Sway issue

[cmbt]

Hello all,

This is my 1st post to this site. However, I have read a lot as a guest.

I am new to pulling a travel trailer, we just purchased a 2012 2702ss.
Our current TV is a 2010 Tahoe with the K5L tow package and 20" wheels, autoride suspension. Trailer max weight on TV is 8200lbs or 14000lbs(GCWR)

The 27022ss is listed as 5512(dry) on the door sticker. I may have 600lbs of cargo(we pack light.)

We ordered the trailer new and I also purchased the Reese Strait Line hitch. We have taken the trailer out 4 times since we picked it up 3 wks ago(not farther than 25 km's to a local Provincial Park) Each time we have taken it I have felt terrible sway, after 80km/h and it will get worse as speed increases. Hitch adjustment seems right etc, vehicle sits level when connected and tire pressures are good. I will wait to hook up the bars after the autoride has levelled out.

I am taking TV and trailer to dealer today and hopefully they can figure something out with it.

Prior to purchasing the trailer, I did lot's research in regards to the capabilities of the Tahoe as a TV. On other forums members were telling people they were crazy in regards to wheelbase to trailer length. Other forums people had no issue with the Tahoe and were not going to break any "speed records"

The 2702ss is basically 32 feet in overall length. Has anyone else pulled a 32 foot trailer with a newer Tahoe with 20" wheels? I'm not sure if the P rated 275/55/20 tires are the problem. I am unable to find a 20" LT tire in my specific size.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I'll see what the dealer does today. I have contemplated purchasing the Propride P3 or the Hensley Arrow if the dealer cannot resolve the issue. However I have also been told by people that the Reese Strait Line is very good as well.

Thanks for taking the time to read this....

[BigDTx]

to the forum, I am not a Reese owner, I use a Equalizer wd hitch with 4 sway control. Hopefully someone with the Reese setup will chime in and help you with your problem.

Hang in there and someone will come along with the help/answer's you need.

[caper]

The P rated tires could be a large part of your problem. The side walls of P tires will flex causing sway.

[hoffkm]

I was in a similar situation as you with my Rockwood 2901SS (same weight but 2 ft longer than you 2702SS) being towed behind my Avalanche. Main issue with both our tow vehicles is the relatively short wheelbase. I used to tow with decent success with a Blue Ox then I picked up a used Hensley Arrow on hitchtrader. My sway is now completely gone. We recent traveled out west to Yellowstone and even in high winds across Nebraska and Wyoming we had zero sway.

[Anschreuder]

I am pulling a 33" TT with a 2008 Toyota Sequoia with 18 " p rated tires. I use a Equalizer sway control 10000lbs and I have minimal sway. The biggest issue is to have the weight distribution correct. Don't put too much weight in the back of the TT. It's better to err on having too much weight in the front and let the sway system work harder. Just do an experiment by shifting some weight from the back to the front e.g. bicycles or cooler box etc while en route I.e. Stop after a few miles and shift the weight. That's how I learned to load my TT for the best ride.

[MtnGuy]

Some things that come to mind:

Who setup the WDH ?? Many dealers do not take the time and take the proper before and after measurements to get the WDH setup properly. Just standing back and saying "that looks OK" doesn't cut it.

Can you override the autoride ?? I am not exactly sure how that works. If the autoride can not be cancelled, the fender measurements as listed in the Reese manual are probably thrown out the window. You will need to do some weigh-ins at your local quarry or Cat scale to the axle weights. You need to weight each axle with just the Tahoe without the trailer. Next, you will need to weigh each axle of the Tahoe with the trailer hooked up, as well as the total weights, and while you are doing that you can also weigh just the trailer axles for informational purposes. Since you can't put just the rear axle of the Tahoe on a single platform scale, the rear axle can be calculated. Weigh the front axle of the Tahoe, both axles, and then the trailer axles on the scale. Using these figures against the Tahoe alone weights, you can figure if you have enough weight distributed back on the Tahoe front axle.

While you are doing the weights, you can also take a trip across the scales weighing each axle without the WDH spring bars hooked up.......you can calculate a true tongue weight doing that along with the Tahoe solo weights.

It is best to be camping ready when doing the weights if possible.

If you don't have enough weight put back on the front Tahoe axles, then that can contribute to sway. Also contributing to the sway will the relatively short wheelbase of the Tahoe pulling a 33' camper, as well as the 20" P rated tires.

Another thing with the Dual Cam setup is to make sure the cams are centered exactly in the spring bar notches when the Tahoe and trailer are in a straight line......if not, then the Dual Cam will not function properly. You even need to go as far as marking the spring bars to keep them on the same side every time you install them.......I have mine marked port and starboard. If you don't use them on the same side after getting everything centered up, any difference in length between the 2 bars will negate the setup.

[Idle_Idylist]

This has all been very helpful. I have an "unnamed" seriously doesn't even have a brand on it friction swat WD hitch set up and it does not make for happy trips to and from the cg. I called the local listed Blue Ox dealer to inquire about one of their sway pro hitches and their response was "well I don't know anything about them. I suppose if you really want it i can do it but I'd rather you buy this Reese dual cam." All fine and dandy as i'm sure they are very similar but come on. I suppose I was going to spend money at your shop but am going somewhere else now. He quoted me $850 just for parts. Sound a little high?

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by True Believer

He quoted me $850 just for parts. Sound a little high?

A little high. Here is a setup for an 800 lb. tongue weight from Etrailer: Strait-Line Weight Distribution System w Sway Control - Trunnion Bar - 10,000 lbs GTW, 800 lbs TW Reese Weight Distribution RP66083

[Don and Elaine]

We are towing a Flagstaff 831FKBSS and have a Reese Dual cam set up. We have never had any problem with sway and would reccomend this set up to all which is how I came upon it (a friend had it and swore by it). The price may seem a little high but what is the cost of your family? This is one area NOT to skimp on.

[BigRed]

Solve the problem once and for all. Get a Hensley Arrow or a Pro-pride, doesnt matter what one you get ! They ARE worth every cent you pay for them! I had a Equalizer 4PT hitch (still do,installed it on my cargo trailer)and I was very happy with it. The wife wanted to help drive while we were on our trips but was nervous about sway....so I said I'll purchase a NO-Sway Hitch. I like the color orange so we purchased a Hensley Arrow. It was very easy to install and the difference is like night and day! You will feel so much safer pulling with one of these hitches! 2-weeks ago on my first trip down to SC from NY after installing the Arrow. I had to suddenly swerve to miss an accident in the making, at the time it was just a spit-second thought to swerve, completely forgetting the camper was behind me. All that was on my mind was get out of the way! I was traveling 60-62mph (Speed Limit was 70mph) pulling a 34' Rockwood camper and that camper just followed as if it was part of my truck! I truly believe if I had any other hitch, I would have dumped the camper and it would have most like turned my truck on its side also. After that and another 1200 miles pulling the TT think the hitch is worth every dime there asking for it.....because it works !! As someone said you can't put a price on your family! and I'll add, the responsibility you have keeping other people you share the highway with safe.

[rockwood06]

I had a problem is 2006 with the camper i have now, uncontrollable sway the problem was not the tires because i was towing with a 3/4 ton Suburban with load rated "E" tires (10 ply) the problem was the hitch, it was set too low.

Chap you are 100% right the dealers just slap the crap on and call it good and no one takes resposibility but if anything happen while you are towing, then the driver is in trouble........The issue of hitch work has come up before and that is all i will say.....................

[cmbt]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. 3

took TV and trailer to dealer yesterday. They road tested the unit and rechecked the hitch. They claim everything is good. They are telling me that the problem is the TV. What they are saying is due to the coil spring set up on the rear suspension in the Tahoe(dips in the road causing trailer movement to transfer to TV and flex coil springs)
Does this make sense to anyone?
Thanks for all the feedback. We are leaving on a holiday tomorrow and I'll just take my time.

[Acableguy06]

Originally Posted by cmbt

What they are saying is due to the coil spring set up on the rear suspension in the Tahoe(dips in the road causing trailer movement to transfer to TV and flex coil springs)
Does this make sense to anyone?

I call BS...What do they think the coils are for?!?!?! they do flex up and down, the rest of the suspension keeps side to side movement minimum.

I personally tow a 24' TT with a 04 GMC Yukon and wouldn't want to tow anything over 28'. My Yukon has very quick steering any lil movement of the wheel and it reacts quick with out a trailer. These trucks don't have a very long wheelbase and 32' is a lot of camper IMO for these trucks.

I would be looking to upgrade a few things to continue pulling your current TT.
1. Not 100% sure on this or not being 20" wheels that doesn't leave much sidewall to start with but I would be looking to upgrade to LT Tires. need more sidewall to help with the side to side movement of TV
2. Get the best hitch money can buy!!!

[rockwood06]

I now tow with a 2008 Chevy Heavy Duty 1/2 ton "Vortec Max" and i tow the same travel trailer, an 8314ss. The truck came from GM with "P" rated tires as it is from GM with a 6.0 gas engine, 4 speed auto trams and a 4:10 rear the truck is design to tow 10,000 lbs as it is with the "P" tires and i have no problem. This is the same trailer i towed with the 3/4 ton Suburban as i had mention earlier when i had the sway issue.

At what speed do you notice the sway? mine started at 51 miles an hour.

[cmbt]

Sway will start at 60mph and get's worse as speed increases.
On a 4 lane hwy it's not as noticeable as a 2 lane highway. I don't think the suspension is the problem. The hitch they say is set properly.

I'll try it again and play with the weight distribution in the trailer and hitch. If all else fails then I'll purchase the Hensely or the Propride. I'm not sure which one is the better of the 2. Everyone has there preference so I'll do a little more research before I make that call.

If upgrading the hitch doesn't work then I'll have to upgrade the TV(which I don't want to do if possible) However safety is obviously my #1 concern, not only for me and my family but for the other drivers out there as well.

[youroo]

Do you have a friend with a tow vehicle that would give a test pull on your trailer? Save a LOT of guess work! Youroo!!

[bikergirl]

I tow with a Yukon XL 2500 8.1 L . We tow a 34' trailer. Travelled over 200 miles (each way) last summer and the sway was terrible. Updated my suspension this year with Sumosprings and I can't believe the difference. The sway is practically not even there. Was going to go with airbags but the Sumosprings are DIY , fit it and forget it and cheaper (under $200.00) . Might be worth a try as it would be less costly than a TV upgrade. I too would ditch the 'P' rated tires and go with at least LT. I'm also going to install an Equalizer hitch as I have read many good things about it and it is much less expensive than the ProPride or Hensley.
Just my 2 cents worth.

[MrT]

I'm in the ballpark with rockwood06. I had the rig back to the dealer on the day after I picked it up, and they had a different tech check and re-adjust the hitch setup. Nice and solid now--and I always keep it below 65 just as a matter of personal practice. I haven't owned the Hensley or similar hitches. For my 800-ish bucks, the Straight-Line works just fine when properly set up.

[Sgt. Schultz]

OP you may want to check out the sequence for setting up your hitch - see suggestions here :Woodalls Open Roads Forum: Towing: Tahoe w Equalizer and Autoride suspension..need some help

[bikendan]

IMHO, a 32' TT is too much for a Tahoe, unless you get something like the Hensley.
your Tahoe has a shorter wheelbase than my '07 Avalanche and i would never tow that long of a trailer.
the Tahoe is famous for having a soft suspension since it's mainly a grocery getter/kid hauler.
now a 25' TT would be more doable. but i wouldn't tow a 32' TT without something with a stiffer suspension.