Trailer Sways ...

[DENNIS EVERETT]

Hi all , i have a 2012 sockwave 23 ft toy hauler , with the razor 1000xp as far foreward as possible (backed in ) , i get some trailer sway . With out the razor tows fine . I could add water to tanks to get more tongue weight but i hate carring un-needed weight , i have 1 sway control , could add a second to the other side , any ideas what could help ?
thanks in advance .. Dennis

[drittal]

Not enough tongue weight, IMO. Get to the scales.

[DENNIS EVERETT]

how would going to the scales help ? as i posted it has the weight as far foreward as possible short of adding water weight .

[railroaderone]

Originally Posted by DENNIS EVERETT

how would going to the scales help ? as i posted it has the weight as far foreward as possible short of adding water weight .

With a true known weight it may be possible to see where else something could be adjusted ie lift bars on the hitch.

[drittal]

Also, knowing your tow vehicle might help too. Could be a problem there

[drittal]

Weights might tell you if overloading trailer, truck, both..

[D W]

Originally Posted by drittal

Not enough tongue weight, IMO. Get to the scales.

X2. Loaded, you have a weight & balance problem. Your current center of gravity is too far to the rear. Adding another sway control will do nothing to solve your problem. Only the scales can tell you what your footprint is on each axle and tongue. Depending on those results you'll probably have to compute weight redistribution, or added weight forward.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by DENNIS EVERETT

I could add water to tanks to get more tongue weight but i hate carring un-needed weight ,

If your "toy" is as far forward as possible and adding water to the tank cures sway is the weight now considered "unnecessary"?

I've never considered water to be unnecessary. I like to leave home ready to spend a night on the road without hookups even if I know I have them waiting. Who knows what could happen to delay along the way.

That extra 350 lbs will only require an extra 2-3 HP to move everything down the road. Maybe 1% of the available HP for most tow vehicles.

From another site:
"
"For passenger cars and light trucks, there is a fuel penalty of approximately 0.09 MPG for each 100 pounds of weight." says http://dnr.louisiana.gov/sec/e...t/ecep/trans/e/e.htm"

If mileage is your worry then you'll pay a 1/3 mpg penalty for carrying a full tank of water.

[rockfordroo]

You need to load the front or unload the rear. Lighter Razor?

[DENNIS EVERETT]

i have a dodge 2500 diesel rated to tow 16000 , trailer dry is 6000 , razor is 1400 water if full is 400 , im guessing 8500 all up , just got razor , getting a different one isnt a option , ive never seen weight bars have any issue with sway , i have smaller tires i could put on the rear of the razor to move it a few inches further foreward , looks like the water is my best option , thanks guys !

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by DENNIS EVERETT

i have a dodge 2500 diesel rated to tow 16000 , trailer dry is 6000 , razor is 1400 water if full is 400 , im guessing 8500 all up , just got razor , getting a different one isnt a option , ive never seen weight bars have any issue with sway , i have smaller tires i could put on the rear of the razor to move it a few inches further foreward , looks like the water is my best option , thanks guys !

Another option to get more weight on the tongue is to up-size batteries. If you have one battery on the tongue, go for a double. I have tow group 29's on the tongue of my Flagstaff 25 BDS and built a platform to support them on top of the frame as the two wouldn't fit in the factory "rails" below the frame. Extra battery power is a good thing, at least I think so. Depending on your current setup this could increase the tongue weight by 100#, more if you go with larger batteries like 4 6V's (series/parallel) or 4D Deep Cycle's.

Just a possible option to consider.

Final note, make sure you have plenty of air in the rear tires of your truck.

[jlgail4309]

Ever thought about getting a better hitch. With the sway control built into the hitch . E4 or Hensley or Pro-pride or Anderson. So many great hitches. The ones with the side brake controller are not the best for sure. The wind or trucks passing in over powering your friction in the side brake controller. And if you don't weigh your setup you really don't know if it's tongue weight or not.