TT Swaying Issues

[GeeTee]

Hey Guys

Purchased a 28DBUD a couple of weeks ago - TV is a 2014 F150 Ecoboost. I have had the Firestone Ride Rite air helpers installed to assist with the up and down bouncing, it keeps the TV and TT nice and level while going through dips and over bridges. I have a WDH installed and i have installed 2 Husky Sway Control Bars, read that a TT over 24' needs to have two, one isnt sufficient. And having had a swaying TT before i didnt want to go down that road again.

I distributed the weight of the items packed into the TT pretty evenly, less in the rear, not as much infront but more or less evenly in the axle area. I have done a rough estimate i am def not of the cargo cap of the TT either. The TT also has 180lb of bicycles hitched to the back of it.

The bed of the truck probably has about 300lb of tools, tables, chairs etc in it, plus 350lb of passengers.

Now, when there is absolutely no wind it tows OK except for when passing trucks, driving at 65-70mph. However, this ideal scenario only lasted about 100 miles. Wind started blowing a little (15mph or so) and traffic got heavier. I could in some instances almost not control the sway of the TT, so much so that the wife, said she wanted to get out the truck lol - admittedly, it did get pretty bad. I had a serious fishtail, even when cars werent passing me.

I stopped, checked all the tire pressures and dropped the ride rite psi from 60 (i always drove it like this) to 40 - it seemed to help a little. The TT was also running a little more level now. 200 miles later when the wind became more steady and what seemed like every single sedan made me sway uncontrollably. Stopped the TV, released psi in ride rite to 30 - almost perfectly even/level. I took the bikes off the back of the TT and chucked them into the back of the truck - best improvement yet.

Checked tire pressures as the TT tires seemed a little flat - 44psi on the money - these tires are stock on the TT - 6 ply if i remember correctly. Some Japanese make. I towed 1200 miles in two days - it was a long drive to say the least.

Oh yes, my sway control bars are as tight as they can go - when turning into gas station or slow corners they grunt and creek a whole bunch, so i think they are tight enough.

Ive seen others guys pass me with 1/2 tonns and they dont even have WDH or sway control bars and seem to be doing fine - am i missing something here? I need to try and get this fixed, cant drive home like this i`ll age 20 years easily.

Attached is what the TV and TT look like hitched and loaded.

[youroo]

Just a WAG from the Pic,you are High in the Front of the Trailer! Also you NEED to weigh the Traileras Loaded for Travel and come up with "12-15"% T/W for proper setup! Youroo!!

[KenHwy61]

From the pic it looks like you don't have enough tongue weight.

[GeeTee]

Youroo, if i let anymore air out the TV to make the TT level im going to sacrifice something else somewhere. The Truck will no longer be level.

Perhaps i should have the tow hitch lowered to compensate for the air suspension lifting the truck backside up? I dont know. But so you`re saying its as simple as my setup not being level and nothing to do with the bikes on the back perhaps agitating the sway or perhaps even the stock tires on the TT?

[GeeTee]

Ken - could be right, i havnt loaded much into the front of the TT, mostly on the axles where i could. Perhaps i should load up the front of the TT more? Whole that not make the back end of the TT lighter and therefore more "loose" ?

Perhaps take some of the weight loaded in the TV and that to the front of the TT?

[raspivey]

Drop that ball. You're definitely nose high and lifting the back of the truck with air on top of that. Add to that what you say is almost 200 lbs hanging off the back of the trailer and no wonder you sway. Since your ball is too high, it stands to reason your WDH is going to have to be readjusted as well. Tear it down, measure everything, and adjust it again. It should make quite a bit of difference.

[phillips]

what about moving your hitch down a setting or two to bring the nose of the TT down. Defiantly seems to be sitting nose high.

[Restcure]

Remember also that while airbags will make your TV nice and level, they do nothing... nada, nil, zip, zilch, zero... to distribute weight.

[youroo]

Nope I did not say that,Your trailer is UP in the front,your hitch needs Lowered,Ball Down! The # 1 thing is your T/W loaded ready to Roll Down the Road! Bikes at rear come into play on the BAD side! Weight with or without the bikes on the rear,but you STILL Need 12-15 % T/W going down the road!! How much does your trailer weigh with EVERYTHING in/on it ready to Go? Please dont give me the MFG Sticker Info! We/You need Real Weight#! Youroo!!

[raspivey]

What I would do....level the trailer unhitched. Measure the top of the coupler and adjust your hitch so that the top of the ball is about an inch higher. Unless you have some sort of leveling kit installed on the truck, it's designed to squat a little under load. In your case, I'd probably set the ball AT coupler height since you have air bags and will raise it back up some. Measure your front wheel wells then adjust your WDH to bring the front end as close to that height as possible when hooked up. At that point, if the back end squats too much for you, add a little air to your system. Keep in mind that that will probably require some more adjustment as it shifts the weight distribution somewhat.

Also, double check the max cold pressure on the trailer tires. 44 seems a little low...mine I think were 50 on the last and I'm not sure about my current, I'd have to look. You may also have a sway like feeling from stock tires on the truck. I don't tow with mine enough to mess with LT tires, but I do run XL's on the rear at about 45 lbs when towing and it helps with the "squirm".

[Ida Ratherbe Camping]

I agree, nose to high. Not enough tongue weight. You have P tires or LT tires on that Ford?

[stevejahr]

I tow a Rockwood 2604WS with a 2014 Ford F150...

The first advice is SLOW DOWN! You are right up at the limit of your combination and it will make a big difference if you just drive 60 MPH or less. It makes a big difference on my setup if I am doing 60 versus 65. Enjoy the journey.

Next is I am really very skeptical that anybody can tell you anything real from a picture. Physics don't really care about the nose up/down angle of either the truck or the trailer.

I will second the comment that air bags on the truck are a waste here and only make things look right without making things right. If you were towing a fifth wheel it would be different, but for a bumper tow it is all about the WDH.

Yes all things being equal the weight distribution of the trailer can be critical. And violently agreed that weighing everything will tell you absolutely what is going on. But you can get some idea without making a detour to the scales. Just hook up without the WDH bars (and without any air bag pressure) and see how much the back of the truck settles. That will tell you if you have much weight on the hitch and a trailer weight distribution issue or not. That truck should probably settle 4-6" I would guess based on my impression of towing mine locally/short distance without hooking up the bars.

Yes hanging big weight off the back bumper of the trailer will make things worse as you already understand. That bumper is a long way in back of the wheels and adds lots of leverage for any weight back there.

[raspivey]

Originally Posted by stevejahr

Next is I am really very skeptical that anybody can tell you anything real from a picture. Physics don't really care about the nose up/down angle of either the truck or the trailer.

I'd have to disagree on this one. While, true, it's hard to tell to what degree the trailer is or isn't level, it seems fairly apparent that the front of the frame is higher off the ground than the rear. As far as physics, being nose high will transfer weight backwards. Even if it's loaded perfectly flat, that results in more weight behind the axles and less on the tongue, both of which contribute to sway. Add to that the effect of WDH moving some of the weight off the tongue and onto the trailer axles and it compounds the problem.

[GeeTee]

Originally Posted by Ida Ratherbe Camping

I agree, nose to high. Not enough tongue weight. You have P tires or LT tires on that Ford?

I love how you say "That Ford" - Michelin LTX and the max psi for them is 44 - i load them with 44. Just another question while we are discussing max PSI in tires, when towing do i make the front tires max PSI too which is 44?

[raspivey]

Recommended pressure on the front. If your WDH is set up correctly, you should have roughly the same weight on the front as it is unloaded.

[GeeTee]

Originally Posted by youroo

Nope I did not say that,Your trailer is UP in the front,your hitch needs Lowered,Ball Down! The # 1 thing is your T/W loaded ready to Roll Down the Road! Bikes at rear come into play on the BAD side! Weight with or without the bikes on the rear,but you STILL Need 12-15 % T/W going down the road!! How much does your trailer weigh with EVERYTHING in/on it ready to Go? Please dont give me the MFG Sticker Info! We/You need Real Weight#! Youroo!!

So thats something ive not yet done, and thats weight the TT - im guilty. Im not sure where i can get it done right now while travelling so assume my next step would be to get the ball lowered.

[JustB_Rad]

Originally Posted by raspivey

I'd have to disagree on this one. While, true, it's hard to tell to what degree the trailer is or isn't level, it seems fairly apparent that the front of the frame is higher off the ground than the rear. As far as physics, being nose high will transfer weight backwards. Even if it's loaded perfectly flat, that results in more weight behind the axles and less on the tongue, both of which contribute to sway. Add to that the effect of WDH moving some of the weight off the tongue and onto the trailer axles and it compounds the problem.

You also don't want Nose High in a heavy braking situation. Physics would tell us that if you have nose high and heavy braking, the nose of the the trailer will drive the rear end of the truck into the air, thereby losing stopping power.

[GeeTee]

OK, just went outside and checked - the WDH is already set on its lowest so the ball cannot be lowered or can it? From this picture is doesn't seem that way? I could drop the PSI in the airbags even more to make it level but, am i not then risking too little air being in it and risk "popping" them?

[phillips]

Originally Posted by GeeTee

OK, just went outside and checked - the WDH is already set on its lowest so the ball cannot be lowered or can it? From this picture is doesn't seem that way? I could drop the PSI in the airbags even more to make it level but, am i not then risking too little air being in it and risk "popping" them?

You need to turn your whole hitch setup around so you can adjust your ball lower.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[BBQGUY]

Take the hitch head from the shank and turn the shank over.