Towing a big box and controlling SWAY

[TrickTruck]

I don't think sway bars are going to do anything. I can 'feel' the rear end of the truck being pushed around and I keep coming back to hitch setup. This hitch 'should' keep the truck and trailer as one unit and it just doesn't feel that way.

Next time I tow I'm going to spend some time getting the bitch setup again.

I have little faith in the "it's your tires" argument due to testing it w/ BFGs on 20s and them being all over the place.

Still think the rear end is moving on the springs (wrap) so am seriously considering traction bars. I need them anyway so even if it doesn't help sway, they are on the 'gotta have it' list.

After taking a wack at the hitch again and doing traction bars, if that does nothing I'll try a friction sway - though due to the size of the trailer I have little faith a little friction bar will help.

I do appreciate all the help and suggestions!

 

[sootie]

just an honest question but what is your towing experience?

 

[TrickTruck]

As a 'kid' a ton w/ lots of heavy equip, goosenecks and bumper pulls. The Chevy dually 454 era.
Zero recent and none with a big sail like this trailer is.

No question I have to expect some movement with as big a sail as this thing is. But even passing semis in no wind sucks it in pretty bad.

 

[Twan]

The hitch your setting up is a weight distribution hitch. NOT a sway control hitch. That is what the sway bars are for.

Get two of the sway bars $120 ish and don't wast time and money.

I've ran lots of trailers, tire's from super swapper, to all trains. 31-44s. Load range C, D, E.

With a single wheel the only thing that really helps is the sway bar. I don't even use the weight distribution hitch. You need to remember that you can load a rv trailer to keep it from swaying.

Save all the money and time and just try that cheap way. I'm 95% sure you will be happy with them. I run 1 my buddy runs 2.

 

[TrickTruck]

Ummm, actually it's a weight distribution hitch AND no-sway.

 

[Twan]

The no sway is from the sway bars which you aren't using.

Trust me bud. I've been there done that. I won't tell you something unless I know it works. I didn't think they would work either. Just make sure you play with how tight you put them. I hand my cranked really tight. It made the truck and trailer feel like one. When I turned you could feel it fight back. But I could pass a semi at 90 mph with a cross wind and the trailer didn't move behind my dually.

If I was close I would let you use or ride in mine.

 

[sootie]

The no sway is from the sway bars which you aren't using.

Trust me bud. I've been there done that. I won't tell you something unless I know it works. I didn't think they would work either. Just make sure you play with how tight you put them. I hand my cranked really tight. It made the truck and trailer feel like one. When I turned you could feel it fight back. But I could pass a semi at 90 mph with a cross wind and the trailer didn't move behind my dually.

If I was close I would let you use or ride in mine.

ummm. if you were in a single wheel-yore opinion might be different.

 

[Twan]

I've pulled with singles too.

If it will help a dually it will help a single even more. My buddy has a 03 dodge single wheel he pulls a 30' rv with and uses 2 sway bars. Hits the past post.

 

[TrickTruck]

See those links in the photo? Those are the no-sway features of this hitch. It is not just load leveling.

 

[Twan]

Yes I see them, they won't work for sway. They are in the wrong spot to stop sway.

Once you try it you'll wish you listed sooner. I'm not a sells man. I'm not trying to be a ass. I wouldn't even sell you the big ass hitch. I use a normal drop hitch and sway bar.

 

[dsmracing1]

Oh man I didn't realize that you didn't have a combo hitch. I use the blue ox sway pro and it works awesome. I tow both of the trailer in these pics quite often and I have no issues with the trailer wandering. I drove 400 miles in a 50mph crosswind and I was crushing at 70-75mph the whole time. Straight as an arrow. My trailer on my ford is 32 feet and the other trailer is 37ft. I would not buy anything but a different hitch before you do anything else. I originally bought a reese weight distribution only hitch and I returned after my first trip and told them I almost died from trailer sway. That's when I realized I shouldn't have cheaped out in the first place with the $500 dollar hitch and forked out $1000 for the Blue OX Sway Pro. I need to mention as well that I have air bags and with my toy hauler loaded with no rzr and dirtbike in the back I run 60lbs. With the rzr and dirtbike etc in the back I only run 40lbs.

 

[dsberman94]

Might have to just face the fact that it's the trailer and it's going to sway bad. Someone above said their same make trailer swayed bad. It looks like something designed for a triple axle setup to me and being that it doesn't have that, might be leading to this bad sway situation.

 

[BSEITZ]

Well nobody has answered my question that I asked about sway bars on the truck. Here is my situation previous tow truck was a 02 Dodge ext cab long bed 4x4 with 305/70/16 tires with 55psi in the rear tires pulling my 30' TT I had no sway what so ever, the truck had front and rear sway bars from the factory. New (USED) truck 13 CCLB 4x4 Lariat with out factory sway bars and factory tire/wheel is hand full to drive. Same camper on both truck's and I do not run load leveling bars/hitch just straight ball and hitch. I guess I will try the Hellwig sway bars and report back how it works.

 

[TyCorr]

So put bars on it and see if it works. Honestly someone else could have a different experience.

I had one of those on my last duramax and the trailer. Then i couldnt get the drawers open in the bed so I ditched it all for the headache.

 

[TyCorr]

And I think sb trucks are squirrely in comparo to longbeds.

 

[BSEITZ]

So put bars on it and see if it works. Honestly someone else could have a different experience.

I had one of those on my last duramax and the trailer. Then i couldnt get the drawers open in the bed so I ditched it all for the headache.

Drawers open in the bed?

 

[BSEITZ]

And I think sb trucks are squirrely in comparo to longbeds.

Mine is a long bed and so was my Dodge!

 

[dsberman94]

See those links in the photo? Those are the no-sway features of this hitch. It is not just load leveling.

We had the same setup on our 32' single slide out, coachmen chaparral. Pulled awesome on a cclb srw 250. Any chance your bars aren't rated high enough? I think we had 12k lbs rated bars. Maybe higher.

And it's been a few years but iirc we would use 4 or 5 chain links from the loaded end of the bar support on dry ground and 1 or two more links away from the dry amount for damp or wet roads. Ours was able to lift the azz end of the truck off the ground on the chain link closest to the load end.

 

[Jomax]

The no sway is from the sway bars which you aren't using.

Trust me bud. I've been there done that. I won't tell you something unless I know it works. I didn't think they would work either. Just make sure you play with how tight you put them. I hand my cranked really tight. It made the truck and trailer feel like one. When I turned you could feel it fight back. But I could pass a semi at 90 mph with a cross wind and the trailer didn't move behind my dually.

If I was close I would let you use or ride in mine.

I had one on my old 34ft weekend warrior. If I forgot to install it. I would definitely know.. they work!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Twan]

Well nobody has answered my question that I asked about sway bars on the truck. Here is my situation previous tow truck was a 02 Dodge ext cab long bed 4x4 with 305/70/16 tires with 55psi in the rear tires pulling my 30' TT I had no sway what so ever, the truck had front and rear sway bars from the factory. New (USED) truck 13 CCLB 4x4 Lariat with out factory sway bars and factory tire/wheel is hand full to drive. Same camper on both truck's and I do not run load leveling bars/hitch just straight ball and hitch. I guess I will try the Hellwig sway bars and report back how it works.

I think you just got lucky with the dodge. I took the factory sway bars off my 06 and I can't tell a difference.