Big truck woes

If you have a Reese Dual cam, they can be quite "fussy" to adjust properly. Many dealers cannot adjust them right.

I recommend starting from scratch and adjusting the hitch EXACTLY in accordance with the manual. NO shortcuts. NO "close enough." No manual? Check You Tube.

How much might the OP'S trailer length and TV wheelbase play a part in the condition he describes? I have a Reese Strait - Line hitch installed and adjusted by the dealer 3 years ago. Hasn't been touched since. 38 feet is a long trailer..... just sayin'.

You needed a bigger truck from the beginning. I know I'll get torn up from the EB crowd, but it's just won't handle as well as a 3/4 ton. Yes, I/2 ton trucks are much improved over the last few years, but so are 3/4's. You will still feel the push and pull, you will still feel all the same things you feel know. What you don't feel now is the firmly planted to the road feel that a heavier truck will offer. Gas or diesel won't make that much difference for the average weekend tower. There are advantages and disadvantages to both; just depends on how you plan to use them. You have a large trailer. Get a tow vehicle to match the load. Let the defense on the field now!


PS. Golf carts are much improved too!

Do you have a sway bar?

I would suggest a 3500 for your trailer, but then I wouldn't pull a skate board with a 1500.

Weights? Its all about weights. Pulling is rarely an issue with any modern truck, but weights and correct loading, weight distribution are very important.

The hitch that I have is the #66155 weight distribution hitch (may be off on the exact model as trailer is in storage). The reason I want to get this working properly is that now that we have retired, we want to spend more time on the road. The trailer is ~7600# loaded. Since we are looking at more road time, I had been leaning toward the bigger TV as the solution.

If the solution is a heavier truck, does that eliminate the WD hitch?

Ken

I think a heavier truck will be your ultimate solution. Weight of the trailer aside, 38' is a long trailer for a lighter truck. More side surface area of the trailer means the more a passing truck is going to affect you. The more weight your truck has will help offset that.

You may still need the WDH if the larger truck sags too much from the tongue weight.

The difference between a F-350, F-250 and F-150 if you are under 10,000 GTW is not all that much. 38' length X 8' tall or 10' tall if the trailer is that high of sidewalls is into almost 400 square feet of sail area, a LOT to deal with.

Having a F-350 with a slightly higher rear axle weight might help a 'little' but not nearly as much as you might like. IT is the front of the trailer being twisted left and right by all that wind of a passing truck, and that 400 square feet of sail area doing the pushing.

Your truck rear axle weight might be in the 2,500 pound empty range, while a F-350 gas truck might only be say 400 pounds heavier, so both will tend to get pushed around a bit on two lane roads by the 18 wheelers going 70 in the other direction!

You might look into the Pro Pride hitch system. It was developed by a engineer that had a horrible experience towing a travel trailer behind his then nearly new 1950's sedan and 1950's travel trailer. Many years later he designed a much better hitch system.

Good luck,

Fred.

txmerlin wrote:
The hitch that I have is the #66155 weight distribution hitch (may be off on the exact model as trailer is in storage). The reason I want to get this working properly is that now that we have retired, we want to spend more time on the road. The trailer is ~7600# loaded. Since we are looking at more road time, I had been leaning toward the bigger TV as the solution.

If the solution is a heavier truck, does that eliminate the WD hitch?

Ken

A weight distribution hitch does not have a sway control. Get a sway bar and make sure there's enough weight transferred to the front end and it should track nice a strait. Also some of the newer Ford trucks have a built in sway control feature so you many want to look into that.

I would do the above before switching to a heavier truck.

Good luck...