Can't stop sway

[cordellm]

I am relatively new to camping as my wife and I just bought our first camper this spring. We bought a Jayco Jayflight 287BHSW. I am pulling it with a 2016 F150 Super Crew with 5.5' box. I am using an Eaz-Lift weight distribution hitch, 1000 lbs spring bars with one friction sway control bar. I am very use to pulling large trailers, but a 24' enclosed trailer was the largest wall behind a pickup I've towed till now.

On my first trip out I left everything as the dealer had set up for me. I had a 60 mile trip on a 65 mph road and everything was great for the first 30 miles. I started to get into some rolling hills with a 10-15 mph tail/cross wind and I began to get enough sway in the trailer that I was very uncomfortable. I managed to maintain that speed to my destination but it was white knuckle.

I read some forums and thought I maybe didn't have enough tongue weight so for the return trip home I filled my fresh water tank (located right infront of the front axle.) The drive home (no wind) was great, no issues.

My second trip out the following weekend was on the exact same route. I don't remember the wind situation, but I had really no issues. The return trip home I was driving into mostly a 25 mph head wind with the occasional cross wind. I was barely able to even go 55 and had to drop to 45 most of the time to even maintain control as the sway was so uncomfortable.

Since then I have been doing everything I can think of to correct this. I took the entire rig to the scale and I have 860 lbs of tongue weight without being full of water. I make inflated the rear tires of my pickup. I lowered the ball on the hitch one hole to get a very minimal drop in the front of the camper. I tilted the head unit of the hitch to take a little pressure off the distribution bars and to allow the front axle of the pickup to lift slightly per Fords recommendations in the owners manual. I went for a test drive yesterday in a 10 mph wind and very minimal uses, little enough I could live with. Today I tried it again as the wind was 20 mph and once I got to 60 I couldn't maintain that speed as the sway was too nerve racking.

What am I missing or what suggestions do you have at this point?

[RwaSmith]

IDoMyOwnStunts wrote:

cordellm wrote:
I was recently sent a private message calling me out for not posting my scale weights. I wasn't ever my intention to not post them, I even offered most of the weights at some point. I also didn't post them as I knew some of them wouldn't stay consistent knowing I needed to make adjustment to my hitch.

Somebody called you out? That's not cool and not helpful. 😞

Any this is why some don't post questions on here. There are always a very few that will just rip them apart instead of teaching.

[lbrjet]

IDoMyOwnStunts wrote:

cordellm wrote:
I was recently sent a private message calling me out for not posting my scale weights. I wasn't ever my intention to not post them, I even offered most of the weights at some point. I also didn't post them as I knew some of them wouldn't stay consistent knowing I needed to make adjustment to my hitch.

Somebody called you out? That's not cool and not helpful. 😞

I agree.

[IDoMyOwnStunts]

cordellm wrote:
I was recently sent a private message calling me out for not posting my scale weights. I wasn't ever my intention to not post them, I even offered most of the weights at some point. I also didn't post them as I knew some of them wouldn't stay consistent knowing I needed to make adjustment to my hitch.

Somebody called you out? That's not cool and not helpful. 😞

[IDoMyOwnStunts]

lindaswesey wrote:
We too have this issue and everyone in these forms told us it was our fault that we didn't' load the trailer right, we had to get a new hitch system, jumping through every imaginable hoop.
It took my 3 long years to figure out the problem. Dry weight on our FR Rockwood 26' posted on the side of the trailer is 5800#, actual dry weight is 6700#.. See the problem? Axles were for 6000#!
There were modification made to this model mid-year according to a tech from Lippert. However FR decided to go ahead and use the lighter weight frame/axles/tires!!! Thus putting us in imamate danger!! They have sense put heavier axles and tires. They have even towed it all the way to Illinois (we are in CA) to "adjust" the axles, etc.. However, we still have the problem!! They couldn't get the axles back far enough, or get tires separated enough nor get enough tongue weight. This trailer sways full and empty! It is a death trap.
You should take it to a certified weigh station and check the weight.. check axle weight, etc..
Just cause it is new, doesn't mean you are doing it all wrong!! The manufactures take chances with your life!
I am not crazy about this new suspension "TorFlex" no leaf springs.
I do believe once this thing starts swaying due to each axle being independent of the other, they each take their own different direction..
We are still fighting with Forest River trying to get some resolve to this LEMON of a trailer..
Good Luck..
FYI I do believe LIPPERT is also the people that make your frame and axles..

I have that Torflex system on my horse trailer (2 x 3500# axles). It rides really well, but I recently had a recall because of bad welds on the axles. The "Dog bones" that were affected were stamped with three letters (I don't recall which letters they were) and the ones that were ok were not stamped. I'm not trying to scare you, but you may want to get yours checked. My trailer was manufactured in 2015.

[hohenwald48]

Based on the weights it would appear that you returned most of the original weight to the front axle. It's my understanding that does the most to reduce sway. :h

[Hornnumb2]

Is the second weight with bars attached, if so what are the weights with trailer hitch and no bars attached?

[hohenwald48]

Not all tongue weight is carried by the tow vehicle. Some of it is transferred to the trailer axles.

[cordellm]

I was recently sent a private message calling me out for not posting my scale weights. I wasn't ever my intention to not post them, I even offered most of the weights at some point. I also didn't post them as I knew some of them wouldn't stay consistent knowing I needed to make adjustment to my hitch.

Here are the previous weights. As I stated before, I will rescale this Friday when I have an opportunity to use a scale again.

TV without trailer, but TV was loaded up with gear (not including my wife)
TV - Front Axle: 3080, Rear Axle: 2600, Total: 5680

TV with trailer hook, both loaded up, but no water.
TV - Front Axle: 3040, Rear Axle: 3500, Total: 6540
Trailer - 6040 (not including Tongue weight) (tongue weight was 860 but that is what was added to the TV once hooked up)

Since this time I have adjust my hitch to pull down on the front axle. I have not changed anything with the way anything is loaded. I suspect the trailer weight and TV weight to stay the same, but to expect the front and rear axle weights to change.

The GVWR of the TV is 7000, front axle is 3500, rear axle is 3800.
The GVWR of the TT is 7500.

[cordellm]

I'm good up to 7000 and I'm not overload on either axle being full of fuel. The inning that didn't include was my wife.

[TomG2]

cordellm wrote:
I don't have the scale sheets in front of me, but I believe the total weight was 12,500, trailer weight was 6900 (including tongue weight). This is loaded, but no water in the tank.

Based on limited information, you may well be over your payload capacity. 12,500-6,900 which means that the truck alone weighs 5,600 pounds. Since GVWR on that model ranges from 6,100 pounds and up, you could be overloaded. Throw in a couple of guests and a gas can........

[lindaswesey]

cordellm about your WD bars.. to get them on without straining yourself..
once trailer is on the ball of the hitch and locked in.. raise tongue up and truck with your electric tongue jack and then put WD bars with ease.. and then let it back down.. 🙂
Good Luck

[lindaswesey]

We too have this issue and everyone in these forms told us it was our fault that we didn't' load the trailer right, we had to get a new hitch system, jumping through every imaginable hoop.
It took my 3 long years to figure out the problem. Dry weight on our FR Rockwood 26' posted on the side of the trailer is 5800#, actual dry weight is 6700#.. See the problem? Axles were for 6000#!
There were modification made to this model mid-year according to a tech from Lippert. However FR decided to go ahead and use the lighter weight frame/axles/tires!!! Thus putting us in imamate danger!! They have sense put heavier axles and tires. They have even towed it all the way to Illinois (we are in CA) to "adjust" the axles, etc.. However, we still have the problem!! They couldn't get the axles back far enough, or get tires separated enough nor get enough tongue weight. This trailer sways full and empty! It is a death trap.
You should take it to a certified weigh station and check the weight.. check axle weight, etc..
Just cause it is new, doesn't mean you are doing it all wrong!! The manufactures take chances with your life!
I am not crazy about this new suspension "TorFlex" no leaf springs.
I do believe once this thing starts swaying due to each axle being independent of the other, they each take their own different direction..
We are still fighting with Forest River trying to get some resolve to this LEMON of a trailer..
Good Luck..
FYI I do believe LIPPERT is also the people that make your frame and axles..

[DanNJanice]

cordellm wrote:

Right now my only questions are with tongue weight of 860 (previous scale weight and assuming this hasn't changed) and spring bars at 1000 that are tipped as far back as they can add still get them hooked up, do I need heavier spring bars? I have no fresh water on board now and if I do put it on I'm assuming this is going to add a minimum of 140 to the tongue weight.

Have I missed anything to check or do at this point?

It is very common to use the hitch to raise the truck/trailer combination in order to latch in the spring bars. Try adjusting the hitch to a "slightly back" angle and then use the tongue jack to raise the trailer/truck and latch in the spring bars. Also, confirm that the chains are vertical between the spring bars and latches.

[cordellm]

I don't have the scale sheets in front of me, but I believe the total weight was 12,500, trailer weight was 6900 (including tongue weight). This is loaded, but no water in the tank.

I am jacking the trailer and pickup up as high as I can to hook up. Once hooked and pressure taken off the jack my bars are angled up slightly.