trailor sway

[Bumpers53]

I'm A new member I like this Forum. I hope someone can give me some advice I just bout a Ford F150 its a 3.5 twin turbo and its very lite 5900 pounds We have a 28 ft. Salem I took it on a short run and it was fine but when I took it on the interstate it kept wanting to fish tail at 60 and above I have a WD do I have it to tight I have pulled a lot of trailers but never had this problam any ideas

[APT]

You really need to spend half a day at a CAT scale adjusting your WDH. Spend a few $ to get baseline weights. You'll know exactly what your TW percentage is and how well the WDH is adjusted. This is a good place to start reading.

[coolbreeze01]

Bumpers53 wrote:
I'm A new member I like this Forum. I hope someone can give me some advice I just bout a Ford F150 its a 3.5 twin turbo and its very lite 5900 pounds We have a 28 ft. Salem I took it on a short run and it was fine but when I took it on the interstate it kept wanting to fish tail at 60 and above I have a WD do I have it to tight I have pulled a lot of trailers but never had this problam any ideas

#1 cause of sway is lack of tongue weight. I would tow the trailer without the WD as a test. Make sure your tires are aired up to carry the weight.

[mkirsch]

If you have the WD hitch set up properly, it is not too tight. That is, the truck's front fender height is somewhere between 50-100 percent restored to unloaded height.

Regardless, the WD hitch adjustment will not cause sway.

Also, putting on a "sway control" device is NOT the solution!

The most likely cause, as others have said, is not enough weight in the front of the trailer.

Do you have bikes, or anything else, hanging off the back of the trailer? If so, take them off! They are causing your problem.

Where are your water tanks? If any of them are behind the axles, they should be empty when you travel.

You do NOT want to haul this trailer to the scales without taking some measures to cure the sway first.

[RCMAN46]

When you go to the scales you will need to do three weights.

Loaded as if you are ready for the next trip.

1. WD system active need both axles on the TV and trailer axle.

2. WD disconnected same axle weights as in step #1.

3. Disconnect trailer in a safe place and do not forget to chock the trailer wheels. Then get both axle weights on the TV.

[fla-gypsy]

We're going to need a lot more information to help. Sway is not normal. A correctly set up quality integrated WD/ SC hitch along with a properly loaded trailer will ride rock solid. We need all the specs of truck, trailer and hitch

[rhagfo]

Grit dog wrote:
Fwiw anyone relying on friction sway to control constant swaying at speed is band aiding a bad setup.

X2
Fix the Root Cause, then Add/install a friction sway device.

[Grit_dog]

Fwiw anyone relying on friction sway to control constant swaying at speed is band aiding a bad setup.

[ReneeG]

AmericalVette wrote:

Bumpers53 wrote:
I'm A new member I like this Forum. I hope someone can give me some advice I just bout a Ford F150 its a 3.5 twin turbo and its very lite 5900 pounds We have a 28 ft. Salem I took it on a short run and it was fine but when I took it on the interstate it kept wanting to fish tail at 60 and above I have a WD do I have it to tight I have pulled a lot of trailers but never had this problam any ideas

Along with your WD Hitch... do you have a "friction" sway bar attached?

That's my question too.

[Moderator]

Moved from ATC

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Take your truck and trailer to a certified scale and get the real weights of the total rig - individual weights of each truck axle; then reweigh just the trailer on the sales and the truck off the scales - still hooked up. Try to get the two trailer axles on different scale segments. Finally drop the trailer and weigh just the truck alone.

That will give you the exact tongue weight, along with showing you how much the trailer lifts weight off the front wheels. If the trailer axles show different weights - it will indicate which end of the trailer is heavier.

I had an F-150, and I soon realized a 28 foot trailer has more sail area than the truck can handle in certain wind / travel conditions. You might need more weight in the truck to steady the rig.

The other suggestions are good fixes, but you need to know the real weights.

Also, with that light of a truck and heavy of a trailer - you might need to keep your speeds closer to 55 mph.

[Sport45]

IME the most common cause of sway like you're describing is too little tongue weight as SARGUY alludes. Make sure 10-15% of the trailer weight is on the tongue and then adjust your hitch for a level trailer and no more than about 1/4" rise on the front fenders. Don't mess with friction sway bars until you've corrected the problem. Then you can use them to help with minor symptoms.

[AmericalVette]

Bumpers53 wrote:
I'm A new member I like this Forum. I hope someone can give me some advice I just bout a Ford F150 its a 3.5 twin turbo and its very lite 5900 pounds We have a 28 ft. Salem I took it on a short run and it was fine but when I took it on the interstate it kept wanting to fish tail at 60 and above I have a WD do I have it to tight I have pulled a lot of trailers but never had this problam any ideas

Along with your WD Hitch... do you have a "friction" sway bar attached?

[SARGUY]

Sounds like you might have too much weight in the rear of the trailer,try moving some forward or adjusting tank levels. Don t know much about your type of hitch but someone here will.