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Old 10-14-2011, 01:14 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by richf28 View Post
I have the extended tow package which includes 3:73 gears. I have all the power I'll ever need. I have like I said with help from dealers checked everything everything that's been mentioned, which I appreciate from you all. Like I said under good conditions you wouldn't know you were towing but let a slight breeze begin and you'd think you were towing in a hurricane. Anybody else think a Hensley hitch would help?
Someone else had asked and you did not reply. Do you have Fords trailer sway control and is it turned on or working properly?????
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Old 10-14-2011, 03:42 PM   #22
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Ford's trailer sway control is a part of (function of) the roll stability and anti-skid braking system. It is not a separate device which controls trailer sway. The way it is explained in the owner's manual is that when the vehicle "detects" trailer lateral movement (actually vehicle rearend lateral movement), the stability control system will alter drive/braking to cancel the sway. It goes on to advise not to use the installed trailer brake control to apply trailer brakes in an attempt to stop sway as that could cause an unstable situation causing an accident.

I would think that if the trailer starts "wagging the dog" the stability control system "COULD" apply vehicle brakes (there is no way to apply trailer brakes to individual sides of the trailer) to try to cancel out the sway causing the trailer to sway in the opposite direction and creating an even greater sway. What works on small trailers and is timed to combat sway may not work as well on longer trailers with their greater mass.

Just a thought, I have no evidence that my "theory" is in fact what's occurring, but I can definitely state that in the OP's situation, he has an awfully big tail wagging a relatively small dog. I'd be extremely careful with his setup. When we towed our 34' HR trailer with a 1999 F250 Superduty diesel, I'd have some situations where a passing semi or a gust of wind would "wag my dog" more than I felt comfortable holding onto at 70 MPH. In that scenario, my "dog" weighed about 1500 lbs more than the "tail", in the OP's scenario his "dog" is about 2000 lbs lighter than his "tail"

Just sayin'.......
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Old 10-14-2011, 03:57 PM   #23
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According to Ford..... the trailer sway control regulates engine speed and brakes when the computer detects trailer sway. So in theory if it is not working properly it could enhance the sway. I would try towing with it turned off to see the difference.
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Old 10-15-2011, 04:28 AM   #24
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Maybe I didn't explain that quite well enough.... In my second paragraph, I explained that the longer trailer may well be enough mass behind the truck that as the "sway control" tries to correct it the "mass" actually makes the sway worsen. That's pretty much what you're saying as well. Turning off the sway control feature on the TV (for troubleshooting purposes) may give some information, but I'd advise against towing with it turned off for any great distance because of the legalities of not following the manufacturer's warnings in the owner's manual which says: "Ford does not recommend disabling this feature except where speed reduction may be detrimental (eg., hill climbing)". The sway control is an "auto on" feature which will turn on every time you start the truck and you must turn it off using the instrument cluster every time you restart the vehicle.

I believe the OP just has too much trailer behind a light TV which is being pushed back and forth on the road causing the sway to worsen rather than get better as the truck's electronics try to compete. The friction sway control just can't exert enough resistance to dampen that much mass when it starts moving. Adding a second sway control device to the other side of the trailer tongue probably won't make an appreciable difference.

My guess is that the OP will continue to fight sway until he either gets a "Hensley type hitch" or a heavier TV (although I found out the hard way that an F250 isn't heavy enough to keep up with a 9600 lb Holiday Rambler) I initially had one Reese sway control on the tongue, added a second and found little improvement, finally went to the integrated sway control/equalizer bars and the hitch antisway. Even with that setup, occasionally, with crosswinds and semi's buffeting the rig I'd have enough "white knuckle moments" that we just didn't feel "safe" all the time.
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Old 10-15-2011, 12:54 PM   #25
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Suggest that you make sure the rear tires on truck are inflated to max and that your torsion bars are not taking too much weight off of rear of truck.
TWO sway control bars will help some.....probably not enough.

Speak to an experienced tech at Hensley........They can make the tail wagging the dog scenario as improved as it can be without getting a bigger dog.
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Old 10-19-2011, 02:44 AM   #26
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Sorry it took a while to get back. Was ending the vacation. The camper is stored down south waiting for my return in late December.
I have numerous times tried turning the Ford anti-sway off and have never noticed any difference. I do have a service appt. at the dealer tomorrow and I'll ask if they will check it to see if it is working properly. I won't be bringing the tt home again until April so I have time to research out the Hensley idea. Have a friend that has one left over after he sold his tt. Maybe I can borrow it.
Then again...by April maybe I'll sell both truck and trailer and invest in a motorhome.
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Old 10-23-2011, 07:44 AM   #27
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We have a 2011 Sprinter 276RLS. Originally towing with a 2006 F150 5.4. Trip over the summit turned into a 2 tow truck excursion into town. Transmission went out, truck wouldn't upshift, stuck in 3 rd gear. Turned out it was melted linkage. Found out after we had already decided to buy a new 2011 SCREW F150 Ecoboost. So far we have driven it . 300 miles home (over the pass again) and 300 miles to another location and although there have not been great winds, there have been some and plenty of semi trucks passing. So far so good. We use EAZlift equalizer max rating 14000/1400 and EAZ lift anti sway bar (one 1 side)[IMG]flyrv7.com[/IMG]
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Old 10-24-2011, 12:43 AM   #28
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Took my truck to dealer for service and asked them about the anti sway feature. Told me that it was operable. (Don't know how they check them). I guess I'll look into a Hensley before I bring it back up north in April. If I don't upgrade first to a motorhome.
Thanks to all for the help.
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Old 10-24-2011, 07:14 AM   #29
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Thank You

It appears as though the original poster (richf28) is very satisfied with all of the replies that our members have submitted to him about his towing problem and seems to have taken steps to solve it.
Thanks to everyone who helped him out.

The thread is now being closed.
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