Trailer sway in wind - any suggestions

GMcKenzie · 06-30-2011, 10:54 AM

I was pulling my trailer into about a 50mph headwind heading into Vegas and it was a bit white knuckle and brown shorts. Looking for any good ideas that may help if I have to deal with this again.

Problem is I have a short box, extended cab truck and a 35 foot trailer. Plus I think my problem was worsened with all the food in the pantry and fridge at the back of the trailer and no water in the tanks at the front of the trailer.

My main solution is to fill the water tank and make sure as much stuff is moved forward as possible. I did this on the drive out and, while it drove better, it was hard to judge as the wind was much less.

I do have a sway control.

Is there any thing else that would help?

therink · 06-30-2011, 11:33 AM

I had the same problem towing a 33' tt with my current tv. No matter what I did to prevent sway, my shrts were usually soiled by the time I reached destination. I solved the problem by unloading the tt and getting a shiny new FW

. Guess what, no more sway. Just a big payment.

ktmracer · 06-30-2011, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMcKenzie

I was pulling my trailer into about a 50mph headwind heading into Vegas and it was a bit white knuckle and brown shorts. Looking for any good ideas that may help if I have to deal with this again.

Problem is I have a short box, extended cab truck and a 35 foot trailer. Plus I think my problem was worsened with all the food in the pantry and fridge at the back of the trailer and no water in the tanks at the front of the trailer.

My main solution is to fill the water tank and make sure as much stuff is moved forward as possible. I did this on the drive out and, while it drove better, it was hard to judge as the wind was much less.

I do have a sway control.

Is there any thing else that would help?

you don't mention what you have for WD and sway control, but here goes:

I've seen several cases where the "sway" ended up not being the trailer, but an unkowningly improperly set up WD. Not enough weight transferred to the TV front end, and the TV basically moved to an oversteering configuration. Getting the WD set up correctly completely cured the cases I looked at and adjusted.

I'd go back to the basics and do the following.
1) get actual trailer overall weight as normally loaded
2) weigh your tongue as you are normally loaded. don't guess, actually weigh it with a sherline scale or similar. make sure it is 10%+ of total weight
3) Make sure your WD can handle (2)above and set up your WD and measure the TV front and rear sag unloaded and after WD. With WD properly set up, Front end should ideally be at the unloaded height, no more than 1/4" higher. BTW on chevy 3/4 tons and up, do NOT try to get the front to settle below the unloaded height!!! There are bump stops you'll be trying to compress and you'll likely overload the front end. Rear could end up being 1.5" below unloaded height, that's ok.

If the front rises more than 1/4" or so, you don't have enough weight shifted to the front and it will start to get squirely, but it isn't sway, it's to light a front end and the TV starts to oversteer and it feels and acts like trailer sway. Becomes pretty noticeble by 1/2" rise on the front.

Once you get it stable w/o sway control, get a Reese DC or similar,not the friction sway control when you have a trailer that long.

BTW I tow a 35' outback with a duramax cc/sb/4x4, not much longer wheelbase than the extended cab, and I'm completely stable in gusting sidewinds or headwinds of 40-50MPH. stable enough that with DW driving it she didn't have a clue as to how bad the wind gusts were.

hope this info helps.

GMcKenzie · 06-30-2011, 12:18 PM

Unfortunately no scale nearby but I've used a tape to measure front and rear drop. I've played with hitch height and the bars and I've got it pretty close to even and I have a big, heavy 6.6L diesel up front so my front weight is a lot more than the rear end weight. Don't think that part of the setup is at issue.

Most of the time it is fine, just not fun heading into that wind.

Have to look at the Resse DC.

SLIMSHADIE · 06-30-2011, 03:44 PM

GM you may be right about no weight up front. I notice mine pulls a lot better with some water in the up front fresh water tank. I usually fill it up full before we leave on a trip, and came back 1/3 to empty. I fill it up with soft water and you never know what the campground water is like. Fuel is not an issue.

GMcKenzie · 07-06-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktmracer

Once you get it stable w/o sway control, get a Reese DC or similar,not the friction sway control when you have a trailer that long.

Do I need to replace my current WD hitch to go to a Reese DC? Or do I need new bars? Looking at the site for the DC, I'm not clear if I have to toss out a lot of stuff to move up to the DC, or if I'm just tossing the sway control.

Bob Landry · 07-06-2011, 02:09 PM

Friction sway control is pretty ineffective after you hit 25' or so. I would seriously consider an Equalizer or a Reese Dual Cam. I'm pulling a 35' Outback with a Tundra and it made a world of diffeence.

ktmracer · 07-06-2011, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMcKenzie

Do I need to replace my current WD hitch to go to a Reese DC? Or do I need new bars? Looking at the site for the DC, I'm not clear if I have to toss out a lot of stuff to move up to the DC, or if I'm just tossing the sway control.

If you have a reese/drawtite/.. hitch with a "hook" at the end of the bar where the chain attaches, all you need to do to move to a Dual Cam setup is buy the DC sway control, approx $200-250.

SLIMSHADIE · 07-06-2011, 05:51 PM

GM I misread, I thought you had a Reese DC. You do need the hook at the end of the bars for it to work, to upgrade to the dual cams. I read where the friction bar was only good to 23', then upgrade to 2 after that.

Maybe you could sell yours and upgrade to it? Craig's List?

I will say it works like a champ. My buddy(5ver) and I was caught up in a storm and could only drive 30 in a 65. There was high winds and tree limbs in the interstate, I swear we where in the middle of a tornado. We were passing cars that were pulled over on the side of the rode. That was the first time I've been white knuckling it! To be honest, I didnt even know the TT was back there. Just couldn't see anything in front of me and the wipers on high could not keep up, driving 30.

GMcKenzie · 07-08-2011, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktmracer

If you have a reese/drawtite/.. hitch with a "hook" at the end of the bar where the chain attaches, all you need to do to move to a Dual Cam setup is buy the DC sway control, approx $200-250.

Nope. Looks like I`ll need to buy the whole thing.

Crap.

Next year. I don`t have a trip over 50 km`s left this year.

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