Tow vehicle too short of wheelbase???
Recently downsized from 39' 5th wheel & one ton diesel dually to a 30' (box-34' inc hitch)trailer and a 2017 Chevy Silverado Tahoe suv. On tow home from dealership & 1st camping trip (100 miles total)...
Forum Discussion
Minimizing sway is always a combination of factors working together so don't expect any single change/adjustment alone to make an adequate/significant improvement. Can take a while to examine all the factors and make needed adjustments/changes. The above posts all have good info.
How was the WDH set up? Was the before & after front fender height method used? Can also be done (and more accurately) by going to a scale. Never let a dealer do the install and adjustments. Do it yourself and that way you'll know it's done right. There's a great sticky in the towing section.
I'd go to a scale with the TV fully loaded for camping and subtract the wt. from the GVWR on the door pillar sticker so you know exactly what payload capacity you have. Also take the TT to a scale and get the actual tongue wt. and the actual/gross wt. of the TT. You can also get the actual amount of wt. restored back onto the steer axle. You should know what the wt. of all the "stuff" added to a TV is - passengers, pets, groceries, camping gear & misc. It can be much higher than expected.
A 34' TT could have a tongue wt. of around 1200 lbs or so (WAG). Spring bars have ratings and you need to select the correct one for the actual tongue wt. What tire type on the SUV? You want LT type, not the "squishy" P type (if so equipped). If LRE LTs, I'd try inflating the tires to, or close to max. sidewall psi of 80 for towing.
At the end of the day, I would say the wheelbase of the TV falls way short of what is needed. The rule of thumb that has been around for some time is that the first 110" is good for a 20' trailer and every 4" after that adds another 1' to trailer length. So 116" of wheelbase is good for only a 22' trailer which isn't much compared to the 34 footer OP has.
Never get a Hensley or Propride to hide underlying issues that have not been addressed. The right combo of TV & TT along with addressing all the factors affecting sway will result in little to no sway. A WDH with built in sway control could help a lot. We use a Reese DC and it works great. We tow a 29' TT with an F250 that has a 164" wheelbase and have addressed all the other things that help reduce sway. No sway! Bilstein shocks in our truck and shocks on the TT also help. No sway is def. cool...
How was the WDH set up? Was the before & after front fender height method used? Can also be done (and more accurately) by going to a scale. Never let a dealer do the install and adjustments. Do it yourself and that way you'll know it's done right. There's a great sticky in the towing section.
I'd go to a scale with the TV fully loaded for camping and subtract the wt. from the GVWR on the door pillar sticker so you know exactly what payload capacity you have. Also take the TT to a scale and get the actual tongue wt. and the actual/gross wt. of the TT. You can also get the actual amount of wt. restored back onto the steer axle. You should know what the wt. of all the "stuff" added to a TV is - passengers, pets, groceries, camping gear & misc. It can be much higher than expected.
A 34' TT could have a tongue wt. of around 1200 lbs or so (WAG). Spring bars have ratings and you need to select the correct one for the actual tongue wt. What tire type on the SUV? You want LT type, not the "squishy" P type (if so equipped). If LRE LTs, I'd try inflating the tires to, or close to max. sidewall psi of 80 for towing.
At the end of the day, I would say the wheelbase of the TV falls way short of what is needed. The rule of thumb that has been around for some time is that the first 110" is good for a 20' trailer and every 4" after that adds another 1' to trailer length. So 116" of wheelbase is good for only a 22' trailer which isn't much compared to the 34 footer OP has.
Never get a Hensley or Propride to hide underlying issues that have not been addressed. The right combo of TV & TT along with addressing all the factors affecting sway will result in little to no sway. A WDH with built in sway control could help a lot. We use a Reese DC and it works great. We tow a 29' TT with an F250 that has a 164" wheelbase and have addressed all the other things that help reduce sway. No sway! Bilstein shocks in our truck and shocks on the TT also help. No sway is def. cool...
