Wind-Induced Sway

[binnova]

Hi, all. New to the forum. Just finished a long TT haul, and want to relate my experience and then ask some questions.

TT: Salem 27RLSS, about 6500lbs, about 650lbs tongue weight.
TV: Ford F-150, 3.5 turbo with factory towing package & trailer brake controller. No cargo to speak of apart from the TT. Blue Ox Sway Pro with 1000lb bars. Dealer installed and adjusted the Sway Pro.
Driver: Competent, but first timer towing a large TT.

I headed west from Indiana on Wednesday last week, 3/23. Strong gusty, nasty winds. Driving on the highway was a pain because of the near-constant wind-induced sway. The cross winds were much worse than the "suck and blow" from passing trucks. Fortunately the wind was almost always pushing me to the right, and since I was ALWAYS in the right lane I wasn't being pushed toward passing traffic. I settled into a 55mph slog.
At first I fell into the trap of overcorrecting for the gusts, which fed the sway. My F-150 has electronic sway control, and it would occasionally brake the trailer for me. Scary at first, then just annoying. I began to dig my elbows into the armrests so that the initial gust-induced motion didn't cause its own steering input. I learned after a while to fight the leftward movement (no swerving into passing traffic) but to under-react to motion to the right. I don't know the terminology, but I would "let the TT wander" to the right, correcting gradually to avoid the snap-back motion. Sometimes this put my right tires over the lane line, but allowed better control.

Hours of that over two days.
Dusk brought calmer weather. When the wind died down the TV and TT tracked beautifully.

So, some questions:
1. Is my experience common, or an aberration?
2. Would cranking up/down on the Sway Pro WDH loading affect the sway?
3. Any other suggestions, apart from the obvious (slow down, get off the highway, man up, etc.)?

[Wobbles]

Originally Posted by binnova

Hi, all. New to the forum. Just finished a long TT haul, and want to relate my experience and then ask some questions.

TT: Salem 27RLSS, about 6500lbs, about 650lbs tongue weight.
TV: Ford F-150, 3.5 turbo with factory towing package & trailer brake controller. No cargo to speak of apart from the TT. Blue Ox Sway Pro with 1000lb bars. Dealer installed and adjusted the Sway Pro.
Driver: Competent, but first timer towing a large TT.

I headed west from Indiana on Wednesday last week, 3/23. Strong gusty, nasty winds. Driving on the highway was a pain because of the near-constant wind-induced sway. The cross winds were much worse than the "suck and blow" from passing trucks. Fortunately the wind was almost always pushing me to the right, and since I was ALWAYS in the right lane I wasn't being pushed toward passing traffic. I settled into a 55mph slog.
At first I fell into the trap of overcorrecting for the gusts, which fed the sway. My F-150 has electronic sway control, and it would occasionally brake the trailer for me. Scary at first, then just annoying. I began to dig my elbows into the armrests so that the initial gust-induced motion didn't cause its own steering input. I learned after a while to fight the leftward movement (no swerving into passing traffic) but to under-react to motion to the right. I don't know the terminology, but I would "let the TT wander" to the right, correcting gradually to avoid the snap-back motion. Sometimes this put my right tires over the lane line, but allowed better control.

Hours of that over two days.
Dusk brought calmer weather. When the wind died down the TV and TT tracked beautifully.

So, some questions:
1. Is my experience common, or an aberration?
2. Would cranking up/down on the Sway Pro WDH loading affect the sway?
3. Any other suggestions, apart from the obvious (slow down, get off the highway, man up, etc.)?

When I got mine, I had the same experience even though I have pulled before with trailers, just never towed a billboard before. One of my lessons was that I anticipated too much and contributed to what was worrying me.

Get out there and learn what conditions are beyond your setup and control. You had a first taste and now have some perspective about conditions.

I think that you sound like you are aware and are going to be ok.

Your weights are important and learn them (lots of info here). Evaluate them, before doing a knee jerk reaction to what opinions are tossed at you.

[Mark and Linda]

I refer to this as White Knuckle Driving...not fun at all. I have a Pro Series WDH with SC that came with my trailer. I installed a Friction Sway bar on mine to help out....works for me.

[lbrjet]

Sway is when a trailer is moving uncontrollably from side to side. You seem to be describing getting pushed around by heavy winds which is not sway. A heavier truck would help, but the best advice is to get off the road when it is that uncomfortable to drive. Also, you will get more used to the wind as time goes by. Sounds like you did OK and got some good experience.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by lbrjet

Sway is when a trailer is moving uncontrollably from side to side. You seem to be describing getting pushed around by heavy winds which is not sway. A heavier truck would help, but the best advice is to get off the road when it is that uncomfortable to drive. Also, you will get more used to the wind as time goes by. Sounds like you did OK and got some good experience.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

X2, you made it through your first white knuckle trip, congrats! Welcome to level 2.
crunchman

[m2kamp]

Your hitch is probably not set correctly. The dealer set ours up initially. It pulled great, but thats because all the tongue weight was on the rear axle. When I got home, I could pull the bars off with my hand haha. Thank God it was a calm wind day.

Definitely check if its set up right.

[sherrer2]

Don't feel bad, I was on i80 the same days I think you were heading to Idaho with my new trailer 19rr Grey wolf and same truck. It was horrible and my observation was semis and other high profile rigs were also struggling. It was terrible conditions which also likely explains my 6mpg. [emoji35]

[fast murray]

The tail was wagging the dog. A bigger dog will help. I've been where you are and have never been happier since ditching the 1/2 ton and moving to a 3/4 ton diesel. Hills and wind have become a non-issue, but I have a 5er which makes actual sway a little more manageable.

[caper]

When the wind start blowing your trailer around it is time to get of the road and wait it out.

This is what wind can do.

[binnova]

Thanks for the inputs, much appreciated.

Originally Posted by lbrjet

Sway is when a trailer is moving uncontrollably from side to side. You seem to be describing getting pushed around by heavy winds which is not sway.

Ah, the terminology. What I experienced was wind-initiated, but led to control issues. Steering corrections seemed to induce a negative feedback loop, causing the trailer to swing side-to-side a few times before settling down. It got ugly a few times, the truck's electronics kicking in.

I take it that sway is a more generally unstable and progressive condition, like a shopping cart's front wheel shake or a tank-slapper on a motorcycle.

[Teamfour]

You need to have more tongue weight. You are at 10%. See if you can get it to 12.5%.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by caper

When the wind start blowing your trailer around it is time to get of the road and wait it out.

This is what wind can do.

Yes, "High Profile Vehicles" this is what we fall under! Super High Winds is one thing/GUSTS is what "Get Ya"! Youroo!!

[PHS79]

Here is my opinion, from what you have described it sounds like it was the wind pushing you around and not actual sway.

But here are a couple other things to think about:

From your weights you only have 10% tongue weight you should move some things around to get that up another 200 lbs.
Don't trust the dealer setup on your WD hitch, mine was way off and took a few trips to get it setup to what I feel is correct and I know there are lots of others that have said the same thing about the setups that the dealers have done for them. It is well worth your time to sit down with the manual for your hitch and read it, then go out and check to see if your setup is done the way the manual suggests.
Another thing that can make towing a white knuckle ride is the tires on your truck is if you have P-metric tires, which are nothing more than car tires in larger sizes to fit trucks. P-metric tires have soft/flimsy sidewalls and if can feel like you are riding on marshmallows some times, especially with crosswinds that are making the sidewalls flex more than normal. I would recommend going to a LT truck tire if you don't already have them, they have a heavier load rating and also a much stiffer sidewall.

[Pick_PSD]

Originally Posted by fast murray

The tail was wagging the dog. A bigger dog will help. I've been where you are and have never been happier since ditching the 1/2 ton and moving to a 3/4 ton diesel. Hills and wind have become a non-issue, but I have a 5er which makes actual sway a little more manageable.

I moved from a 1/2 ton Dodge to a F-350. Hills and wind are SIGNIFICANTLY different now. I had a similar trip last fall on I-20 from Atlanta to Dallas; the wind was horrible but having a heavier truck made all the difference in the world.

[sherrer2]

Totally agree with the tire comment. I moved to load e tires and it helped keep things planted much better.

[hondo]

LT tires are a must. More tongue weight would help some also. But the biggest thing that would help is going to a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. I went from a 1/2 ton Dodge to 3/4 ton GMC and was really surprised. I made the change for more power but I couldn't believe how much better the truck handled when passing or being passed by semi's or when driving in strong winds. If we're not going far I don't even bother using equalizer bars.

[windsurfdog]

Very good suggestions re: adding tongue weight, tires and heavier TV.

As a Swaypro user, I was wondering how many links you used when you hooked up during that trip?

And you say the dealer set up your Blue Ox... when TT and TV are level and unhooked, does ball sit about 1.5" to 2" higher than coupler? After hookup, is there equal or very nearly equal "squat" on both front and rear wheels of TV?

If the you are comfortable that the hitch is indeed adjusted properly, changing the amount of tension (by adjusting links) and evaluating in those winds would have been interesting. Certainly, it would be a very good idea to CAT the rig and let the measurements speak for themselves.

If you haven't read it, here is the installation manual for the hitch:

http://blueox.com/wp-content/uploads...15002000-1.pdf

I really like mine though my rig is much smaller than yours. The BO makes the TT and TV feel like one unit moving together...even in gusty winds. I've not experienced any sway at all even bucking some 20+ head/crosswinds.


Update: Instructions say ball should be about 1" higher than coupler.

[binnova]

Good points, thanks.

Next trip, I'll get the tongue weight up and do my own WDH adjustments per the WDH manual.

Not likely to switch my TV, but I'll go to LT truck tires when the time comes.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by caper

When the wind start blowing your trailer around it is time to get of the road and wait it out.

This is what wind can do.

And the best thing to do is get off the road. Doesn't matter what tv you have or set up, it's a dangerous situation with a tt behind. Later RJD

[Wayne Joan]

Originally Posted by binnova

Good points, thanks.

Next trip, I'll get the tongue weight up and do my own WDH adjustments per the WDH manual.

Not likely to switch my TV, but I'll go to LT truck tires when the time comes.

Don't wait to change your tires. I also have Road Master Active Suspension (RAS) installed on my truck. I couldn't believe the difference with the LT tires (E rated) and the RAS when pulling my TT We are now pulling a 5er. See my signature for details.