What's the worst thing you've had try to blow your trailer around while traveling?

[mac.dblues]

I'm no stranger to towing stuff. Been doing it all my life. From small 4 wheeler trailers, to 500 gal fuel trailer, boats, popup campers, loaded implement trailers and as large as 95,000 lbs of truck, trailer and rice.

I've had "the tail wag the dog" once. It was probably 20 years ago and it was something I'll never forget. After the tires started chirping as the back of the truck was yanked side to side, I managed to get stopped before it rolled us over.

This past Saturday we were taking the travel trailer to the dealer to get some warranty work done on it. We were headed up I-30 taking our time and came up on a car hauler with probably 8 or 10 cars on it. We started around him and the trailer went nuts! Swaying side to side. I backed off and let some traffic pass us and went to pass him again, thinking maybe we were getting some strong side winds or something, but nope, when I got close to him the trailer went wild all over again. After that I decided that since I only had about 10 miles left I would just hang out behind him far enough to drive safely and followed him to our exit.

What do you do in a situation like that? I considered manually "dragging" the trailer brakes while I went around him, but I wasn't sure if that would get the deed done or not. Fortunately, this truck was driving pretty close to speed limit, but had he not been, I would have gone nuts wanting to get around him.

[Oaklevel]

Slowed down as you did. But it sounds like something is very wrong with how your hitch is set up. Also do you have LT tires on your truck?

[jlgail4309]

We was on the way back from Florida .Wind started blowing about 30 in side of the trailer. I was watching for trucks and pulling over a far a possible to let them by. This truck comes flying by I pulled over as far as possible he pulled over and the jeep felt like it pulled side ways. It felt like we was going to hit the side of the trucks trailer. I thought we were going to die . We got home and ordered the Hensley hitch.

[Wobbles]

Originally Posted by mac.dblues

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What hitch and type of sway control do you have? I recently towed with an F150 and changed hitch to resolve me issues.

[mac.dblues]

I have LT tires and a Husky Centerline weight distribution and sway stabilizing hitch. I posted a picture when we first got it and people told me the hitch wasn't setup correctly because my truck was squatting some. So I raised the brackets on the trailer one notch. I don't remember it swaying the day we brought it home and it seemed to start swaying after I raised the brackets.

Is possible I don't have enough weight on the hitch now and that is causing the sway?

[EdJunior]

I only had one issue, with my TT (no issues with my 5th wheel so far). On I-10 from San Antonio to Galveston, we caught some hefty side winds coming up from the Gulf (of Mexico). We just slowed down until the wagging stopped, and drove very carefully.

[Wobbles]

Originally Posted by mac.dblues

I have LT tires and a Husky Centerline weight distribution and sway stabilizing hitch. I posted a picture when we first got it and people told me the hitch wasn't setup correctly because my truck was squatting some. So I raised the brackets on the trailer one notch. I don't remember it swaying the day we brought it home and it seemed to start swaying after I raised the brackets.

Is possible I don't have enough weight on the hitch now and that is causing the sway?

Your equipment sounds good. You should not have had that sway. It could be several things. At his point anything I could offer now is guess work.

Are you loading the trailer with the majority of heavy stuff on or forward of the axles?

[Ford Idaho]

What's the worst thing you've had try to blow your trailer around while traveling?

Wyoming.

Relentless wind is relentless, and tiring.

[mac.dblues]

The layout of the trailer forces the weight of the packed items to be on or forward of the axles. It's a rear living trailer so 90% of the storage is toward the front. Pass thru at the very front, under bed storage directly behind that, wardrobes in the nose cone. I really don't think we have it loaded that heavily though. If there is 200 lbs in the nose, I would be shocked.

[mac.dblues]

This is the picture that people suggested I needed to adjust the hitch. It is squatting the back a bit, but what you don't know is the front of my truck has a 2 1/2" leveling lift kit on it. So the amount of squat in the rear is amplified more so than if the front was factory height.

[Tron]

It still looks light in the front. The best thing I ever did when pulling a tongue pull was to install air bags, your problem will go away.

[ckeeling]

From my perspective and with a lot of bumper pull experience over many years and from the picture you posted, you have work to do. Go to the Reese website and find their installation instructions for a weight distributing hitch. Follow it exactly. When you get done, I think you will find a much better towing situation. Good luck!

[smithmdsmith]

I agree with clerking... Follow the directions from the hitch manufacturer. It's all about getting the front wheel well height close to where it was before you put the trailer on the hitch. Also, air bags will make it more comfortable. I ran with 15 psi in the bags when towing and 5 psi when empty.

[aceinspp]

Ok I had a similar instance with my V-light. I use a 4 point equalizer hitch. I have all the right equipment including tires. Now here is the thought. Sounds like aerodynamics as I had an empty auto carrier go by me while I was driving a 60mph. He must been doing 75. As he went by tt started to do all kinds swaying. Just getting in behind him created a lot of turbulence till he got a ways down the road. I have no other issues with trucks passing except these types of trucks. Just a thought. Later RJD

[ckeeling]

Good comment by aceinspp! I have also experienced certain loads encountered on the road that cause a different turbulence that have caused me and my load to move around a bit. Think about a loaded transporter and the wind coming through all that. Food for thought!

[timfromma]

Once, I stopped and filled the FW tank with water just to make the nose of the trailer heavier.

[mac.dblues]

Originally Posted by aceinspp

Ok I had a similar instance with my V-light. I use a 4 point equalizer hitch. I have all the right equipment including tires. Now here is the thought. Sounds like aerodynamics as I had an empty auto carrier go by me while I was driving a 60mph. He must been doing 75. As he went by tt started to do all kinds swaying. Just getting in behind him created a lot of turbulence till he got a ways down the road. I have no other issues with trucks passing except these types of trucks. Just a thought. Later RJD

Originally Posted by ckeeling

Good comment by aceinspp! I have also experienced certain loads encountered on the road that cause a different turbulence that have caused me and my load to move around a bit. Think about a loaded transporter and the wind coming through all that. Food for thought!

I was wondering if it was just me. The aerodynamics of that car hauler was what I was thinking too. I had passed several trucks before I came up on the car hauler with little to no sway. I'll probably play with my hitch some after I get the trailer back to see if it was set up according to the instructions at the dealer.

[Cowracer]

not a camper, but once I was hauling the High School band enclosed trailer. About 9500# gross, and the BPA (Band parents association, who technically owned the trailer) would not spend the $$$ to get a WDH for the thing. I towed it exclusively for about 4 years. Always a fun ride.

Anyway... One year, coming across the Democratic Peoples Republic of Illinois, we were fighting a solid 40 MPH wind. Mostly headwind, but sometime it came from the side. Crossing a bridge over some river, The wind was really whistling. I had the wind pretty much on my left side. Due to the sail area of the trailer, it was mostly blowing the trailer to the right, which meant the trailer was pulling the rear of the truck to the right, effectively turning the truck left.

As counter-intuitive as it seems, I had to turn the wheel slightly to the RIGHT (again, with a hard wind from the left) to maintain my lane. I had things pretty much stable when a tractor trailer passed me coming the other way. Instantly, I lost the force on the trailer pulling the back end to the right, and with a bit of right wheel lock in, that meant I was suddenly headed to the right-side guardrail. .

I catch it by giving a touch of steering lock to the left, and as soon as I did, the truck had passed, and now we are back to the wind blowing the trailer and the back end of the truck to the right, aiming me left; WITH the steering wheels pointing slightly left, mind you. x2

Across the oncoming lane we go, headed to the opposite side guardrail with a quickness. I briefly wondered if the rail would hold, or if we would break through and plunge into the river. x3

I credit years of dirt track racing with the save. You learn to make quick, but small corrections when racing on dirt, and those reflexes let me keep off the guardrail, add a touch of power to keep the trailer behind me, and get back into my lane before the oncoming traffic clobbered me.

They say you only start shaking after you are safe, and I can guarantee that is 100% true. If you woulda handed me a cup of milk, I would have handed you back butter in short order.

To this day, that trailer STILL don't have any WDH or sway control on it. I keep telling them someone is gonna die pulling it, but it falls on deaf ears.

Tim

[KMANUEL74]

Originally Posted by ckeeling

Good comment by aceinspp! I have also experienced certain loads encountered on the road that cause a different turbulence that have caused me and my load to move around a bit. Think about a loaded transporter and the wind coming through all that. Food for thought!

Aerodynamics has a huge play. Ride a motorcycle and you can really feel the difference.

[Boso]

I had my 33' tag along start that on 1 95 in Fla. and my 2011 F150 with tow package went into anti sway mode and applied the brakes for me. I didn't do anything it slowed down applying the trailer brakes for me.