My dad thought he was a goner

Terryallan wrote:

DavidP wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

DavidP wrote:
Could be too many things to list but I would look first at trailer suspension as well as not enough tongue weight. A trailer should not sway even if there is NO WDH installed. A properly installed WDH with sway control helps prevent sway from occurring and control it if it does. Adjusting the WDH to deal with sway is just masking a problem. I would look at those two things and go from there.

Actually a properly setup WDH returns steering control to the driver. It may not technically be sway. But a light front axle will make the driver lose control because of the light steering. Returning steering control by replacing lost weight to the front axle will in most cases eliminate the feeling of sway. That is what a WDH does. It does not prevent sway. But eliminates the main cause.

I know what a properly installed WDH does and the importance of it. My point is a properly loaded trailer should not sway with or without a WDH in place. A WDH does not eliminate the main cause of sway and will only mask the real problem which is exactly what I said in my original post. He needs to find out why the trailer is swaying, fix that while at the same time properly set up the hitch.

so you are saying. that having the steering axle completely unloaded has nothing to do with it????
Wrong

Get the hitch right, return steering control, and 95% of TTs will have no sway.

No, that is not what I'm saying. I agree, having the proper amount of weight distributed to the front axles is certainly part of the equation but I was discussing TONGUE WEIGHT ONLY. My singular point again is if a trailer is swaying from a light tongue adjusting the WDH to control that is not a proper fix and it is masking the real issue. There should be at least 13% of the total trailer weight on the tongue. As stated in my original post I said the OP’s sway might be from not enough tongue weight. Your example of an unloaded front axle is a WDH issue and I agree it may have "sway" charteristics and can be remedied from proper weight on the axle but has nothing to do with a light tongue. We are addressing two different points. I did not go into WDH set up since the OP claimed they adjusted and readjusted the WDH. Certainly that could have been done improperly but as I originally stated to the OP there are too many variables and focused on tongue weight. As I stated before you certainly brought up another variable he may be experiencing.