cordellm
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Re: Can't stop sway
I was recently sent a private message calling me out for not posting my scale weights. I wasn't ever my intention to not post them, I even offered most of the weights at some point. I also didn't post them as I knew some of them wouldn't stay consistent knowing I needed to make adjustment to my hitch. Here are the previous weights. As I stated before, I will rescale this Friday when I have an opportunity to use a scale again. TV without trailer, but TV was loaded up with gear (not including my wife) TV - Front Axle: 3080, Rear Axle: 2600, Total: 5680 TV with trailer hook, both loaded up, but no water. TV - Front Axle: 3040, Rear Axle: 3500, Total: 6540 Trailer - 6040 (not including Tongue weight) (tongue weight was 860 but that is what was added to the TV once hooked up) Since this time I have adjust my hitch to pull down on the front axle. I have not changed anything with the way anything is loaded. I suspect the trailer weight and TV weight to stay the same, but to expect the front and rear axle weights to change. The GVWR of the TV is 7000, front axle is 3500, rear axle is 3800. The GVWR of the TT is 7500.506Views0likes0CommentsRe: Can't stop sway
I don't have the scale sheets in front of me, but I believe the total weight was 12,500, trailer weight was 6900 (including tongue weight). This is loaded, but no water in the tank. I am jacking the trailer and pickup up as high as I can to hook up. Once hooked and pressure taken off the jack my bars are angled up slightly.507Views0likes0CommentsRe: Can't stop sway
Thought I would update everyone. Tonight I spent hours making adjustments and corrections as advised by most of you. One thing I can say is the majority of the advise and links on setting the hitch were consistent. I made sure all tires on the TV were asked constant with the same pressure. I started on a level surface and took all measurements of the TV and leveled the camper. Then filled my TV with normal gear I take with. I then set ball height as close as I could according to the hitch manual (I was too low by a setting so I had to come up). I then hooked up to check my angle of the spring bars, I was by far not getting enough pressure on the during bars. I unhooked, adjusted the hitch head angling it away from the TV, rehooked and measured my front axle height and how level the trailer was. I repeated this 7 or 8 times before I final got the front axle to come back down to where I started and got the trailer almost level ( it is slightly lower in the front). I am on the very first chain link on my spring bars and I cannot to the hitch head back any further our I will not get the chains to reach the hooks on the tongue. By the time I got all this finished I was down to a 5 mph winds, but went for a test drive anyway. I didn't have any issues other than a very small trail wag on the last couple miles coming home. Still not sure how much it really was as I was being very observant of anything going on as I was on pretty high alert trying to see/feel what was going on. I ordered a second sway control bar to add to the driver's side just because of the size of my TT. I will install this on Wednesday or Thursday night as we're leaving town Friday morning for the weekend. The place we're going has a local scale and I personally know the manager so I will be rescaling the whole rig then. Right now my only questions are with tongue weight of 860 (previous scale weight and assuming this hasn't changed) and spring bars at 1000 that are tipped as far back as they can add still get them hooked up, do I need heavier spring bars? I have no fresh water on board now and if I do put it on I'm assuming this is going to add a minimum of 140 to the tongue weight. Have I missed anything to check or do at this point?290Views0likes0CommentsRe: Can't stop sway
Again, thank you everyone for the thoughts, suggestions, advice, etc... I do have a few questions now that I have some input from you. To answer a previous question I have a 10,000 lb hitch 1,000 lb spring bars. I feel I have adequate tongue weight with no fresh water in my tank (I'm at 12.5%), should I be filling my fresh water tank which will get me to about 15% on the tongue? Should all the tires on my TV be aired to max pressure? My Ford manual says to measure my front wheel well space with no load and then again with the trail hooked up, but no connected to the spring bars. Then adjust the hitch with the spring bars so the front wheel well space is a quarter way down from total desitance between the initial two measurements. What should the space be on the front axle compaired to the measurement when not hooked up? I'm told the spring bars should be level when hooked up. I do not have enough chain on my spring bars to reach the hooks on the tongue when level, I have to tilt the hitch head up in order to hook up and this leaves the spring bars angled up slightly, is this ok?386Views0likes0CommentsRe: Can't stop sway
Ever though I have standard loss tires the weight rating far exceeds the rear axle rating, which from the scale I am under. To describe the sway I feel like the rear of the pickup wants to wiggle back and forth. When I look in my mirrors I can see the back of the trailer moving back and forth. Not sure if anyone has a suggestion for that with everything else discussed? Also, what purchase of the tongue weight should be transferred to the front axle?323Views0likes0CommentsRe: Can't stop sway
I usually carry a few hundred lbs in the box. I had the fronts fully inflated at one point but was told front tire pressure didn't matter as much because the front wasn't getting that much of the load. Thoughts? Without investing a lot more into the hitch, will adding the second sway control bar help?319Views0likes0Comments
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