New truck, New trailer, TONS of sway!

[Mwolfe450]

I recently took delivery of our 2015 Prowler 32pbhs trailer and towed it home with my 2015 f150 ecoboost pickup. The dealer I bought it from also sold me and installed a blue ox sway pro system. The ride home was downright scary on the highway. A 5 mile trip was about all I could handle staying in the right lane, well some lane and some shoulder, well below the speed limit. I even had a few panic and grab the brake box slide moments to straighten back out. I got it home and thought they set the bars too tight. The rear of the truck felt unplanted and very unstable. Today I hitched back up and went for another ride with less tension on the bars, which helped the truck feel more planted, but still had way more sway than I was comfortable with. I plan on re-installing the hitch myself, and also getting everything weighed up but I need to figure out what issues I might be faced with. The trailer is a touch over 8k empty, and has a tongue weight of 950lbs. The truck is good for 10,700 pounds, so I know I am at the higher end of my truck's capacity, but still within it, especially with the trailer completely empty. Any research I found made the hitch seem like a good unit, and the truck seems to carry the weight ok considering what I'm towing. Any thoughts, or insight is greatly appreciated.

Matt

[downtheroad]

There really isn't much to setting up a Blue Ox Sway Pro...nothing like what is involved with a Reece Dual Cam. - no hitch head angle to adjust, no cams that have to line up with the indents, etc.

I have to agree with the other experienced posters...awful lot of trailer for your present truck.

Anyway, post back when and if you get it figured out. I can always learn.

[camp-n-family]

I agree as well that it's a too much trailer, not enough truck situation and nothing but a bigger truck is really going to help. That being said, you should load the trailer up before trying to set the hitch or else you're going to have to do it all over again, as the added weights will require different settings.

[JoeTampa]

Blue Ox has videos online that show how to set the hitch up, and their customer service folks are very helpful. I'd call them if you feel the need.

I towed a 26' trailer with a Jeep Commander and didn't have the level of scariness you are describing; I think there's something wrong beyond having an inadequate platform.

[DutchmenSport]

I looked up your TT and it's 35 feet long with a rear bunk house and rear outside kitchen, and comes in (empty) at over 8100 pounds. You're towing with a 150. I'll be honest and the first one say it plain out... too much trailer for your truck. No matter what you do, more than likely you'll never solve the trailer sway. That trailer has a lot of tail weight. Your truck is a single rear wheel. You're going to get sway with that set up. Simple ... you need a heftier truck. It's that simple.

Try towing with that 250 and you'll see a world of difference.

[fla-gypsy]

If you will take the time to set up the WD right to start with you may be able to get it stable and safe or you could panic and run and trade trucks. Chances are the dealer didn't set it up right and it's pretty obvious you have little real experience. There are many ways to make adjustments that can tame the trailer.

[tshirtman]

We just got a Jayco, 8K dry and we have a 3/4 ton Ram that is about right for that rig.
Think of upgrading your TV

[goducks10]

Outside of getting a Hensley or ProPride hitch I don't think there's much you'll be able to do to safely tow that TT with your F150.
Guessing you'll be around 9000lbs loaded and have a tongue weight of 1100lbs.
Couple all that with the fact that it's 2" shy of 36' long.
I normally don't go all weight police, but in this case you really need a 3/4 ton truck for that trailer.

As for setting up your WDH I'd do the front fender measure thing 1st after loading up the TT with everything but food and clothes.

Max out the psi in all tires too.

[qtla9111]

Check your setup. I agree with msgtord.

[msgtord]

Don't worry about the weights right now.

When I got ready to set up my WDH, I watched the videos, read the instructions from the hitch manufacturer, then read the owners manual for my truck. The instruction in the owners manual for the truck worked just fine. All you need is a tape measure, pen and paper.

Then go weigh the whole rig and make sure you do not have to much tongue weight.

[Mwolfe450]

The nearest scale is about 30 miles from me and I'm honestly nervous going that far in its current setup. Just curious if anyone had similar symptoms with the hitch setup or trailer size. I'll admit it's more trailer than I was looking for but for the price I paid I was hoping I could make it work. I'm not looking to go cross country with it, but I need to be safe also. I have access to an old Reese system and also a f250 I can hook to it for comparison. Really trying to make the f150 work with it though.

[westend]

Most sway issues I've encountered are having too much weight aft of the trailer axles and not enough forward. I also agree that over 8K lbs. is at the limit for a 1/2 ton truck. You should be able to make it all work but it's something I wouldn't do for continuous long range travel.

[Teamfour]

Hornnumb2 wrote:
Go get it weighed before any advice is given.

Getting weights before making sure the hitch is set up properly is a waste of time and money IMHO. You need an accurate baseline first.

[Teamfour]

Mwolfe450 wrote:
...2015 Prowler 32pbhs trailer and towed it home with my 2015 f150 ecoboost pickup....I plan on re-installing the hitch myself,

You are on the right track. Download the manual and start from scratch taking the time to perform and record all measurements as instructed.

Having said that, and having towed the TT in my sig with a tuned 2011 F150 EB with gobs of power, that trailer really is too much for an F150. You may try replacing the squishy P tires with E loads, but you will never overcome the limits of the F150 chassis.

[Hornnumb2]

Go get it weighed before any advice is given.