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Old 03-23-2013, 07:12 AM   #1
Beefsgt
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Truck sway?

Yesterday was the first time I have towed a travel trailer. Surprisingly the weight to power of the truck did not seem too awful bad, I was expecting worse. My concern came when going down interstate 78. I have the reese dual cam strait line hitch, my issue was that the front end of the truck seemed to drift when gusts of wind would hit. I have experienced trailer sway before, but never had the front of the truck feel like it was getting away. Is this normal or is it possible that the dealership didn't get the hitch setup correctly. It happen 2 or 3 times in about 10 miles... Was it the wind? Was it setup right? Am I just a rookie that needs to get over it?
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Old 03-23-2013, 08:04 AM   #2
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Quote:
is it possible that the dealership didn't get the hitch setup correctly
Yes, it's possible. I always recheck the hitch setup after someone else sets it up. My last dealer's setup was a bit off.
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Old 03-23-2013, 08:24 AM   #3
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There are several great articles or threads on how to properly adjust a Reese DC hitch system out on the net. I know there a really good one over on sunlineclub.com by a user named JohnB. Wander over there and search on his posts and you will find it. Be prepared to do some serious learning as he is an engineer by trade and is very good at setting up these things.

FWIW, if you have a DC and experienced sway issues, it is not set up properly.
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Old 03-23-2013, 09:13 AM   #4
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I would agree that your problem is in how the hitch is set up. From you description I would guess you're not shifting enough weight to the front axle of the truck.
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Old 03-23-2013, 09:37 AM   #5
Beefsgt
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The part that is frustrating is there does not appear to be a troubleshooting guide to these things. I have researched some sites and owners manual, the installer never measured the height of the wheel wells on the truck, not sure why he skipped this step.
The next frustrating thing is to make adjustments you have to have an assortment of large tools that a typical house hold doesn't have.

Is it as easy as going up a link on the chains? Increasing the ball height? It appears that it is already tilted back the hole way.
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Old 03-23-2013, 10:09 AM   #6
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Some dealer set it up when empty and once it has gear loaded, the set up is off.
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Old 03-23-2013, 11:06 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beefsgt View Post
The part that is frustrating is there does not appear to be a troubleshooting guide to these things. I have researched some sites and owners manual, the installer never measured the height of the wheel wells on the truck, not sure why he skipped this step.
The next frustrating thing is to make adjustments you have to have an assortment of large tools that a typical house hold doesn't have.

Is it as easy as going up a link on the chains? Increasing the ball height? It appears that it is already tilted back the hole way.
Just a suggestion, Maybe you could do the measurements yourself with your current setup to see if you are getting the proper weight distribution on your TV front and rear before you get involved with making changes.
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Old 03-23-2013, 05:09 PM   #8
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I would agree that your problem is in how the hitch is set up. From you description I would guess you're not shifting enough weight to the front axle of the truck.
This would be my opinion as well
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Old 03-23-2013, 06:08 PM   #9
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Some dealer set it up when empty and once it has gear loaded, the set up is off.
I agree. Hitch and WD should be adjusted with RV and TV loaded. Too much weight on the hitch can cause issues, issues that playing with the WD system will not fix. How cargo in the RV and the TV is placed can and will change how the whole rig handles.
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Old 03-26-2013, 07:22 AM   #10
Beefsgt
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Exclamation

I plan to load up the truck and camper in the next week or so and go out and measure / adjust it per the manual that came with the hitch. After reading down through it again, I think many steps were skipped by the installer.

The other item I may have over looked is the tire pressure on the truck. I believe they are way under the loaded rating...35psi when they should probably be 55+
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Old 03-26-2013, 08:27 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beefsgt View Post
I plan to load up the truck and camper in the next week or so and go out and measure / adjust it per the manual that came with the hitch. After reading down through it again, I think many steps were skipped by the installer.
That seems to happen a lot more than it should. When we bought the '99 Sunline, we needed a WD hitch. The dealer supplied a nice Reese setup and we towed it home. Luckily, it was only about 15 miles. When I dropped the trailer, I discovered that they had never tightened up the ball on the platform. It was wiggling all over the place. The nut and washer were still there so I just got out my big socket and breaker bar and tightened it up.

That's just one of many reasons that I now have wrenches and sockets and bits that will fit any fastener in the trailer and most of them in the truck.
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Old 03-26-2013, 11:50 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Beefsgt View Post
The next frustrating thing is to make adjustments you have to have an assortment of large tools that a typical house hold doesn't have.

Is it as easy as going up a link on the chains? Increasing the ball height? It appears that it is already tilted back the hole way.
You are no longer a typical household any more. You are an RVer. "You gots to have TOOLS."

You mention that tire pressure was low but you don't say what load rating the tires are or what your TV is. If the hitch is set up correctly and putting more weight on the front axle .... Yes! Low air pressure can cause front to sway and the rear also. Do not exceed the max tire pressure on the sidewall. But this is where I would start. JM2¢, Hank
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Old 03-26-2013, 04:26 PM   #13
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As stated, you don't mention what the truck or the trailer is. I have the Reese Dual cam and when I was trying to pull my 8000 lb Laredo 291TG with a GMC Yukon I got sway no matter what I did with the hitch. As soon as I switched to my GMC 2500HD truck for towing the camper, all sway went away with the same hitch. Since you say your tires are at 35 lbs psi, it makes me think you have either a 1/2 ton truck or an SUV, either of those could be a problem depending on the size of the camper along with the hitch not being setup right. As far as max tire pressure, you need to check max air pressure of the rims also, alot of the aluminum rims are only rated for 50 or 60 PSI.
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Old 03-27-2013, 01:51 PM   #14
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It's an outback 250rs, just shy of 6,000 lbs. The truck is a sierra 1500 rated for 7500lbs. The tires are bf Goodrich all terrains, not sure of the ply but good up to 80psi and when I got them were the highest weight rating out of the all terrains available. The rims are stock gmc aluminum. I just put the psi up to 55. The back of the truck is squatting more than the front. Going to adjust the hitch this Friday...hopefully following all of the instructions rather than half as the installer did will get it dialed in.
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Old 03-31-2013, 05:29 AM   #15
Beefsgt
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Per etrailer...
I raised the ball on the hitch by one set of holes. This made quite a difference. It only raised the rear of the truck by one half inch...but the difference was noticeable. I am not sure why they do not want u to go to less than 5 links on the chains, I think more tension on the chains would also help.
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Old 03-31-2013, 05:45 AM   #16
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Per etrailer...
I raised the ball on the hitch by one set of holes. This made quite a difference. It only raised the rear of the truck by one half inch...but the difference was noticeable. I am not sure why they do not want u to go to less than 5 links on the chains, I think more tension on the chains would also help.
The reason for keeping at least 5 links in the chain is to accommodate flex and turning.

If you want more tension on the bars then tilt the ball mount a bit more, that changes the angle of the bars before applying the load. Be aware that this will take more weight off the rear of the truck and put more on the front and on the trailer axles..

As a note... the bars should be very close to level with the trailer frame when installed properly...
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Old 03-31-2013, 06:07 AM   #17
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What Javi said: +1


Met a guy one day starting to leave the campground with trailer in tow. He had stopped to check his hookup after he made a very noisy turn. I asked him why he had his bars so tight (3 links). He said he had been told that tighter was better. I mentioned the reccomended 5 link spacing and that the bars should be parallel -- also pointed out the marks on the sides of his trailer frame where his bars had been hitting the frame when he made turns (which made the noises he heard). I left him at that point to allow him to make his own decision but noticed that he decided to adjust his bars before he left.
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Old 04-10-2013, 06:03 PM   #18
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Am I the only one seeing a potential capacity issue with the truck itself? It's rated for 7500# and the TT is just shy of 6K (sounds like dry weight?); that leaves just the 20% safety margin but doesn't accommodate for gear, passengers etc..
Riding the line IMO.
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