Sway Problem / Need Help

[mikeratz]

I am towing a 253RB Sunset Trail(30') with a F150 Ecoboost and am having a hard time with it if there is ANY wind at all.
For the most part it tows ok on a calm day but if there is any wind at all it feels very unstable in the back end and reduce speed considerably / "white knuckling" it.
I am using a Anderson hitch which I am debating on changing out with something that can transfer the weight better. I also added a Roadmaster suspension kit to the truck to help take some of the squat out.
I used this hitch on my last Sunset trailer which was a foot bigger so figured it would be fine. (Although we never had it long so maybe just never noticed) Tow vehicle then was a 2015 F150 Ecoboost with Goodyear airbags.

Current Setup
Trailer
2019 Sunset 253RB
Dry Weight 5531#
Loaded 6700#

2019 F150 Ecoboost
levelling kit
275/65R18 'E' Rated Duratracs
Roadmaster Active Suspension

Truck Only - 6063#
Front Axle 3395#
Rear Axle 2668#
GVWR 7850#
GAWR F-3750#
GAWR R-4800#

Truck & Trailer Combined
Front Axle 3110#
Rear Axle 3924#
Trailer Axles 5710#

I can't get all the sag out and am wondering if the Anderson is just too light for this setup and possibly what is causing it to feel unstable as well.

Any thoughts, hitch recommendations??

[GrandpaKip]

Slowmover wrote:

djsamuel wrote:

Slowmover wrote:
An Andersen shouldn’t ever be considered if a WDH is needed. It isn’t one.

.

Seriously? The Andersen is a great WDH in the proper applications. In applications where there is a high tongue weight and a lot of redistribution is required, then the Andersen is not the best choice. However, for many applications the Andersen is an outstanding choice. It's worked great for me over the last 6 years.

Numbers.

Opinions ain’t worth much otherwise.

Very likely your rig also in need of help.

There are formulas which predict how WDH works. Basic engineering. Meet them first.

Anything that makes the day on the road easier is worth the trouble. Hitch rigging isn’t met with success by even 3% of owners.

Start over with what you have.

.

.

Numbers:
Without WDH-rear down 2”, front up 1”
With WDH- rear down 1”, front up 1/4”
I guess it’s just magic.

[TomG2]

Slowmover wrote:
Numbers.

Opinions ain’t worth much otherwise.

Very likely your rig also in need of help.

There are formulas which predict how WDH works. Basic engineering. Meet them first.

Anything that makes the day on the road easier ..is worth the trouble. Hitch rigging isn’t met with success by even 3% of owners.

Start over with what you have.

That is your opinion which is worth as much as you say it is. Where does your 97% failure rate come from?

[Slowmover]

djsamuel wrote:

Slowmover wrote:
An Andersen shouldn’t ever be considered if a WDH is needed. It isn’t one.

.

Seriously? The Andersen is a great WDH in the proper applications. In applications where there is a high tongue weight and a lot of redistribution is required, then the Andersen is not the best choice. However, for many applications the Andersen is an outstanding choice. It's worked great for me over the last 6 years.

Numbers.

Opinions ain’t worth much otherwise.

Very likely your rig also in need of help.

There are formulas which predict how WDH works. Basic engineering. Meet them first.

Anything that makes the day on the road easier is worth the trouble. Hitch rigging isn’t met with success by even 3% of owners.

Start over with what you have.

.

.

[Slowmover]

01tundra wrote:

Slowmover wrote:
An Andersen shouldn’t ever be considered if a WDH is needed. It isn’t one.

An Andersen No-Sway WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION hitch is exactly that, a weight distribution hitch that also incorporates sway control.

I've used one for several years with a few different trailers and tow vehicles. It may not be as efficient at returning weight to the front end of the tow vehicle when used with heavy trailers (i.e., tongue weights greater than 1,000 lbs), but for sub 1,000 lb tongue weights the hitch works wonderful and it absolutely is a weight distribution hitch.

It offers nothing in sway resistance that the cheapest WDH doesn’t already have, and it FAILS by definition in distributing tongue weight.

Where are the scale tickets? CAT Scale. Three-Pass Method. See Ron Gratz post from 2010. Full fresh water & propane in trailer. Loaded for camping. TV with fuel topped off at truckstop, loaded for camping, all passengers aboard.

Do that procedure and post them.

Check tire pressure before heading to scale. Overnight cold. The scale values are how to dial in pressure correctly. From the Load & Pressure Table, but inside TV door sticker range.

Pic of axle/tire/wheel limit sticker.

Trailer needs to be dead-level once hitched and everyone aboard plus all liquids/gases topped off. Carpenters level across doorway. In, or mainly inside bubble.

— One of several tests of WDH is braking. It the combined rig DOESN'T stop faster than the loaded truck, solo, you’ve not gotten the hitch rigging right.

— Absent crosswinds, you should be able to “let go” of the steering wheel for at least a three-count. (1001, 1002, etc) without heading for the ditch.

— Passing traffic should have little effect. Minor, gradual, steering correction (singular, not plural) is the mark.

— Solid-axle 4WD pickup is the worst TV.

Ideally, the truck balances very closely to 50/50 FF/RR in weight BEFORE you hitch the trailer. Anything heavy in the bed (the same problem exists with the front axle) is ON or AHEAD of the Drive Axle. No exceptions. It’s ALSO secured against ANY movement. None of this is optional.

(My ‘04 Dodge is 8,940-lbs and within 40-lbs at all four corners. It was a pain to get it there as it remains loaded, always. The point is to get it right, get proper storage containers, lash down, and take some pics for reference).

— What’s the weight of yours when solo at this point (per axle) as against the limits?

The addition of TW (a static value; meaningless except as starting reference) SHOULD see the Steer & Drive Axles split the difference of 75% of TW. With about 10% more to the Drive Axle once done.

Extra spring capacity — unused — is detrimental. Means the Drive Axle is MORE LIKELY to get loose, even airborne, if that TT decides to get frisky. Keeping that set of tires in contact with the ground — then losing it momentarily— IS the reason that pickups have their poor safety record.

Upgrade the shocks today. I wouldn’t take it home from the dealership brand-new without this. Tires can’t control the springs (and if you have overinflated tires, even less so), and better shocks are first step. Second is replacing FF/RR anti-roll bar rubber bushings with polyurethane. They don’t give or wear. Those bars act sooner and more consistently.

Your TV needs issues addressed before a WDH can be best understood.

A WDH that can’t leverage TW is NOT a Weight-Distribution Hitch. It may be light in weight, etc, but as it offers no more sway resistance than the cheaper offerings, it’s an expensive way to have gotten next to nothing.

A 350-lb TW is where a WDH starts to become useful. So unless your trailer is 4,000-lbs, the Andersen is a really poor choice. As it hasn’t leverage enough BY DESIGN.

Get the baseline numbers. Do it correctly.
Address the truck problems.

Minimize problems with what you own, now.

.

.



.

[jerem0621]

Slowmover wrote:
Shock load on receiver. Equalizer inferior. Crude

Supercharged, is that you?

[djsamuel]

Slowmover wrote:
An Andersen shouldn’t ever be considered if a WDH is needed. It isn’t one.

.

Seriously? The Andersen is a great WDH in the proper applications. In applications where there is a high tongue weight and a lot of redistribution is required, then the Andersen is not the best choice. However, for many applications the Andersen is an outstanding choice. It's worked great for me over the last 6 years.

[01tundra]

Slowmover wrote:
An Andersen shouldn’t ever be considered if a WDH is needed. It isn’t one.

An Andersen No-Sway WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION hitch is exactly that, a weight distribution hitch that also incorporates sway control.

I've used one for several years with a few different trailers and tow vehicles. It may not be as efficient at returning weight to the front end of the tow vehicle when used with heavy trailers (i.e., tongue weights greater than 1,000 lbs), but for sub 1,000 lb tongue weights the hitch works wonderful and it absolutely is a weight distribution hitch.

[Slowmover]

LarryJM wrote:

Slowmover wrote:
Equalizer brand NOT as good. Period.

And that statement is Pure BULL ... PERIOD! PERIOD!

Both the Equal-i-zer and Reese Dual Cam are performance wise equal to one another when properly set up and matched to the TT loads and the choice is a matter of personal preferences.

The one single adavantage of the Reese is that it can be had in a 1700lb TW version whereas the Equal-i-zer maxes out at 1400.

Larry

Shock load on receiver. Equalizer inferior. Crude

[LarryJM]

Slowmover wrote:
Equalizer brand NOT as good. Period.

And that statement is Pure BULL ... PERIOD! PERIOD!

Both the Equal-i-zer and Reese Dual Cam are performance wise equal to one another when properly set up and matched to the TT loads and the choice is a matter of personal preferences.

The one single adavantage of the Reese is that it can be had in a 1700lb TW version whereas the Equal-i-zer maxes out at 1400.

Larry

[TomG2]

I agree with the Ford and GM engineers who don't get all hung up on front axle weight restoration as some of our contributors continue to do. Read the latest manuals if you don't get it. That does not mean that the various ratings do not matter, The engineers still specify those.

I am one who likes a more than adequate tow vehicle with little dependence on trick hitches, oversize tires, weight tweaking, and suspension upgrades. The manufacturers build some great tow vehicle. Ever see anyone come on here complaining, "I have too much tow vehicle, I want to feel that trailer back there"?

[mikeratz]

So loaded it back up today for the season and grabbed some new weights. Some improvement but still 200# removed from front axle. Moved some weight around and dropped hitch from 1080# to 1014# but looks like that's as low as I'll get it. Total trailer weighed today was 6800# so still 15% on hitch.
Leaning towards a Equal-i-zer hitch.
Some concerns posted that a 1200#/12000# might be too much for my truck hitch. It doesn't have a rating sticker on it but it is a max tow and from what I can find it should be 13000#??
Is a 1200# ok?

[Slowmover]

Equalizer brand NOT as good. Period.

[opnspaces]

mikeratz wrote:

From the reviews I looked at I like the Equalizer. It's also a lower profile and my trailer is fairly low (the Reece dual cam does hang down a bit. Had one a few trailers ago)
Also according to the Equalizer website you only add behind the axle cargo weight? (I've always used all passengers and truck cargo)

Slowmover wrote:
Of the obsolete hitch types (non-Hensley patent) the original WDH is still the best. The Reese Dual Cam. (An Equalizer IS NOT in its class).

You have to read the replies above carefully as there is a difference between an equalizer hitch and an Equal-i-zer hitch. The equalizer hitch is a generic term used for describe the original round bar weight distribution hitch with no built-in sway control. In that sense Slowmover is correct that an equalizer hitch is not in the same class as a Reese dual cam.

The brand name "Equal-i-zer" hitch however is not just a standard equalizer hitch. The Equal-i-zer is in the same class as the Reese dual cam hitch and both incorporate built in sway control and weight distribution in the hitch.

Then there is the Hensley Arrow (HA) or the Propride hitches. These two hitches are in a league of their own and their price ~ $2000 reflects that.

[Slowmover]

Work on getting the truck “right”. Mine — at 8,940-lbs solo with driver and ready to hitch for any trip — is within 40-lbs at each corner.

1). The gear in the bed MUST BE ahead of the rear axle. Barely on it if at all.

No matter how many changes you must undertake to do this, do it.

I had to spend days by myself to get things organized in this way. 1,200-lbs of gear.

2). THEN the gear MUST be secured against movement. If the truck rolled on its side, it would still be in place. Contacting the bed.

3). The empty box is a penalty to overcome. Flawed design for a road vehicle. A compromise so a contractor or farmer/rancher can carry needed gear or supply. A truly lousy choice for anyone else. Who is without corresponding IRS miles.

4). A pickup will roll over in an accident where a car or SUV just spins around. Rollovers account for a quarter of all fatalities, and an even higher percentage of dead serious injury. They are a low speed farm vehicle.

5). Lousy highway dynamics which are worsened by hitching a wind-catching trailer.

6). The dumb guys believe “weight” to be a problem. It isn’t. WDH solves it over 50-years ago. A 1k TW is the province of cars and minivans. A nothingburger.

The problems in towing are the same as when solo. The order of importance for stable control is:

1). Steering control
2). Braking
3). Throttle.

Crosswinds are what cause loss-of-control accidents. Natural, or man-made.

If my 63’ rig can go down the highway in winds that park 5’ers and tractor-trailers — with fingertip steering — the EQUAL IMPORTANCE of

Tow Vehicle design
Hitch Rigging
Trailer design

cannot be overstated.

Those three are EQUAL. The hitch (and it’s actions) is about STEERING.
About minimal BRAKING distance. About EFFECTIVE throttle use.

These are each about DEGREE of input, and DURATION of same.

Details matter. Some take effort.

Test. Verify. Confirm.

Start with the pickup. Stock suspension and highway tires matter.

Clue #2 about who are the dumb guys: bought a bigger truck that climbs the ascent faster. But his trailer is still on leaf and with drum brakes. A cheap hitch (as he willfully “fails” to understand the importance), and an even cheaper brake controller.

There’s no situation MORE dangerous than a mountain descent. A crosswind gust. The source may be a straight truck blazing past or Mother Nature. What acceleration distance do you need to simultaneously floor the throttle and slam home the brake controller?

How fast up the hill? (Dunce caps on sale in quantity).

All the details come together here. The worse the pickup flaws, the less likelihood there will be time to act. A billboard trailer on leafs will have all tires in the air before the 1-T 4-WD driver notices.

The hitch is a STEERING component.

Make its working conditions best



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