Heavier WD Bars Or Different Sway Control

[Arn]

Towing a 36' 8,500lb trailer, 950lb hitch weight, with a 2015 Silverado LT 5.3 with towing package. I have Reese Dual Cam WD with anti sway & 10,000lb bars & have been very satisfied with this setup. The trailer usually tows fine even in strong wind but I was towing today in 30MPH wind with gusts to 40MPH & as expected in these conditions I had to "catch" my trailer from time to time. Towing at 50-60MPH I was never worried about control but was a little uncomfortable at times. Just wondering if 12,000 bars might eliminate some of flex in the bars or is there better sway control out there. Thanks.

[beemerphile1]

wing_zealot wrote:
Y'all realize this thread is a year old and the OP has never been back?

:B Probably ended up in a ditch somewhere, eh?

[humblerb]

When we had our TT, I added a second sway bar and it made a world of difference in windy conditions.
Went from white knuckle in windy conditions to almost not knowing the wind was blowing.
I had never heard of anyone adding a second one, but since then, I have run in to several people who have done that.

[wing_zealot]

Y'all realize this thread is a year old and the OP has never been back?

[carringb]

About the only thing you can do is add more weight. If I'm towing in high winds, I keep the fresh water tank full. That adds another 950 pounds directly over my trailer axles, and helps immensely in extreme conditions.

[loveTheBeach]

DustyR wrote:
Have you checked your light/heavy height measurement on your truck? One other side would be are you towing on P'Metric tires? If so a change over to a LT Tire would help-you firm up your tow vehicle.

Just to clarify: You should check the front fender wheel well height before and after you hook the RV and they should be the same. This assures that the front of the tow vehicle is properly loaded from the weight distribution hitch. If the front is high with the trailer attaached, you might not have enough tension on the hitch bars and this will affect handling.
As to tires, anything you can do to stiffen them will help, I do insist on only towing with a 3/4 ton for just that reason, stiffer tires, stiffer suspension, bigger brakes...

[Community Alumni]

At 30 MPH sustained and 40 MPH gusts, especially side winds, everyone is going to get moved around including the big rigs. If you're comfortable with your setup 95% of the time, then I would just reduce speeds as you did or park it until conditions improved.

[APT]

Where did the 1000 pound of TW come from? Specs on your trailer suggest you'll be closer to 1200 pound of TW, maybe 1300. I have 1200 pound bars on my 550 pound dry TW trailer. I think you'll be happier with 1400 pond bars.

$15 at a Cat scale with the 3 passes should verify how much your current WD bars are restoring.

[TUCQUALA]

As others have stated, getting the DC adjusted properly is important, and CAN help with wind up to a point. Love the DC, but the adjustment sometimes needed is a pain!! How you load the trailer and where your tanks are and how you travel with them full or not, will mess up a dry setup. I try to adjust to full rear water tank and empty front to mid holding tanks going out, and the weight transfer when returning, by adjusting my air bags to attempt keep the cams as centered as possible. Works well, and easier than stopping somewhere and centering up to measure heights and adjust cams with that giant wrench!!

A change to 1200# bars could be of some help with proper adjustments. But, as mentioned mucho times, a larger truck would help a lot. Won't help in a hurricane, but you'll feel more comfortable in driveable winds!!!

[myredracer]

It's def. the wind. BTDT and it can be quite frightening. Doesn't matter what hitch it is. Need to slow down to a crawl or pull over and stop until it's okay again. Even semi trucks can have trouble with gusting sidewinds.

Let me see if I can explain this from a physics point of view. Say you had a 30' TT (bumper to coupler), wheels are 2/3 back from coupler and the wind suddenly "punched" you with 1,000 lbs of force distributed equally from front to back. The wind will want to rotate the trailer sideways around the wheels as an axis. The 10' of trailer behind your trailer and 10' directly ahead will cancel each other out. You will be left with 10' of sidewall (less about 3' of A-frame) from the coupler towards the rear. There will be a rotational force around the vertical axis of the wheels that you can't do anything about. Every time a strong gust punches you sideways, your TV will be steered slightly off course and if you make a correction and the wind suddenly stops you will need to re-correct again. If this happens repeatedly it will be very difficult to handle and be unsafe if winds are strong enough. I should probably draw a diagram.

Having said that, have your got your Reese DC properly tweaked, the TT level to nose down, the right tire pressures, etc....? Also agree with the TV not being quite enough. A 3/4T truck makes a HUGE difference. BTDT too.

[Ralph_Cramden]

TenOC wrote:
Get a hensley arrow or propride hitch.

And then still feel the 30-40 mph side winds, along with the bonus of having spent about a grand and a half more to enjoy it.

[DustyR]

I've towed the TT in my sig with the same setup. I think your tongue weight is probably a little light. A trip to a 'Cat Scale' would provide you with figures to start with. Have you checked your light/heavy height measurement on your truck? One other side would be are you towing on P'Metric tires? If so a change over to a LT Tire would help-you firm up your tow vehicle.

I tow with the same hitch setup as yours and I was light on my bars. I went with the proper weight bars and my sway problem disappeared. High-winds are another matter altogether slow down till manageable or stay parked in a safe spot.

[CincyGus]

I'm not too far off your trailer (33', 7606 empty, currently about 9200 lbs) and have a 3/4 ton with 1000 Spring bars specifically to help with what your dealing with. I haven't towed this rig (Trailer is about 2 months old) in crazy heavy winds yet but I'm not delusional that because I have a 3/4 ton, I won't ever deal with what your dealing with. I think it gives me a little more cushion having a heavier truck that's not anywhere close to maxed out on it's GVWR when those bad conditions come up. There will likely still be a time I decide it's a good time for a long lunch or we are going to stay an extra day because of a front moving through that would make our trip a tension filled, stress inducing towing skill demonstration.

If you haven't had to pull over because of road or weather conditions, keep towing, you will. Happens to everyone with any sense on occasion. The ones with no sense, end up in an accident or are just lucky. There are conditions that aircraft don't fly or land in for a reason (Wind Shear). We are pulling a 100" wide, 30' long+ wing behind a truck and there are conditions that it's just not safe to pull anything other than a low profile popup in.

[Bobbo]

I agree that you have too much trailer, too little truck, and not enough tongue weight. The hitch doesn't even make the list.

[temccarthy1]

DutchmenSport wrote:
It doesn't matter what kind of tow vehicle, trailer, or hitching system you may have, when a side wind hits and it's hard enough, you're going to get pushed around like a match box car inside a dryer on the spin cycle.

The taller the trailer, the more you'll feel the push of the wind. A heafier truck will help, but there is a point where even a heftier truck has it's limits.

If it can happen to these guys, your rig is no match. Click here. It's not your hitch, it's just your rig was at the edge of it's limits. Next time, slow down your speed or stop completely until the weather calms down.

X2-- Those winds are too dangerous to tow..no matter what WD hitch you have. I have been there and done that and it is not worth the risk or the stress! Just watch your weather app and if you see 30MPH or more, stay an extra day!