F150 Towing Sway

[karlrmac]

Hello,

We recently purchased a 33' (overall) TT and tow it behind our 2012 F150. It tows and doesn't jump over 3k RPM going uphill around 55MPH, but the sway is horrible . I have a Husky setup that was installed by the dealer at purchase which includes the friction sway bar. The instructions from the dealer were to tighten it down until snug and go. Is that correct? There is alot sway and we have to stay below 60 everywhere, even without a vehicle passing.

Also, I was using the 3rd link for the weight distribution bar but had a bad bounce. I went to the 4th link from the end and pretty much removed the bounce.

Any help with the sway issue would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Karl

[fla-gypsy]

Your hitch is not set up properly and you have insufficient sway control for a trailer that long. You will need to get some help from an experienced person to get the hitch correct. A properly set up TT should have no sway. After that is right you will need to invest in a good integrated WD/SC hitch like the Reese Dual Cam system or Equalizer brand. Just to start; how much tongue weight do you have? How heavy is the trailer? How did you determine which links to use? What configuration of the F-150 do you have? 3.5EB? Max Tow? Max Payload? None of the aforementioned?

[Ron3rd]

X2 on all the advice above, and adding a second friction sway control on that length of trailer is a very good idea.

[handye9]

Starting point for hitch set up:

Take truck and trailer to a level spot.
Unhitch and level the trailer
Measure trailer coupler height and hitch ball height (adjust ball height to no more than one inch higher than coupler)

On the truck, measure front and rear bumper heights (stick a piece of masking tape on the bumpers, to be sure of measuring in the same spot, and write the measurements)

Hitch up and measure bumpers again. Write those numbers on the tape. If bars (number of chain links) are correct, the front bumper should be within one half inch of your unhitched measurement and not lower than the rear bumper.

Then go to a CAT scale for actual weights. Let scale master know, you will need three passes.

First pass - weigh truck and trailer hitched up, with weight distribution
Second pass - weigh truck and trailer hitched up, without weight distribution bars
Third pass - drop the trailer in the parking lot, weigh just the truck.

Hitch up and go home.

Then come back here and post numbers from your scale tickets, along with numbers from your truck loading sticker.

Those numbers will tell actual weight of truck and trailer, actual tongue weight, actual weight being distributed, and how they compare to your trucks load ratings.

[handye9]

There are several causes / contributors to sway issues. Trailer sway can be caused by just one, or, a combination of two or more contributors.

1. Not enough tongue weight
2. Impropper adjustment of WDH
3. Impropper adjustment or insufficient sway control device
4. Unbalanced tire pressures in truck or trailer
5. Soft suspension on tow vehicle
6. Tire sidewall flex on tow vehicle
7. Unbalanced load in trailer
8. Bad roads
9. Wind
10. Hitch ball set too high. Trailer tows nose up
11. Tow vehicle overloaded

Without seeing the actual specs on your truck, it is possible, you have issues with almost all of the listed causes.

I found these numbers for a Hideout 31BHS

Length 33' 11" (lets just say 34 feet)
unloaded trailer 6780 lbs
unloaded hitch 825 lbs (loaded to gross weight-- this could be 1250+)
cargo capacity 2845
Gross weight 9625 lbs

There are versions of the F150, that are not rated to tow a trailer this big. Some of them, only have 750 lbs of payload, while others have up to 3100 lbs. Payload is your capacity to carry fuel, passengers, cargo, and trailer hitch weight combined.

You should get actual weights on truck and trailer. Check the loading sticker, on your drivers door post, for GVWR and cargo carrying capacity (payload) of the truck. If you subtract your driver / passenger / cargo weights from your payload, and find you have insufficient capacity to carry another 1000 lbs from the trailer, you are over weight when hitched up.

[Mvander]

Start with the basics.
Does the trailer tow level to slightly nose down.
Do you have enough tounge wt.
Is the wdh set up properly. If the dealer did it that is no guarantee its right.

[Bob_Olallawa]

First get the proper set up with the hitch and trailer. Second, if you plan to only use a friction slide type sway bar with long a trailer, you need two, one on each side. Get the hitch and trailer set up so the sway goes away first then use the sway bars to help if the sway happens.

[K_Charles]

You need to setup the hitch not just pick a link that makes the bounce go away. Some where on this forum it tells how to set it up or find the directions on line.