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trailor sway

Bumpers53
Explorer
Explorer
Hi I'm wondering if anybody has a new ford F150 if so are you having any trouble with trailer sway because of the truck being to lite. I have a wd but it seems like my trailer wants to fish tail a lot I have never had this problem before.
36 REPLIES 36

peirek
Explorer
Explorer
tjschaefer wrote:
I bought a new 2015 Expedition, pulling a 28 ft TT and I am having the same problems. I've tried everything with the hitch. Tightened the sway control, lengthened and shortened the chains on the weight bars. My last move, I moved the ball up one hole on the insert to raise the front higher. Not seeing much difference. Thinking I'm just going to have to live with it.


Not a wise decision my friend. Ensure your trailer front is 1-2" lower than the back. Measure your tongue weight and be sure it is in the 12-15% range. If all that is good and you still have sway try a Hensley..... LOL
Paul & Lisa
2010 GMC Denali 6.2L with Integrated Brake Controller and backup camera.
God bless the backup camera! It's kept us out of marriage counseling.
2009 MVP RV Coast 26LRBS
Hensley Arrow
TST TPMS

tjschaefer
Explorer
Explorer
I bought a new 2015 Expedition, pulling a 28 ft TT and I am having the same problems. I've tried everything with the hitch. Tightened the sway control, lengthened and shortened the chains on the weight bars. My last move, I moved the ball up one hole on the insert to raise the front higher. Not seeing much difference. Thinking I'm just going to have to live with it.

tjschaefer
Explorer
Explorer
I bought a new 2015 Expedition, pulling a 28 ft TT and I am having the same problems. I've tried everything with the hitch. Tightened the sway control, lengthened and shortened the chains on the weight bars. My last move, I moved the ball up one hole on the insert to raise the front higher. Not seeing much difference. Thinking I'm just going to have to live with it.

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
Huntindog wrote:
There have been some things said that don't make sense... TT tires state a max of 30 PSI? I'm not even sure that is possible?

Then he says that his TT is 8700# DRY!!! That would make it likely 10-11K ready to camp... Out of the range of most 1/2 tons for sure, and questionable for the others....
Yet several have said that his truck is not a problem.
While I agree that a poor setup is a poor setup regardless of the size of the truck..... A too small TV for the TT is just asking for trouble.


I think he said 30's dog. But even at that I know of no LT tire that has a max pressure in the 30's.
I figured that was a typo for psi... He only got the "s"
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
Huntindog wrote:
There have been some things said that don't make sense... TT tires state a max of 30 PSI? I'm not even sure that is possible?

Then he says that his TT is 8700# DRY!!! That would make it likely 10-11K ready to camp... Out of the range of most 1/2 tons for sure, and questionable for the others....
Yet several have said that his truck is not a problem.
While I agree that a poor setup is a poor setup regardless of the size of the truck..... A too small TV for the TT is just asking for trouble.


I think he said 30's dog. But even at that I know of no LT tire that has a max pressure in the 30's.
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
There have been some things said that don't make sense... TT tires state a max of 30 PSI? I'm not even sure that is possible?

Then he says that his TT is 8700# DRY!!! That would make it likely 10-11K ready to camp... Out of the range of most 1/2 tons for sure, and questionable for the others....
Yet several have said that his truck is not a problem.
While I agree that a poor setup is a poor setup regardless of the size of the truck..... A too small TV for the TT is just asking for trouble.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

rickm
Explorer
Explorer
JWRoberts wrote:
The difference in weight of the aluminum F150 will not be a factor in your problem. Look elsewhere.


totally agree .... it's not truck
2017 Jayflight 26BH Elite

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
RinconVTR wrote:
TomG2 wrote:
Somebody must work in advertising. The truck can be a factor in sway, in defiance of your Rule #2? That's right.


WRONG.

The TV is NEVER part of the root cause of sway (unless mechanically unfit or overloaded) but it can be part of the cover up or alleviation via stiffer sidewall tires (LT or UHP) among other mods.


100% correct and well said.

People need to learn the difference between wind buffet and sway. For any given trailer there is no solution to wind buffet. Sure, you can mitigate it with a bigger/heaver tow vehicle but it will still be there. I have driven very heavy class 6 trucks and I could still feel wind buffet.

Sway can either be fixed or covered up with bandaids. I fix sway problems. My trailer has a rear bedroom and is right on the edge of sway. If the old lady loads the rear of the TT with 100's of lbs of stuff my trailer will sway. If I take some of that stuff and move it up to the very front of the trailer it's like magic; no sway and my trailer handles like a slot car on rails. Yes, there is that much of a difference between a bad setup and a good setup.
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

RinconVTR
Explorer
Explorer
Bumpers53 wrote:
my tires are I.T. my trailer says the tires should be at 50psi but the tires say no more than 30 s.


Whoa whoa whoa. What did you just say? You have LT tires? And what tire is limited to 30psi? Trailer or truck? Whatever...there is no such tire.

Look again...at the sidewall of the tire...whatever tire you are referring to...and look for max cold psi. Try running your truck tires at max cold PSI, and always run your trailer tires at max cold PSI.

Personally, I do not believe you actually have trailer sway. I think you feel the truck wiggle and get pushed by the wind more than your previous truck. And thats not sway.

Check your weights and confirm all tire PSI.

RinconVTR
Explorer
Explorer
TomG2 wrote:
Somebody must work in advertising. The truck can be a factor in sway, in defiance of your Rule #2? That's right.


WRONG.

The TV is NEVER part of the root cause of sway (unless mechanically unfit or overloaded) but it can be part of the cover up or alleviation via stiffer sidewall tires (LT or UHP) among other mods.

keymastr
Explorer
Explorer
8700 dry means 9000 with propane and battery. Could be close to 11,000 loaded. That requires 1300 pounds of tongue weight minimum, 1500 would be more stable but you do not have the suspension for that much tongue weight.

More tongue weight will help, more truck is needed to carry it. Towing at the absolute limit does not always work.

Bumpers53
Explorer
Explorer
Well I'm not sure what is causing my trailer to tail swing but it is any wind or trucks it sways as I said my last truck was a 2004 f150 4x4 and I didn`t have any problem I set the WD to this truck like I did the old one but it didn`t help I put a antie sway bar and it helped a little but it didn`t stop it. The sticker on the trailer says 8700 pounds dry the truck sticker says 6500 it pulls it fine my tires are I.T. my trailer says the tires should be at 50psi but the tires say no more than 30 this trailer had not been used very much when I bout it. we have only run it on one short trip and it was fine we have been doing most of our traveling with motor cycle. I do think the truck is to lite but this weekend I`m going to scale it and go to a local dealer and see what they say.Again thanks for all the advice I`ll let everybody now what happens.

TomG2
Explorer
Explorer
Somebody must work in advertising. The truck can be a factor in sway, in defiance of your Rule #2? That's right.

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
I have swayed many miles with overloaded pickups,


And there's the problem. :R
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln