Sway Control

[oil8390]

Hey guys, I have taken our new single axle RV out a couple times and am struggling with the wind it moves the trailer quite a bit, I have a Weight Distribution hitch , it seems to help just a little, I also bought a sway control bar, I have been told that should help quite a bit, do you have any experience with those bars or is there something else i should try.

Thanks.

[Jebby14]

weigh the camper, weigh how much is on the tongue, make sure the tongue is carrying 13 ish percent of the weight. if still swaying go to 15 percent. not sure the question here?

[afidel]

2 point sway control (E2, Anderson), four point sway control (Equalizer or clones), Hensley hitch. Those will provide progressively more sway control with progressively higher price tags. I have to say I'm very happy with the price/performance of my E2, I basically only have visible sway in the strongest of winds (40+mph crosswinds)and a simple tap of the trailer brake controller always brings it back under control.

[oil8390]

so what do you suggest?

[afidel]

guidry wrote:
Sway bars will help but your'e pulling a 17' TT with a Chevy Colorado. Any light truck pulling a TT will be like the tail wagging the dog. Do what you can but short of getting a bigger truck (the right tool) you will be trying to play catch up. It won't be as comfortable as pulling it with a heavier truck. It's just the nature of the beast. Good luck

The Colorado has the same curb weight as an early 2000's F150 V8, tail wagging the dog isn't the problem.

[Jebby14]

easiest way is with a tongue scale. since they cost money and most of us don't have them.......... you can use a bathroom scale and some wood to create mechanical advantage so as to not crush your bathroom scale. That said you should go to a scale and weight the whole rig loaded to camp otherwise yoy wont know what your tongue weight is a percentage of. fast and easy to weight at the scale. weight the truck then weight the truck with the trailer hooked up but the trailer wheels off the scale. the difference is tongue weight.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx

[oil8390]

stupid question, what is the easiest way to weigh the tongue weight, if at a scale how do i do that?

[Jebby14]

once you have your numbers if you want to add tongue weight don't do it via potable water tank. what happens when that water is used up and is now in the grey/blank tanks at the rear. if you don't want to/cant dump and refill with fresh water before you leave you are now making your problem worse not better.

[drsteve]

oil8390 wrote:
do you think having the trailer full of water would help with the sway?

Depends on the water tank location. Forward of the axle, yes, assuming low percentage of tongue weight is causing your problem. You really need to weigh the trailer and get a true picture of total weight and tongue weight.

[oil8390]

do you think having the trailer full of water would help with the sway?

[GrandpaKip]

Even with a perfect WD setup, you’re still going to get pushed around by wind. The best you can do is to get your trailer and truck to act as one unit. I was never a fan of the friction bar type of sway control, but a lot of people are. When I switched to the Andersen, there was a huge difference in handling.
Just last week, coming back from Kentucky on I40, we were getting pushed around by wind coming through some of the passes in Tennessee. Part of the game.

[Jebby14]

Take stuff from the back of the trailer and move it to the front. how you load a trailer has a lot to do with it. get to a weigh scale and get real world numbers first. loaded trailer weight as well as tongue weight.

[oil8390]

how do i add weight to the tongue if need be?

[drsteve]

Your Colorado is certainly capable of towing that small of a TT. I'd look at the hitch setup. Make sure it is returning the front end to the original ride height. Also check the tongue weight. If it is too light in the tongue, you'll never get it to tow well.

[guidry]

Sway bars will help but your'e pulling a 17' TT with a Chevy Colorado. Any light truck pulling a TT will be like the tail wagging the dog. Do what you can but short of getting a bigger truck (the right tool) you will be trying to play catch up. It won't be as comfortable as pulling it with a heavier truck. It's just the nature of the beast. Good luck