Confused

BayouBoys wrote:
This thought did cross my mind earlier today. The last trip was a rough ride (expansion joints). I wouldn't imagine this would cause that kind of damage.

Having driven across Louisiana last month, I can definitely attest to roughness of the roads there. That is where the fridge on our 5vr, caught fire . We suspect that the constant pounding the road gave the trailer may have been a factor. It's very possible that your trailer was bouncing enough to throw it around slightly causing it to feel unmanageable.

Terryallan wrote:
Happened tome once. I found I wasn't putting the bars in the same place as before. I wasn't pulling as much weight. Once I started pulling the same weight with the bars. The problems stopped.

Could you explain what you mean by pulling same weight? Are you refering to trailer weight?

This thought did cross my mind earlier today. The last trip was a rough ride (expansion joints). I wouldn't imagine this would cause that kind of damage.

All the suggestions in this thread are valid but in a previous thread, you mentioned that your trailer tires on one side unusually worn. It's possible that you have 2 bent axles that have thrown out the trailer wheel alignment that is causing the trailer to not track true.

Finally, got the unit out of storage. It has been a very busy spring. I checked my measurements, and it looks like I will need to apply more weight to the front.
Just got to find a level parking lot and go through the installation instructions again. Thanks for all your help.

First I would check the basic mechanics of the hitch and make sure nothing is off. Also, I would second making sure the tires are inflated to the proper pressure for the load they are bearing, not automatically the max sidewall pressure. This is especially true if you're running any tire capable of handling more than half of the GAWR.

Second, I would run it across a scale and compare the weights to my last known good setup. Maybe you changed how the trailer was loaded and simply didn't realize it. Don't have a last known good setup? Shame on you... $11 at the local CAT scale will highlight any issues with the weight distribution, and could show you exactly where the problem is. By the same token, it can eliminate the weight distribution (or lack thereof) from a possible cause of the problem.

bdhoun wrote:
What about the bolt under the hitch head that snugs it up. Maybe loose and the head tilts down when you add the bars?
Or the bolts that need to be torqued to rotate the bars into position. I check those every trip as they become loose too.

Bolt torque would be the first thing I'd check. The hitch head angle bolt, the head socket bolts, the L bracket bolts, and the trailer frame brackets. Torque to spec. The manual says you should check every trip.

The friction sway control in the hitch head's bar sockets is a function of the bolt tightness. I'm betting they got a little wear on them and aren't tight any more, allowing droop and sway. I have an Equal-i-zer that I used with a larger TT in the past.

Happened tome once. I found I wasn't putting the bars in the same place as before. I wasn't pulling as much weight. Once I started pulling the same weight with the bars. The problems stopped.
BTW. Air up the truck tire to their cold sidewall max. The trailer will be more stable then as well.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I did check the tire pressure on the trailer as well as the lug nuts. As for the truck, I did not check the pressure and they are the same stock tires the truck came with.

I also checked the set screw that snugs up the head tilt. But I did not check the Nuts and bolts. I will put that on my list of things to check.

As for the lift, i usually lift the rear of the truck about 3-4" prior to put on the bars. I didn't notice if the bars were any easier or harder to install. I do know, since the hitch was new, that one bar is always more difficult to snap in than the other.

When hitching up for this trip I was running late and maybe did not lift the truck enough. I will have to keep that in mind when I check everything out this weekend.