Help! White knuckles while towing...in the steering?

[FrankA]

Just left the Lake Powell area in Arizona in windy conditions while towing a trailer and felt my '07 turbo diesel 4x4 wanna leave the road, had to hold onto the steering wheel real tight. Yeah, I know that wind can be a factor but there were bigger trailers screaming past me. Is there something I can do or upgrade (stabilizer) to the front end to make the ride less terrifying? Taking a breather here in Flagstaff.

thanks-

frank

 

[Jim W]

Hi Frank,

Most of us will ask these same questions, that needs to be answered. So here goes!

1. What size truck? Is it a 3/4 ton, 1 ton SRW or DRW or is this a C&C model?

2. What model/size is the trailer? A. weight, B. Length, C, Toy Hauler, D. 5er or a TT model.

3. If a TT model, do you have an equalizing hitch?

These are needed to answer you correctly, Sorry.

Jim

 

[Grizzly]

I completely agree with Jim W. A Signature should be a must when joining TDR.

george

 

[Superglide]

FrankA - I only started occasionally towing a 27' Jayco Eagle (about 8,500 lbs loaded) in 2007. I had an equalizing hitch installed and listened to the rv dealer's recommendation on how tight to snug the chains. What did I know? I had never done it before. A few times I had the death grip on the wheel as the trailer felt like it was swaying or it felt as if the trailer was pushing me into the oncoming lane while rounding a bend. I then recalled helping a friend hitch up his trailer and it dawned on me his chains seemed tighter. This time I tightened up by one more link and the change is night and day. No more sway and I have total control on the corners. Obviously the chains weren't tight enough and the weight was not being distributed forward to my truck frame. Just my thought.

 

[MAshley]

This may sounds like a stupid Q and maybe I should start a new thread ... But I hear and see all the time people using EQ hitches, Sway bars ETC with camping trailers. Over the past 5 years I have towed construction equipment on a flat bed trailer, normally in the 15,000 lbs range of trailer weight and never felt the need to want to use a EQ hitch, And if memory servers me I never saw a change in front axle weight with the trailer connected or not. Multiple times accross the scales, front allways weighed the same with or without the trailer...



So am I just really used to the crazy driving with a trailer that I don't notice it?

Is it an affect of being an RV with really high sides and long wheel base?

I do notice the up and down rocking on occasion after a bump, but never a feeling of OMG Im going to crash...



And before you say I haven't driven enough, truck has 92,000 miles and trailer should have about 70K



David

06 4x4 3500 DRW crew cab LB

 

[ScottLewis]

Pull type travel trailers often place excess loads on the hitch that require equalizer hitches to compensate. If the weight on your front axle doesn't change when a trailer is hitched up, you likely aren't loading 10 to 15% of the trailer weight on the hitch the way a travel trailer does. Fifth wheels or goosenecks place the entire tongue weight directly over the rear axle, or even a bit forward, so there is less change on the front axle.



Dan

 

[HBarlow]

Just left the Lake Powell area in Arizona in windy conditions while towing a trailer and felt my '07 turbo diesel 4x4 wanna leave the road, had to hold onto the steering wheel real tight. Yeah, I know that wind can be a factor but there were bigger trailers screaming past me. Is there something I can do or upgrade (stabilizer) to the front end to make the ride less terrifying? Taking a breather here in Flagstaff.
thanks-
frank

Frank,

We can't offer useful advice if you don't describe your equipment.

A long travel trailer towed in quartering wind conditions often requires a weight distribution hitch assembly and sway control devices to increase stability when towed behind some trucks.

A long travel trailer with heavy tongue weight puts all the weight on the rear axle of the truck and works as a lever operating around your rear axle to remove weight from your front tires. Likewise, in windy conditions your trailer is acting as a sail to catch the wind and a lever to swing the truck back and forth with the hitch coupler acting as the fulcrum.

A weight distribution hitch assembly will distribute tongue weight to the tow vehicle's front axle and back to the trailer axles. A Reese dual cam hitch with built in sway control or another brand hitch with one or two sleeve style friction control devices will reduce sway. An ordinary weight distribution hitch without sway control provides little sway control.

If you have lifted your 4x4 truck you have increased the sway problem and if you are using oversized LRD tires instead of OEM tires that is another factor working against you.

Longer wheel base tow vehicles are more stable than swb trucks when towing in those conditions.

Long wheel base duallies on standard suspension and tires are much more stable in the conditions you encountered than swb srw 2500s. Some won't like reading this but it is true and indisputable.

 

[CDonaldson]

I tow with both a SWB and a LWB dually truck. I tow a few different 32' trailers, one is a TT and the other two are GN's, all exceed 12K. When towing the TT in heavy wind conditions I got a little sway, more than with the GN's, even when using a a weight distributing hitch and a hitch located sway control.



I decided to get/install a sway bar, it did the trick, no more sway in high winds that affected the steering. You also might want to consider getting a steering support for your steering box, I installed one when the truck was fairly new, they make a world of difference in the steering even running empty, tighten it right up. The steering boxes tend to flex and give you that white-knuckled experience regardless of whether you have weight distribution or sway control as part of your towing configuration.



You DO need to fill in your sig so people know what truck you have and how it is equipped.





CD

 

[FrankA]

Hey CDonaldson-
Thanks for the info. I have the sway bar & weight distribution bars, too. Where do I get this steering support for the steering box? Dealer? Ease of installation?
frank

 

[SBashaw]

DITTO on the steering support. give up the info!

 

[RWood]

Dodge Cummins Diesel Truck Accessories – Geno’s Garage has them.

 

[Turbo_Bob]

Towing trailers, besides what the others said about weight distribution / sway control systems, you also need the proper tongue weight and the proper inflated tire pressures, both truck and trailer.

"09 NorthShore 28' TT, 8k lbs. "

So if that is 8,000 pounds (GTW) multiply . 10 and . 15, this will give you the tongue weight parameter to be in.

I come up with 800 to 1,200 pounds of tongue weight.

With trailers loaded you need the tires inflated to their max rating.

Your truck should be around 50 front and 65 rear with your weight load.

 

[mpaulson]

Do you still have the stock tires on the truck? Mine is a Mega cad dually and when I went from the stock ameritrac tire to Goodyear silent armors, the truck over night turned into a squirming nightmare to drive with my travel trailer. The side wall of these tires are way to soft for travel trailer towing. I pull a 36' goose neck for work and they were no problem there. So check out your trucks tires. If you stand beside the truck with the tires propperly aired up, push on the rear back corner side of the truck and observe the side walls of you tires for flex. Try it on a few other trucks and you will see the difference in tires. Not saying this is your problem for sure, but it was mine. I am now running Goodyear Duratrac tires which are a bit noisy, but are good with the side walls and seem to be working good with the trailers.

 

[CDonaldson]

I installed a DEFIANT steering box support. There are several available on the market, just about everyone is making them now. I suppose it took me about an hour to install it, did the sway bar end links at the same time. Really easy to install.





CD

 

[wcjp]

Bought mine from 4Wheel Parts. They're available from many different places.







Bd Diesel Steering Stabilizer Bar-RH1

 

[BK]

I've towed a 30ft tt with a SWR 99 2500 with 33x12's...
Did not need the SS bar... .

+100 on...
Make sure you have proper tongue weight on the trailer.
The sway bar & weight distribution bars are set correctly.
Proper tire pressures.
Good shocks.

While I can understand the good points of the ss bar, making things soo ridge scares me..... wonder what will snap of a wheel hits something hard enough.
I have their gen3 track bar conversion, great item, but haven't tried the bar due to my own thoughts, and frankly don't need it.
I've towed my 30ft over the highway and off road...

 

[FrankA]

Well, made it home folks. This has been the most tense driving ever while towing in the past ten years. Talked to the Dodge dealer today and they said everything seems to be allright on the front end suspension & steering box. Went to the trailer dealer,too, & will help me make some adjustments (if necessary) with the hitch and chains on the bars. Next, I'll look into the steering box support and maybe a heavy duty steering damper replacement rather than the OEM. Still flustered but thanks-
franka

 

[Prairie Dog]

I would leave the dampener alone, the factory part works good but I can't tell you strongly enough what a huge difference a steering brace will make. I had my suspension checked out too but there was nothing bad. The BD SBS made the difference between using both hands and making constant corrections with the steering wheel to driving with one hand and simply pointing the truck down the road. It will make your steering gear last longer too.