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03-03-2024, 08:27 AM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Oil City
Posts: 23
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Towing Sway
Currently have a 2013 Silverado 1500 extended cab 6.5 ft lg.bed, pulling a 2022 Bullet 30ft long. Bumper pull. Had trouble with the truck swaying until I got 4 new 10 ply tires. Now I'm looking at a 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab, 8 ft bed. Would the extra length make the truck sway more? I'm not real good at physics. Thanks
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03-03-2024, 08:38 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: Independent Republic of Horry
Posts: 117
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The extra length will fight sway and so will the weight. You were pulling too much trailer for the weight/length of the tow vehicle. It was not your truck swaying it was the trailer wagging the truck due to the mis-match.
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2018 Ram 1500 crew cab, 2020 Cougar 22RBS
Just the two of us on the roam with our two Jacks.
The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. A.E.
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03-03-2024, 09:04 AM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Oil City
Posts: 23
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That makes sense. Thanks
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03-03-2024, 10:12 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Henniker
Posts: 2,183
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I agree 100%. We moved from a 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton and the difference was night and day with the same trailer.
You can spend a ton of money trying to make a 1/2 ton work, but it will never be up to the task. For what it’s worth, there is a marginal cost difference between 3/4 ton and 1 ton, so if you can do it, go for the 1 ton and future-proof your towing situation
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Rob & Amy
2019 Passport 240BH SL (for sale)
2024 Cougar 29BHL (Taking delivery 5/11/24)
2022 Ford F250 7.3L Godzilla Crew Cab FX4
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03-03-2024, 05:33 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Kamloops, BC
Posts: 385
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I agree that is to much trailer for a half ton, but I did tow my 28 foot trailer with my old f150 supercab short box and didn't have an issue with sway at all, the issue I had was lack of power and I had to add air bags. if your trailer is loaded right you shouldn't get much sway at all, unless your talking about side wind gusts which is a different animal. you want to make sure your hitch weight is about 15% of the total trailer weight.
Steve
__________________
2014 F350 Platinum
2016 Cougar RBK330
1991 Slumber queen 100WS
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03-03-2024, 05:51 PM
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#6
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,702
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobJr
Currently have a 2013 Silverado 1500 extended cab 6.5 ft lg.bed, pulling a 2022 Bullet 30ft long. Bumper pull. Had trouble with the truck swaying until I got 4 new 10 ply tires. Now I'm looking at a 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 crew cab, 8 ft bed. Would the extra length make the truck sway more? I'm not real good at physics. Thanks
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To answer your question; the extra length actually stabilizes the truck more than a short bed. In a nutshell a 30' trailer is too long for a 1/2 ton truck. Don't know the weight of the trailer but the more it is the worse it gets. The 4 new tires will "help" but are a bandaid over an underlying bad situation.
I had the same kind of situation; upgraded the tires, added airbags, added a heavy duty Hellwig sway bar, Bistein shocks...you name it. Each helped but you can't make the wrong truck a bigger truck with little add ons even though I desperately did not want the rough ride of a HD truck due to past back damage. Turns out I was worried about nothing. Went to 3/4 then 1 ton, back is still the same.
If looking at a new truck always try to look "forward"; is this my last trailer? Do I think I might want something larger in the life span of my new truck? If there is a possibility of something larger in that lifespan look at a 1 ton. Not an appreciable increase in cost but there in a large increase in payload. I can't really notice a lot of difference in the rides of my 3/4 vs 1 tons - maybe a little stiffer but not enough to notice....just a big increase in the payload.
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Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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03-05-2024, 09:53 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Owosso
Posts: 213
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My own experience says 6.5’ bed is a great grocery getter that will tow. I never appreciated what the extra length meant of an 8’ bed did for towing until I bought my signature truck. What a gem to tow with. That extra length adds so much stability to the pull.
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Joe & Mary
2015 F350 XLT CCLB SRW 6.7 PS
2018 Cougar 344MKS
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03-14-2024, 07:28 AM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2023
Location: Sutter
Posts: 4
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I believe the weight distribution is off. You may have too much weight in the back of the trailer. Put more weight on the hitch. That will stop the sway
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03-14-2024, 07:47 AM
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#9
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2024
Location: zephyrhills
Posts: 10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shannon21cougar290rls
I believe the weight distribution is off. You may have too much weight in the back of the trailer. Put more weight on the hitch. That will stop the sway
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I agree x 2
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03-14-2024, 07:05 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Central FL
Posts: 1,090
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jfk69
My own experience says 6.5’ bed is a great grocery getter that will tow. I never appreciated what the extra length meant of an 8’ bed did for towing until I bought my signature truck. What a gem to tow with. That extra length adds so much stability to the pull.
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“Grocery getter…”. Really now? A short bed 3/4 or 1 ton is not the typical “grocery getter” that is usually called out as 1/2 tons, especially the Tundras and Titans that can get a bad rap. Call it what you will, but I’ll defend the 6.5 foot 3/4 and 1 tons.
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2023 Cougar HT 23MLE
2020 F250 XLT CC 6.2 4WD
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03-14-2024, 07:14 PM
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#11
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,702
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill-2020
“Grocery getter…”. Really now? A short bed 3/4 or 1 ton is not the typical “grocery getter” that is usually called out as 1/2 tons, especially the Tundras and Titans that can get a bad rap. Call it what you will, but I’ll defend the 6.5 foot 3/4 and 1 tons.
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^^^Myself as well. Had long and short bed SRWs and, for me, I've not felt an appreciable difference but some like the LWB trucks better.....
__________________
Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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03-15-2024, 03:51 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Germantown, TN
Posts: 6,335
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Joe, "My own experience says 6.5’ bed is a great grocery getter that will tow." Unless you haul sheet rock, lumber and the like in your everyday driving, I see very little use for an 8' bed over a 6.5 foot bed. However, when it comes to the 5.5 foot beds found on some 1/2 tons I have to draw the line.
Having owned a number of trucks with 8' and 6.7' beds I have found no difference in ease or safety of towing.
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Jim in Memphis, Wife of 51 years is Brenda
2019 F450 6.7 Powerstroke
2018 Mobile Suites 40RSSA
2021 40' Jayco Eagle
2001 Road king w/matching Harley sidecar
2021 Yamaha X2 Wolverine 1000
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