Towing with Jayco Grayhawk 27DS

[traveling_emery]

We have on 06 Grayhawk with the ford V10. We tried towing a Chevy Equinox with horrible results. We had a scary amount of sway. We are full timers volunteering in Oregon for summer and Florida for winters. The trip is 3500 miles.

[j-d]

If you tow with the distance and regularity you plan to, getting your rig set up well is worth what you might spend to get it done. Ron Dittmer here had his E350 completely worked by a pro shop. Ron provided neither parts nor labor and the cost a few years ago was around $4000. This included Alignment, Shocks, Roadmaster Front and Rear Sway Bars, Safe-T-Steer and as I recall a Henderson (SuperSteer) Rear Track Bar. There ARE in-the-driveway ways to do an Alignment, but most DIY's consider Alignment above their pay grade. If you want to save some $ I'd suggest you do the Weight, Tire Pressure and Alignment steps. If you still want more, you CAN install the remaining upgrades yourself. Pricewise you can buy both sway bars in Hellwig brand (equal to Roadmaster) for about the price of one Roadmaster by shopping on line. My guess is all the parts I noted above could be shopped for best price and DIY installed for under $1500. Alignment could run up to around $200 on top of that. Just be sure all your components are good first.

[2gypsies1]

The Equinox is a heavy vehicle. What is your towing capacity?

[traveling_emery]

Thanks for the welcome and the quick replies. I do some of my own work but am close enough to Bend to seek the help of a "guru".

[DouglasC]

We have the same motorhome that you have and have towed a car for almost all of the 50,000 miles we have on the motorhome - - with very few problems. I will agree that there is considerable rear overhang on the rig and with that in mind it's important to have the weight distribution in the rig correct. With much of the storage capacity of the rig in the rear (both inside and out) it's easy to overload the rear axles with too much weight. Have your rig weighed and you will have a better idea if this is part of your problem. I moved over 100 lbs of "stuff" forward of the rear axle and always make sure that there is at least 100 lbs of stuff in the front overhead bunk. Doing that made a very big difference in the way the rig handled and tracked. Once the weight has been redistributed further forward, have the front end aligned (as has been suggested by others). That should help with the tracking as well.

[j-d]

Welcome to the Forum. We're here to help and will welcome your help as well!
I looked 27DS up in Jayco's Brochure Archive and wheelbase is 182" with coach length about 28-ft. Wheelbase is 54% of length. Could be better, but as a statistic it's adequate for tracking on the road. But, what is your Weight Distribution? Have you, or can you, weigh this coach, set up and loaded as for your trip? Once you do, look up a load/pressure chart like this from Michelin (brand doesn't matter as long as Size and Load Range match) then adjust tire pressure to actual weight. If your front tires are overinflated for weight carried, it's ready to wander if it already isn't.
You say "Sway" and I'm sure it's hard to tell, but... Sway as in Rocking side to side, or more of a Weaving motion on the path of travel? They're related. A weaver will sway. One that sways (basically from the weight of the heavy RV body in the rear) will cause the steering geometry in the front to change, particularly on a Ford chassis. Then it'll weave...
In summary:
Your 27DS has about the same rear overhang as our Escapade 31A, but the extra length is the 31A shows up in 36" more wheelbase. Longer wheelbases track better in their own right. In an RV they also shift adequate weight to the front axle which helps tracking.
I think you'll come out "front light" when you weigh. You have a slide back there that our coach and other Jayco's do not.
A Rear Track Bar should help. Replacing the Sway Bars with heavier duty ones from Roadmaster or Hellwig will cut sway so the steering geometry won't change so much.
You should check Front End Alignment and try to get at least 5* or more Positive Caster on the Left and 5.5* or more on the Right. Be sure Toe is Zero or slightly IN (Positive) by 1/16" or so.
Do you do your own RV work? Can you get to Hendersons Line-Up in Grants Pass? They're the gurus, and recently told me that a rear track bar and a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer usually clears up most Class C handling problems.
And be sure there's no wobble in your towing rig at the Receiver, any Drops, Adapters, etc. as noted in previous post.
I should add, is the front end of the Equinox in decent shape and alignment? Years ago I transferred trucks, and sometimes we towed a Dodge Van. Mine had a solid front end and towed fine. A friend had a worn out one that wandered behind the truck towing it. A wandering toad would be like a loose tow bar.

[Beverley_Ken]

Towing 4 down, without the car attached to tow bar, check to see if there is any play (slop) where the tow bar is in the hitch receiver. Even slight movement at the receiver can mean 2 inches of movement at the front bumper of the car. This means lots of sway, had the same experience when first hooked up ours.
Problem solved by using a Hitch Quiet , there are other similar products available that would work as well

Beverley and Ken