Fish tailing and sway issues

[DaveSchwartz]

Originally Posted by Sierracamper

truck ties inflated to 65psi cold which is max rating. Thank you

You have a 1-ton SRW with D-rated tires???

The truck's rear-end will be pretty stiff side-to-side but that is undone by the weak sidewalls of those tires. You should upgrade to load range E-tires inflated to at least 75 when towing, regardless of what you do to the trailer. I'm pretty sure that would have been OEM on a 1-ton SRW anyway (it probably says that on the yellow sticker) so they must have been downgraded somewhere along the line.

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by DaveSchwartz

You have a 1-ton SRW with D-rated tires???

The truck's rear-end will be pretty stiff side-to-side but that is undone by the weak sidewalls of those tires. You should upgrade to load range E-tires inflated to at least 75 when towing, regardless of what you do to the trailer. I'm pretty sure that would have been OEM on a 1-ton SRW anyway (it probably says that on the yellow sticker) so they must have been downgraded somewhere along the line.

I missed that. That is definitely part of the problem.

[updhaul]

Just an assumption that the dealer sold you the hitch with tt, if it's not to far you might try trading it in on the equalizer 4point with the square trunnion bars that is so good for sway control at a relatively modest price. Use a measure and level to be sure level on truck and tt are correct as light front load on truck could mimic and create tt sway.
Usually a one ton will have heavy tires so make sure they are correct size and weight capacity Good luck, have patience as you tune set-up.

[dwebster]

I had a similar problem with a Coachmen tt a few years back. Whenever we were passed by a semi, the trailer was all over the road. I had a wdh and had problems when the trailer was empty from the dealer. We bought a Hensley Arrow and all towing problems stopped. Pricy but worth it

[rthomaslyons]

Originally Posted by Sierracamper

We just purchased our Forest River Signature Ultra light travel trailer 8315BSS. We own a FordF350 diesel 2002, 7.3 engine, with a 12000lb tow package. We are having major sway problems if we get above 50mph. We have had an alignment done and even had our steering tightened. This hasn't fixed the problem. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? We want to be able to enjoy our time on the road.

I've owned 3 new travel trailers since 1994 (26, 34, 24 foot models respectively) and they all tow differently behind a three-quarter ton Dodge ram diesel. Loading water and supplies can make a big difference but so does the distance between the rear wheels of the truck and axels of the trailer. Going from the 34 foot to 24 foot (still measures 30') resulted in a lot more sway in winds and passing semis until I tightened the chains an addition 2 links and that made all the difference. My WDH is a Blue Ox Sway Pro and I love it.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Sierracamper

A squared, we have true sway,and tail wiggle. No porpoising. The sticker on the trailer from the factory says gvwr is 8938, gawr 4000 front and rear, hitch weight 938, and cargo cc 1588. Trailer tire filled with nitrogen to 60psi cold, and truck ties inflated to 65psi cold which is max rating. Thank you

If you were closer I have an Equalizer 4 point with sway 1000/10,000 you could use to see if that helps. 65# max TP on a 350 sounds like D rated tires. Even my F250 arrived with E rated to 80# with 3450 weight rating. Try to borrow an Equalizer hitch and set it up for your rig. You should be able to find one on Craigs List for less than $350 ~ if I ever get around to listing mine that is where I'll start ~~ I believe with that and E rated tires your problem will be substantially reduced or eliminated ~~ just my 2 cents and you know how much 2 cents is worth.

[aceinspp]

As I mentioned earlier this is the way to go Equalizer 4 point for the least amount money. I towed my first V-Lite with a dully and it was awful with the cheap wdh they supplied. Now have 3/4 ton with the Equalizer and what a difference. Later RJD

[riverrat958]

all the dealer sold where I used to work was Equalizer 4 point different weights for different campers of course. only had one come back- owner greased it up because it made noise LOL- which rendered it in effective of course

[elchilero53]

Had this same problem with a Rockwood Ultralite 2602. The bedroom with storage and the fresh water holding tank were in the rear. It swam like a freaking fish. Dumped the water tank and more than 200 pounds and the situation improved significantly. We were also blowing tires on the rear TT axle (overloaded situation). Once we shifted some weight forward the hula dance stopped. One thought would be to go with larger LP gas tanks. That will put more with on the hitch. If you have 30 pound tanks, go to 40 pound tanks.

After we sold the Rockwood, I was resolved to only buy trailers with the water tank and bedroom (with storage) up front.

[tomrob1161]

I have a 2013, Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite, 8315BSS that I pull with my 2010, Yukon XL, 2500. I use a Reese Sway Control Weight Distribution Hitch. when traveling at highway speeds I also put on a Anti Sway Bar. I don't have any trouble. As some of the other folks haves suggested be sure your TV & trailer tires are properly inflated and visit the scales. You may have to switch some of your weight out of the trailer into your truck bed.


Good luck

[stansoper]

I have a ProPride 3P. On my second travel trailer. Absolutely NO sway. Safety has no price. Put it on my first TT after being scared to death with trailer sway. ProPride and Hensley are similar in design. Trailer Sway Elimination | Sway Control | Truck RV Trailer Hitch Accessories | ProPride, Inc.

[uhduh camping]

Originally Posted by stansoper

I have a ProPride 3P. On my second travel trailer. Absolutely NO sway. Safety has no price. Put it on my first TT after being scared to death with trailer sway. ProPride and Hensley are similar in design. Trailer Sway Elimination | Sway Control | Truck RV Trailer Hitch Accessories | ProPride, Inc.

I do agree with you with on the HA and the 3P for sway, but you should still have proper setup. You can still have other handling issues with either hitch. Tongue weight to low you can still jackknife, TW to high you can lose steering and front braking control and be pushed by your TT. Don't let it fool you.

[Sierracamper]

Thank you everyone for your input. We are looking into an equalizer four point hitch. I will also look into the blue ocean and propride ones also. It's in for service now and they are looking into a bent frame and checking that the axles are tru. We are going to lightning the load in the rear of tt and put a little more weight in front. See if that helps. Wish me luck! Thanks again for all of your help. I'll keep you posted.

[asquared]

Lets us know what helps. good luck!

[Minnie Meyer]

Husky centerline hutch solved the problem on our 2013 vlite flagstaff. Our 2011 Gmc 2500Hd truck also has some built in sway control...but the equalizer hitch eliminated ALL scary wags and sways...