Recently downsized from 39' 5th wheel & one ton diesel dually to a 30' (box-34' inc hitch)trailer and a 2017 Chevy Silverado Tahoe suv. On tow home from dealership & 1st camping trip (100 miles total) I experienced a considerable amount of sway even with a WD hitch and 1 sway bar. Many years ago we started camping with a 30' trailer pulled by a Chevy Blazer - don't remember having this problem. Is it ---1. Tahoe has too short of a wheelbase (116 inches)2. Need 2nd sway bar3. WD hitch not installed correctlyAll the above or ????

My vote is for the hitch not being set up correctly. For some reason, dealers have a hard time with this job. I would go over the instructions and increase the tension on the spring bars until you get the best handling. Then you can add friction sway bars. You want to keep the sway from starting in the first place rather than control it with friction bars constantly.It could also be that your Tahoe is just too lightly sprung for the job but try the above first.

I would suspect it is a little of all the above but mostly the hitch.After pulling a fifth wheel with a dually any sway at all will seem excessive.It has been a long time since I pulled a tag-along but the sway when being passed by trucks and the cross winds was why I went to a 5er.I was under the impression that they have some hitches now that eliminate all the sway. May need to spend some big bucks but I am certainly not an expert on equalizer hitches.Good luck I know how unsettling it is to have that issue with your family on board.

Try tightening the sway bar first.I'm a newbie and nowhere being an expert.Except that I've experienced a bit of over-reactive sway when a rig passes me by (but nothing I lost control of). I just stop in a nearby gas station and noticed the untightened sway lever and adjusted it. It appeared to have solved it. I tow a 21 trailer with a 4-runner.

hookset wrote:Recently downsized from 39' 5th wheel & one ton diesel dually to a 30' (box-34' inc hitch)trailer and a 2017 Chevy Silverado Tahoe suv. On tow home from dealership & 1st camping trip (100 miles total) I experienced a considerable amount of sway even with a WD hitch and 1 sway bar. Many years ago we started camping with a 30' trailer pulled by a Chevy Blazer - don't remember having this problem. Is it ---1. Tahoe has too short of a wheelbase (116 inches)2. Need 2nd sway bar3. WD hitch not installed correctlyAll the above or ????Could be all of the above. Having towed with vehicles with wheelbases ranging from 111" to 143" I'd agree that 116" is just too short for towing a trailer measuring 34' coupler to bumper. To solve this I'd first load the trailer as it typically would be for camping and check that the weight distribution is correctly set up. Assuming it is and you still have sway the next solution is to add a second sway bar. If that still doesn't do it then a WD system like the Hensley Arrow or Propride 3P may be your only option and although expensive either would certainly be a lot less costly than replacing your Tahoe with a much longer wheelbase vehicle. BTW, never heard of a "Silverado Tahoe", has to be one or the other, so I assume you mean you have a Tahoe SUV considering the wheelbase is so short. ;)

Think of the trailer ball as a hinge in regard to sway. After you set things up, I would make sure your EQ WD bars are the correct size so you don't stress them over time. You probably have more tongue weight than you think unless you have scaled your tongue weight and know for sure. First , air up all tires to max PSI . I would redo the hitch set up . Follow the below link. I did mine this way, using a Reese Pro Series friction set up and it worked perfectly. Set your hitch correctly and it should tow without sway as long the TV and TT are in correct wheel alignment, so the two vehicles don't fight one another causing the TT to wag the TV and TV try to correct the situation . Your goal in general, all hitched up, is to have the front end height of the TV be about the same as normal for steering control and the rear squat down a little in order to keep traction on the rear wheels. A second friction sway control would also help with a 30 ft box in crosswinds. The last resort would be a longer wheelbase veh. which would be better but I don't think you need to do that in order to get a comfortable enough ride. http://davidsrvtips.blogspot.com/2009/02/hitch-setup_2781.html

Tow vehicle too short of wheelbase??? | Good Sam Community

Yosemite_Sam1
Explorer
May 20, 2018
Try tightening the sway bar first.

I'm a newbie and nowhere being an expert.

Except that I've experienced a bit of over-reactive sway when a rig passes me by (but nothing I lost control of). I just stop in a nearby gas station and noticed the untightened sway lever and adjusted it. It appeared to have solved it. I tow a 21 trailer with a 4-runner.
12th_Man_Fan
Explorer
May 20, 2018
I would suspect it is a little of all the above but mostly the hitch.

After pulling a fifth wheel with a dually any sway at all will seem excessive.

It has been a long time since I pulled a tag-along but the sway when being passed by trucks and the cross winds was why I went to a 5er.

I was under the impression that they have some hitches now that eliminate all the sway. May need to spend some big bucks but I am certainly not an expert on equalizer hitches.

Good luck I know how unsettling it is to have that issue with your family on board.
ScottG
Nomad
May 20, 2018
My vote is for the hitch not being set up correctly. For some reason, dealers have a hard time with this job.
I would go over the instructions and increase the tension on the spring bars until you get the best handling. Then you can add friction sway bars.
You want to keep the sway from starting in the first place rather than control it with friction bars constantly.

It could also be that your Tahoe is just too lightly sprung for the job but try the above first.

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Tow vehicle too short of wheelbase???

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