Extreme sway

[jeff bailey]

I have a 2014 raptor toyhauler 27fs pull behind. I pull with a 2014 F350. I have a WDH that I'm pretty sure is set up right. When I pull empty it pulls like a dream. When I add a road king to the garage I can barely hold the truck on the road. I have adjusted the bars on the WDH, I have taken them completly off, I added 1/3 tank of water, nothing seems to help. I have friction sway bars on both sides. I'm about to give up. A toyhauler that can't carry toys is pretty much useless. Anybody have any ideas?

[JRTJH]

If your hitch is set up properly (and it probably is if it tows well with the empty garage) then your issue is tongue weight. Any time you add 1000 lbs or more to the back end of the trailer, you'll reduce tongue weight considerably. How much? That can only be determined by going to a scale and weighing the trailer tongue with the garage empty, then with it full.

In the past annuls of the forum (wayyy back there) is a thread from one toy hauler member who finally had to add sand bags under his front bed to get enough tongue weight to tow without sway.

You might want to do a comparison of the tongue weights and see just how much you lighten the tongue. It's possible you may be able to "adjust it out" with the distribution bars, but I'm thinking you'll need to add some significant weight up close to the tongue to counteract all that "garage weight"...

Here's the link: http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3563&highlight=sand

[hankpage]

If your hitch is set up properly (and it probably is if it tows well with the empty garage) then your issue is tongue weight. Any time you add 1000 lbs or more to the back end of the trailer, you'll reduce tongue weight considerably. How much? That can only be determined by going to a scale and weighing the trailer tongue with the garage empty, then with it full.

In the past annuls of the forum (wayyy back there) is a thread from one toy hauler member who finally had to add sand bags under his front bed to get enough tongue weight to tow without sway.

You might want to do a comparison of the tongue weights and see just how much you lighten the tongue. It's possible you may be able to "adjust it out" with the distribution bars, but I'm thinking you'll need to add some significant weight up close to the tongue to counteract all that "garage weight"...

Here's the link: http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3563&highlight=sand

SAND???? Cases of beer at 25 to 30 lbs. each are much more practical forms of ballast. :party:

All kidding aside, I agree with John on the low tongue weight theory. You will have to scale it to be sure but if your fresh water tank is close to the front, try a FULL tank and see if it makes a difference. JM2¢, Hank ....... After looking at your floor-plan I am guessing that your fresh water tank is behind your wheels and would just add to the problem.

[Essness]

Jeff, like the two previous posts, your problem is tongue weight. I have the same TH an had the same problem. Dropped my hitch about 1inch and pitched it slightly back and it fixed the issue entirely.
The biggest problem we have with the 27fs is that all the garage weight is behind the rear axle.
Hank, our water tank is in front of the front axel but will only displace about half the weight.

[GaryWT]

Makes sense that it is tongue weight. I have read wher people with a travel trailer add a bike rack on the rear bumper and suddenly the have sway. How much do your toys weigh? With the 350 you should be able to put plenty of weight up front.

[jeff bailey]

One road king weighs around 800 lbs. I carried two to Daytona, alot of work.

[jeff bailey]

The ball was pitched back towards the camper slighly, at the recomendation of a so called trailer expert. I didn't see any change and it made disconnecting very difficult. I removed 2 of the washer/spacers and went back to factory straight up and down. I haven't tried to pull it since. I ordered a tounge weight scale. Maybe that will get me closer. I know ideally the camper should be completly level, but mine is about 1 inch higher in the front with the bike loaded. Is this potentially part of the problem?

[Javi]

The ball was pitched back towards the camper slighly, at the recomendation of a so called trailer expert. I didn't see any change and it made disconnecting very difficult. I removed 2 of the washer/spacers and went back to factory straight up and down. I haven't tried to pull it since. I ordered a tounge weight scale. Maybe that will get me closer. I know ideally the camper should be completly level, but mine is about 1 inch higher in the front with the bike loaded. Is this potentially part of the problem?

The trailer should ideally be tongue down, not up... load the trailer as you would pull it, then adjust the ball height to give you a nose down attitude.

The angle of the hitch is to adjust the loading of the weight bars not the ride attitude of the trailer.

[bsmith0404]

yes! anytime you are nose high weight is transferred to the rear. I used to have the same problem with a race car trailer. We used to load all kinds of stuff in the front to try to compensate, it helped some, but getting the trailer leveled made the biggest change.

[Essness]

Jeff,
the pitch on the ball is simply to keep your trunion bars from hitting the trailer a-frame or hanging to low.
I assure you that your tongue weight is much to light once you are loaded. My cart weighs in at 1009 lbs and all that weight is behind the rear axle. If you are already an inch higher empty, than you are waaaayyyy to light by the time you load.
again, I dropped my ball 1 inch and aside from the most extreme cross wind, all my sway issues went away.
even with nearly 500 lbs of water on board.
I also lost the porposing that you get on some roads.

[jeff bailey]

Ok I measured my truck ball height 22" then I measured my trailer at level 20". I need to lower my hitch 2". My ultra fab hitch is as low as it will get. Any Ideas?

[Essness]

Ok I measured my truck ball height 22" then I measured my trailer at level 20". I need to lower my hitch 2". My ultra fab hitch is as low as it will get. Any Ideas?

Can you flip the draw bar to get it lower?

[jeff bailey]

No I have already done that.

[Javi]

Most of the instructions for setup of the hitch suggest that the top of the hitch ball be 1 1/2" to 2" higher than the trailer coupler in order to accommodate the truck drop from the tongue weight.

[Big Boy w/ Big Toys]

Now you need to lower the tongue on to the truck loaded and see what your height is before you add your load bars. I am going with the group that is saying you are tongue light.

My 30FS pulls just ok empty, but anything over a couple hundred pounds goes into the garage I must have full water on board.

When I am fully loaded I have about 1600 to 1700 pounds in the garage, full water and enough food for a week plus for 6 adults (I do eat enough for two), that usually means at least two 150 quart coolers or better loaded inside the front door and I have no sway to well beyond legal speed limits. It pulls like a dream.

The thing I will do different in the future when/if the time comes is I will build a frames system and convert to torsion axles rated beyond the max capacity of the trailer. Way better handling then sprung trailers.