Towing Sway

[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

[Martian]

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.

[RobJr]

That makes sense. Thanks

[NH_Bulldog]

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

[Stircrazy]

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

[sourdough]

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

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.

[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.

[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

[Panacash]

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

I agree x 2

[Bill-2020]

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.

“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.

[sourdough]

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.

^^^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.....

[notanlines]

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.