Bumbie 35
Stuff 31
Reserve 6

You have answered your own question; you need either a tow vehicle with higher capacity or a lighter trailer.

[shorthorn]

Sorry to hear this 7iron... sounds much like how I felt with our original setup... which was a 2004 Silverado ECSB 4x4 5.3L 3.73 axle. Trailer was very similar to yours in weight, 2014 Cruise Lite 281BHXL.... I hated driving that thing as the dealer set it up. I redid the setup on the Equalizer 4pt hitch and it was much better... but I was within 20lbs on the RAWR without the family in the truck. Upgrades to a Ram 2500... night and day difference! Trailer was solid and confident then... u was even able to pull at normal highway speeds 65-70 without wetting myself.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by TKPINSC

Before buying a new hitch or TV take some time to dial in the one you have. Some hitches are designed better than others but none work satisfactory unless they are installed and adjusted correctly.

Some observations about problems with your current settings and adjustments that should help.

The trailer should be level or within an inch of level. The chains should be even on both sides and the bars parallel with the ground and trailer frame. The chains should be verticle with 6 or more links in use and free from interference when tight. Ball and bar sockets need a light coat of grease. Friction plate adjustment screw may not have been tight enough or a second friction plate is required.

To achieve these goals.

It appears the hitch head needs to be tipped back so the bars point further downward when loose. Not familiar with your exact hitch but expect you need to loosen the bolts holding the head to the shank and add some washers/ spacers to a pin. The goal is to adjust the tilt so when the bars are tensioned enough to lift the trailer level they are parallel with the frame and the front fender over the axle has settled back to roughly its unloaded height. You may have to adjust the ball height as well to accomplish this.

Note that most hitch heads require a lot of torque. You shouldn't be able to loosen/tighten the bolts without at least a 1/2" breaker bar with a piece of pipe as a handle extension.

While working on the level adjustment keep in mind the WDH transfers weight from the ball to the front axle of the Truck and the trailer axles. The goal is to bring the front back to its original weight, or at most slightly more, maybe 1/4" lower depending on the vehicle. I am not familiar with the specifics with the avalanche, but doubt it is much different than other half ton chassis in this regard.

A trick to tightening the chains is to lift raise the trailer jack after fastening the trailer to the ball.

Now with the bars tipped adjust the chain hooks on the trailer directly above the chain attachment point on the bars by sliding the attachment points forwards or backwards.

The sway plate friction screw adjusters need to be quite tight before they are effective.

IMPORTANT.
When everything is dialed in and level load as you would for a trip take a test drive. If it still is swaying tighten your friction bars more, they are probably still not tight. When I switched from a 16 ft hybrid to a 25ft Micro lite it took several tries to convince myself to tighten the bars enough to eliminate the sway.

FINALLY.
The final step is to visit a CAT scale and weigh the fully loaded rig with hitch set up for towing. If any of your axle weights are over their gawr or the TV or TT is over their individual maximum weights. Sometimes the weights can be brought in line by adjusting the chains up or down a link while at the scale.

If it isn't possible to bring the axle, TV and TT weights in line OR the combination is over your vehicle GCVW it is time to decide who or what stays behind or shop for a new TV.

This is EXCELLENT advice!
Worth a re-read.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by 7Iron

938
me 75.+150 incl
Ms Khani160
ttt 592
hitch 101
Bumbie 35
Stuff 31
Reserve 6

Your yellow sticker says only 938lbs for passengers and cargo?😲
My Avy has over 1300lbs. Your Avy must have a lot of extras and bling, like the LTZ model.

If that's your payload capacity, then that's your problem.