Bouncing and swaying on the highway

[Billyk]

Yesterday I took the trailer out for a 20 mile ride on freeway. The trailer was bouncing up and down causing the truck to do the same. Like a wave back to front.I also was swaying much more than usual. What the heck ? I use a Curt WDH Also. Scary

[chuckster57]

Sounds like your WD isn’t set up properly. Which Curt are you using?

[Billyk]

I dont know. It came with the trailer I did not buy it

[rhagfo]

What has changed since the last time you towed it?

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Billyk

I dont know. It came with the trailer I did not buy it

If you bought the trailer from someone & just swapped the WDH from their vehicle to yours then that's probably the problem, you need to set it up properly to your vehicle.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Billyk

I dont know. It came with the trailer I did not buy it

Did you get it set up when you bought it? First tow?

[Billyk]

I just went outside and checked it is a Husky.Nothing has been changed since my last trip,

[sourdough]

How long have you been towing with this combo? How many times/miles? I ask because your profile shows a Husky hitch. Did you recently move the the Curt?

A lot of things, combination of things can cause your problems. Obviously the wdh would be top of the list if you have changed it. What kind of sway control does it have? Tire pressure, type of tires, shocks, springs etc. all come into play when talking about the issues you are having.

Edit: Just saw your last post about the same time as I posted this one saying it is indeed the Husky hitch. If you've changed nothing on the hitch and it towed better previously look at the tires, tire pressure (truck and trailer), suspension components (truck and trailer) including shackles on the trailer etc.

[Billyk]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/s...vU5lFCuqMxhtbQ

THE GUYS AT JOHNY FRANKLYN HAVE BEEN TOWING RACING CARS AND MACHINE SHOP FOR YEARS WITH NO PROBLEM.SO THIS SUBJECT IS SO CONFUSING TO ME MY BUDDY GOT A TOY HAULER AND MY OTHER FRIEND HAS A 30 FOOT JAYCO AND THEY DONT USE A WDH . SO YOU CAN SEE MY CONFUSION. I WILL PULL THE TRAILER TO A LEVEL PARKING LOT AND TRY TO SET IT UP ALL OVER SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

[Billyk]

Thanks for your reply. I may have too much air in the airbags. Maybe let some more out it is at 35 psi now

[sourdough]

First, an F150 will have a heck of a time towing any RV without a sway control in just the slightest breeze, passing truck or anything else. They are required for a safe tow. You said you have a Husky but lined a Curt?

Some folks tow without a wdh or sway control depending on the truck and the load. Those that pull RVs of any size with a 150 without some form of wdh (tongue pull) and sway control will be pulling unsafely generally speaking. Your trailer is going to be approx. 26 1/2' long and approx. 7500 gvwr. which means you NEED a wdh/sway control no matter who pulls what where somewhere else. What they do has no bearing on your situation as far too many tow in an unsafe manner.

Air bags will provide no substantive assistance in safety. Start from the ground up: truck and rv tires - what kind of tires are on the truck? P rated passenger tires? Go to LT tires. Are they aired to the max on the sidewall when towing or 35 psi? If not the max you have a problem. Are the trailer tires aired to the max or something else?

It sounds as if you probably have a number of problems beginning with the hitch, weight distribution and sway control. After making sure your tires are up to the task and providing a safe tow get the weight distribution and sway set up.

[Billyk]

I will recheck the Husky WDH. The trailer is 4500. Lbs the Platinum with tow package is maxed at12000 lb
So I need to watch what I load I know that for sure.My brother-in-law set up the
WDH but I think it needs to be checked again

[wiredgeorge]

This model Hideout has grown over the years. 2021 model is 28.4' long and 7600 lbs gross weight. A signature with an accurate representation of the trailer would help alleviate playing 20 questions regarding WHICH Hideout model is being discussed which is kind of important when asking about towing considerations. Also, how is your half ton equipped? A description with regard to the tow vehicles would help answers have context because all F150s are not the same.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Billyk

I will recheck the Husky WDH. The trailer is 4500. Lbs the Platinum with tow package is maxed at12000 lb
So I need to watch what I load I know that for sure.My brother-in-law set up the
WDH but I think it needs to be checked again

The numbers you are quoting don't mean anything. The tow capacity of the truck doesn't mean anything when towing an RV. Look at the sticker inside your driver door that gives you your payload (black/white/yellow?). That tells you how much you can "carry" safely on the truck. The 4500lbs. you list is inaccurate as well. That is the dry weight of your trailer which doesn't mean anything either as the trailer weighed more than that by the time you added a battery to it, you need to work off the gvwr of the trailer -

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2010-...-24bhwe-tr9545

As I stated previously, if you are trying to use OE type P rated passenger tires you are going to have a problem with sway and bouncing wdh or not. If they aren't aired to the max on the sidewall it's even worse. If you recently changed hitches and it is set wrong it can hurt instead of help.

[Billyk]

Tires are Lt Truck well we don’t carry much 200 lb in cooler clothes , miss stuff under 150 lb tops
Truck two people and two generators two paddle boards maybe 700 lbs extra

[markcee]

Originally Posted by Billyk

Tires are Lt Truck well we don’t carry much 200 lb in cooler clothes , miss stuff under 150 lb tops
Truck two people and two generators two paddle boards maybe 700 lbs extra

I'm not sure what kind of trailer you have....Hornet and Hideout are two distinct model lines, I believe. An exact model number would be helpful.

I did look at both 2010 Hornets and Hideouts at RVGuide.com and found a 26' Hideout - it is 4500 lbs DRY weight. Loaded up, even modestly, you are probably in the neighborhood of 5500 lbs.

Using a WDH will be a requirement with your trailer as the F150 hitch receiver is only rated for 500 lbs of tongue weight without one. With a trailer in the 5500 lbs range, you likely have over 700 lbs on the tongue.

Finally, your Platinum is the highest trim level and as a result, it weighs the most. This means you will have a lot less cargo carrying (payload) capacity in the truck than you may realize. As mentioned, take a look at the yellow/white Tire & Loading Info sticker on the driver's side door pillar for your truck's specific payload capacity. You are probably in the 1300 lb range. 700 lbs of tongue weight, a couple of people, two generators, paddleboards and the hitch will eat that up quickly.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by markcee

I'm not sure what kind of trailer you have....Hornet and Hideout are two distinct model lines, I believe. An exact model number would be helpful.

I did look at both 2010 Hornets and Hideouts at RVGuide.com and found a 26' Hideout - it is 4500 lbs DRY weight. Loaded up, even modestly, you are probably in the neighborhood of 5500 lbs.

Using a WDH will be a requirement with your trailer as the F150 hitch receiver is only rated for 500 lbs of tongue weight without one. With a trailer in the 5500 lbs range, you likely have over 700 lbs on the tongue.

Finally, your Platinum is the highest trim level and as a result, it weighs the most. This means you will have a lot less cargo carrying (payload) capacity in the truck than you may realize. As mentioned, take a look at the yellow/white Tire & Loading Info sticker on the driver's side door pillar for your truck's specific payload capacity. You are probably in the 1300 lb range. 700 lbs of tongue weight, a couple of people, two generators, paddleboards and the hitch will eat that up quickly.

The "26" model I looked up was 30' long with a GVWR of 7795 which equals at or very near 1000lb tongue weight + 100+/- lbs for the WDH on a 1/2 ton truck with most likely 1500-1800lbs of payload, truck may just be outmatched.

[Alpine Custom Upgrade]

Originally Posted by Billyk

Yesterday I took the trailer out for a 20 mile ride on freeway. The trailer was bouncing up and down causing the truck to do the same. Like a wave back to front.I also was swaying much more than usual. What the heck ? I use a Curt WDH Also. Scary

I would suspect that you have too much tongue weight and too little truck. I would also suspect that the "carrying capacity" is measured over the rear axle and NOT hung on the bumper 4 feet behind the rear axle. If the truck has much squat to it and the front end higher, then there is your proof that the tongue weight is too much for the truck.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by Billyk

Tires are Lt Truck well we don’t carry much 200 lb in cooler clothes , miss stuff under 150 lb tops
Truck two people and two generators two paddle boards maybe 700 lbs extra

This adds up to a thousand pounds or so, leaving you only perhaps 500 or 600 pounds for tongue weight. Sounds like you are overloaded.

[NH_Bulldog]

Having had an F150 Super Crew with a Max Tow package and 2195 lb cargo capacity, I would say you more than likely are overloaded (since most loaded trucks in this class tend to have 1400-1600 lbs of cargo capacity. The up and down you reported is called porpoising (like how a dolphin swims) and is caused by too much weight on the rear axle, often due to an improper WDH set-up. Aside from a number of expensive and marginally successful upgrades to the truck suspension, tires and shocks, the best handling I experienced was when I got the WDH dialed in properly.

It takes time and a degree of trial and error, all of which is for nothing unless you do the setup while loaded (truck and trailer) just like you would be on a trip. Bigger trucks are much more forgiving to load variances, but with an F150 it is a very precise operation and even 50 lbs added or subtracted or moved can make a huge difference. On my truck, the sweet spot for WDH setup was the front measurement being the same whether unloaded or connected, and the rear dropping 1.5” between unloaded and connected.

My current truck (F250) really doesn’t need a WDH but I use it anyway for sway control and safety. Like I mentioned earlier, setup is much less precise and more fogiving than with a half ton truck