Do I have a sway problem?

rctoyguy wrote:
I've got a 33' ~7500# TT behind a Ram 1500. When a tractor trailer passes me, sure it moves me around a little, but once he's by it settles back pretty much immediately. I do feel quite a bit of "bounce", but it seems to all be up-down.....when there are dips/bumps in the road.

1) What Weight Distributing Hitch do you have? If that is not set up correctly you will most certainly feel that porpoising effect you describe as "bounce".

2) We cannot assume that your RAM1500 is not up to the task. Look at your truck GVWR and GCWR, then look at the GVWR of the trailer. If the TT does not exceed your truck's ratings then it's just a matter of dialing in the set up. If the TT IS too much for your truck, there isn't much we can do here except to suggest a more capable tow vehicle.

3) With a trailer that long I would strongly encourage a WD hitch with built-in sway control. If the hitch is set up correctly you won't have sway under normal conditions. However, a trailer that long can really get pushed by high winds (or a passing truck) and a sway control hitch goes a long way to keep everything in line. I have personally used a Reese Dual Cam system for 12 years on my 34' TT and have never had a sway condition. Many other members use the Blue Ox Sway Pro or the Equal-I-Zer with great success. I won't tell you one system is better than the other because I only have experience with Reese. But you really should have some kind of sway control. There is a member here that goes by BenK (thanks for the correction BarneyS) and is a retired engineer. I recall him saying not to engineer for the good days, but to set up your system so that you're rated for the worst possible conditions.

KJ