Questions with sway and hitch after Driving on Highway
Okay this is going to be long winded and hopefully provide you with all the information you need to help me with my issues.
MY TRUCK
2012 Ram 1500
Trailer tow package, 3.92 (lowest offered by ram) and outdoorsman package, with this i get load e range tires stock, class 4 hitch and trailer brake controller.
Tires when towing are 55 front 65 rear
15,500 gcwr
I do have Airlift 1000 air bags that fit inside coil suspension but air down to approx 10psi when towing
MY Trailer
2013 Sprinter 266rbs
29'5" exterior length 26' interior length
Full height with 80" interior
6600lbs dry per sticker not book
tw=654lbs book ( i'm guessing i'm close to this but as my camper less than 100lbs from book weigt.
9500grvw
Hitch
Equalizer brand with 1200lb bars.
So i have made at least half a dozen trips to local camp sites as one of the closest is free with membership I was given when buying camper. Since towing it home I've not felt sway one bit and thought everything was going great. I have been playing with the hitch and trying to dial it in. These local trips have been approx 30 miles one way and have been county roads with speed limit of 55mph. I know i've gone 60 but not any faster.
So we were planning a trip last weekend to a campground my inlaws go to in Warrensburg NY about 15 min. North of Lake George NY. I thought I was all good to go. I knew I would be a little slower than them as they have a 2012 f350 diesel and pinnacle 5th wheel.
First part of the trip is these county roads. Camper felt better than it really every has. Then I got on the highway and started to speed up. Once i hit 65 to see what it felt like and then the sway began so I slowed to 60mph. Felt good no sway the didn't feel passenger cars when they passed. Next came my first tractor trailer. Pushed me pretty good but it was manageable. So after a few more trailer I slowed to approx 55-57 and didn't feel anything for the rest of the 100 or so miles on the high way.
Now going up the truck was loaded with me my wife 2 dogs and some fire wood. The fire wood was really only one row wide just shorter than the bed height and was placed right next to the cab.
So I wasn't happy with having to go 55 the whole way but it was doable and made it safe. Power wise everything was great was able to keep it in 5th most of the trip with some shifts to 4th. I was pleasantly surprised. there was one hill that made me nervous as my father in laws last diesel could only make it at 65 and with talking to a guy at the campground before i knew he could only make it at 45 with a 2500 chevy and fifth wheel. I think he may have had the 4spd which has since improved.
Coming home was a completely different story. I did place grease on the l brakets on the trailer as equalizer says you can to eliminate noise. I removed this grease before coming home hoping to make it easier going. As soon as i got on the highway and hit 50 i could feel the sway come on and at 55 it was getting pretty bad. There was no wind at this time nor was there the way coming up. It was bad enough that we pulled over at the next exit.
I raised the l brackets on the trailer, which would increase tension on the bars and hoping to reduce this sway.
Well it helped but didn't make it feel as comfortable as it was on the way up so I dealt with it a little while and then pulled over.
Now I greased the hitch very well before hand, the friction points on hitch itself and the ball. When pulling over for the second time i tried to removed as much excess grease as i could from these friction points on the hitch itself not the l brackets on the trailer. This helped a little bit more and we made it home going about 55mph from here on out. After removing the grease it was close to comparable to on the way up but the wind started to pick up so I couldn't tell when i was fighting wind or trucks. It was also much more packed with vehicles on the way home.
So now you hopefully got the gist of my story and here are my questions?
1.) Did i grease to much on the way up? Did I remove to much on the way Down.
At the camp site i saw another vehicle with the equlizer hitch and it didn't even look like it knew what wd40 was or anything? is this the way it should be?
2.) I know I have a half ton and the suspension are softer but should you have to adjust hitch when coming home from a trip if you have a little less weight? All firewood was used up, this is the only thing that i could find that was the difference from the way up to the way down.
Some of you may tell me to get my rig weighed as this is the only info that i can think that I didn't supply. I did pass one station but just didn't have the time to waste. I do want to do this for my own satisfaction and now want to see if there is anything else. So, no as of right now I can not supply you with any weights. I can tell you that my rig will only have approx 1000lbs extra in it. I'm beginning to think that I may have to much hitch weight. I know i have one of the softest halfton suspension and after hitching up yes the truck sags but the wdh makes up for this and sits with just a little bit of a rake once hitched.
Trailer is also pointed slightly nose down when hitched but if i picked it up it would then be just nose high and feel slightly nose down is better.
Thanks for the help!!!
MY TRUCK
2012 Ram 1500
Trailer tow package, 3.92 (lowest offered by ram) and outdoorsman package, with this i get load e range tires stock, class 4 hitch and trailer brake controller.
Tires when towing are 55 front 65 rear
15,500 gcwr
I do have Airlift 1000 air bags that fit inside coil suspension but air down to approx 10psi when towing
MY Trailer
2013 Sprinter 266rbs
29'5" exterior length 26' interior length
Full height with 80" interior
6600lbs dry per sticker not book
tw=654lbs book ( i'm guessing i'm close to this but as my camper less than 100lbs from book weigt.
9500grvw
Hitch
Equalizer brand with 1200lb bars.
So i have made at least half a dozen trips to local camp sites as one of the closest is free with membership I was given when buying camper. Since towing it home I've not felt sway one bit and thought everything was going great. I have been playing with the hitch and trying to dial it in. These local trips have been approx 30 miles one way and have been county roads with speed limit of 55mph. I know i've gone 60 but not any faster.
So we were planning a trip last weekend to a campground my inlaws go to in Warrensburg NY about 15 min. North of Lake George NY. I thought I was all good to go. I knew I would be a little slower than them as they have a 2012 f350 diesel and pinnacle 5th wheel.
First part of the trip is these county roads. Camper felt better than it really every has. Then I got on the highway and started to speed up. Once i hit 65 to see what it felt like and then the sway began so I slowed to 60mph. Felt good no sway the didn't feel passenger cars when they passed. Next came my first tractor trailer. Pushed me pretty good but it was manageable. So after a few more trailer I slowed to approx 55-57 and didn't feel anything for the rest of the 100 or so miles on the high way.
Now going up the truck was loaded with me my wife 2 dogs and some fire wood. The fire wood was really only one row wide just shorter than the bed height and was placed right next to the cab.
So I wasn't happy with having to go 55 the whole way but it was doable and made it safe. Power wise everything was great was able to keep it in 5th most of the trip with some shifts to 4th. I was pleasantly surprised. there was one hill that made me nervous as my father in laws last diesel could only make it at 65 and with talking to a guy at the campground before i knew he could only make it at 45 with a 2500 chevy and fifth wheel. I think he may have had the 4spd which has since improved.
Coming home was a completely different story. I did place grease on the l brakets on the trailer as equalizer says you can to eliminate noise. I removed this grease before coming home hoping to make it easier going. As soon as i got on the highway and hit 50 i could feel the sway come on and at 55 it was getting pretty bad. There was no wind at this time nor was there the way coming up. It was bad enough that we pulled over at the next exit.
I raised the l brackets on the trailer, which would increase tension on the bars and hoping to reduce this sway.
Well it helped but didn't make it feel as comfortable as it was on the way up so I dealt with it a little while and then pulled over.
Now I greased the hitch very well before hand, the friction points on hitch itself and the ball. When pulling over for the second time i tried to removed as much excess grease as i could from these friction points on the hitch itself not the l brackets on the trailer. This helped a little bit more and we made it home going about 55mph from here on out. After removing the grease it was close to comparable to on the way up but the wind started to pick up so I couldn't tell when i was fighting wind or trucks. It was also much more packed with vehicles on the way home.
So now you hopefully got the gist of my story and here are my questions?
1.) Did i grease to much on the way up? Did I remove to much on the way Down.
At the camp site i saw another vehicle with the equlizer hitch and it didn't even look like it knew what wd40 was or anything? is this the way it should be?
2.) I know I have a half ton and the suspension are softer but should you have to adjust hitch when coming home from a trip if you have a little less weight? All firewood was used up, this is the only thing that i could find that was the difference from the way up to the way down.
Some of you may tell me to get my rig weighed as this is the only info that i can think that I didn't supply. I did pass one station but just didn't have the time to waste. I do want to do this for my own satisfaction and now want to see if there is anything else. So, no as of right now I can not supply you with any weights. I can tell you that my rig will only have approx 1000lbs extra in it. I'm beginning to think that I may have to much hitch weight. I know i have one of the softest halfton suspension and after hitching up yes the truck sags but the wdh makes up for this and sits with just a little bit of a rake once hitched.
Trailer is also pointed slightly nose down when hitched but if i picked it up it would then be just nose high and feel slightly nose down is better.
Thanks for the help!!!
