Reduce Sway

I believe the payload is little over 2000, and yes they installed the same WD with 1000 lb bars and a friction sway bar. I am not 100% sure it wasn’t setup incorrectly. I will look into the tires and shocks and the equalizer setup.

You need more tongue weight. You need at least 12% of the total trailer weight on the tongue (even more is better). Go to a scale and get the weigts to be sure. You have less than 10%, that's a accident waiting to happen.

“and they give you the info you want to hear and not the truth.“

I’m not so sure the salesperson knew, and it will “pull” that TT. Remember these guys/gals are not doctors, clergy, dentists etc...trusted professionals. Most have never even pulled a TT or 5er. They try to sell all the deaker’s products. Many of us when looking for a new vehicle know more of the capacities than anyone on the lot. Our “needs” i.e. a capable TV are very specific and technical.

The TV specs are available...from every manufacturer. Tow guides are a good example. The TV reviews are out there..both pro and us...at no cost via the internet. The max TT weight is available from every manufacturer I’ve seen. I’m not sure I’ll accept blaming the TV or RV salesperson any longer. These are not $5 purchases and deserve hours of study.

albertsonr wrote:
I believe the payload is little over 2000, and yes they installed the same WD with 1000 lb bars and a friction sway bar. I am not 100% sure it wasn’t setup incorrectly. I will look into the tires and shocks and the equalizer setup.

I've bought a few new TT's and not once did they get the hitch setup even remotely close.
You'd think they know what they're doing but they don't seem to. My last one was no different. It was terrible!

Maury82 wrote:

albertsonr wrote:
HW 845
GVWR 9600
Dry 7245

The truck pulls the trailer with no problems other than sway in winds and Semi passing.

I would upgrade my tires to LT, Bilstein shocks, and upgrade to HD trailer tires.

Did you change hitch that is rated for your new trailer?

That trailer should be within capacity for that truck, and a few enhancements should solve your problem.

When I start towing my trailer with my truck, I don't anticipate a sway problem, but I do anticipate more wind push versus the F250 I rent from Enterprise now.

That F250 is roughly 2,000lbs heavier than the 5,200lbs F150 with the HDPP, but the payload is roughly 500lbs greater.

Besides the softer suspension in your typical off the lot F150, there are other areas that amplify sway when towing, such as those comfortable tires and shocks, and wind rocking and rotating that trailer on those soft ST tires. Stiffer HD trailer tires should also help reduce sway.

I believe that stiffening up those flex points, along with a good hitch setup will deminish most of that sway.

I have had Jayco TT for years and was one of the 1st to add MOR/ryde to the suspension. Having that ended any semi issues and most sway issues.
I use the same torsion bar (1200#) that I have had in 2000 on a 32' TT. We drive all over the US and yes trailers don't like 45 mph winds coming from any direction but I've driven all day in 30 mph winds.
I think with most folks it takes more than a couple weeks usage a year to understand your TT.

Good luck

goducks10 wrote:
Too much TT for that truck.
Only way you'll eliminate any uncontrollable sway is to spend the big $$$$ and get a Hensley Arrow or a ProPride WDH.
Problem is that you'll be fighting the payload numbers for the truck.

A Hensley or ProPride hitch will not solve a mis matched tow vehicle problem. It may help to eliminate sway at the hitch point but those forces will transmit to the next weakest point, usually the tires, flexing them which will still cause a squirrelly white knuckle ride.

evanrem wrote:
I had a 34 foot trailer and 1/2 Chevy to start with the came in at around 8000 lbs loaded. I think the trucks max tow was 9700lbs and thought all good. I did not look into or understand payload and all the other weights and was soon in the same predicament you are. After a crash course in weights I found myself to be at if not over a bit on payload. On good days it towed good but those days were not the norm and found the white knuckle experience was not worth it.
Just buying a new truck and explaing to the wife i really didnt know what i was doing was a bummer. After deciding selling the trailer was going to be the cheapest way out i stumbled across the ProPride and Hensley hitches. I thought if this does not work oh well i can send it back and take the hit on the trailer. It got me by for about 5 years and made a remarkable diffrence. When upgrading to a 2500 i saw the light everyone here talks about and they are correct. It towed so much nicer. With all this being said you need to know where you are with weights so you are not way overloaded somewhere.
Good Luck and a lot of us have been in your shoes.

remarkable might be an over statement. It was much better but still not as good as the jump to the 2500 using the ProPride.

When I was lurking and trying to decide what type of truck I needed for my 37ft TT, there were quite a few of these testimonials about how a HD truck solved their towing problems.

Towing overweight, unknown cargo capacity, unknown year of truck, etc, with their half ton, I look at these testimonials as they should have had mega problems.

This doesn't tell me that the problem was the 1/2 ton truck, and a 2/3 is needed, this points to the person choosing the wrong 1/2 ton truck for the job.

You can't help but to have a "night and day" towing experience going from an overcapacity older, most likely improperly towing geared 1/2 ton truck to a new 2/3 truck.

This doesn't say to me I need a 3/4 for my long trailer, versus a 1/2 ton, this says that the guy was careless in choosing the wrong 1/2 ton truck to trailer.

I look at these testimonials, not as a lesson to learn from, but that these are the type that should go straight to the biggest truck as a no-brainer option, because there is more work when matching up 1/2 to to trailers...he should get a big truck even for the smallest trailer.

ScottG wrote:

albertsonr wrote:
I believe the payload is little over 2000, and yes they installed the same WD with 1000 lb bars and a friction sway bar. I am not 100% sure it wasn’t setup incorrectly. I will look into the tires and shocks and the equalizer setup.

I've bought a few new TT's and not once did they get the hitch setup even remotely close.
You'd think they know what they're doing but they don't seem to. My last one was no different. It was terrible!

The dealer who I bought my Coachmen from, whose service department is generally terrible at doing anything, set my new hitch up almost perfectly. And the guy who did it was one of their summer help crew, probably not old enough to buy his own beer.

Go figure.