I'm out of ideas and need help. I have been camping for 8 years in a pop up, and just upgraded to out first TT. I should mention that I drive pretty large commercial vehicles with buckets and outriggers daily and am comfortable towing large, very heavy trailers at work. I'm no rookie, yet I'm feeling at a loss here.Towing our TT is a white knuckle experience everytime. A little wind or a passing truck is sending me into a fish tailing nightmare multiple times per trip. I have a properly installed and tensioned weight distribution hitch plus a sway bar. I am loading the trailer with as much of the weight low and forward as I can. I just put new tires on the trailer with proper inflation. The ride level is great with the right drop on my hitch. I have trailer brakes that are working well to slow it down as needed on declines. My tow vehicle is a brand new 2017 Ram 2500 with far more than enough tow capacity. Everything in my set up says I should be able to tow this thing easily and comfortably, yet I am constantly on high alert! What else could I be missing? Our travel trailer is a 2010 Keystone Hideout 26 BH. 26 feet long plus tongue and no slideouts. Dry weight is 5100. I did flip the axles as soon as we bought it, because it sat very low and I wanted better ground clearance. I know this could affect stability somewhat, but considering my larger tow vehicle and WD hitch with sway bar, this shouldn't be causing that big of issues, right? The WD hitch is used. Is it possible the bars are bent or malfunctioning? They are the type with the chains hooking them to the trailer tongue. Could my sway bar just be shot? What else could possibly be going on here? I need to get this trailer moving safely down the road. I can't keep fighting it every trip out.Thanks for your input. I'll try just about anything at this point.

First thing I would suggest is verify that the axles are actually true. By that I mean measure very carefully from the tongue to each hub. When the axle flip was done it is possible who ever did the job misaligned them. Second do you have a friction sway control of some sort? Next I would weigh the tongue weight, and verify that your hitch is correctly setup. Especially so since you raised the hitch. It is possible that you have the hitch head wrong now.

Was this problem present before flipping the axles? If not, then the problem is possibly the alignment of the axles to each other and to the trailer frame and tongue. If sway occurred before flipping them, (I can't imagine why you would have flipped them before resolving the sway), then it would come down to not enough tongue weight. A trailer should be able to be towed down the road with no sway control mechanisms and not have a tendency to sway. If it does, figure out why. Afterward install the sway control system if desired for those tough conditions like strong crosswinds, less desirable tow vehicle, etc. I don't think the system itself is designed to resolve an issue with a trailer wanting to sway.

I had an enclosed car trailer that sat high so that the car's doors would clear the trailers fender wells inside. The trailer was very unstable behind my Suburban with standard WDH and one friction type sway bar. The taller ride height certainly doesn't help matters. I ended up adding a second away bar and it fixed the sway and actually pulled really well. Your truck shouldn't have any issue at all pulling that trailer. I would add a second sway bar and snug them both down really tight. Also make sure your spring bars are sized appropriately for the tongue weight of your trailer and that they are adjusted properly. The tongue of the trailer should be slightly lower than the rear of the trailer.

Check all your weights.... there are lots of posts here on how to do that. You could be tongue-light, regardless of how you load the trailer. My next thought is that there is a problem with axle or wheel alignment. With that size trailer make sure you have the right size bar, and use 2 of them. You might consider upgrading to something like an Equalizer or Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch.

I have to agree with what is being said. Make sure your axle flip was done correctly. Then get an Equalizer, etc. I use an Anderson, which I love, on a very similar setup and have no sway at all. It is easy to forget the trailer is back there. And check your tongue weight.

Taken all the steps to prevent sway. Still swaying. Help!

donn0128
Explorer II
May 01, 2017
First thing I would suggest is verify that the axles are actually true. By that I mean measure very carefully from the tongue to each hub. When the axle flip was done it is possible who ever did the job misaligned them. Second do you have a friction sway control of some sort? Next I would weigh the tongue weight, and verify that your hitch is correctly setup. Especially so since you raised the hitch. It is possible that you have the hitch head wrong now.
pickjare
Explorer
May 01, 2017
Was this problem present before flipping the axles? If not, then the problem is possibly the alignment of the axles to each other and to the trailer frame and tongue. If sway occurred before flipping them, (I can't imagine why you would have flipped them before resolving the sway), then it would come down to not enough tongue weight.

A trailer should be able to be towed down the road with no sway control mechanisms and not have a tendency to sway. If it does, figure out why. Afterward install the sway control system if desired for those tough conditions like strong crosswinds, less desirable tow vehicle, etc. I don't think the system itself is designed to resolve an issue with a trailer wanting to sway.
STEVEO496
Explorer
May 01, 2017
I had an enclosed car trailer that sat high so that the car's doors would clear the trailers fender wells inside. The trailer was very unstable behind my Suburban with standard WDH and one friction type sway bar. The taller ride height certainly doesn't help matters. I ended up adding a second away bar and it fixed the sway and actually pulled really well. Your truck shouldn't have any issue at all pulling that trailer. I would add a second sway bar and snug them both down really tight. Also make sure your spring bars are sized appropriately for the tongue weight of your trailer and that they are adjusted properly. The tongue of the trailer should be slightly lower than the rear of the trailer.
coolmom42
Explorer II
May 01, 2017
Check all your weights.... there are lots of posts here on how to do that. You could be tongue-light, regardless of how you load the trailer.

My next thought is that there is a problem with axle or wheel alignment.

With that size trailer make sure you have the right size bar, and use 2 of them. You might consider upgrading to something like an Equalizer or Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch.
Earl_E
Explorer
May 01, 2017
I have to agree with what is being said. Make sure your axle flip was done correctly. Then get an Equalizer, etc. I use an Anderson, which I love, on a very similar setup and have no sway at all. It is easy to forget the trailer is back there. And check your tongue weight.
DanNJanice
Explorer
May 01, 2017
Go to the Cat scales and get your real weights. Only then, will you know if you are setup correctly. Also, the checking the axles is a great idea, since they have been changed.
Your truck should have no issue towing a 26ft trailer. There are many here that tow trailers that size with 1500 pickups.
Huntindog
Explorer
May 01, 2017
Commonly called an axle flip.... But it is NOT flipped. It is repositioned under the springs welding new perches on top of the axle.

I know someone that did an actual "flip" This caused him the problems like you are having.

The axles are NOT straight. But are cambered. If they are actually flipped, then the camber will be opposite of what it should be.
Ivylog
Explorer III
May 01, 2017
X2 on the above and you do not need any WD with this combo. I would weigh the amount of tongue weight you have... bathroom scale and a beam. 4' 2x4 on edge with tongue jack in the middle, bathroom scale on one end and wooden block on other the same height as the scale. Multiple scale reading by 2... needs to be 10+ percent of trailers loaded weight.

Assuming you did not just flip the axles I would try it without any WD. A TV without enough weight on the rear axle will not handle a trailer well.
NanciL
Explorer II
May 01, 2017
Right away I picked up:
"I am loading the trailer with as much of the weight low and forward"
That could be your problem. Your trailer should be balanced with most of the weight over the wheels, (not forward).
Once you are hooked up to your truck, stand back and see if it is level on the same plane as your truck.
If it is down at the front, that is probably your problem.

Good luck

Jack L
Crabbypatty
Explorer
May 01, 2017
I flipped my axles on a 27ft Fleetwood and towed with a 2500 suburban and a reese 12,000 pound dual cam wd hitch. Never an issue.

I suspect a better wd hitch as you do not say what you have, as well as check the tongue weight. You may also have loaded the trailer nose heavy which would result in a light rear. When setting up the wd hitch you should be as level as possible. You could also be tail heavy, so ivestigate how you have loaded your TT. Reset the hitch and go for test rides.

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Taken all the steps to prevent sway. Still swaying. Help!

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