Sway Issues

Whitey930 wrote:
The trailer has the Reese Weight distribution system with the anti sway cam system, which is supposed to be one of the best systems out there, but I do not have the hitch head and the trunion bars that go with the system as the previous owner of the trailer must have kept them. As a result our test drive was without any weight distribution or sway management. So my question is once I get these parts and am able to hook up the system will it eliminate, or lessen the sway enough to be able to pull it with this truck? I really don't want to have to get an F-250 for the small amount of time I'll be towing this trailer. Especially with the deal I can get on this F-150.

Does anyone have experience with this system or these systems generally as to how well they work?

Sorry for the long winded post. Any help much appreciated.

Read more: http://kzfamilyforum.com/thread/1316/sway-issues#ixzz4OVqiHgQb

You may have more than one issue going on.

Towing that trailer without weight distribution and sway control, it's no surprise you had sway issues.

The primary purpose of weight distribution is to restore weight that was taken off your front axle, when the trailer was hooked up. With insufficient weight on your front axle, even subconscious hand movement (something simple as breathing) on the steering wheel, can cause trailer sway.

Insufficient tongue weight can cause sway. Loading too much weight behind the trailer axles can cause this.

Overloading the tow vehicle can cause sway. Not all F150's are created equal. There are variations with payloads anywhere between 750 lbs and 3200 lbs. That trailer will eat 10 - 1200 lbs of payload. Does your F150 have the payload capacity to carry the combined weight of all the people, pets, cargo, and tongue weight of your camping set up? A good WD hitch, won't fix this.

Sidewall flex can cause trailer sway. Passenger (P) rated tires have softer sidewalls than light truck (LT) rated tires. Recommended tire pressure, on a (P) rated tire, is more for passenger comfort than for carrying heavy loads. A good WD hitch won't fix this.

A 35' trailer is a very large sail. In a tug of war, an 8000 lb trailer will win over a 6000 lb truck. How does your F150's wheelbase compare to that trailer length? A good WD hitch might help, but, it won't fix this.

You need to check ALL (not just max tow) of your ratings and compare your camping load (weight) to those numbers. If you're on the edge, or over on any of them, windy days will not be the most pleasant for towing.