Heavier WD Bars Or Different Sway Control
Towing a 36' 8,500lb trailer, 950lb hitch weight, with a 2015 Silverado LT 5.3 with towing package. I have Reese Dual Cam WD with anti sway & 10,000lb bars & have been very satisfied with this setup. ...
Forum Discussion
It's def. the wind. BTDT and it can be quite frightening. Doesn't matter what hitch it is. Need to slow down to a crawl or pull over and stop until it's okay again. Even semi trucks can have trouble with gusting sidewinds.
Let me see if I can explain this from a physics point of view. Say you had a 30' TT (bumper to coupler), wheels are 2/3 back from coupler and the wind suddenly "punched" you with 1,000 lbs of force distributed equally from front to back. The wind will want to rotate the trailer sideways around the wheels as an axis. The 10' of trailer behind your trailer and 10' directly ahead will cancel each other out. You will be left with 10' of sidewall (less about 3' of A-frame) from the coupler towards the rear. There will be a rotational force around the vertical axis of the wheels that you can't do anything about. Every time a strong gust punches you sideways, your TV will be steered slightly off course and if you make a correction and the wind suddenly stops you will need to re-correct again. If this happens repeatedly it will be very difficult to handle and be unsafe if winds are strong enough. I should probably draw a diagram.
Having said that, have your got your Reese DC properly tweaked, the TT level to nose down, the right tire pressures, etc....? Also agree with the TV not being quite enough. A 3/4T truck makes a HUGE difference. BTDT too.
Let me see if I can explain this from a physics point of view. Say you had a 30' TT (bumper to coupler), wheels are 2/3 back from coupler and the wind suddenly "punched" you with 1,000 lbs of force distributed equally from front to back. The wind will want to rotate the trailer sideways around the wheels as an axis. The 10' of trailer behind your trailer and 10' directly ahead will cancel each other out. You will be left with 10' of sidewall (less about 3' of A-frame) from the coupler towards the rear. There will be a rotational force around the vertical axis of the wheels that you can't do anything about. Every time a strong gust punches you sideways, your TV will be steered slightly off course and if you make a correction and the wind suddenly stops you will need to re-correct again. If this happens repeatedly it will be very difficult to handle and be unsafe if winds are strong enough. I should probably draw a diagram.
Having said that, have your got your Reese DC properly tweaked, the TT level to nose down, the right tire pressures, etc....? Also agree with the TV not being quite enough. A 3/4T truck makes a HUGE difference. BTDT too.
