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05-02-2012, 11:55 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,739
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TV pulls to the left when hooked up
With my old TV, it felt like things were pulling to the left. With my new TV, there’s definitely a little pull to the left. Without the trailer, my truck drives straight.
Trailer tires aren’t showing signs of uneven wear.
What’s a good way to check my trailer’s alignment? Or could it be something else that’s making my rig pull to the left?
Or is this normal?
__________________
-Scott, DW, DG, DB, and DD
2011 Passport 2590BH
2009 Ford F150 SuperCrew F X4 5.4L w/Max Tow
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05-02-2012, 12:13 PM
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#2
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Exeter, NH
Posts: 36
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Alignment?
My 2011 F150 pulls straight as an arrow. I've towed my new 321RES 6K miles and no problems...
The truck is equipped with: the 8200GVW package, the Max tow package and the snowplow package, 5.4L w/6spd trans, extended cab w/8' bed, Reese DC hitch w/12K bars.
I've heard that we (New Englanders) shouldn't buy vehicles from down south, because they haven't been setup (steering wise) to run on the high crowns of NE roads. Perhaps your truck came from the snow belt country and you need to take in for alignment.
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05-02-2012, 12:26 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 192
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heatkits
My 2011 F150 pulls straight as an arrow. I've towed my new 321RES 6K miles and no problems...
The truck is equipped with: the 8200GVW package, the Max tow package and the snowplow package, 5.4L w/6spd trans, extended cab w/8' bed, Reese DC hitch w/12K bars.
I've heard that we (New Englanders) shouldn't buy vehicles from down south, because they haven't been setup (steering wise) to run on the high crowns of NE roads. Perhaps your truck came from the snow belt country and you need to take in for alignment.
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I've done one heck of a lot of alignments and I don't recall ever seeing a part of the chart that reflected an adjustment based on state or road crown?
__________________
2012 Passport 26BHWE
2008 Dodge RAM 6.7 Cummins (I love my truck)
and a bunch of toys I don't need
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05-02-2012, 01:19 PM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Cameron, NC
Posts: 69
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Sounds like a brake issue. Maybe one of the drums is locked up on the left and it is making the trailer pull. Have you checked the brakes yet?
__________________
Johnny and Kelley Rose + 4 kids and 2 dogs!
2005 Cougar 254 EFS (Whispering eye)
2005 Ford F-250 Lariat Supercab 6.0L Diesel
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05-02-2012, 01:53 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,739
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It’s certainly not the truck since it’s straight as an arrow on its own.
No brakes are locked up, but maybe one’s a little tight. Now’s a good time to adjust them, I guess.
__________________
-Scott, DW, DG, DB, and DD
2011 Passport 2590BH
2009 Ford F150 SuperCrew F X4 5.4L w/Max Tow
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05-02-2012, 03:20 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Cameron, NC
Posts: 69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdayman
It’s certainly not the truck since it’s straight as an arrow on its own.
No brakes are locked up, but maybe one’s a little tight. Now’s a good time to adjust them, I guess.
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It could be that the brake on that side is causing the truck to pull. That is the only thing that makes sense to me other than alignment.
__________________
Johnny and Kelley Rose + 4 kids and 2 dogs!
2005 Cougar 254 EFS (Whispering eye)
2005 Ford F-250 Lariat Supercab 6.0L Diesel
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05-02-2012, 03:38 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Simi Valley, CA
Posts: 122
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdayman
With my old TV, it felt like things were pulling to the left. With my new TV, there’s definitely a little pull to the left. Without the trailer, my truck drives straight.
Trailer tires aren’t showing signs of uneven wear.
What’s a good way to check my trailer’s alignment? Or could it be something else that’s making my rig pull to the left?
Or is this normal?
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Something to think about, and this may be completely out in left field. But depending on the tension you're putting on your eaz-lift bars (weight dist bars) it is putting more pressure on the front of your truck. Could be tire pressure or maybe that little bit more is throwing your alignment slightly off.
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05-02-2012, 03:42 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,739
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The thought that the WD could be throwing things off did cross my mind. I believe that the only way the WD would put more pressure on the front of the truck would be if my front end was lower with the trailer than without, and that is not the case.
Brakes seem like a minor issue compared to alignment. Being that it’s a leaf spring with a solid axle, there shouldn’t be much that can go wrong there.
__________________
-Scott, DW, DG, DB, and DD
2011 Passport 2590BH
2009 Ford F150 SuperCrew F X4 5.4L w/Max Tow
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05-02-2012, 04:50 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 211
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I would think there is more possibility of misalignment with leaf springs and the solid axle than there are with the torsion style axles. I believe there are pins on the axles and pin holes in the springs (or vice versa) to make sure everything is aligned.
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05-02-2012, 05:01 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Dayton
Posts: 175
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdayman
The thought that the WD could be throwing things off did cross my mind. I believe that the only way the WD would put more pressure on the front of the truck would be if my front end was lower with the trailer than without, and that is not the case.
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By design, the WD hitch will transfer additional downward force to the front axle and to the trailer axles. It effectively builds a bridge between the front axle and trailer axle, transferring the load from the rear axle of the tow vehicle. That is certainly enough to cause slight changes in steering geometry. That additional force on the front tires can also make them more susceptible to pulling. You might consider a tire rotation to rule that out. Also be mindful of your tire pressure.
Your WD may also be binding, if only just barely. I had a Equalizer on my last trailer. Was advised not to grease it, which was a huge mistake. It caused the hitch to bind after making even a slight turn. This results in more load transferred either left or right, requiring significant correction to keep straight. In fact it was so upsetting that the stability control, traction control, and anti-lock was disabled by the computer in my 2008 4Runner 4x4 V8 Limited which tried in vain to compensate for asymmetric loading.
I'm not sure which hitch you have, but ensure it is *properly* lubricated and adjusted for your trailer, truck, and load configuration.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
__________________
J. B. Smith
Dayton, OH
2012 Keystone Cougar 331MKS
2018 RAM 3500 Laramie 6.7L DRW
B&W Companion
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