passing cars pushing TT, but not big trucks?

[katoom400]

after previously towing my Outback 250RS with a Toyota Tundra. I have upgraded to a 2015 F250 crew cab, short bed.

I took the time to go to a level parking lot to get my Reese dual cam WDH setup to the new truck. I set the ball height adjusted the tilt to get the front fender numbers back to unloaded spec and loosened the adjusters to the cam arms drove figure 8's in the parking lot and tightened them back down.

my first pull I didn't really notice any pushing, but it was a short 1hr trip. my last trip was about 3hrs each way and I started to notice that passing carrs seemed to the push the trailer a bit, but not big trucks, I would see them coming and brace for it, but everything stayed straight.

I started to notice the trailer getting pushed and sure enough every time there was a regular car/suv passing...

Am I going insane? how could a car cause this, but not a Semi?

[Dog_Folks]

kvangil wrote:
Could be the speed difference between you and the smaller car? I've noticed at times that a smaller car going much faster than me would push me a bit more than a semi that is slowly passing me by. Just a thought....

X2 We noticed the same thing.

The speed of the passing vehicle makes more difference than the size.
The faster the vehicle passing us is going, then the greater speed differential between us and the passing vehicle and thus the greater the "Push," regardless of vehicle size.

Although with our Dual Cam, we get very little "push" to start with.

[kvangil]

Could be the speed difference between you and the smaller car? I've noticed at times that a smaller car going much faster than me would push me a bit more than a semi that is slowly passing me by. Just a thought....

[fla-gypsy]

katoom400 wrote:

Hondavalk wrote:
Not to ask the obvious but have you checked the air pressure on your truck tires and TT

Yes, checked both TT and TV before leaving as I always do. all set to 65 PSI.

While your Load range D TT tires should be at 65 psi I am certain the rear truck tires would be more. Most likely 80 psi. Please clarify. Also Ford does not recommend restoring all the weight back to the front axle. I beleive it is now 1/2 of the loaded/unloaded difference. It could be you are pushing to much weight back on the front and making it lighter on the back end than it needs to be.

[katoom400]

Hondavalk wrote:
Not to ask the obvious but have you checked the air pressure on your truck tires and TT

Yes, checked both TT and TV before leaving as I always do. all set to 65 PSI.

[Hondavalk]

Not to ask the obvious but have you checked the air pressure on your truck tires and TT

[hawkeye-08]

We noticed that we can feel a small box van (16 to 24') going by more than semi or other large vehicle. We figured it was the front and back of truck turbulence so close together that gave us that feeling. It is not enough to worry about, but the difference is certainly noticeable.

[katoom400]

BarneyS wrote:
Leon,
He is using a Reese "Dual Cam" hitch that has built in sway control. It is one of the better ones out there.

OP,
I would suggest you get the truck and trailer lined up perfectly straight, get out and look very closely at the V where the bars sit on the cams. Make SURE each one is perfectly set up exactly in the middle of the V. You will have to really look closely to see it. If not adjust the cam arm length until they are. l
What you have sounds like the are not centered and are fighting each other to keep the trailer centered.
Barney

This was also my first thought...maybe I wasn't perfectly straight when I tightened them. I will have to check that again. When I hooked back up at the CG, I had to pull the passenger side bar up with somee force before the cam fell into the detent. I just assumed it was because maybe I wasn't perfectly straight or level.

I can't put them on in my driveway since it slopes downward to the level parking pad for the trailer, so the trailer is level and the truck is pointed uphill when I connect. I have to pull out and drive down the road to a pond that has a large parking are, but is somewhat rough and uneven.....just good enough to get the bars on and get back on the road.

[RCMAN46]

I just finished a 3600 mile trip pulling a 5x12 utility trailer behind an Outback.

Large Motor Homes seemed to push me more than the trucks when there was a cross wind.

I suspect two reasons. The Motor Home is lower to the ground thus less air going under the Motor Home.

The Motor Homes typically are going 10-20 mph faster than the trucks.

[BarneyS]

Leon,
He is using a Reese "Dual Cam" hitch that has built in sway control. It is one of the better ones out there.

OP,
I would suggest you get the truck and trailer lined up perfectly straight, get out and look very closely at the V where the bars sit on the cams. Make SURE each one is perfectly set up exactly in the middle of the V. You will have to really look closely to see it. If not adjust the cam arm length until they are. l
What you have sounds like the are not centered and are fighting each other to keep the trailer centered.
Barney

[Leonandlisa]

It may be just that when you see a truck coming you are more prepared and react faster, you may do it out of habit, where as the car catches off guard. As for your truck, was it set up from the factory with a sway bar? My 2008 was, my 2013 wasn't, and there was a noticeable difference if the rolling motion that came from the trailer. The truck wasn't going to go anywhere but without the sway bar the wiggle of the trailer was passed into the truck easily and it made me feel uncomfortable. I added a sway bar and I sure like the feel of towing again.

Just a thought.

Leon

[MFL]

katoom400 wrote:
after previously towing my Outback 250RS with a Toyota Tundra. I have upgraded to a 2015 F250 crew cab, short bed.

I took the time to go to a level parking lot to get my Reese dual cam WDH setup to the new truck. I set the ball height adjusted the tilt to get the front fender numbers back to unloaded spec and loosened the adjusters to the cam arms drove figure 8's in the parking lot and tightened them back down.

my first pull I didn't really notice any pushing, but it was a short 1hr trip. my last trip was about 3hrs each way and I started to notice that passing carrs seemed to the push the trailer a bit, but not big trucks, I would see them coming and brace for it, but everything stayed straight.

I started to notice the trailer getting pushed and sure enough every time there was a regular car/suv passing...

Am I going insane? how could a car cause this, but not a Semi?

Yep, I think you're losing it, should be the semi pushing.:B

Jerry