Towing

[S Tuck]

I have a F-150 EcoBoost with max tow and am not new to rv camping; however this is my first venture into doing so with me as the driver (my husband passed in Nov. 2019). I pulled my 2021 Rockwood 2614BS Ultra Lite for the first time and noticed a lot of swaying if I went over about 58 mph. This is very slow. I have sway bars but is there something additional I need to get to help with the swaying? Need some advice!!!!!

[007matman]

What kind of hitch do you have?

If you don't know and can take a picture that would work.

[GXPWeasel]

The sway could also be related to the way the trailer is loaded. If there isn't enough weight on the tongue of the trailer, then sway is very common.

May I ask. Is this the same setup that was used before, when your husband was around? Was the trailer / truck the same, and the way items were packed in it the same? Did your husband ever complain of a sway issue to you?

[Chris Pastuzyn]

Welcome from New Jersey, See if you can take some pictures of the hitch ? Loading of the camper as mentioned ,Check the tire pressure on the camper, As well as your truck tires.

[S Tuck]

No it is the same hitch and sway bars but now it is on my F-150 instead of his F-250 SuperDuty and it is a brand new camper; shorter and much lighter. Additionally I am pretty sure that the front weight might be somewhat different even though both are/were bedrooms.

[6CatDaddy]

Hi.

If you are behind the wheel now, is it possible that what you are feeling is "normal" ... "sway"?

No matter what size rig a person has, and with everything being set up correctly the law of physics comes into play going down the road with crosswinds, or following a large vehicle. The vehicle in front of you will cause air disturbance and will give your vehicle a squirrely feel...

Road surfaces sometimes give a wild ride if there are pavement seams in the lane you are in.

I mention all this because there "may" not be anything off in your set up, but since you are driving now, it could be normal road feel you may not have known about over in the jump seat.

As long as you are staying in your lane, with only minor steering adjustments, good chance everything is ok.

On the other hand, if control is difficult due to the trailer tail end swaying back and forth and you have to brake to correct, then, yes something is not set correctly.

One last thing, the F150 will handle a bit differently than the F250... could give the impression something isn't right.

Good for you too, to carry on!

Stay safe and strong!

[tomkatb]

The rear kitchen models sort of encourage you to add weight to the rear sort of encouraging sway.

Something as simple as towing with the water tank full might help if it is in front of the axles.

A picture would help. Needs to be level. Need to know the payload sticker numbers.

[Mowgli64]

You will need to reset up the hitch from the beginning, you have a completely different truck and trailer. Find the instructions for your hitch and follow them. Like others have said post some pics of hitch and the rig all hooked up.

[007matman]

Originally Posted by S Tuck

No it is the same hitch and sway bars but now it is on my F-150 instead of his F-250 SuperDuty and it is a brand new camper; shorter and much lighter. Additionally I am pretty sure that the front weight might be somewhat different even though both are/were bedrooms.

Did you adjust the hitch for this new camper?

[flyflotrtim]

Send us pictures of the trailer hooked up to the F150. Send pictures of the yellow tag on the drivers side door frame and a picture of the trailer specs on decal on the front left of the trailer.

[moose074]

I agree with those saying the WD hitch needs to be adjusted for the truck and trailer. I looked at your profile and I would find someone to do the heavy lifting and torquing. You can be the supervisor, or take it to a dealer or local mechanic.

[njfishing]

Great advice above..... I'm guessing that the height of your hitch was much higher on the F250 then it was on the F150 and it needs to be adjusted.

Looking at the figures for your trailer, it has an empty tongue weight of 796 pounds and weights 6988. Load it up with another 1000 pounds of stuff and your at a tongue weight of approx 900 pounds or more and your trailer weight is almost 8000 pounds. You need to compare these figures to your f150 towing capacities since depending on how your f150 is configured, you might be fine on the trailer total weight but it could be over your payload capacity, especially if it's a higher trim model.

I've seen a lot of higher trim f150s with a payload rating of only 1400 pounds.. If your trailer tongue weight is 900 that only leaves 500 pounds left over for passengers and cargo which is not a lot..