Forum Discussion

rfloyd99's avatar
rfloyd99
Explorer
Jan 24, 2016

Towing "movement" - How much is normal?

I took delivery of my first TT on Friday. It is a Jay Feather (Jayco) 26' OA which weighs 4837 dry, per the door sticker. I upgraded to the proper size (I called the techs at the factory) Equalizer W/D hitch. The guy who installed it at the dealership seemed very quality conscious, but I definitely plan to double check the installation.

I drove the rig home, about 25 miles, of which about ten were interstate hwy. Seemed okay, but remember I only have experience pulling my boat, which weighs about 2800-3500 lbs (guesstimate). The boat tows very stable, no sway or other "squirrelly" movement. It is a 19 ft, fairly low profile fishing boat.

I drove a range of speeds from 55 - 65 MPH. The day wasn't really windy, and it didn't seem to sway when I was passed by a few semi's. The road surface in general is quite good where I was.

My question: There seemed to be a lot of random "movement". I hesitate to call it sway, it just seemed to be kind of "alive" back there - a little more than I was expecting. TV is a 2012 Ram 1500 with the large V8. Power was not a problem, and the weight, even with an additional 800 -1000# seems well within the towing limits.

I know this is a very subjective point, but does this seem normal?

Next weekend I'm going on a 60 mile RT (half on the interstate). Any tips or ideas on what to look for or to expect would be appreciated. We plan to put quite a few miles on this rig over the next couple of years, and I definitely want to get this dialed in to have the best possible towing experience.

Thoughts?
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Jan 24, 2016
    Load up truck & trailer camp ready....you, fuel, passengers, backpacks, stuff, everuthing in trailer for trip....and go to scales and get your weights

    Truck & trailer WITH WDH hooked up
    Truck & Trailer WITHOUT WDH hooked up
    Truck alone

    Then you will have all the numbers so you can set up trailer WDH properly

    Otherwise you are just guessing........can get close using measurements but weighing gets you the numbers.
  • WNYBob's avatar
    WNYBob
    Explorer
    Jan 24, 2016
    To better compare your boat trailer to your new TT, measure the tounge to axel distance. I wouldn't be suprised if the boat trailer distance to the axle was greater, this would make it sway less and the CG is also lower.
  • coolmom42's avatar
    coolmom42
    Explorer II
    Jan 24, 2016
    Like Old Bisuit said---get some real weights before you go tinkering with the hitch. You want front and rear axles of the truck, separately, with & without WD hitch, and then add each axle of the trailer separately, with and without hitch.

    But in your shoes, I would first 1) check that the trailer is level or has tongue slightly down 2) move some weight to the front of the trailer. You might be a little tongue light. Depending on tank location, some water in the fresh tank could do the trick.

    Also check the tire pressures on both truck & trailer.

    With that combo properly set up, you should not even know the trailer is back there most of the time.
  • PenMan's avatar
    PenMan
    Explorer
    Jan 24, 2016
    Based only on your description, I would guess you are experiencing more movement than you should. I pull a 37 foot TT with a Dodge dually (I realize dual wheels make a big difference) and have basically no movement at all. I would weigh the trailer properly (there is a good thread in Travel Trailers) and make adjustments as needed. Pulling a TT is nothing like pulling a boat.
  • Bob_Olallawa's avatar
    Bob_Olallawa
    Explorer
    Jan 24, 2016
    Like stated above, get it loaded for camping then dial it in. Also, the tires on the truck can be problematic so be sure they are aired up and have good sidewall strength.
  • rbpru's avatar
    rbpru
    Explorer II
    Jan 24, 2016
    I guess you have to let us know, does it fish tail side to side, porpoise up and down, or seem to rock back and forth?

    Are the TV and TT level when you have the WD hitch locked up?

    Level, on the flat, no wind, cruse set at 60 mph; my 25 ft TT pulls smooth not jerky. Wind is perhaps the biggest issue, no matter which way it blows.

    As mentioned the scales are your friend. They give you the weight increase and axle weight distribution on the TV.
  • camp-n-family's avatar
    camp-n-family
    Explorer
    Jan 24, 2016
    On top of all the above, one more thing to consider, truck tires. Air them to max pressure when towing. If you have the stock P rated tires (= soft and squishy sidewalls) consider upgrading to LT tires.
  • lbrjet's avatar
    lbrjet
    Explorer
    Jan 24, 2016
    An empty trailer will have the lightest tongue weight that it will ever have. You may notice a difference once you load all of your stuff in there. But to answer your question, yes a little movement now and then is normal.
  • Ron_Gratz's avatar
    Ron_Gratz
    Explorer
    Jan 24, 2016
    rfloyd99 wrote:
    I took delivery of my first TT on Friday. It is a Jay Feather (Jayco) 26' OA which weighs 4837 dry, per the door sticker. I upgraded to the proper size (I called the techs at the factory) Equalizer W/D hitch. The guy who installed it at the dealership seemed very quality conscious, but I definitely plan to double check the installation.
    What rating of hitch did the techs recommend?

    What criteria did the dealership guy use in setting up the hitch?

    Ron
  • SparkDr's avatar
    SparkDr
    Explorer
    Jan 24, 2016
    OP didn't specifically mention sway as the condition, only "random movement". I'll offer up another thought that may be in play. A lot of other random movements such as lurching, bucking, road chatter, etc come back to the driver through the front to back transfer of motion. As an experienced boat hauler, I went through this same adjustment in "feel" when getting into a TT for the first time. I even considered a spring-style draw bar for a while. I'll be curious to see where the OP's research with his own rig takes him.

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