Trailer "shimmy" in campgrounds

RinconVTR wrote:

LarryJM wrote:



Since you have basically done nothing to neutralize or eliminate either the suspension "bounce/movement" nor have reduced the frame span length I wouldn't consider shoring up only the far corner supports of a trailer a good solution. I'm surprised at your statement about it taking care of 100% of the issue since many other posts indicate a different experience and only the addition of some extra supports near the axles has the situation been improved to where it becomes satisfactory.

Now it's only my opinion, but spending $80 or more to only shore up the corner supports on a trailer is not very cost effective nor IMO a good solution for this "shimmy" issue especially with longer (over 28' or so) trailers. You might have gotten for your liking decent results, but I contend that is only because your trailer is so much shorter than a lot here and where this issue really becomes noticeable. One needs to both reduce the unsupported (or better stated properly supported) frame span lengths and to reduce or eliminate the tire/suspension bounce and that can only be accomplished by adding supports and getting some much closer to the axles.

In any event what you have shown I don't think would work much at all to help something like the 40' unit that the OP is trying to stabilize ... that's just too long.

Larry

You are comparing apples to oranges.

Frame flex and bounce is not the same as "shimmy".

Bounce or frame flex = up/down movement. (jump up and down in the trailer))

Shimmy = side to side, front to back, lateral "rotation". (push sideways on any corner of the camper)

Having only a 25' trailer, bracing the stabilizers from moving is for "shimmy" is all I needed.

If you have frame flex "bounce" when all stabilizers are down, then you need another "stabilizer" (call it a vertical stabilizer) in the middle of the frame, near or just in front of the axles.


These are real simple fixes, but you have first have to determine which movement you need to eliminate. It could be either, or both but its critical to understand one method wont fix both conditions.

You have a right to your opinion, but I simply disagree with your assessment and I don't care if it's "shimmy, bounce, movement up down or sideways, slippage, stretching, contracting, whatever" ... the system I have described takes care of all the issue with A SINGLE METHOD.

The OP has a 40' unit and while he might have called it "shimmy" anyone that understands this issue would have realized like I did that it takes more than just shoring up the support system only at the corners to solve the problem.

In fact I'm confused why we are even talking about a 25' unit ... NOW IMO THERE IS AN APPLES AND ORANGES ISSUE.

Larryu