Big truck woes

wing_zealot wrote:

IdaD wrote:

wing_zealot wrote:
WOW! - you went from a dry weight trailer of 7600 lbs to a loaded weight of 10,000 lbs! What the heck are you guys packing in your trailer? I think you can leave the kids sandbox and treehouse home, they got a beach and bunk beds. And most campgrounds also have water fill stations if you don't have FHU's.

OP - from your description it sounds like you have a Weight Distribution hitch only. What you need to do is add a simple friction sway control first. As noted above, about $100 ($200 with installation). More than likely, if you are not currently using a sway control, that will solve most of your problem. If that doesn't fix the majority of your problem then you can contemplate more expensive options like a Hensley Arrow, Pro Pride, or different truck.

Fact of the matter is, I have an F-250 with a 7600 GVWR trailer, I still feel push and pull from passing vehicles. How is it in comparison to you, I don't know. But you will get push/pull no matter what you are driving (unless you opt for the Freightliner pulling a popup). Only you can decide if it is "too" much. But zero is not realistic, so maybe "expectations" factor into it.

GVWR on that trailer is 9975 lbs. He doesn't need to pack it that heavy but I bet he's closer to GVWR than he is to dry weight unless he doesn't have a wife and just likes a roomy trailer.

You're talking a 2400 lbs difference. I'll bet he's closer to 8600 lbs (minus water) then 9975 lbs. Now you want to bet?

Start with 800 lbs of water, propane and batteries and go from there. You'd be amazed at how much a typical family can jam into a travel trailer, let alone stuff like chainsaws, generators, camping chairs, BBQ, and etc. I guarantee I'd be a lot closer to GVWR than dry weight.