sway

[007matman]

Originally Posted by madatme

while we are on the subject, How Much Sway is to Much ???. I have the fastwayE2 and i do see a small amount of sway( a few inches in movement)(feel wiggle in the truck bed) in the mirrors at 60 -65 mph at times but not always and it does return to straight, allot of other posters say they would not use my hitch with a 34' TT, I had a 23' TT(sold it)and had a small amount of sway , I'm not a seasonal puller either and also confused a little bit also

Every trailer is different and towing Dynamics are too. If you have a camper that's heavy in the rear from what I understand they can be more difficult to tow.

With that said, I have pulled my 32.5' Rockwood with two different vehicles using that hitch and have had very little issues with sway. My hitch is the same.. Fastway E2. Tow vehicle 1 was a 2010 Escalade ESV, now I pull it with my F350.

Set-up is critical. The OP has a trailer that sits 2" higher in the front than the rear when towing. That's a problem for many reasons. That trailer should be nose-neutral (level) or slightly lower than the rear for optimal towing characteristics. If I remember right Fastway says level or within a half inch (front being lower).

What I see so often with this hitch is improper setup. I see very often that people try and use the same shank that comes with the kit and in reality it is usually not the proper one for that vehicle.

When towing with my Escalade I had to purchase a 12" drop in order to level the trailer. Now with my truck I need to purchase a smaller drop but I'm making due (I raised the hitch a bit with it so the bottom is a little longer than it should be and will occasionally drag on the ground.

[jrm1493]

Originally Posted by swj

A-truck uncoupled front fender is 36.5", B-coupled/no bars 37.25", C coupled with bars 36"

You are returning way to much weight to the front (FALR) leading to a possible oversteer loss of control at the limit; read your truck's owners manual, it probably recommends retuning only 25% or 50% of the rise.

But, I suspect the sway is not caused by this but rather a lack of tongue weight or being trailer nose high. But you should set up the hitch properly to mitigate the oversteer risk.

I have the same hitch with similar size trailer and no sway. I did have to adjust the dealer setup which was set up with too much (120%) FALR for my GM truck which mandates 50% return. It drives great with big FALR but you have a loss of yaw stability.

[CentralMePistol]

This is one of the most popular topics out there for trailer owners!

So to help with perspective; I drive a GMC Sierra Crew Cab, 32' TT, with a 7,500#GVR on the trailer. I run a Camco R6 WDH w/ integrated sway.

Based on your picture it does not appear you are set up correctly. I have found dealers do not always know what they are doing when setting them up- or at times have people with little training doing it. Do research, watch youtube, and talk to guys at the campgrounds that have similar set ups (ie. Half-ton with larger campers). I have also found that my camper tows best when I keep my water tanks filled at least half way to add weight to the front of the trailer. Seemed silly when I first tried it but what a difference in towing!

There is definitely an art to getting it right, I found that using scales was HUGE in getting things correct. I would encourage you to visit CAT Scales nearest you to get things distributed properly.

Also in a half ton we are prone to sway when towing something that is heavier than our truck. One thing you can do is add "suspension enhancements". Meaning air bags or something similar. I personally installed Sumo Springs. Very easy install and much cheaper than an air bag system. They help to hold the truck more rigid and reduce sway. Finally, another "enhancement" would be to move to better tires. I am planning to add E rated tires myself this spring. Haven't tried yet but have heard very good things about upgrading tires in regards to the towing experience.

Finally, the difficulty taking the bars on and off.... one trick I learned was to use the trailer jack to raise the tongue a few inches prior to taking the bars on and off. It greatly reduces the pressure on the bars and makes it much easier. Mine too were very hard to remove with full weight on them! (In fact depending on how much I raise it I can almost do it by hand without the hitch up tool!)

If you look at my picture you can see that a level truck and trailer (half ton with larger camper) is possible with a little time and effort tweaking the adjustments! I spent about three hours tinkering... and that is after a few seasons of practice on other campers.

[007matman]

This is from the OP:

"Trailer standing level uncoupled, 30" front and 30" rear, The surveyor's A frame that leads to the hitch coupler is angled up several degrees, as the bubble leveler shows me, so the whole leveling thing is guess work... if i level the A frame the back is 30 inches and the front is 32 inches"

His trailer is not flat. It's nose-high. That's a bad thing. He needs to drop the hitch ball height by flipping the shank.

[Mr Towed]

Originally Posted by jrm1493

You are returning way to much weight to the front (FALR) leading to a possible oversteer loss of control at the limit; read your truck's owners manual, it probably recommends retuning only 25% or 50% of the rise.

But, I suspect the sway is not caused by this but rather a lack of tongue weight or being trailer nose high. But you should set up the hitch properly to mitigate the oversteer risk.

I have the same hitch with similar size trailer and no sway. I did have to adjust the dealer setup which was set up with too much (120%) FALR for my GM truck which mandates 50% return. It drives great with big FALR but you have a loss of yaw stability.

I think you are on the right path with the OVER tensioning and not enough tongue weight.

[JohnD10]

Two things I wanted to address...

Do research, watch youtube, and talk to guys at the campgrounds that have similar set ups (ie. Half-ton with larger campers).

While this is partially true, I've found that more of the fellow campers pulling larger TT's with 1/2-ton trucks don't have their WDH setups correctly done and most don't have a clue how to set them up right.

Every time I'm in an RV park I typically help two or three newbies around me.

Most of them tell me that all the dealership told them was to "Use the 3rd. link on the chain and you'll be good!"

Finally, the difficulty taking the bars on and off.... one trick I learned was to use the trailer jack to raise the tongue a few inches prior to taking the bars on and off. It greatly reduces the pressure on the bars and makes it much easier. Mine too were very hard to remove with full weight on them! (In fact depending on how much I raise it I can almost do it by hand without the hitch up tool!)

This is not a trick...that is the way it is supposed to be done!


I know two different people that have had their foot broken because nobody instructed them on how to remove those bars by taking the pressure off of the hitch by jacking up the trailer tongue first, and that bar slammed down on the top of their foot because of the weight still being transfered through it.

The reason most don't understand this fact is because most of the dealerships selling first-time RV buyers their trailer hitch setups don't have a clue how to set them up, either.

Whenever I know someone who is buying their first bumper pull TT or 5'ver, my advice is to get their trailer hitch from a shop that specializes in trailer hitches...and not the RV dealership.

That way they will get the right hitch and accessories, plus they will get the right instruction on how to use it.

From people that understand the products they sell and install.

[swj]

got it, I have to lift trailer until safety chains
are of the ground and truck tires are almost airborne
in order to get the bars off, hammering and kicking are still required

[Hersbird]

Weigh it no matter what you do, if you dont have at least 10% of the total on the hitch with no WDH then that must be fixed first. I'd shoot for much higher, like 15%.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by swj

got it, I have to lift trailer until safety chains
are of the ground and truck tires are almost airborne
in order to get the bars off, hammering and kicking are still required

If hammering and kicking is still needed when you raise the tongue of the trailer up enough to just lift the back of the truck a little bit...then it is not hooked up right!

And, don't forget to put the tongue back down before you release the hitch from the ball.

I always lowered the trailer back down until the jack stand comes just off the ground or other support, then undo the clamp that locks on to the ball, then raise the trailer back up so you can pull the truck out from under it.

Then you can level the TT front to back.

[deepseadan]

Swj, after reading all these ideas and opinions on what to do you must be going nuts. At least I am. Do this - do that- geez, and nothing will help that much, you’ll always be nervous about sway. That’s what happened to me when I ask for help with setup on these forums. I spent days on the phone with tech support and nothing helped. Just get a Hensley then you don’t have to figure anything out and your sway issues will be gone forever. Then all you’ll have to worry about is where you want to camp.

[007matman]

All of the comments on this thread boil down to two things.

1) You need to lower your hitch by flipping the shank and dropping the ball height. You want the trailer to ride level or slightly nose-down.

2) You are transferring the weight too much to the front axle of the tow vehicle. I believe the install manual says you should look to regain most of your front ride height with the bars engaged. BTW.. This is also why the hitch is too difficult to engage/disengage.

Here is a link to the install manual. It outlines everything we've said here.

https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/pdf/e...structions.pdf

You don't need to drop 2k on a hitch. Your set up is obviously incorrect and the hitch just needs adjustment.

[SYE]

Originally Posted by 007matman

All of the comments on this thread boil down to two things.

1) You need to lower your hitch by flipping the shank and dropping the ball height. You want the trailer to ride level or slightly nose-down.

2) You are transferring the weight too much to the front axle of the tow vehicle. I believe the install manual says you should look to regain most of your front ride height with the bars engaged. BTW.. This is also why the hitch is too difficult to engage/disengage.

Here is a link to the install manual. It outlines everything we've said here.

https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/pdf/e...structions.pdf

You don't need to drop 2k on a hitch. Your set up is obviously incorrect and the hitch just needs adjustment.

Check the speed rating of your tires as well

[B-Rave98]

I had sway issues with the exact same style truck and the Reese weight distribution bars. I pulled a 27 foot Salem RKS. After a year of white knuckle drives, I bought a Hensley anti sway system. It was the best money I spent for the TT. It stopped the sway, i even crossed the Chesapeake bay bridge in 15 to 20 mph gusts of wind with zero issues. It may be expensive but what price do you put on safety.

[ccamper]

Originally Posted by palusza

Dont forget you can turn the head of the jack so u can drop the tailgate if its hittingAttachment 198993

How did you do that?

[swj]

the A frame from the FRiver Surveyor 251RKS (dry weight 6,000lbs) trailer shell to the coupler is on a upward angle, see pic. and when you drop the trailer on the ball, the Ford 150 max tow rear bumper drops 12 to 15 inches... so level is confusing.... so guess work on beginning measurements and hope for level
setup at the end of setup?

[007matman]

Drive to the biggest, flattest price of Earth or driveway you can find.

Unhook the trailer and level it out like you were going to use it.

Back up the truck to within a few inches of the trailer coupler.

Measure from the top of the trailer hitch to the ground. Do the same for the top of the ball to the ground. Subtract the two. What do you get?

All of this is in the hitch setup guide I sent earlier via link.. step 3 page 10.

[007matman]

Wait a minute. You have the round bar

Here is the appropriate guide. Setup instructions up to this point is basically the same though.

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link...0-5d0e0b33f836

https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/pdf/e...structions.pdf

[Lzerarc]

I am shocked you haven't been instructed to buy a f350 dually immediately.

I used to have the square bar E2 hitch when I pulled a 34' passport, weight of 6600#. No matter that we did it would sway. Went to a Equalizer 4 point, set it up the same way, and sway problems were gone.
My mother has a 25' Rockwood minilite, and I set it up with the round bar e2. Rides really well, no sway. She pulls with an expedition, but I've pulled it with my f150 also.

I think the e2 are pretty good hitches, I feel once you hit 28' and up that's where a 4 point needs to kick in.

Those rear kitchen model can have light factory tw, so check that out too. May need to load it up more.

I think the recommendations sound good here, minus the Hensley or 3p ones. While I know they are great hitches and I'm considering one for my rig, I also think these shorter tt can be towed really well with a properly setup wdh.

[usapierre]

If I remember correctly Fast was only makes WD hitches and I don’t think their do sway control , or do they? Now I’m curious.

[007matman]

They are both. Sway and weight distribution in one product.

Check out this YouTube video

https://youtu.be/ChyN-d_qcHo