Trailer Sway

I would start with a CAT scale for the truck/trailer combo. Take 3 passes to determine your TW, how well the WDH is adjusted, and where you stand with respect to all your truck's ratings.

Truck empty, truck with trailer tongue on ball, truck with trailer with WDH.

Wishin wrote:
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Third, you need to evaluate your hitch set-up and if you have the right hitch. What kind of sway control do you have as part of your hitch? A good integrated sway control system will help significantly reduce the amount of push/pull you get from passing cars and trucks. This is a separate issue from the sway that happens by itself when you go faster...

Bingo, this is it. The F150 is not a "small" pickup. It might have issues with payload and power on the hills but this shouldn't induce sway. I think you really need to tell us what kind of a hitch you have. Equalizer is a brand and it has built in sway control. A lot of people say they have an equalizing hitch or an equalizer when in fact they have a weight distributing hitch with NO sway control.

Tires are also important and pressures are very important. Oh, and one last thing. In my humble opinion, you shouldn't be pulling any trailer over 65 mph, especially if you have ST tires on it.

Check Tongue weight, tire rating (LT not P) and pressure, perhaps shift weight to the front? Consider an Equal-i-zer or dual cam hitch (I just went to an Equal-i-zer).
Funny story, I towed my Open Range all summer with the tire pressure mismatched due to a faulty electronic tire gauge. Once it was balanced out to the right psi it was night and day.

Good Luck and be Safe

m

First off, it is essential that your tongue weight be 10-15% of the weight of the trailer. 13% minimum in my opinion to be ideally stable. Some people notice sway (back and forth movement over a certain speed) when they get down around 11%, so to me 10% for a travel trailer is a little low. Maybe fine for a boat. You really need at a minumum a good guess of your total weight and an actual scaled weight of your tongue or, just to to the truck scales and get all the weights. That will be helpful as well.

You want the weight by axle sets. Front truck axle, rear truck axle, trailer axles together. There are sections to the scales if you are at a CAT scales, or even some other scales. You want all axles weights with each pass through the scales.

Weigh the entire rig 3 times. Once with just the truck, loaded for camping. 2nd time with the trailer hooked up but no weight distribution, the 3rd time with the trailer hooked up but with your weight distribution also functioning, just like you would normally travel. With these measurements, you can calculate your axle loads, tongue weight, trailer weight, vehicle weight, and proper set-up of your weight distribution system.

Second, you need to make sure the trailer is level or slightly nose down. It is more stable like this.

Third, you need to evaluate your hitch set-up and if you have the right hitch. What kind of sway control do you have as part of your hitch? A good integrated sway control system will help significantly reduce the amount of push/pull you get from passing cars and trucks. This is a separate issue from the sway that happens by itself when you go faster.

Sure a 3/4 ton truck will handle it better, but you need to get all this fixed first regardless. Make sure it is set-up correctly with the correct amount of tongue weight, and you'll be much better off. The sway should be gone and the push/pull should be minimized. If you want to minimize it further, then more expensive hitches or a more HD truck will be needed. You just need to fix the basics first most likely.

Like the others, I want to give advice without too many facts, but that doesn't stop us. 7,100 dry weight could easily turn into over 9,000 pounds gvwr. You say you have an eco, but what payload? And how much is left after loading family and stuff? At 9,000 pounds, one would expect to have a tongue weight of over 1,000 pounds which alone may be the problem. Just guessing, like all the rest. Try LT tires, Timbrens or Supersprings, and someone already mentioned a Hensly hitch. Personally, I think you are in F-250 or 2500 tow vehicle range.

If it was already mentioned I missed it, Air up all tires to max pressure as indicated on the tires. 65psi? on the TT and 45lb? on the truck.
That and being aware of where I was packing weight such as kitchen items and clothes helped my sway issue on a previous 35' Outback.

Excuse me, 300lbs of curb weight difference(if that) does not make all the difference in the world towing. That's the difference between my son's 2500HD and my F-150 Supercrew. My older F-250 curb weight was a lot less than the F-150.

Having pulled all sorts of trailers and fifth wheels with both, there's not that much difference especially not all the difference in the world with 300lbs difference in curb weight.

I tow with both regularly.

RJCorazza wrote:
X2 with MitchF150, and most others.
I looked into the Ford Trailer Sway Control feature, and it is designed to apply individual brakes and reduce speed when there is already a developing problem. Great feature, but if it activates the operator needs to slow down and fix the underlying issue.
I am not clear on what the "anti sway bar in the back" is, but if we are talking about the bar on the rear axle (some refer to as anti roll) then this truck feature has zero effect on trailer sway.
I tow an RV as well as a landscape trailer so I opted to buy a tounge weight scale by Sherline. Very convenient, and highly recommended.

Those tongue weight scales are great and well worth the money. Only took a few minutes to weigh the tongue before taking off on a trip.

X2 with MitchF150, and most others.
I looked into the Ford Trailer Sway Control feature, and it is designed to apply individual brakes and reduce speed when there is already a developing problem. Great feature, but if it activates the operator needs to slow down and fix the underlying issue.
I am not clear on what the "anti sway bar in the back" is, but if we are talking about the bar on the rear axle (some refer to as anti roll) then this truck feature has zero effect on trailer sway.
I tow an RV as well as a landscape trailer so I opted to buy a tounge weight scale by Sherline. Very convenient, and highly recommended.

Too much TT for the truck. I have towed my fair share of I5 and mtn roads in Oregon. Had the same exact sway issues you're having when I towed a 31' 7300lb loaded TT with a 2010 F150 145" WB. Out on I5 you're susceptible to winds and semis because it's more open. In the mtns the TT is forced laterally into curves so it feels more solid. Plus there's usually not much wind blowing or semi's to pass. It was always that way. Great in the mtns, horrible on the freeways.

I traded that truck for my current 12 Ram 2500. Way, way better towing experience. Even thought the TT still waggled a bit, the 2500 stayed solid and wouldn't let the TT move it around. I was using the EQ with 4pt sway control with the F150. I had plenty of tongue weight at 900-950lbs. In comparison I towed the TT with both trucks and only used an EAZ-Lift with the Ram 2500. It towed better like that than the F150 did with the EQ.

I even had E rated tires and SuperSprings on the F150. It just boils down to physics. The F150 isn't enough truck for 8000+lbs and 33' IMO.