On a recent trip, I had one fairly serious tail Wagging the Dog incident. After exiting one Interstate onto another and after going around a large curve to the merging area, I encountered a lot of traffic. The window for me to enter the Interstate was small and I had to get on it to avoid impeding traffic. Once I was in the normal driving lane, the Tail Waging the Dog issue happened. I was going about 60MPH at the time. I applied the trailer brakes moderately as well as took my foot off the gas and it straightened out. I didn't have any further issues on my trip but that one incident was enough to scare the******out of me. I have a 27' Heartland Trail Runner (30ft total length) that when loaded is about 7,500 pounds. I'm towing it with a 2012 F150 with regular tow package and Ecoboost. I had the proper tongue weight and the WD setup was where it was supposed to be. I have a Husky WD Hitch with two sway bars. Now before anyone scolds me for having that heavy of a trailer and a 1/2 ton pickup to tow it, I already know I don't have the right setup. I am planning on doing two things. Upgrading my Tow vehicle and getting a much better hitch. Since I can't afford to do both at the same time, if you were me, which would you do first? Buy a new truck or get the new Hitch?

You may consider a couple of things first. With your truck and trailer loaded for camping, go to a Cat scale to determine your tongue weight. The optimal ratio of trailer weight on the tongue is 13 percent. A tongue that is too light (trailer back heavy) can cause sway. The next thing I would consider is to take a look at truck tires. If you have the standard tow package, you likely have P rated tires that have softer sidewalls and can promote trailer sway. You could consider upgrading to D or E rated LT tires.Lastly when you weigh your setup see if you are exceeding payload of the truck. 7500 is quite a bit for the truck you describe. My guess is your tongue weighs about 1000 lbs.

I have heard to speed up some in that situation and also apply trailer brakes only. Don't know if that's right or not.

By sway bars what are you referring to ? What are the load ratings on the truck ?What was the tongue weight ?

Look at Blue Ox Sway Pro hitches and move stuff around to add tongue weight. Good luck.

Does your weight distributing hitch have sway control? Not all do. If yours doesn't, a couple of friction sway control bars might be in order. First step, though, might be to assess your tongue weight/loading situation. Too light a tongue for the load total is often implicated as a cause of sway.BTW:You did the right thing by easing off the accelerator and applying trailer brakes- one must never attempt to accelerate and "drive out" of a sway event since speed is part of what's causing it to begin with.

Tail Wagging the Dog Issue | Good Sam Community

49 Replies

Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
Jul 06, 2014
RobWNY wrote:
.....snip... So is it speed up and apply trailer brakes or slow down and apply trailer brakes? it seems there are two answers in this thread???? I was taught to reduce speed by letting off on the gas and to apply the trailer brakes manually. That's what I did and I was able to get things under control.

You got it exactly right, as you sorta proved to yourself by stopping the sway! Same language to be found at many sources, here quoting from one:
E-trailer wrote:

If for some reason (a gust of wind, a downgrade, a pass by a larger vehicle, etc.) the trailer does begin to sway, the driver needs to assess the situation to determine the proper course of action. Here is a list of Do's and Don'ts to think about.

Do's - Good Towing Practice

-Gradually reduce speed
-Steady the steering wheel - sudden turns can cause more sway
-Apply only the trailer brakes to help reduce trailer sway

Don'ts - NOT Good Towing Practice

Do Not slam on the brakes - jackknifing could occur
Do Not attempt to steer out of a sway situation
Do Not increase speed - Trailer sway increases in faster speeds
Do Not tow a trailer that continues to sway
Look at reloading the trailer or perhaps adding a sway control or a weight distribution system with sway control

Sounds like everything else is set up about right, presuming you have accurate current weights. You might try increasing tongue weight some if payload on truck is available. But this could just have been a random event, as sometimes happens with just about any setup. Glad you were prepared and reacted correctly!
RobWNY
Explorer
Jul 06, 2014
The sway bars I have are Husky friction sway bars. I have one on each side as suggested by the manufacturer for my size camper. My tongue weight was within range. About 11%. I have a tongue weight scale and use it before each trip. I am at the upper end of acceptable with payload but I don't exceed it and my truck is capable of towing 3,000 pounds more than I am so I'm within the limits. So is it speed up and apply trailer brakes or slow down and apply trailer brakes? it seems there are two answers in this thread???? I was taught to reduce speed by letting off on the gas and to apply the trailer brakes manually. That's what I did and I was able to get things under control.
Garry_Gayle
Explorer
Jul 06, 2014
dave17352 wrote:
I have heard to speed up some in that situation and also apply trailer brakes only. Don't know if that's right or not.

You have it correct
Tvov
Explorer II
Jul 06, 2014
It sounds like you have your truck and hitch setup properly, had a situation that you couldn't avoid, the trailer did something you obviously were ready for, you didn't panic and you knew to do what you were supposed to do, you straightened out, and continued on your way.

Good job!

It does seem like a big trailer for your truck, but the numbers don't really seem to be overloaded - maybe near the top. Could be a good "excuse" to get that bigger truck you've wanted! Otherwise, see you on the road!
Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
Jul 06, 2014
Does your weight distributing hitch have sway control? Not all do. If yours doesn't, a couple of friction sway control bars might be in order. First step, though, might be to assess your tongue weight/loading situation. Too light a tongue for the load total is often implicated as a cause of sway.

BTW:
You did the right thing by easing off the accelerator and applying trailer brakes- one must never attempt to accelerate and "drive out" of a sway event since speed is part of what's causing it to begin with.
coolbreeze01
Explorer
Jul 06, 2014
Look at Blue Ox Sway Pro hitches and move stuff around to add tongue weight. Good luck.
MudChucker
Explorer
Jul 06, 2014
By sway bars what are you referring to ?

What are the load ratings on the truck ?

What was the tongue weight ?
dave17352
Explorer
Jul 06, 2014
I have heard to speed up some in that situation and also apply trailer brakes only. Don't know if that's right or not.
therink
Explorer
Jul 06, 2014
You may consider a couple of things first. With your truck and trailer loaded for camping, go to a Cat scale to determine your tongue weight. The optimal ratio of trailer weight on the tongue is 13 percent. A tongue that is too light (trailer back heavy) can cause sway. The next thing I would consider is to take a look at truck tires. If you have the standard tow package, you likely have P rated tires that have softer sidewalls and can promote trailer sway. You could consider upgrading to D or E rated LT tires.
Lastly when you weigh your setup see if you are exceeding payload of the truck. 7500 is quite a bit for the truck you describe. My guess is your tongue weighs about 1000 lbs.

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Tail Wagging the Dog Issue

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