Anyone had loose front end cause TT sway?

[KWheaton]

My new All-American sport 28' travel trailer is a beauty, only problem is some sway. I know everyone is hauling 5'ers these days, I read all the horror stories before purchasing, just didn't need the extra room, or the extra large payment.



Have the Draw-Tite load leveling bars and friction sway control. Loaded trailer is at 10,500-11,000 lbs. with a tongue weight of 13-1400 lbs. Funny thing is, first time out this year it hauled very well, 65-70mph, just an occasional minor sway without equalizing hitch or sway control. After the first trip, I purchased the new hitch, replaced right side ball joints, aligned front end, replaced 2 rear tires & shocks, added traction bars. Now I can't go over 55 mph, it's a real handful. Guy at the hitch center took the trailer out for a spin with a Chevy 3/4 ton and told me nothing was wrong with the trailer, must be my truck.



Have new ball joints, track bar, tie-rod ends, basically all new front end, except steering stabilizer and steering gear box. The stabilizer is still functioning although it may not be as stiff as original. Front end is a little free while towing but not terrible loose. Feels like I'm over correcting though.



Thanks for any and all suggestions, this site has been and continues to be an invaluable source of knowledge.



Kevin

 

[Graphic man]

I just put a DSS steering box brace in and it works 75% better, well worth the money IMO, it may help you!!

 

[Gene Arnold]

Kevin,



I've about lost my trailer on two occasions. Scared me spitless both times. Turned out that I couldn't pull with the same chain tensioner setting as I'd done with a previous truck. When I took the time to carefully measure front and back of the truck before hitching up, then measure front and back after hitching up and pulling a few feet, then adjusting for proportion to make sure things were level, my problem went away. The old set was in the 3rd link of the chains, the new was 5th link. That was with a '94 Silverado 1/2 ton. It is not so critical with the Dodge 2500, but I still think it best to calculate as I did.

 

[RAMINSPEED]

My truck used to wander and the trailer would sway even with the sway controller on it. Then I had all 4 ball joints replaced and it tows my trailer like a dream.

 

[KWheaton]

I'll look into the steering brace idea. Mechanics around here say never trust a rebuilt or remanned steering gear box, $756. 00 from the dealer... ... ... ouch. Those snow plows are hard on a truck, even though the truck is only supporting the plow while driving between jobs.



I installed a second friction sway control and rotated tires, put the new ones on the front, guess what, tows nicely at 65mph. That steering gear box is going to get a much closer inspection before getting replaced. Thanks for all the help.



kevin

 

[tony_h]

What is the proper way to determine the number of links in a chain for the load distributing hitch?



I hear of people talking about they can't tell the trailer is there. Any time I hit a bump the trailer causes the back of the truck to buck. Manageable but it seems it should be better.

 

[Gene Arnold]

Tony,



The quick answer is to do as I indicated above. Measure your solo truck for height front and rear, then hitch up the trailer, drive forward a few feet to make sure all is aligned (of course this is all on a level surface), then re-measure front and rear of the truck and adjust the chains either shorter or longer to get the right proportion. What had happened in my example with my Chevy was I had too much weight on the rear of the truck which made the front end too light, resulting in the fishtailing when a semi overtook me. When you eyeball the unit, truck and trailer should appear perfectly level. I've found that the stiffer suspension of the Ram makes the chain tightness less critical than my old Chevy. If my description isn't clear enough get back to me and I'll scan the instructions from the towing book that I have.



Gene



Oh, I forgot to mention that you need to know the trailer manufacturers recommended ball height. This is very important. I see trailers hitched to tall trucks and there is no way they could ever pull right because the ball is way too high.

 

[tony_h]

So are you saying that for every inch the rear drops, the front should drop the same. Or is it proportional distance; say, if the (extreme exagerration) the front was 2' off and the rear 1' off that the front should decrease 2x as much as the rear?



Sorry for the confusion. I suppose that since my truck is stock height that either way would be about the same. Currently I am on the 4th link in the chain and the rear squats a significant amount more than the front (6" +/-).

 

[R-N-R]

Check your tire air pressures. I raised mine to 80psi and swayed really bad, and I have a Hensley. Dropped the pressure down to where I normally run and the sway dissappeared.

 

[Gene Arnold]

Tony,



Sorry to be slow responding. I've got a house full of kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids and my attention has been on them. Its great to have them here!!



Since I am far from expert in my towing ability I may not have been as clear as I should have been when I gave my above opinion. I've gone to the source that helped me solve my own dilemma several years ago. The source is a Trailer Life book by Bill Estes, The RV Handbook. I quote as follows:

PROPER HITCH ADJUSTMENT



Yet another important factor in tow vehicle/trailer stability is proper adjustment of a conventional load-distributing hitch. Proper adjustment means that the trailer is level and that the tow vehicle remains in the same attitude as before hitching. For example, if the tow vehicle was canted up at the rear before hitching, it should remain at that angle after hitching. . The concept of a properly operating load-distributing hitch is that it should distribute hitch weight to all axles of tow vehicle and trailer. To make certain that happens, follow these steps:



1. Measure the vehicle at reference points on front and rear bumpers with the vehicle loaded for travel, but prior to hitching.



2. Hitch the trailer and adjust the spring-bar tension so the weight appears to have been added to the front as well as the rear of the tow vehicle.



3. Remeasure the front and rear reference points. If, for example, the rear of the vehicle has dropped one inch and the front has only dropped one-quarter inch, add more tension to the spring bars, which will raise the rear and lower the front. Continue adjusting until the measurements are approximately the same. If a discrepancy is unavoidable, the rear of the vehicle should drop slightly more than the front.



If the spring bars cannot be adjusted tight enough to achieve similar or identical vehicle height reduction, stiffer spring bars may be needed. The spring bars should be rated for at least the amount of the hitch weight of the trailer, plus about 200 pounds if the tow vehicle is softly sprung. If after proper adjustment of tow vehicle attitude is achieved, the trailer is not level, the ball mount should be raised or lowered. Adjustable ball mounts permit ball height adjustment. If the ball mount is welded to the shank, replace it with an adjustable ball mount. Quoted from The RV Handbook by Bill Estes, Copyright 1991; a Trailer Life Book

Hope this helps.



Gene

 

[tony_h]

Yes, it does, thank you. I think I need to adjust the angle of the (I don't know that actual terms of the hitch parts) platform that the ball sits on independent of the L-shaped insert. If I tighten my bars anymore, they will hit the the A-frame of the trailer.

 

[Gene Arnold]

Tony,



Check your PM for some helpful stuff.



Gene