Help fix my white knuckles!!!

[fastalkintn]

Originally Posted by crunchman12001

I did not see what size bars you had on the E2. It definitely does not seem like you are transferring enough weight back to the front axle. Yes, your front end looks light. Is the E2 heavy enough to match your rig?

Sorry to blast you with the 1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton right of the bat, we have had this conversation 100's of times and the answer is always the same. Most 1/2 ton guys read the tow ratings and believe they are under, they then try to add air bags to help the rear end sag, go with LT tires, ect... Soon the Anderson hitch guys will chime in and suggest you spend 2K on a newer hitch and the bottom line is always the same. Short wheelbase, 1/2 ton trucks are not ideal for towing trailers over 25'.

We are here to help you, let us......

Sorry, forgot to answer about the bars. They are 10,000#

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by fastalkintn

I completely understand about the length issue, I discussed that with myself several times before pulling the trigger on this camper. I know I will always have to drive very conservatively with a trailer that long. And I also understand this will not pull like my pop up and I think once I get everything set up that I will be able to safely drive over 50 mph. I was just looking for input to make sure that it isn't set up properly so I don't waste my time tweaking something that isn't going to get better.

Yup,
If you are going to stick with the 1/2 ton, best advice I can give......
Get some LT tires, add air bags to rear end and when you take it back to the dealer, upgrade to the correct weighted equalizer 4 point hitch. That should help you.
Be safe out there.

[BigHomey]

I had to make adjustments to my hitch after the dealer installed it, This helped.

AL

http://www.fastwaytrailer.com/wp-con...0710_small.pdf

[J-N-D Wtexas]

Just adjust your hitch to put more weight back on the front axle, get it back to at least where it was without the trailer attached. I bought a new 1 ton single rear wheel truck to replace a 1/2 ton, I got the grand idea my increasing the truck size that much I wouldn't need to worry about weight distribution. I was wrong, 50 miles in to pulling it with the new truck I pulled into a truck stop and readjusted the hitch. It didn't sway that much but it sure did like to bounce.

I would suggest you learn to adjust your own hitch and keep the tools needed with you when you travel for a while until you get the weight and feel they way you want it. Just offering my two cents.

Air bags are a great addition and will help your ride but they shouldn't be necessary if you WDH is the right size and the set up is right.

[325BH]

Regardless of WD system, yours is not setup correctly. You need to get more weight on your front end. You need to make sure your bars can handle the tongue weight, then tighten them up so they get the front end back down to the same height as before hitching up.

I see you have a sway bar. That is good. Just make sure you really crank it down tight.

Those two things make a huge difference.




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[uhduh camping]

I have towed a heavy trailer with the big tow Titan. I will never do it again. I was good on all numbers except tongue weight. I had to get on the brakes really hard the trailer just pushed me into the other lane. I had little to no control of steering or braking input. I was very lucky no one was in that lane. You have a lot of tongue weight. Not sure of your numbers, but tongue weight rating is only 930 lbs. It your choice, but if you want to enjoy your trips look into a 3/4T truck.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by john5646

Hope this helps. I'm towing 9,000 with 1,200 tung weight and its 2006 Titan.
I use equalizer 4 point. Self modified friction sway , and air bags ... Truck does good, wish I had more but I am content with these mods. Be glad to share more info if you want, let me know...Attachment 117748Attachment 117749Attachment 117750Attachment 117751

did you have to add the extra manual sway control system to a 4 point sway control system? The 4-point system is quite good but now you have a 6-point system if you have the added sway on the other side.

The OP is looking for suggestions to help his sway. He has a 2-point system and I think a 4-point system would be better for him but after seeing your setup I wonder?

I guess my question is this. Did you have to add the modified sway bar to the 4-point equalizer to make your trailer manageable? If yes, maybe the 4-point won't help the op...

[The_Rhino]

Originally Posted by fastalkintn

My truck weight with me and my wife... was front axle 3320# and rear axle 2700#. Today with camper attached... front axle 3080# and rear axle 4080#. The trailer axles are 6160# and GVW was 13,320...

Towing capacity is 9300# for my truck. Combined weight rating (truck and trailer combined) is 15,200. My camper GVWR is 7700# and weighed today together my CVW was 13,320. So that puts me 1600# below tow rating and 1880# below CWR.

Due to marketing pressure, IMO, most 1/2 ton specs are right at the truck's true limits... For instance, my Ram 2500 w/5.7 Hemi has a tow rating of only 9,100 & GCVW of 15,000 yet I tow a TT the same size as yours without any issues. Key differences include my 3/4 ton having a 3,000 payload vs. the Titan's <2,000., an Equalizer 4 1200 vs. EQ2, and E rated LT tires vs. whatever your Titan has...


You should never go over your payload, tow rating, or GCVW specs, but with the upgrades others have suggested I think you can make the Titan work for this size TT. IMO an Equalizer 4 1200 would make the biggest difference when setup properly followed by LT tires (D/E) and then the air bags. Make sure your tires are at max pressure to handle max weight. You can always let some air out for a more cushy ride during non-towing season...


My 6,500 (empty) TT with empty tongue of 650 becomes 8,000 ready-to-camp with loaded tongue of 1,100+... I find that it tows best with 15%+ on the tongue or it tends to oscillate up & down more on rough patches of road. In fact, when I drove the TT home I was unhappy with the bouncy ride but the RV tech said he set it up for a loaded TT. After we added our gear to the mostly frontal storage areas, and added our family of 5 to the cab, all is good.

[FordHauler]

If your weights are correct, a Hensley Hitch will solve your sway problems and make you Happy, Happy, Happy. I have one and recommend it. Check their website and call them. Not cheap but worth the expense. Rebuilt units with lifetime warranty are offered also. Ask for Steve, no BS, good answers.
Travel safe

[asquared]

Looking at the numbers you are providing, it appears your loaded tt weighs 7300 lbs. Ideal tongue weight for a tt is 13-15% of loaded tt weight, so for your tt that would be 950-1100 lbs. I would suggest adjusting the weight in your tt to make sure you are getting the correct tongue weight (weigh the truck/tt combo hooked up but no wdh bars on).

Once you have correct tongue weight, you need to adjust your hitch. The idea is to return your front end as close to unloaded weight as possible without going heavier. I would suggest moving to an equal-i-zer or reese dual cam hitch. These have integrated sway control and are excellent hitches for the money. I would get 1200 lb bars. My old tt was 30 ft and also weighed 7300 lbs loaded. My tongue weight was right at 1000 lbs and I had the reese dual cam with 1200 lb bars. This was a good combo.

I don't think your issue is needing a bigger truck but you can't have too much truck.. The only number you might be over on payload. What is your trucks gvwr? If you are over on payload and have a short wheelbase then you might need a bigger truck but for now let's try the cheaper, easier fix.

[john5646]

Dalford, my original hitch had the friction sway control. I upgraded to equalizer 4 point. That solved my issue. I just felt I would modify the friction sway to work in addition too. I figured removing it I would have the holes from it. So why not keep it there. Also felt can you have too much control. And I like to tinker.

[aceinspp]

In the long run you will be better off switching to the the equalizer 4 point hitch and the air bags. I made the switch after 2 other type wdh and this is the only one that has worked. Later RJD

[JustB_Rad]

Obviously more truck is always preferable...however I don't think you're overloading your truck. IMO you just have the wrong hitch setup.

I have a Grey Wolf 26DBH (31ft long, 7700lbs GMVW) and tow it with a 1/2 Ton Ram, but I have a Equal-I-zer 4pt 10k. i also added air bags because the Ram has an extreme squat in the suspension. It would squat bigtime, even with our old camper with a 4,000lb weight. The only white knuckle moments I've ever had were with 40+MPH cross winds on a trip last August. Other than that, I've towed 5,000 miles through just about every condition except snow and been fine. Once you get the hitch set up properly, I think you'll be A-Ok!

[Black]

Originally Posted by fastalkintn

Maybe I said it wrong. Towing capacity is 9300# for my truck. Combined weight rating (truck and trailer combined) is 15,200. My camper GVWR is 7700# and weighed today together my CVW was 13,320. So that puts me 1600# below tow rating and 1880# below CWR.

Towing capacity means nothing...the payload number in my opinion is way more important.
And in most 1/2 tons...THAT IS the weak spot.
You run out of payload way before towing capacity.
Been there, done that....I know the feeling.

[OntarioFireFighter]

Nothing wrong with the e2, IMO - it's just not setup right...

I ran a Grey Wolf 28BH on an F150; with an 8,000 lbs e2... It was a lot of trailer for the truck (length and weight) - but totally doable.

Based on your numbers, your hitch isn't transferring near enough weight forward.

You've got a lot of trailer behind you - but I think with some adjustments, you can enjoy the drive a lot more then it sounds like you currently are!

[Stormrider151]

I had the exact same issue you are with a 33 ft (over all) Salem bunk house. My first hitch was a Husky with a single friction sway bar. I couldn't control the trailer. Very scary. So I added another sway bar. A little better but still a white knuckle tow. So as much as I would have liked to have a heavy duty truck it wasn't in the budget. That and I love my F150. Solution: I down sizes to a 27 ft light weight trailer. I went from 1100# tongue weight to 650#. I ditched the friction sway control and went with a Reese dual cam hitch and changed to LT tires. Now I have a solid, safe, and easy to drive setup. It wasn't easy to make the decision to trade a trailer we had only used 4 nights but for safety sake I think it was the right one. I hope you get this straightened out and can enjoy your trailer.

[raytwntrvlr]

Clearly one size does not fit all. In my experience with the Fastway E2 trunnion type hitch, the sway control has been exceptional on both the TTs I have used it on. I have towed with and without the WDH and without, it gets pretty goosy even with my 4 ton truck at highway speeds. I will say that when we bought our 2nd TT and the dealer did the re-install.... he did not get the adjustment even close. I noticed the TT was not towing as well as I thought it should and after consulting the manual and a few trips to the CAT scales I got it set correctly and it tows like a dream.

This is probably not your issue but I know that incorrect tire pressures on TV or TT can cause all kinds of problems.

If we had to deal with white knuckle travel, it would take away so much of the adventure we enjoy. After all some of the fun is simply getting from point A to point B.

Good luck figuring out your troubles (W/O having to buy a new TV)

Happy Camping

[dmdomokos]

I too have the E2 with a 33ft trailer. I works fine. I recently switched TV and like the OPs picture, the nose of the trailer was slightly higher than my previous setup. That caused some porpoising and a little more sway even with the new 3/4 ton truck. Lower the nose of the trailer a bit.

[redcloud1]

I certainly can feel your pain because I've been having the same problems myself towing a Windjammer 3008 with a Chevy Silverado half ton. Finally after putting LT tires on the truck and load range e tires on the trailer and changing to a sway Pro hitch by Blue Ox the trailer is finally able to be pulled at 60 mile an hour without causing me to have a white-knuckle experience. I know it's a lot of money to put out after you buy a new trailer but changing the tires on the trailer and the truck will make a big difference

[hillsdaletc]

your hitch is not set up right. your rear of the TV is dragging. When set up correctly your rear bubmper height should be the same as when not hooked up.
Think of your front end, with the truck leaning back your front wheels are terrifically out of alignment, Caster and camber are off. It will act like you age driving a chopper motor cycle with long forks. it will flop from side to side causing it to constantly search for center. Lower your hitch ball on the hitch and pull the truck up to the correct height.