โMar-21-2021 06:32 AM
โApr-05-2021 08:50 PM
Gdetrailer wrote:alexey75 wrote:
Actually I experienced a sway last year. It was pretty windy day with gusts up to 50-60mph. We were driving for about an hour. We were going at a speed of 55-60 mph.
At some point it felt like truck applied full brakes on the trailer for split of a second.
It was very sudden/scary, I didnโt notice any sway before that. The good thing that the message came up on instrumental panel, saying some like: sway control... reduce speed...
Maybe it recognized the sway even before I noticed it :?
Correct.
Your vehicle has a sensor array located on the transmission hump between the drives and passenger seat, detects the movements of your vehicle and compares that to your steering wheel position and driver input to help determine if everything is all good or not.
Nice to have these systems BUT..
I would recommend checking your load weight distribution on the trailer. It is possible your tongue weight may be on the light side. Instability can also be caused by adding too much weight behind the trailer axles. May tow perfect under idea conditions but add some cross winds and it may no longer..
Generally TW should be 10%-15% of the trailer weight, however, the lighter the TW compared to the trailer weight the less stable it becomes.
I personally target 15% which is where the trailer will be as stable as possible.
Granted, there will be times under the wrong combination of conditions that can upset the whole train and cause some instability and you will have to ride out the process of regaining control.
โApr-05-2021 07:28 AM
Lynnmor wrote:
I will never use the EZ-Lube grease zerk because of the excessive amount of grease in the hub and the very likely chance of grease getting on the brakes. Thoroughly clean the bearings and inspect them, then grease by hand. I use the grease gun to flush the old grease out of the hole in the spindle while it is apart, then never use it again. Do it right by hand and don't depend on gimmicks like EZ-Lube.
โApr-05-2021 07:04 AM
alexey75 wrote:
Actually I experienced a sway last year. It was pretty windy day with gusts up to 50-60mph. We were driving for about an hour. We were going at a speed of 55-60 mph.
At some point it felt like truck applied full brakes on the trailer for split of a second.
It was very sudden/scary, I didnโt notice any sway before that. The good thing that the message came up on instrumental panel, saying some like: sway control... reduce speed...
Maybe it recognized the sway even before I noticed it :?
โApr-04-2021 04:55 PM
โApr-03-2021 12:42 PM
JBarca wrote:
GD's findings on trailer anti-sway control and other systems has some merit to it. And makes one stop and think about it.
The truck is so integrated now with all these subsystems, it may not expect the driver to press the manual control button on the brake controller. And if the driver did do that, the manual action will change the yaw reactions of the system which it will do. But the input sensors to all the subsystems will also react and they try to reduce or induce something. Technically, they should have some kind of software to sense manual button being depressed and what to do with that.
This may be like the change from older non anti lock brakes to antilock brakes. Years ago, you were taught when driving in snow/slippery conditions to pump the brakes to not skid and lock them up. But when anti lock brakes came out, that is not what you do, you hold for foot steady and let the anti lock feature do its thing. And the first time you drive one, that ratcheting feeling in the front end is all "new" and foreign to you. No one really tells you all this when you buy a new car on the dawn of a technology change.
Thinking through all this, one needs to understand what is in a new truck with all these subsystems. They also need to use better language in the owners manual when the proven older ways that even Ford preached, have changed on the use of the manual brake button. A statement saying to the effect, the auto features of the new intergraded systems can be interfered with if the the manual brake control button is applied while under way. See pages XYZ on trailer sway control etc. Or something to that effect.
โApr-03-2021 12:11 PM
โApr-03-2021 11:00 AM
Lynnmor wrote:
This is the exact quote from the manual written by a lawyer:
Only use the manual control lever for proper adjustment of the gain during trailer setup. Misuse, such as application during trailer sway, could cause instability of trailer or tow vehicle.
Umm, if you are swaying, aren't you already experiencing instability?
The next sentence says you are not to tow during adverse weather, so maybe it is best to just stay home.
โApr-03-2021 07:11 AM
โApr-02-2021 09:02 PM
alexey75 wrote:JBarca wrote:alexey75 wrote:JBarca wrote:
OK, I know the self adjusting trailer brakes.
1. Do you "only" feel the "jerking", whenever it happens, occur when you are applying the brakes and then "stops jerking" when you stop applying the brakes?
2. OR, does the jerking start when you have applied the brakes, and may continue for a short while even after you stop applying the brakes?
3. The key point it, the issue "starts" with a braking action, yes or no?
Please answer all 3.
John
John,
We bought this trailer about a year ago, and during the summer I've experienced it probably 5-6 times.
1. It happened when I have applied the brakes during the slow down, like before the traffic light. When the speed was around 10 mph I've felt the jerking for a second, just before it came to full stop.
2. No, it didn't happen when I applied the brakes. And it didn't continue when I stopped applying the brakes.
3. No, it doesn't start with the braking action.
I've mentioned before, I've read in truck's manual that the truck stop applying the TT brakes when the speed below 12 mph (or something like that).
Any chance it's related to truck and not trailer?
What year, make and model truck do you have? I looked and cannot find it in the thread or your profile.
Does the truck have an integrated brake controller or an aftermarket one? If aftermarket what make and model.
Not sure I ever heard of a brake controller that stops working on the way down in speed. But it maybe, not sure why though.
And yes, some integrated brake controllers do drop off current while the truck is standing still and you have your foot on the brake, but by then you are stopped and not moving.
Thanks
John
PS, this one is a bit of a mystery as it seems to point to only low speed, please confirm, it is only low speed coming to a stop. I'll hold off on speculation until we know more about the truck and brake controller. I have had trailer brakes do strange things that sort of lock up creating some of what you are describing , but not with this only low speed issue.
It is 2018 f150 with integrated brake controller.
Found it ๐
The trailer brake controller is equipped with a feature that reduces output at vehicle speeds below 11.2 mph (18 km/h) so trailer and vehicle braking is not jerky or harsh. This feature is only available when applying the brakes using your vehicle's brake pedal, not the controller
https://cdn.dealereprocess.org/cdn/servicemanuals/ford/2018-f150.pdf
Page 308
โApr-01-2021 08:21 PM
JBarca wrote:alexey75 wrote:JBarca wrote:
OK, I know the self adjusting trailer brakes.
1. Do you "only" feel the "jerking", whenever it happens, occur when you are applying the brakes and then "stops jerking" when you stop applying the brakes?
2. OR, does the jerking start when you have applied the brakes, and may continue for a short while even after you stop applying the brakes?
3. The key point it, the issue "starts" with a braking action, yes or no?
Please answer all 3.
John
John,
We bought this trailer about a year ago, and during the summer I've experienced it probably 5-6 times.
1. It happened when I have applied the brakes during the slow down, like before the traffic light. When the speed was around 10 mph I've felt the jerking for a second, just before it came to full stop.
2. No, it didn't happen when I applied the brakes. And it didn't continue when I stopped applying the brakes.
3. No, it doesn't start with the braking action.
I've mentioned before, I've read in truck's manual that the truck stop applying the TT brakes when the speed below 12 mph (or something like that).
Any chance it's related to truck and not trailer?
What year, make and model truck do you have? I looked and cannot find it in the thread or your profile.
Does the truck have an integrated brake controller or an aftermarket one? If aftermarket what make and model.
Not sure I ever heard of a brake controller that stops working on the way down in speed. But it maybe, not sure why though.
And yes, some integrated brake controllers do drop off current while the truck is standing still and you have your foot on the brake, but by then you are stopped and not moving.
Thanks
John
PS, this one is a bit of a mystery as it seems to point to only low speed, please confirm, it is only low speed coming to a stop. I'll hold off on speculation until we know more about the truck and brake controller. I have had trailer brakes do strange things that sort of lock up creating some of what you are describing , but not with this only low speed issue.
โApr-01-2021 05:43 PM
alexey75 wrote:JBarca wrote:
OK, I know the self adjusting trailer brakes.
1. Do you "only" feel the "jerking", whenever it happens, occur when you are applying the brakes and then "stops jerking" when you stop applying the brakes?
2. OR, does the jerking start when you have applied the brakes, and may continue for a short while even after you stop applying the brakes?
3. The key point it, the issue "starts" with a braking action, yes or no?
Please answer all 3.
John
John,
We bought this trailer about a year ago, and during the summer I've experienced it probably 5-6 times.
1. It happened when I have applied the brakes during the slow down, like before the traffic light. When the speed was around 10 mph I've felt the jerking for a second, just before it came to full stop.
2. No, it didn't happen when I applied the brakes. And it didn't continue when I stopped applying the brakes.
3. No, it doesn't start with the braking action.
I've mentioned before, I've read in truck's manual that the truck stop applying the TT brakes when the speed below 12 mph (or something like that).
Any chance it's related to truck and not trailer?
โMar-30-2021 08:06 PM
JBarca wrote:
OK, I know the self adjusting trailer brakes.
1. Do you "only" feel the "jerking", whenever it happens, occur when you are applying the brakes and then "stops jerking" when you stop applying the brakes?
2. OR, does the jerking start when you have applied the brakes, and may continue for a short while even after you stop applying the brakes?
3. The key point it, the issue "starts" with a braking action, yes or no?
Please answer all 3.
John
โMar-30-2021 01:18 PM
โMar-27-2021 02:54 PM
alexey75 wrote:JBarca wrote:alexey75 wrote:
Hi John, yes swinging ahead (forward/backward).
No, all tanks were empty.
Correct, using the weight distribution hitch
No, no lose play.
I'm pretty sure it was light stop in most cases. The issue that it happened just a number of times... I will do the wheel/bearing service in next few weeks, maybe I will find an answer for that.
Thanks for the EZ lube advice, looks like the old method is way to go.
OK, it is not water slosh then.
Do you have self adjusting brakes or manual adjust?
Is it a pulsating type feeling? Meaning this give and take back and forth feeling happens when you put your foot on the brakes, but stops once you release the brake pedal?
Let me know. I have seen a brake issue create that pulsating feeling, but need the above info before I go down the road trying to explain what I found causing it.
John
It's self adjusting brakes.
No, it's not pulsating, not sure how to explain, more like jerking...