Towing 19.5

[SueRoeske]

We had a Toyota Highlander when we bought the No Bo 19.5 in June.

The ride home was rocky and we could feel the sway.

We bought a new F150 to tow the camper. Little improvement so we added weight distribution and sway bars, still little improvement.

Has anyone else experienced the rocking motion or swaying while towing? At this point I wonder if something is wrong with the axel or frame of our No Bo.

[uhduh camping]

You might need more tongue weight. You could also double check your truck's rear tire air pressure. You could add more air if you are not near max PSI. Does your weight distribution system have built in sway control?

[TheCiscoKid]

I have the same RV. Congrats. Over the 4th of July I towed our 19.5 NOBO 2k miles to Denver and back through Texas with a Ram 1500 Pickup with tow package and trailer brake controller.



I didn't use a Weight Distribution Hitch or anti-sway bars. Just a 7k rated 2" tow ball on a drop hitch. I had my concerns before departure regarding high winds and repeated watching of trailer sway videos on YouTube did cause some concerns. I did some dry runs and everything was stable with no movement so I decided to go without these options for this trip.



My truck comes with an anti-sway feature that kicks in automatically. And it did once. Think ABS brakes for your trailer controller by the truck. It did cause me to pucker a bit.



The trailer brake controller (dealer installed option) also helped keep everything under control.


I also noticed it hauled better with a full fresh water tank. I believe its located in the front of the trailer so it puts more weight up by the hitch for a better tow.


Hope this helps.

[SueRoeske]

I will test the tires in the morning for PSI.

We had a weight distribution Trunnion style 600 lbs max tongue and a sway control kit installed.

Would adding water to the tank achieve the goal of adding weight to the tongue? If it does we will try that.

I appreciate both replies.

[nuwandame]

We have a 19.5 and the sway becomes very interesting for us too, especially with strong side winds. Things I have done to mitigate the sway is adding to the fresh water tank, ensuring gray and black are empty, cranking down on the sway bar and adding mild ballast to the cargo area under the bed.

I was a little surprised with the sway and the opposite force felt on the steering in strong winds (going through Kansas). It pushes the trailer tongue with the wind which pushes the nose of the truck toward the wind which in turn forces me to steer with the wind... kinda backwards. I think that it is more pronounced due to the single axle versus a tandem as is on my cargo trailer.

I hope that helps.

[CincyGus]

Fill your fresh water tank as mentioned will add weight to the tongue for you. Other things you can do:

1) Make sure anything of significant weight that you can put towards the nose of the camper, you do. Meaning heavy stuff in the front storage comparts is very helpful.
2) Heavy stuff in the front of the inside of the camper. We put all cases of soft drinks, water bottles, gallon water for coffee, etc in the front bedroom right up against the nightstands in our previous TT to add to the weight in front .
3) Eliminate any heavy items from the rear of your camper you can and at least load them forward of the wheels inside if you can't get them more forward than that.

Your trailer is a big teeter totter so anything in the front or removed from the back helps put weight on the tongue. The farther it is from the axles, the more force it is putting on or taking off the tongue weight.

Make sure your tires are properly inflated to the amounts suggested on the door jam sticker on your tow vehicle (for those tires) and for the max cold tire pressure for your trailer tires. If you have Passenger tires on your Highlander, consider changing them out if thats an affordable option. Passenger tires are made with softer sidewalls to improve ride quality but the flex built into them can contribute to sway. You want a stiffer sidewall tire for towing to limit that side to side flex.