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.

Not sure what DH means by "normal sway"...if it's just some side motion caused by passing trucks then he's probably right. But if the trailer doesn't come out of it naturally, or if sway occurs as speed increases you've most likely got a problem. Assuming your Equalizer is one of those with sway control and that everything thereon is adjusted right, improper loading does seem like the most likely cause.

Consider weighing your rig (just the trailer), as a unit 'wet' (dishes, towels, tanks as you'd use them etc) and then weigh just the tongue (drop the tongue alone on the scale). The tongue weight should be about 10-12.5% of the total. If not, you'll be prone to sway.

Was this the first time you towed the trailer with the motorcycle in the truck? That could cause a difference in handling.Was this the first time you towed the trailer with the new tires. New tires have been known to cause a significant change in handling.If the new tires are the cause of what you're experiencing, the problem might resolve itself after you get a few hundred miles on the tires. Or, you might not have the right amount of air pressure for the new tires.If the motorcycle is causing the problem, you might be able to confirm that by towing without the cycle. How much does the cycle weigh?How do you have your weight distribution hitch adjusted? Did you increase the load on the WDH bars to attempt to compensate for the added weight of the cycle? If so, the additional load transfer to the TV's front axles, could be causing a change in handling?Ron

If you have ACTUAL trailer sway while using an anti sway system it is probably either improperly sized or improperly adjusted. Another possibility however is that it's the trailer itself. Axle alignment is one thing that can create the oscillation necessary to generate trailer sway so spending some time with a tape measure would be a good idea. What I suspect is that you're feeling bow wave effects from passing trucks, not trailer sway. Anti sway systems will certainly go a long way to help reduce bow wave effects but remember, even OTR trucks experience this phenomenon as they pass each other. That MAY be what your wife is referring to when she mentions "normal sway".Good luck / Skip

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?

Sway | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

Chock_Full_o__N
Explorer
Mar 07, 2014
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?
skipnchar
Explorer
Mar 07, 2014
If you have ACTUAL trailer sway while using an anti sway system it is probably either improperly sized or improperly adjusted. Another possibility however is that it's the trailer itself. Axle alignment is one thing that can create the oscillation necessary to generate trailer sway so spending some time with a tape measure would be a good idea. What I suspect is that you're feeling bow wave effects from passing trucks, not trailer sway. Anti sway systems will certainly go a long way to help reduce bow wave effects but remember, even OTR trucks experience this phenomenon as they pass each other. That MAY be what your wife is referring to when she mentions "normal sway".
Good luck / Skip
Ron_Gratz
Explorer
Mar 07, 2014
Was this the first time you towed the trailer with the motorcycle in the truck? That could cause a difference in handling.

Was this the first time you towed the trailer with the new tires. New tires have been known to cause a significant change in handling.

If the new tires are the cause of what you're experiencing, the problem might resolve itself after you get a few hundred miles on the tires. Or, you might not have the right amount of air pressure for the new tires.

If the motorcycle is causing the problem, you might be able to confirm that by towing without the cycle. How much does the cycle weigh?

How do you have your weight distribution hitch adjusted? Did you increase the load on the WDH bars to attempt to compensate for the added weight of the cycle? If so, the additional load transfer to the TV's front axles, could be causing a change in handling?

Ron
S_more_campers
Explorer
Mar 07, 2014
Consider weighing your rig (just the trailer), as a unit 'wet' (dishes, towels, tanks as you'd use them etc) and then weigh just the tongue (drop the tongue alone on the scale). The tongue weight should be about 10-12.5% of the total. If not, you'll be prone to sway.
Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
Mar 07, 2014
Not sure what DH means by "normal sway"...if it's just some side motion caused by passing trucks then he's probably right. But if the trailer doesn't come out of it naturally, or if sway occurs as speed increases you've most likely got a problem.

Assuming your Equalizer is one of those with sway control and that everything thereon is adjusted right, improper loading does seem like the most likely cause.

Forum Discussion

Sway

15 Replies

About RV Tips & Tricks

Related Content

Sway Control

Sway Bars

sway

Sway bar issues

Trailer sway