Serious Trailer Sway at Times
I have a 2014 Wildwood 30FKBS. There are apparently two different styles and mine is the one with the king size bed in the rear past the axles. The trailer is 35 feet long and I tow with a 2012 3/4 ...
Forum Discussion
This is a pic of our old TT, a Sunnybrook 3310. Note the large cargo door, there was one in the back and one on the other side as well. The entire area under the 4 bunks was open space side to side and the whole length of the bunk area.
Needless to say managing tongue weight was a real challenge...we packed that space with lawn chairs, BBQ, toys, you name it. One trip in this rig and the Hensley Arrow was on order.
There are many folks that call the HA a "band-aid", and state that a properly designed and loaded trailer should not sway. That is true, except that not all trailers are designed with weight/balance as a priority...the floor plan is king in today's market.
For GMW, the HA and the Pro-Pride are the only hitches available that use a geometric design called a 4-bar linkage. It connects the trailer to the truck in such a way that the only way that the trailer can move side to side is by moving forward at the same time. When you are towing, the tension in the hitch created by the truck pulling the trailer keeps the trailer in a straight line without the need for any friction sway controls. Hence the reason tongue weight (or lack of) doesn't affect stability. There is a sticky at the top of the Travel Trailer forum called "Hensley Arrow: How it really works" that I would recommend, all of the engineering discussion is in that thread. In short, you in theory tow with 0 lb tongue weight but I wouldn't advise it...but I wouldn't hesitate at less than 10% either.
For the OP, I also agree with the comment that you are pushing the envelope weight-wise with that trailer, it's a big unit to be towing with a relatively short-wheelbase Burb. Using an HA or ProPride will enable you to manage tongue weight to keep it below the 1000 lb limit on the receiver, without worries about sway and control.
I just added a truck toolbox on the back of the TT and am not concerned about tongue weight effects as much as I would need to be with a conventional hitch. Our TT is 32' and I typically tow at 65-70 with two fingers on the wheel...wind, passing semis, uneven road, nothing makes the rig even wiggle let alone sway.
Needless to say managing tongue weight was a real challenge...we packed that space with lawn chairs, BBQ, toys, you name it. One trip in this rig and the Hensley Arrow was on order.
There are many folks that call the HA a "band-aid", and state that a properly designed and loaded trailer should not sway. That is true, except that not all trailers are designed with weight/balance as a priority...the floor plan is king in today's market.
For GMW, the HA and the Pro-Pride are the only hitches available that use a geometric design called a 4-bar linkage. It connects the trailer to the truck in such a way that the only way that the trailer can move side to side is by moving forward at the same time. When you are towing, the tension in the hitch created by the truck pulling the trailer keeps the trailer in a straight line without the need for any friction sway controls. Hence the reason tongue weight (or lack of) doesn't affect stability. There is a sticky at the top of the Travel Trailer forum called "Hensley Arrow: How it really works" that I would recommend, all of the engineering discussion is in that thread. In short, you in theory tow with 0 lb tongue weight but I wouldn't advise it...but I wouldn't hesitate at less than 10% either.
For the OP, I also agree with the comment that you are pushing the envelope weight-wise with that trailer, it's a big unit to be towing with a relatively short-wheelbase Burb. Using an HA or ProPride will enable you to manage tongue weight to keep it below the 1000 lb limit on the receiver, without worries about sway and control.
I just added a truck toolbox on the back of the TT and am not concerned about tongue weight effects as much as I would need to be with a conventional hitch. Our TT is 32' and I typically tow at 65-70 with two fingers on the wheel...wind, passing semis, uneven road, nothing makes the rig even wiggle let alone sway.
