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Old 05-26-2017, 06:49 AM   #1
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HELP!! Serious sway when towing.

Someone please please help I'm to the point of desperation. I have a 2001 f250 extend cab short bed 4x4 7.3 and a 2017 forestriver wildwood 263bhxl 32.5ft. When towing the camper unloaded my truck has serious sway it's all over the place. It's to the point it's unsafe to travel with it. This is not a enexperince issue I have 20+ years towing. Now I do have load control and sway bar. But the sway feels if the rear end of the truck is sliding on ice. New parts to the truck - tires,steering gear, sway bar links, shocks, sway continued thought it was my new tires so I got another set (both are load range e 10 ply) still have the same issue. This only happens when I'm towing this trailer. Just the truck it drives straight, lighter trailer it drives straight. I have a 600 mile trip in a month that we have been so excited for I have to get this fixed. Anyone has any ideas I'm all ears.
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Old 05-26-2017, 06:55 AM   #2
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what WD hitch and sway control are you using?
Have you been to the scales?
Or at least how does the front and rear height on the truck compare? no camper, camper without WD and camper with WD
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Old 05-26-2017, 06:59 AM   #3
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You need to Start with "10-15 % TW! Then work on your W/D S/C setup after that! Youroo!!
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Old 05-26-2017, 07:22 AM   #4
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My trailer had some serious sway. 29FBSS with a 1500 crew cab. The dealer had it set all wrong. I got the instructions out and went through the process of setting up my hitch (dual cam WD by Reese) and now it is great to drive. I suggest you look at the way the trailer is loaded and then start from scratch with the directions for your WD hitch. Also, what kind of tires do you have? I don't think that aggressive mud tires would handle well because of the size and distance of the tread lugs.
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Old 05-26-2017, 07:39 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by llr View Post
what WD hitch and sway control are you using?
Have you been to the scales?
Or at least how does the front and rear height on the truck compare? no camper, camper without WD and camper with WD
It is all Reese load bars with chains. I have not been to the scales yet. The truck barely goes down when putting the load of the trailer on it.
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Old 05-26-2017, 07:41 AM   #6
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You need to Start with "10-15 % TW! Then work on your W/D S/C setup after that! Youroo!!
I have adjusted chains from not enough to to much had 0 affect
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Old 05-26-2017, 07:44 AM   #7
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Your camper looks a bit nose-low in the picture. That's not helping.

Also, its an older truck, check your rear spring bushings. If they get sloppy, you'll get a little "rear steer" and it will feel like what you describe. it usually wont show up unloaded.

Also, a close up view of your hitch (while hooked up) will be helpful to us

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Old 05-26-2017, 07:46 AM   #8
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Need at least measurements.
Park the truck with the ball under the coupler, put some tape on the front and rear bumper or fender above the wheels.
Measure front and rear hieght from the ground.
Place the full trailer weight on the Hitch and re measure
Connect the bars and measure again.
Provide all numbers
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Old 05-26-2017, 07:47 AM   #9
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I'm no expert on WDH setup but I've managed to fine tune mine to the point where there is no sway except when a large tractor tailer passes and even then it's minimal to the point of one-hand driving.

Looking at your picture it does appear to me that your truck is not level and sagging in the rear. The normal unloaded posture for that year F-150 is for the rear end to sit about 1-2" higher than the front keeping the nose down. I would pull your hitch manual and go through the recommended set up. You'll likely need to measure the unloaded wheel well clearance of both the front and back, then hitch up with the WD bars on, then re-measure. A properly balanced WD setup should see the truck squat nearly evenly front and rear.

If the front rises, or remains the same while the rear squats, your WD bars will need to be loaded down to transfer more weight to your TV. Once you have it where you believe it's dialed in, a trip to the scales would be a good follow up task.
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Old 05-26-2017, 08:03 AM   #10
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A properly balanced WD setup should see the truck squat nearly evenly front and rear.

If the front rises, or remains the same while the rear squats, your WD bars will need to be loaded down to transfer more weight to your TV. Once you have it where you believe it's dialed in, a trip to the scales would be a good follow up task.
the front of the truck will rise, the WDH hitch should return at least half of the rise. the rear should not be higher with WD hooked up then with no trailer.
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Old 05-26-2017, 08:24 AM   #11
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It is all Reese load bars with chains. I have not been to the scales yet. The truck barely goes down when putting the load of the trailer on it.
Right here is the Clue that there is NOT Enough TW! Go find out what your unit Really Weights and set your TW at 10-15%! You are going in circles! Youroo!!
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Old 05-26-2017, 08:28 AM   #12
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I have adjusted chains from not enough to to much had 0 affect
I/You can adjust Reese chains to the point of lifting your Rear Tires to have NO traction! Forget about the Reese setup until your TW is proper! Youroo!!
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Old 05-26-2017, 08:34 AM   #13
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You have a weight and balance problem.







Watch this video and weigh your truck and trailer axles 3 times (Truck alone; Truck and Trailer together (NO distribution bars attached); Truck and Trailer together (BARS ON).

Post the axle weights here and you will get complete, accurate advice.

Find a CAT scale near you:

https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locat...wd_BoCJuPw_wcB
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Old 05-26-2017, 09:30 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryansundermeyer View Post
Someone please please help I'm to the point of desperation. I have a 2001 f250 extend cab short bed 4x4 7.3 and a 2017 forestriver wildwood 263bhxl 32.5ft. When towing the camper my truck has serious sway it's all over the place. ...
That's your problem. "Unloaded"
Most trailer are designed tongue-light, with the expectation that you'll be putting stuff in them. With most storage biased toward the front, plus batteries and LP tanks, you want to end up in that 10-15% TW range that others were talking about. (The exception is the Toy Haulers), which are designed with the expectation of lots of cargo in the rear).

Don't worry so much about what happens to the rear. See what is happening with the front wheel wells. If you put the trailer on the ball, and you don't see the front end go up a bit, then that's a clue you don't have much tongue weight. But if you are serious about solving this problem before your big trip, get to a weight station (slowly) and measure the total trailer weight and your TW.

And stop towing the trailer "unloaded".
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Old 05-26-2017, 10:34 AM   #15
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Don't worry so much about what happens to the rear. See what is happening with the front wheel wells. If you put the trailer on the ball, and you don't see the front end go up a bit, then that's a clue you don't have much tongue weight. But if you are serious about solving this problem before your big trip, get to a weight station (slowly) and measure the total trailer weight and your TW.

And stop towing the trailer "unloaded".
When I say unloaded I mean just as factory. No fresh water grey or black water. Lp tanks are there and full battery is there. I towed this with my fathers truck no issues (it's dually yes huge difference just saying for the sake the trailer is ok) I'm going to get to a scale this weekend
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Old 05-26-2017, 10:35 AM   #16
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Ok I'm going to get to a scale this weekend and I will post the results. Thanks for all your help so far.
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Old 05-26-2017, 12:46 PM   #17
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Trailer Sway

If you plan to eliminate trailer sway, I'd suggest you look closely at a Hensley Hitch or the other similar one (brand name escapes me). They are quite expensive but sway is gone. My wife and I were ready to sell our new trailer due to sway using conventional hitched. Now my large trailer toes like a dream.
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Old 05-26-2017, 12:56 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by ryansundermeyer View Post
Someone please please help I'm to the point of desperation. I have a 2001 f250 extend cab short bed 4x4 7.3 and a 2017 forestriver wildwood 263bhxl 32.5ft. When towing the camper unloaded my truck has serious sway it's all over the place. It's to the point it's unsafe to travel with it. This is not a enexperince issue I have 20+ years towing. Now I do have load control and sway bar. But the sway feels if the rear end of the truck is sliding on ice. New parts to the truck - tires,steering gear, sway bar links, shocks, sway continued thought it was my new tires so I got another set (both are load range e 10 ply) still have the same issue. This only happens when I'm towing this trailer. Just the truck it drives straight, lighter trailer it drives straight. I have a 600 mile trip in a month that we have been so excited for I have to get this fixed. Anyone has any ideas I'm all ears.

Unless the picture is an optical illusion you look light on tongue weight. Back end looks to be sagging on the camper.
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Old 05-26-2017, 12:59 PM   #19
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Fill your FW tank with water and see if it helps.
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Old 05-26-2017, 01:02 PM   #20
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Depends on where the tank is located. If it's in the back of the TT that's gonna make matters worse.
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