Sway Problem / Need Help
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...
Forum Discussion
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
.
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
.
