Which makes more impact on sway

Wanderoo wrote:
Does it matter whether the additional tongue weight is added via the tow vehicle (near the axle) or the trailer near the front?

Yes, because of the leverage it has to be on the trailer. Adding weight to the back of the truck wont help.

Does it matter whether the additional tongue weight is added via the tow vehicle (near the axle) or the trailer near the front?

If you could provide the tow vehicle, the trailer size and make, and find the scale weight slips it would really help.

Hooked and loaded, drove onto scale. stopped when only truck axles where on the scale. Got weight.

This is the weight of the tow vehicle and the tongue. What is the number?


I pulled forward with both truck and trailer on scale. Got weight.

This is the weight of both the truck and trailer but has no differentiation of weight distribution.


I pulled forward until only trailer was on the scale. Got weight.


This is the weight of the trailer without the tongue weight and possibly some weight distributed back to the trailer axles from the WD hitch. But, it tells nothing about percent loading on tongue or how the trailer weight is distributed.

What would really help would be just the tongue weight of the trailer not connected to the truck. You have provided narrative, if you can provide numbers we might be able to give you some ideas. Narrative saying the numbers looked OK does not really help. What does the truck weigh alone and what is the trailer's loaded weight?

Being nose-high will cause sway even if the weights are Otherwise fine.

Only time I've ever had sway problems was when I loaded 200+ lbs of bargains in the back of a TT. Almost took me to the scene of the accident. Unless you grossly overload the TV I do not think you can have too much tongue weight.

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.

Air pressure is constant at the rated 65 psi for the tires...I don't travel with water in the tanks. I actually think I pack more up front...especially more than our big trip.

I went to our local scale and here is what I did:

Hooked and loaded, drove onto scale. stopped when only truck axles where on the scale. Got weight.
I pulled forward with both truck and trailer on scale. Got weight.
I pulled forward until only trailer was on the scale. Got weight.

I don't remember the weights, but balance, tongue weight, and everything seemed ok...but payload was close, too close...

Thought so...

Good info that on your big trip you had no problems- that provides a baseline. Sway is almost always related to load imbalance, usually nose-lightness, but there are some other possibilities. (Low tire pressure comes to mind as one).

First thing to eliminate is the tongue weight imbalance question, though.
What if anything is different loading-wise on these short trips you're taking? Are you traveling with less gear, perhaps empty tanks etc?. That would make a big difference especially if the tanks are up front.

Correct,

We bought this trailer last year and headed out to Yellowstone (from SE Nebraska)...We were going to be gone for about two weeks...packed extra tools in the back compartments, packed car jack in the other back, took out our 12X12 canopy tent and extra bag-chairs and did not fully load up pn food until we got closer to our destination...all to lessen our weight.

The new trailer was longer and heavier than our first trailer...so I wanted to be very conservative. Towing weight was not my concern, but payload and length was my concern.

The trip was perfect...no issues with sway at all. I have the EAZ-LIft equalizer and two friction, anti-sway bars.

Now, on shorter trips, I have a heck of a time with sway...but it seems inconsistent. I am at a loss.

Power not a problem. Squat on the truck is not a problem...I can't seem to figure out the sway...

sgrizzle wrote:
Here's my dilemma...which makes more impact on potential to sway? Too much tongue weight or too little tongue weight?

This isn't meant as a criticism so please don't take it as such, but:

Didn't I read elsewhere on these forums that you've been towing for at least four years? I ask because "more weight on the tongue" as sway prevention is such a basic towing rule- more usually asked about by someone just about to begin towing.

Are you perhaps experiencing handling problems with your most recently acquired trailer and are just trying to figure out the cause? If so and you can describe the symptoms we might be able to offer some suggestions per corrections.