bad sway real bad...

[donnie_o8]

So we just picked up our new 2012 Passport Grand Touring 3100rk on Wed. morning. But just before this on Mon. I went and got new tires put on the truck as they needed replacd anyway. The truck is a 2007 f150 with very low miles on it (34,450). The reason for the new tires was because they put general ameritrac tires on this thing from the get go (which are not much more than a car tire) and would leave me hung up when trying to pull off road to park in wet grass and leaves when hunting. So we go to pick up the TT and they did the walk thru and set up the hitch for us (a 10,000# reese with sway contol).So the tech guy is running me thru the hook up and tells me to wind the trailer hooked to the truck all the way up as far as it will go.....so I did.....then he says put the bar in like this.......I did.....then he says hook the chain so you got three loose links hanging.....so I try.....um...grunt...uh.. no way bra. Im a 260 pounder with abit of grunt left in me and it wud'nt happenin. Then the tech guy trys... he is alittle dude too kinda made me mad and laugh at the same time. so then he says try two links hanging....I did and it went. He said things should break in and it will get easyer. OK....So we rollin home with the unit all looking good and it happend.......The first truck passed us and about twisted this thing up. It was windy out and on a real bad rutted back road so Im thinkin this could have been the problem. We get her home and load up to go on the madden voyage and to meet our freinds about 20 miles from home.So now were on the interstate and I can't pull this trailer any faster then 45-50 mph. It is bad. I have drove semi and pulled triple trailers I know the wiggle thing I have also a 5500# boat thats pulls like nothing,There is something bad wrong. My buddie and his wife meet us with there TT to camp for the week end and we noticed the tire dealer gave me load range C tires insted of the E that I wanted. Talked to the branch manager they are going to change the tires tomorrow. Do you guys think being the difference between a 6 ply and a 10 ply tire could cause this type of sway problem or the hitch may be set up wrong. I also got to get the manuel for the hitch as they didn't give it to me.I have pulled many different things before and this thing is plan misrable.

[SlowPoke]

Definitely sounds like a hitch setup incorrectly. when you said he adjusted from 3 links to 2, just to make it easier to pull them up tight...that was a dead giveaway that he never took the effort to check the whole setup correctly and make adjustments for your truck and TT. I think Festus2 gave a link not long ago in a thread that points to someones "howto" for setting up your weight distribution correctly. Do a quick search and you'll run across it.

By the way, I have somewhat similar of a setup hitch/sway, TV and TT ... and have little sway now that I've readjusted my hitch setup. When dealer set me up, the TT was empty. On maiden trip, had to readjust after realizing the heavier load was causing some sway before re addressing my WD setup with different weight. Also did some weight shifting that helped, and dropped to a safe 60-65 mph to keep the sway under control.

[camper 2010]

The E tires will make a lot of difference bit your hitch may be set up wrong. Get on level ground, measure from the ground to top of fender well on both rear and front before hooking up to the trailer. After hooking up to the trailer, measure the wheel wells again. There should only be about 2 inch drop on the rear. If much more than this your hitch is set wrong.

[chartrand]

Yikes.... I know tires play a large part, especially if they are low, but I'm thinking the WDH is not setup properly. I would read the manual, watch a few youtube videos on how to setup to fill in the gaps from the manual and then verify all the settings on your rig. I know dealers are installing these things every day and sometimes they don't get just right.

-Pat

[SlowPoke]

Here is the thread I refer'd to...it wasn't Festus2 , but SteveC7010 that gave reference to a site about setting up your WD...

(sorry Festus2, my bad!)

http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10261&highlight=engineer

[fla-gypsy]

Get the instructions for the hitch and start over. In the meantime read everything you can about proper weight distribution. If you are using friction sway control (I suspect you are) and your trailer is more than 25' long (it is) you need something better. Your trucks owners manual will give you the info on how much weight to redistribute off of the back (measuring wheel wells). You also need some tongue weight. Ideally 13% of the total trailer weight needs to be on the tongue. Where is the freshwater tank located (front or behind the axles)? Is it full? Are the trailer tires properly inflated? A rear kitchen model is likely too light on the tongue. What is the elevation of the tongue? Is it level, nose up, or nose down? All of these things matter greatly.

[B&T]

A very complete and I believe the best hitch setup description that I have seen is located here:

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/17730894.cfm

[pedalsteelpicker]

you can get your 3 links just by sinching them up before the total weight of the trailer tounge is on the hitch.

[Laredo291OH]

I don't know your experience with hitches, but you say this is your first TT. Are you sure the hitch is a Dual Cam for sway control, or is it just a standard WDH? I have had many people tell me they have sway control when they don't. They think the bars and chains are both WDH and sway. Can you post a picture of your hitch? What about weights of the camper and truck? This is just my opinion, but that is very large camper for a 1/2 ton truck. I struggled tremendously trying to pull a slightly bigger Laredo 291TG with a 1/2 ton Yukon and had the same issue you are having. Tires didn't help, sway control didn't help. 3/4 ton truck solved the issue.

[TAZ23]

As others have said, it sounds like your hitch is not set up properly. This is a common problem when dealers techs set them up. Also you need to set your hitch up with your trailer loaded as the weight will change quite a bit once you load it up for camping. A properly set up hitch and a properly loaded trailer will make a big differance in how it tows.

[x96mnn]

@donnie_o8

E rated tires may help a bit but your issues sounds much larger then just that! To me it sounds very similar to what I experienced with a long trailer and a TV with lots of power but a short wheel base.

When you say Reese sway control, do you have the Reese Dual Cam Anti Sway? If you do it is the exact set up I have! I find it great for correcting sway but not the best system on the market for eliminating sway. You still get that tail wagging the dog syndrome referenced commonly when the TV wheel base is just too small and exceeds the systems ability to compensate. If your Wheel base is above 155 inch this should not be the case, even around 150 inch should be good.

This could be a incorrectly set up Reese Dual cam system! I have had two separate dealers set mine up and being novice myself just reading the instructions I know they did not set it up right. They did not have the TV to do the measurements in one case and neither took it for the test S turn run to dial in the cams.

[Ken / Claudia]

I hope your set up will work. Have the truck/trailer loaded up for camping and weight them. I think you are going to find that you are max'ed out or over what ford says the wt.s should be. If it still pulls badly a 3/4 ton might be needed. The risks to your family and others on the road are not worth the danger if the trailer is pushing you around. There are many trucks that, that won't happen to when towing a 30 ft. trailer.

[SteveC7010]

So we go to pick up the TT and they did the walk thru and set up the hitch for us (a 10,000# reese with sway contol).

How about giving us some specifics about the hitch. It's kinda difficult to give you pointers on WD and SC without knowing if you have trunnion or round bar WD and Dual Cam or Friction bar sway control.

If you have the Dual Cam, I will take the time to go find an excellent write up on setting the whole thing up so it works properly and how to fine tune afterwards.

[donnie_o8]

The hitch I have is a 10,000# reese with friction sway control. The bars for the w/d are round at the hitch and flatten out at the end where the chains are. Empty weight for TT is 5540. I loaded it and ran it across the scale at work and its now 6160 minus our clothes. The tounge weight is 595#. I will get some pics as soon as it stops raining. I called the dealer about sending me the manuel and they want another crack at making it right. A 3/4 ton truck is in the forcast just was hoping not so soon....lol.. I think with the 10 ply tires and the right hitch adjestment it should pull much better.Thank for all the advice it is really helping.

[JRTJH]

In addition to adjusting the hitch properly, your tongue weight is 9.6% of the trailer weight. Ideally, it should be between 12 and 14% with minimum or 10% and maximum of 15%. So, your trailer is a bit "tail heavy" which may add to the problem of sway even after the hitch is properly adjusted. Even though you're just a "tad" under the minumum, you're about 200 lbs light on the hitch weight if you try to hit the median of 13%.

Having an exact hitch weight is not "critical" (anywhere in that 5% range should work OK) but when added to hitch adjustment issues, it can get you in trouble very easily.

[SteveC7010]

The hitch I have is a 10,000# reese with friction sway control. The bars for the w/d are round at the hitch and flatten out at the end where the chains are.
In addition to your tongue being too light, if you have a single friction bar sway controller, it's really not enough for the weight of the trailer.

Some where here in the Towing section are several threads with detailed instructions on setting up a WD hitch correctly. Use the search function and locate them. They explain this much better than I can.

[fla-gypsy]

The hitch I have is a 10,000# reese with friction sway control. The bars for the w/d are round at the hitch and flatten out at the end where the chains are. Empty weight for TT is 5540. I loaded it and ran it across the scale at work and its now 6160 minus our clothes. The tounge weight is 595#. I will get some pics as soon as it stops raining. I called the dealer about sending me the manuel and they want another crack at making it right. A 3/4 ton truck is in the forcast just was hoping not so soon....lol.. I think with the 10 ply tires and the right hitch adjestment it should pull much better.Thank for all the advice it is really helping.

Just my opinion, see if the dealer can make it better first. Adding some weight to the tongue will definitely help. That can be accomplished by filling the freshwater tank if it is in front of the axles. After the dealer has done all he can to make the hitch set up better CUSS THEM OUT for sending you off with a 34' trailer and friction sway control and find a dealer who cares about your safety. For goodness sakes get a better sway control set up. Since you already have a Reese hitch you may be able to add on the dual cam system which is far superior to friction sway bars

[donnie_o8]

Can the dual cam set up be added to the hitch I have ? I looked at them on the reese site but it don't show the chain end of the bars very clear. Also I would like to say "THANKS" to everyone for all the input. I will get out and get pics when the weather clears up abit.

[B&T]

From your description:
The bars for the w/d are round at the hitch and flatten out at the end where the chains are.

{Edit: Since i misunderstood your description, I suggest you check the pictures at Etrailer to see if you have a compatible bar. End Edit}

There are better pictures up at etrailer to give you an idea.

http://accessories.etrailer.com/search?w=dual%20cam

[ktmracer]

before adding any other sway control you need to find what is causing your sway or instability and get that fixed. THEN add sway control as a precaution. If you have sway just driving down the road you have an issue that needs to be addressed. Get that figured out and fixed first. Then ad sway control as a safety measure.

Also are you sure it is trailer sway??? The reason I ask is that from the sounds of it you aren't transferring much weight to the TV front end. and with softer suspension, what could be going on is that the front end is lifting, your camber is changing which affects stability and with less front end weight and lots on the rear what your experiencing is a vehicle starting to oversteer and it seems to wander all over. the TV is overcorrecting for your steering movements and turns further than you want/expect and become unstable if your not careful. Virtually all vehicles are designed to understeer at the limit and be neutral normally. Oversteering under normal driving is unnerving.

I've helped two neighbors who though they had terrible sway and driving was a chore for them. wandering all over. When I looked at the trailer setup, WD wasn't tranferring weight, front end was lifted. got the WD set up correctly, and they said it made an assounding difference. Stability returned, no more wandering.

one vehicle was an expedition, the other an f150. both have softer suspension than say a 3/4 ton truck. The expedition was the worst one with longer rear overhang and much softer suspension. both were loaded with high tongue weight for the vehicle, near the max allowed tongue weight.

Once the WD is set up properly, if you still have instability, then you'll need to figure out what is going on with the trailer. If it goes away, then just verify you have enough tongue weight. sounds like you are light on the tongue as well, it should be at least 10% preferrably 12%. The combo of light tongue weight and poor WD is a BAD combination!

then, we added the DC sway control as a safety measure.

[chris199]

What is the wheelbase of the F150? What model do you have? Short bed?

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

[donnie_o8]

Went back to the dealer with the unit and I was surpised...! A different mechanic took care of me this time. He came out , looked things over and said..."looks like your light on the front axle" no measurement no nothing. He then says..."lets take it for a ride". ok lets roll you drive I said...we get about two miles up the road he's driving like hes driving his car (one hand on the wheel the other arm on the arm rest and just shootin the breeze. We get up to about 58 and it happend......I said "did ya feel that"? His expression on his face never changed and he was still talking....He said yeah...And just kept rollin ....It did it again at about 60 and it really got my attention and Im in the jump seat. I said "there it goes again feel it"? He says...Yep but it aint that bad.:confused: Wow is all I can think...Im gonna have to find a lot on a lake to put this thing cause if this is how it is.. we aint going far....LOL.So we get back to the shop and he takes two spacers out of the hitch dropping the head angle down toward the rear and the hooks the chains back up with only two links hanging insted of three. Tells me to take it for a ride just like we did and come back and let him know how it feels. I pulled it down the road and back afraid to get much over 58 and I was surpised....It was a whole different animal....it moved around abit but I was on a two lane country road with a stiff cross wind right in the side. went back and told him what I felt and he says "you'll get used to it".So I left there and drug her back home (about 45miles) with the violently bad sway gone. I still don't have confidence in it. Im now not sure how it should feel. Im alittle gun shy now. But it is now WAY better then before.

[ed cobos]

feel your grunts - what we learned was to make sure all kinks are out of the chain before hooking - my wife usually has to unkink it to allow this 145 pounder to hook em. good luck

[Bob Landry]

From your description:


No, straight bars will not work.

There are better pictures up at etrailer to give you an idea.

http://accessories.etrailer.com/search?w=dual%20cam

What do you mean, straight bars won't work? He has a Reese and both round and trunnion bars are straight.

[Bob Landry]

The E tires will make a lot of difference bit your hitch may be set up wrong. Get on level ground, measure from the ground to top of fender well on both rear and front before hooking up to the trailer. After hooking up to the trailer, measure the wheel wells again. There should only be about 2 inch drop on the rear. If much more than this your hitch is set wrong.

The only fender height measurement used in setting up the hitch is the front one. The height or squat in the rear has nothing to do in determining if the WD is set up correctly, as the purpose of WD is to return weight to the front axle, not level the truck. The truck's manual will tell him how much weight should be shifted. Once the front end is right he can level it with bags if he likes, but the current train of thought is to get the front axle right and let the rear take care of itself.

[B&T]

What do you mean, straight bars won't work? He has a Reese and both round and trunnion bars are straight.

Was going by the OP's description, he said they were flat at the end of the bar next to the trailer. I guess i did not clearly understand his description.

At any rate, he should be able to look at at the pictures;

http://accessories.etrailer.com/search?w=dual%20cam

at Etrailer and determine if he has compatible bars or not.

[Hansel]

The only fender height measurement used in setting up the hitch is the front one. The height or squat in the rear has nothing to do in determining if the WD is set up correctly, as the purpose of WD is to return weight to the front axle, not level the truck. The truck's manual will tell him how much weight should be shifted. Once the front end is right he can level it with bags if he likes, but the current train of thought is to get the front axle right and let the rear take care of itself.

Well you've got me totally confused with your statement, I've been told on this site on how my truck should sit after adjusting the WD hitch, I've been messing around trying to get my camper and truck set up right, since it was set up wrong from the dealer, camper was riding nose up and the truck was sitting too low in the back, do I've got the hitch with the camper level, the front fender went down 1/4" and the rear went down 7/8", so today I'm taking it oo the CAT scale too see where my weights are.

[Bob Landry]

If he meant that the bars are straight all the way to the end, then the dual cam anti-sway won't work. He should have the bars with the bend at the end to accommodate the anti-sway cams. The way I read it, the dealer sold him the hitch and it would seem unlikely that the dealer would sell him an old style hitch that would not accommodate the DC anti-sway. If that's what happened, that was probably an old style hitch that the dealer had in stock and saw a chance to unload. If that is the case, I would be back at the dealer screaming for selling me a discontinued, limited use hitch and also for putting me on the road with a friction anti-sway with that size trailer

[Bob Landry]

The tech says, " try two links hanging..."? That's scary. I never cease to be amazed at the number of buyers that drive off from the lot with a dealer setup hitch thinking they are OK.

[Javi]

Well you've got me totally confused with your statement, I've been told on this site on how my truck should sit after adjusting the WD hitch, I've been messing around trying to get my camper and truck set up right, since it was set up wrong from the dealer, camper was riding nose up and the truck was sitting too low in the back, do I've got the hitch with the camper level, the front fender went down 1/4" and the rear went down 7/8", so today I'm taking it oo the CAT scale too see where my weights are.
He's just saying that you shouldn't use the W/D bars to pick up the back end of the truck...

What you did is what he's talking about... you brought the front end down... you can't do that without pickin' up the back end too...

[x96mnn]

@donnie_o8

I feel your pain, I got myself into a bad sway situation about 4 years ago and it is always with me. Even though my new set up seems fine and have no issues I am always a little on edge waiting for it to happen again.

[Bob Landry]

Well you've got me totally confused with your statement, I've been told on this site on how my truck should sit after adjusting the WD hitch, I've been messing around trying to get my camper and truck set up right, since it was set up wrong from the dealer, camper was riding nose up and the truck was sitting too low in the back, do I've got the hitch with the camper level, the front fender went down 1/4" and the rear went down 7/8", so today I'm taking it oo the CAT scale too see where my weights are.

Sorry for the confusion, but you've gotten some bad information here, so I'll try to explain. When you hitch a trailer, the fulcrum action of the tongue weight on the rear axle takes weight off of the front axle. That can result in the truck being squirrely in the front end especially in adverse conditions. That weight has to be returned to the original weight on the axle under unhitched conditions. Too little, the truck is hard to control, too much and you accelerate suspension components and tires. The only way you have of returning that weight is with the WD. You can't guess at it or tweak it until it feels right. The easiest way and the one most people use is measuring the front fender height before and after hitching. Your truck's manual will tell you how much weight needs to be returned to the front axle In most cases, the manual will tell you to return it to the original height. The new Fords are adjusted to split the two measurements. This starts with positioning the bars on your hitch relative to the trailer frame. I'm talking about Reese because that's what I use. You want the bars parallel to the frame. The exception is trunnion bars, which should angle down slightly, but you should never end up with the bars pointing upward. Reese recommends 5 links minimum, and that's links under tension, not loose and hanging. This prevents interference between the bars and the tongue in sharp turns. Once that is set, it's left alone a by changing the tension on the bars and the WD is then adjusted by tilting the hitch ball. Tilting away from the truck increases the weight transfer, tilting it towards the truck decreases. If you think about in the context of the bars never moving, you can see how tilting the head affects the WD. If you need to add an extra link to the chain during the adjustment you can but you never want to use less than 5 links. The Reese instructions explain this probably more clearly than I can.
Rear end squat - The function of WD is not to level he truck. It's only purpose is to return weight to the front axle. The truck may end up level, but that will be coincidental and not what you are trying to do. If the rear squats too much, you can level it with bags if you like, but you'll have to go back and readjust the WD. Once you have the WD and the trailer is not level, you can fix that by moving the hitch head up or down in the backer. This will level the trailer and will not affect the adjustment. You are going to set the trailer pretty close to level before ypu start, so you aren't going to have to do much of an adjus tment. Just remember, get the front of the truck right and let the rear take care of itself. Now, all of that said...

Go to RV.net, go to the towing section and read two stickies. One describes in detail, how WD works and the other explains in detail how to set it up. The guys who wrote them should have a PhD in towing. The stickies are that good. I hope this helps. Happy and Safe Towing!!

[donnie_o8]

Im sooooo confused now...:confused:....

[SteveC7010]

Go to RV.net, go to the towing section and read two stickies. One describes in detail, how WD works and the other explains in detail how to set it up. The guys who wrote them should have a PhD in towing. The stickies are that good. I hope this helps. Happy and Safe Towing!!
Bob, thanks for the reminder on this. I've added a link to that forum on our new "where to find it" document that I am working on. I know JBarca pretty well from the Sunline forums. He's a major contributor to the RV.NET forums on many topics. His information on WD setup really adds to the posts over there.

For everyone else, I can't say enough good things about the info in these two stickies on RV.NET that Bob mentioned. They really ought to be required reading for every new TT owner as they explain the how's and why's of weight distribution exquisitely well.

Here's the link to the Towing forum over there: http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/40.cfm

[Bob Landry]

The OP indicated that he is still totally confused. Hopefully we didn't scare him off and he'll come back and let us try to get him through the hitch setup thing. It is a lot of information to absorb for the newbie, and I have to admit, my first hitch setup by the dealer was a disaster and I didn't know it. Hopefully he will also go read the stickies at RV.Net. John Barca is a genius when it comes to this stuff. Ron Gratz is another one, but sometimes you need to be a math professor to understand some of his explanations, but they to are nothing short of amazing. I would just love to sit down with those two guys over a cup of coffee. There's a ton of information on towing on RV.Net, but you have to have thick skin and be able to get past the testosterone and the "my truck's better than your truck" mentality that gets going sometimes. It can get a little rough sometimes.

[SteveC7010]

John Barca is a genius when it comes to this stuff.
I had the pleasure of spending a long weekend with John and Cindy at a Sunline Club Meet and Greet up here in the Adirondacks several years ago. Great folks!

[donnie_o8]

I didn't get scared off by any means. And I really am thankfull for all the input and help you all are offering me. I have been working alot and trying to get the house and yard in order so we can camp as much as possible this summer.I don't have the TT here at home to mess with it like I would like... so its kinda limited to when I bring it home that I have time to mess with things. I did read the stickys at rv.net and it was very helpfull. This week and weekend coming up I hope to have the house painted, bushes planted, new gates put in and whatever else she comes up with done...:banghead:. I hope to bring the trailer home after that and start over with the hitch and get her all washed and waxed up. When I do I will definatley take some pics and pick your brains again. Thank again for all the help and support everybody.

[Hansel]

The OP indicated that he is still totally confused. Hopefully we didn't scare him off and he'll come back and let us try to get him through the hitch setup thing. It is a lot of information to absorb for the newbie, and I have to admit, my first hitch setup by the dealer was a disaster and I didn't know it. Hopefully he will also go read the stickies at RV.Net. John Barca is a genius when it comes to this stuff. Ron Gratz is another one, but sometimes you need to be a math professor to understand some of his explanations, but they to are nothing short of amazing. I would just love to sit down with those two guys over a cup of coffee. There's a ton of information on towing on RV.Net, but you have to have thick skin and be able to get past the testosterone and the "my truck's better than your truck" mentality that gets going sometimes. It can get a little rough sometimes.

I wasn't scared off either"bouncey: here are the results of the CAT scale:

Steer Axle: 3780lbs

Drive Axle: 3540lbs

Trailer Axle: 7320lbs

Gross Weight: 14640lbs


Truck by itself:

Steer axle=3780 lbs
Drive axle=2780 lbs

Gross wght= 6560 lbs

[sagebel]

How much did your front fender height change? Looks like you have at least kept the front axle carrying the same weight loaded and unloaded. Don't forget that things will changed base on how the truck and trailer are each loaded. I would dare say that most everyone packs things in the same spot every time they head out.

[Hansel]

How much did your front fender height change? Looks like you have at least kept the front axle carrying the same weight loaded and unloaded. Don't forget that things will changed base on how the truck and trailer are each loaded. I would dare say that most everyone packs things in the same spot every time they head out.

Truck measurements:
Front 35 1/8" no load
Front 35 1/4" trailer load

Rear 38 1/2" no load
Rear 37 1/2" trailer load

I actually made one more adjustment after this measurement, and the rear only went down 7/8" and the front stayed dead the same at 35 1/8". Other than food, the camper and truck are loaded for vacation.

[donnie_o8]

OK ...I'm back. The dealer talked me into giving them one more crack at this thing so I did. they pretty much put it back the way it was the first time, The way I could tell is I took the measurements myself and knew what they were. Rolled outta there with the unit and it felt better then when I drug it in there but I am still gun shy at this point. That sway just happens at any given time so I'm still on the edge of the seat. I get her home no problem at all so I'm thinking "cool, finally got it". So this past weekend the wife and I head out to a place about 30 miles from home and It did it again...out of nowhere no semi in sight nothing near me but a few cars. It just goes into a violent sway. Its not really pitching the truck around much but the trailer is side to side bad. I get it back in line and we are now only going about 45 50 with a chunk of seat in my tail end. I get back home with it on Sunday and messed with it myself with the info I got from you guys here and measurements I took and found they had me light on the steering axle. I readjusted the head and put weight back up front and measured again. front of truck 36" and rear 38 3/4 without the trailer. With trailer front was 35 1/2 and the rear was 37 even. off for another ride and all was fine till a semi got right behind me and it did it again big time sway . I would bet the trailer moves 8" side to side of center when this happens, the truck stays relatively stable but I can feel it wanting to start to move as well. So Now I'm going to get rid of this friction sway mess and go with a whole new hitch set up. I can't stand the way this thing pulls . So my next question and I know there is a lot of personal opinion on this as I have been reading here for about two weeks on this subject, But I need help deciding on the "Blue Ox sway Pro" or the "Reese Dual Cam". The friction control is out. Oh yeah I talk to the dealer about taking the old hitch back and they wanted me to bring it back for a second friction bar....Told them no thanks I just want to return it.

[Hansel]

I'm giving my friction bar set up one more try, and if it doesn't tow well, I'm upgrading to the Reese Dual Cam set up, the dual cam set up on Amazon runs about $180-$200

[x96mnn]

Personally I own the Reese Dual cam and you will still get tugging in the rear. Freind of mine is going with the husky straight line and gets his rig tomorrow with our Irish ig haul this weekend and will let you know.

Look for a used Hensley hitch in our area, may surprise you what you can get one for.

[dhdb]

OK ...I'm back. The dealer talked me into giving them one more crack at this thing so I did. they pretty much put it back the way it was the first time, The way I could tell is I took the measurements myself and knew what they were. Rolled outta there with the unit and it felt better then when I drug it in there but I am still gun shy at this point. That sway just happens at any given time so I'm still on the edge of the seat. I get her home no problem at all so I'm thinking "cool, finally got it". So this past weekend the wife and I head out to a place about 30 miles from home and It did it again...out of nowhere no semi in sight nothing near me but a few cars. It just goes into a violent sway. Its not really pitching the truck around much but the trailer is side to side bad. I get it back in line and we are now only going about 45 50 with a chunk of seat in my tail end. I get back home with it on Sunday and messed with it myself with the info I got from you guys here and measurements I took and found they had me light on the steering axle. I readjusted the head and put weight back up front and measured again. front of truck 36" and rear 38 3/4 without the trailer. With trailer front was 35 1/2 and the rear was 37 even. off for another ride and all was fine till a semi got right behind me and it did it again big time sway . I would bet the trailer moves 8" side to side of center when this happens, the truck stays relatively stable but I can feel it wanting to start to move as well. So Now I'm going to get rid of this friction sway mess and go with a whole new hitch set up. I can't stand the way this thing pulls . So my next question and I know there is a lot of personal opinion on this as I have been reading here for about two weeks on this subject, But I need help deciding on the "Blue Ox sway Pro" or the "Reese Dual Cam". The friction control is out. Oh yeah I talk to the dealer about taking the old hitch back and they wanted me to bring it back for a second friction bar....Told them no thanks I just want to return it.

Increase your tongue weight. Move some items forward inside the TT.

[LittleJoe]

How much air do you have in your tires? You should have your rear truck tires at or very near the max cold air inflation on the sidewall. Your trailer tires should also be at or very near the max cold inflation level.

If the front of the truck is lower with trailer than without it sounds to me like you have not enough weight on the rear of truck. Your front fender measurement should not be more than 1/2" higher than unloaded.

If you are hooked up and walk to a distance and look at overall stance of the combined unit, your trailer should be slightly lower on tongue (off level). You need 13-15% of trailer weight on the tongue. The rear of truck should look like it has a load(down 2-3") from unloaded.
This truck should not be having issue with the weights you have posted for over all trailer weight.

You need 2 friction type sway bars (if this is what you are using), one on each side of tongue.
Set friction bar: from point of just barely being able to move bar by hand (because of friction drag)tighten bar 1 1/2 - 2turns. Make sure both sides are set the same. (remove these bars or release tension when you stop at campground entrance),

If setup still sways after this, you need a longer wheelbase truck. Understand that you will never eliminate 100%, but in case of IE: a bus passing you , going 20mph faster than you, you will feel the push, and trailer will wiggle slightly but should not last more than a second or two.

I have towed bumper pulls of all configurations with trucks of all types over the years and never been unable to correctly setup to eliminate sway if trailer weights are not grossly overloading tow vehilcle.

A hensley hitch will make all your issues go away within reason if your combination is reasonably matched.

[donnie_o8]

went last week and got the "Blue Ox Sway Pro" set up for the rig and let me tell ya.....What a difference... night and day between the two. We towed it over the holiday weekend in some pretty strong wing and WOW. Problem solved. I still cant get over it. Not one time did this thing get funnie. Stayed straight behind the truck and never felt the slightest bit wiggley. Now I look forward to going camping again. The friction sway as many of you said is just not enough. Thanks for all your help and advice everybody... I'll be around.

[warsw]

went last week and got the "Blue Ox Sway Pro" set up for the rig and let me tell ya.....What a difference... night and day between the two. We towed it over the holiday weekend in some pretty strong wing and WOW. Problem solved. I still cant get over it. Not one time did this thing get funnie. Stayed straight behind the truck and never felt the slightest bit wiggley. Now I look forward to going camping again. The friction sway as many of you said is just not enough. Thanks for all your help and advice everybody... I'll be around.I found the same results as you with the "Blue Ox Sway Pro". Great hitch, easy to set up and works as advertised. Best hitch I have ever owned. The more you use it the more you will like it. If your trailer starts to sway now you have something else very wrong.