New 2511 home with Blue Ox...squirrelly

[RetArmyxtrucker]

The dealer set the hitch up 1000 lb bars. Rockwood Mini 2511 is about 5400lbs with est 800 of it on the nose. Measurements on my TV was 36" front empty to bottom of fender and 38 3/4" rear. Loaded 36" front and 37 1/4" rear. They put the torque bolts in middle of hitch without measuring level tongue or truck height. I guess they put it in a "eh this works for all" spot. 8th chain hooked.



Only 1 1/2" squat so not too bad. The new china bombs says 65lb cold and when I got home....after 75 mile ride from dealer, they was 45-50lb hot. My stupid for not checking before we left....momma was a happy girl ready to get it home.



Maybe the tires is what made the ride squirrelly. Maybe the hitch needs adjusting. Maybe the chains needs more tension. I dunno. Trailer did not fish tail or white knuckle, but it was not smooth either. Now I drove a tractor trailer for over 20 yrs and used to hauling and I tow my pretty heavy bass boat all over....and realize this (my first) travel trailer is a big ole billboard going down the road....but I am sure I can make this alot better.


So....my first step...take tires up to 65 lbs. TV tires are Goodyear Kevlars that I max is 51 and I run em 45 so pump those up too. Test run it and if still squirrelly, mess with Blue Ox settings although I do not have a torque wrench that big. I have not ran to the CAT scale until I get a better way to weigh the hitch weight.



Am I missing anything? Thanks.

[lbrjet]

I would air up the trailer tires and try it again. Just as an FYI, it will feel different than anything you have ever towed before.

[RetArmyxtrucker]

no doubt. I have pulled 53' trailers all over the country, sets of wiggle wagons for a few yrs, even hauled M1 tanks and anything we could fit on our Hets in Iraq all over that lovely place. I knew this would be different. I think my set up is a tad off and tires low made things pretty interesting. I will let the dealer know tomorrow their service dept needs to check this better. It is my fault for rolling out without checking. Gonna air up soon and test it on the highway a few miles. I think I should go to a level parking lot and check the set up height alot better too.

[upflying]

The general consensus here seems to be dealers don't know diddly-squat in setting up the hitch.
I would start over and set up the hitch yourself.
My dealer let me drive off with no trailer brakes.

[llr]

Is the trailer straight or slightly nose down when hooked up? If not start there.

Next get the actually weights and see how you are there.

The only times mine has felt bad after getting it adjusted turned out to be much higher winds then I thought.

[oldsmasma]

Can’t help with your towing but congrats on the new rig. Glad momma is happy. When we’re happy the whole world sings!

[mopwr4me2003]

Another vote for the dealer issue. I have the same hitch just lower rated spring bars. Dealer set mine up to what a equalizer hitch was supposed to be set at. They didn’t read the instructions at all. It looked ok to me at the time but the ride home said different. I would measure stuff over. Get to a flat area level the TT and measure ground to top of ball. Measure trailer from ground to top of the coupler I the trailer. The ball should be the same height or 1” above the coupler I believe. If not you found your issue. That is where I would start.

[jking46]

Originally Posted by RetArmyxtrucker

The dealer set the hitch up 1000 lb bars. Rockwood Mini 2511 is about 5400lbs with est 800 of it on the nose. Measurements on my TV was 36" front empty to bottom of fender and 38 3/4" rear. Loaded 36" front and 37 1/4" rear. They put the torque bolts in middle of hitch without measuring level tongue or truck height. I guess they put it in a "eh this works for all" spot. 8th chain hooked.



Only 1 1/2" squat so not too bad. The new china bombs says 65lb cold and when I got home....after 75 mile ride from dealer, they was 45-50lb hot. My stupid for not checking before we left....momma was a happy girl ready to get it home.



Maybe the tires is what made the ride squirrelly. Maybe the hitch needs adjusting. Maybe the chains needs more tension. I dunno. Trailer did not fish tail or white knuckle, but it was not smooth either. Now I drove a tractor trailer for over 20 yrs and used to hauling and I tow my pretty heavy bass boat all over....and realize this (my first) travel trailer is a big ole billboard going down the road....but I am sure I can make this alot better.


So....my first step...take tires up to 65 lbs. TV tires are Goodyear Kevlars that I max is 51 and I run em 45 so pump those up too. Test run it and if still squirrelly, mess with Blue Ox settings although I do not have a torque wrench that big. I have not ran to the CAT scale until I get a better way to weigh the hitch weight.



Am I missing anything? Thanks.

Towing empty is much different from towing loaded. Yes, air up the tires. Yes, make sure the camper is level or very slightly nose down.
But mainly, load it. It sounds like you don't have enough tongue weight, so after you load your passthru, and pack the rest of the camper with everything you need, test pull it. You may need to tweak the hitch some but it should be alot better.

[Oafdawg]

Originally Posted by RetArmyxtrucker

So....my first step...take tires up to 65 lbs. TV tires are Goodyear Kevlars that I max is 51 and I run em 45 so pump those up too. Test run it and if still squirrelly, mess with Blue Ox settings although I do not have a torque wrench that big. I have not ran to the CAT scale until I get a better way to weigh the hitch weight.



Am I missing anything? Thanks.

Sell the Blue Ox and get a Pro Pride 3P hitch. Yea, they're expensive but worth every penny. The trailer will tow just like your 5th wheel trailer behind your semi does and no more "squirelly" towing.

[lewisra]

Or sell your trailer and get a fifth wheel. 🙄🙄🙄

[mopwr4me2003]

Originally Posted by lewisra

Or sell your trailer and get a fifth wheel. [emoji849][emoji849][emoji849]

Don’t forget to buy a diesel [emoji12]

[RetArmyxtrucker]

We towed the camper to Cherokee last week to celebrate our anniversary. 1st big trip. I pumped up the TV and camper tires, stopped by the dealer on the way to check set up on WDH. I did not have a chance to check it at home. No trailer sway but still washboarding best I can describe. All the yrs as a trucker and towing boats, other trailers etc my best guess is the tires is one of the main culprits. I will dump the china bombs soon for Endurances. I looked at my 3 month old Goodyear Kevlars. Yup I screwed the pooch when I bought them. I got the SL versions instead of the E's. So...I can try to sell those and get a new set of E rated tires or keep em, suck it up and wear them out. No biggie. After hauling M1's all over Iraq, 2 million miles as a trucker here, I think this is a cakewalk. LOL. Now 8.5 mpg....just plain sucks. hehehe. I was hoping for 10-11. I still will fiddle with the WDH just to dial it in more.