Which makes more impact on sway
Here's my dilemma...which makes more impact on potential to sway? Too much tongue weight or too little tongue weight?
Forum Discussion
OP -- You say it is inconsistent and new trailer is longer and heavier than the old one.
Could be one of many possibilities. Maybe a combination of more than one.
Some of the things that can affect sway:
Trailer tongue too lite.
Hitch height too high. Maybe, you need a longer drop in the hitch shank.
Wind.
Bad roads. Those big rigs can put some serious ruts in the blacktop.
Soft suspension on tow vehicle.
Sidewall flexing in tow vehicle tires.
Uneven tire pressure in either trailer or tow vehicle.
Not enough weight distribution. Front axle weight restoration (FAWR) on tow vehicle. If you're too lite on steering axle, you could be sub-consiously moving the steering wheel back and forth.
Some simple checks could be:
Check tire pressure (both trailer and tow vehicle). If tow vehicle is running passenger (P) rated tires, the recommended air pressure (on door post sticker) is probably much lower than max pressure printed on the tires. Manufactures do this for passenger comfort. When carrying a load, you need more pressure to cut down on sidewall flexing.
On level ground, park (unhitched) and level the trailer, then measure coupler height. That should be within one inch of hitch ball height on the truck.
Get CAT scale weights on the whole set up. One for tow vehicle only, one with tow vehicle / trailer and WDH, and one with tow vehicle / trailer and no WDH. You can use these weights to calculate how much your tongue weight actually is, how much it takes away from your drive axle, and how much your WD hitch puts back on. Your tow vehicle owners manual should tell you the propper amount of FAWR.
Could be one of many possibilities. Maybe a combination of more than one.
Some of the things that can affect sway:
Trailer tongue too lite.
Hitch height too high. Maybe, you need a longer drop in the hitch shank.
Wind.
Bad roads. Those big rigs can put some serious ruts in the blacktop.
Soft suspension on tow vehicle.
Sidewall flexing in tow vehicle tires.
Uneven tire pressure in either trailer or tow vehicle.
Not enough weight distribution. Front axle weight restoration (FAWR) on tow vehicle. If you're too lite on steering axle, you could be sub-consiously moving the steering wheel back and forth.
Some simple checks could be:
Check tire pressure (both trailer and tow vehicle). If tow vehicle is running passenger (P) rated tires, the recommended air pressure (on door post sticker) is probably much lower than max pressure printed on the tires. Manufactures do this for passenger comfort. When carrying a load, you need more pressure to cut down on sidewall flexing.
On level ground, park (unhitched) and level the trailer, then measure coupler height. That should be within one inch of hitch ball height on the truck.
Get CAT scale weights on the whole set up. One for tow vehicle only, one with tow vehicle / trailer and WDH, and one with tow vehicle / trailer and no WDH. You can use these weights to calculate how much your tongue weight actually is, how much it takes away from your drive axle, and how much your WD hitch puts back on. Your tow vehicle owners manual should tell you the propper amount of FAWR.
