Sway

If it doesn't get better after you put some miles on the new tires, let us know. Its not the bike in the truck. Have fun.

Hi Chock full of nuts,

A few things stuck out in your post that might have shifted your setup.

Tires: Tires and how they react can make or break a stable rig. We know this changed. A few questions on them.

What brand, type, and size tire did you have before?
What brand, type and size tire did you buy new?

Being it is a F250 and you mentioned E load range, that fits right for the truck but not all brands/types load E range tires react the same.

What tire pressures on the truck, front and rear axles are you towing with? With the old tires and the new tires?
What is the tire pressure in the camper tires when you are towing?

This is a place to start and needs to be ruled out it is or is not part of the problem.

Your camper, I tried to find some info on it. I found this link which has the inside weight sticker empty http://www.tomraper.com/rv/fairfield+oh/dutchmen+traveltrailer/14806/dutchmen+dutchmen+25f+lite

Your truck is well match for that size camper. So the truck is enough for the camper and we can we rule that out. However there are a few other things that need to be sorted out to make sure the setup of the complete rig is optimized.

As was said, weighing the truck, camper and the bike in truck bed is for sure the right place to start. You need 3 weight sets when you go. And make sure the camper and truck are loaded the way you camp, with the bike in the bed.

You need the TV axles (front and rear) and the combined TT wheels on a 3 segment scale so you can get individual axle weights. This is a 3 segment semi truck scale setup. See here http://catscale.com/how-to-weigh

Here are the weight sets you need to get, all axle by axle.

1. TV and TT hitched with WD engaged.(hooked up) Take a weight.
2. Don't move the truck from weight 1. Just unhook the WD bars. TV and TT hitched but no WD bars on. Truck is holding the dead weight of the camper tongue. Take a weight.
3. Pull off the scales, unhitch the camper in the yard, go back weigh just the truck front and rear axle. Take a weight.

Come back with those 3 sets of weights and we can help you sort them out.

This helps tell us and you a lot about how your WD hitch is setup and how the camper is loaded and balanced.

The bike in the truck bed, was any of the bike tires behind the rear axle of the truck or where both all in front of the rear axle?

Does DH have air bags on the back of the truck?

Explain what you felt in the truck when wind events where occurring?

You said DH slowed to 50mph and it got better, what speed was he doing when it was bad?

When the uneasy felling of instability happened, did DH have to make steering corrections because of it? This helps tell us how much the instability affected the truck and camper.

The TT, do you know if it was close to level when hitched up or was the front of the TT high or low?

I know, lots of questions. There are a lot of variables in what "might" be the problem and we are trying to help from a cyber campfire. The more cwe know more about your setup, the better we can help.

Sometimes the problems are simple and you adjust 1 thing and all is well. Other times it takes more work. The key is, all areas of your truck and camper are setup optimized the best they can be. That is the best way to do this, then you know what is right and what needs help. Once the setup is optimized, your odds are much better that small shifts in loading the camper or the truck do not make large handling problems.

Hope this helps start you and DH on the road to getting a stable towing camper back.

John

Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
Okay, I'm swallowing my pride and beggieng for mercy from you guys. We have an F250 long bed towing a Dutchmen 25F. We have an Equalizer hitch and brand new heavy duty tires. I haven't weighed the rig but I'm guessing the TT is under 7500. Lbs. It's not a very big TT and has no slides. It'sjust the two of us and we pack light. Today we have DHs Honda motorcycle in the bed, plus a bag of firewood and the ramp which weighs about 50 lbs.

Today, We were driving to a campground 3 hrs away a.d I believe I felt every little movement. Every time a big truck passed I could feel sway. There were also 10-15mph crosswinds. DH kept speed to 50 and it got better but I'm still feeling every bump and movement. Honestly, I thought I was going to have to take a xanax.

DH swears its normal sway. I don't know if I'm just being a ninnie or what. We were in a terrible rollover with one of our rigs 4 years ago and now, every time we take this one out I just dread it. I do find that if I read, so I'm not looking at the road, I don't notice it as much.

I'm wondering if the motorcycle is the issue. We have most of our stuff packed forward of the trailer wheels. In the cab of the truck we have 2 people totalling less than 350 lbs, plus a couple tools, coats, and a little dog.

Well, as long as you are begging... ;)

I agree with the new tire possibility, but you also say that every time you take it out you are dreading it. I try to never push products, but I truly believe you would be well served to get a Hensley or a Propride hitch. You will become relaxed and carefree. We do not feel the trucks or buses go by and we have been in a few dangerous swerves to avoid accidents that have proved to us the worth of our Hensley. I realize you must be very fearful of the sway feeling after your rollover - this would be the way to get rid of it completely.

"Ove 'heard' that new tires often take about 1000 miles to "break in"??? Now, that's just "internet" ramble, but I can kinda relate because when I've gotten a new set of tires on my old truck, they seemed a bit more squirmy until they had some miles on them..

I went thru 3 sets of new tires on the same truck, towing the same trailer for over 11 years and right after getting a new set, it didn't seem right for the first couple of tows?? But after awhile, I didn't notice??

Just a thought??

Mitch"

That could be. DH just had 4 E series tires put on the truck.

I've 'heard' that new tires often take about 1000 miles to "break in"??? Now, that's just "internet" ramble, but I can kinda relate because when I've gotten a new set of tires on my old truck, they seemed a bit more squirmy until they had some miles on them..

I went thru 3 sets of new tires on the same truck, towing the same trailer for over 11 years and right after getting a new set, it didn't seem right for the first couple of tows?? But after awhile, I didn't notice??

Just a thought??

Mitch

Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
Thanks for the very kind and easy to understand responses. The cycle weighs about 500-lbs. DH did not adjust the WDH for it. This is the second time we have towed with the motorcycle. I don't recall feeling so much movememt before, though. This is the first time we have towed with the new tires.

If we can find a truck stop, how do we go about weighing? Do we need to weigh the truck and trailer together? Just the trailer by itself? I assume we need to unhitch to get the tongue weight. Do the truckers get mad when you use their scales?

If you go to the CAT Scales website it has good info on how to weigh your travel trailer. Also, if you go inside at the scales, the folks will normally be helpful and explain their local custom. Don't worry about the truckers.

We have an Equalizer WDH, I think the 10,000# one. I'd have to ask DH, I don't remember off the top of my head. We had the kind with L-bars and I really didn't like that. Too hard for me to connect. The Equalizer is actually much easier even though the bars are much heavier.

It sounds like you have too heavy of WD spring bars. You would have to special order spring bars light enough for the F250 truck and your trailer. I would think you would need 400-600lb bars. The wizards on this site will have you going to 1400lb bars. The truth is you need to have your trucks spring working a bit.
MM49

TucsonJim wrote:
No, truckers don't get mad. They don't own the scales, the truck stop does. They make their living by providing a service to folks who need their rigs weighed. It could be a commercial truck, or an RV.

Pull up to the truck stop, park, go inside and talk to the person doing the weighing. They will give you step by step instructions and help you interpret the readings. Every one of them I've ever dealt with have been very customer friendly.

Thanks Jim. I really appreciate it.

No, truckers don't get mad. They don't own the scales, the truck stop does. They make their living by providing a service to folks who need their rigs weighed. It could be a commercial truck, or an RV.

Pull up to the truck stop, park, go inside and talk to the person doing the weighing. They will give you step by step instructions and help you interpret the readings. Every one of them I've ever dealt with have been very customer friendly.