Is there anything I can do to reduce walking/sway in winds???
#1
Is there anything I can do to reduce sway???
I have the following setup:
2018 3.5eb with max tow and short bed
jayco jayfeather 25bh
equalizer 4-point sway control system
billstein 5100 shocks
hellwig sway bars front and rear- rear set to medium
I have weighed fully loaded and can confirm I am within gvwr, gawr, gcwr and payload specs with a cushion. The truck is .25-.5” lower in back than in front so just about level after equalizer bars. 14% tongue weight of trailer. So- I feel like I have things set up reasonably well.
I have towed over 700 miles now with the setup and have been pleased, but last weekend ran into some winds and passing semis that pushed me around more than I would like. Some of the cross winds felt like they were pushing me back and forth constantly. This is probably just part of having a half ton pickup but is there anything more I can do to reduce this other than trade in on a 250?
thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
2018 3.5eb with max tow and short bed
jayco jayfeather 25bh
equalizer 4-point sway control system
billstein 5100 shocks
hellwig sway bars front and rear- rear set to medium
I have weighed fully loaded and can confirm I am within gvwr, gawr, gcwr and payload specs with a cushion. The truck is .25-.5” lower in back than in front so just about level after equalizer bars. 14% tongue weight of trailer. So- I feel like I have things set up reasonably well.
I have towed over 700 miles now with the setup and have been pleased, but last weekend ran into some winds and passing semis that pushed me around more than I would like. Some of the cross winds felt like they were pushing me back and forth constantly. This is probably just part of having a half ton pickup but is there anything more I can do to reduce this other than trade in on a 250?
thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Last edited by npmoore; 08-07-2018 at 10:01 PM.
#2
Senior Member
Well, all I can tell you is that when you're towing a travel trailer which is basically a huge sail, you're going to feel it more. I know it's scary because I've been through it. The trailer itself does sway. The wdh setup you have controls/dampens away. If the sway gets bad enough with the high winds or going faster than 65 then that sway control on your hitch setup will be overtaken. Just slow it down To 50-55 mph or if it's real bad, get off the highway and park somewhere until the winds die down.
The best wdh that will eliminate sway completely is the Propride P3 hitch. It is guaranteed to do that. It is the best hitch on the market. Very pricey. But if you have a family especially with kids, safety is the number 1 priority and you cant put a price on it. In crosswinds, it will move the truck and trailer together as a unit which is normal. Not just the trailer like you're experiencing. Very rock solid towing experience. I just bought one very recently and I'm very happy with it. I have an 18 5.0 3.73 screw 6.5 bed. I tow a 34ft in total length Grand Design Reflection 297rsts travel trailer 8900lbs loaded. Its 8164 dry. My weight distributed tongue weight is 940 and yes I did have it weighed. I kicked myself in the butt for buying too much trailer especially the length. I had that regret, I'm not going to lie to you. After installing that hitch, I don't have that regret anymore. It's either I'd do that, or trade my truck in after 4 months of buying it for an F250 which I'm not going to do. I dont want another truck payment. If you decide to go this route it's cheaper than upgrading to a bigger truck.
The best wdh that will eliminate sway completely is the Propride P3 hitch. It is guaranteed to do that. It is the best hitch on the market. Very pricey. But if you have a family especially with kids, safety is the number 1 priority and you cant put a price on it. In crosswinds, it will move the truck and trailer together as a unit which is normal. Not just the trailer like you're experiencing. Very rock solid towing experience. I just bought one very recently and I'm very happy with it. I have an 18 5.0 3.73 screw 6.5 bed. I tow a 34ft in total length Grand Design Reflection 297rsts travel trailer 8900lbs loaded. Its 8164 dry. My weight distributed tongue weight is 940 and yes I did have it weighed. I kicked myself in the butt for buying too much trailer especially the length. I had that regret, I'm not going to lie to you. After installing that hitch, I don't have that regret anymore. It's either I'd do that, or trade my truck in after 4 months of buying it for an F250 which I'm not going to do. I dont want another truck payment. If you decide to go this route it's cheaper than upgrading to a bigger truck.
#4
Senior Member
There's a stick on the bottom of your trailer hitch that will tell you what the max trailer weight and max weight distribution weight. It will also say what the max trailer and tongue weight without using a WDH. For example my max weight distribution weight is 1160lbs and max trailer weight is 11600lbs. 500 lbs of max tongue weight without a wdh and 5000lbs without using a wdh. That's why you get your trailer weighed so that way you know how much tongue weight you're putting on your truck.
#7
So you say the scaled TW of the trailer alone is 940lbs and the total weight is 8900? The WD TW rating on the hitch sticker is the max weight the tongue of the trailer can be before WD is applied.
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#8
Well, all I can tell you is that when you're towing a travel trailer which is basically a huge sail, you're going to feel it more. I know it's scary because I've been through it. The trailer itself does sway. The wdh setup you have controls/dampens away. If the sway gets bad enough with the high winds or going faster than 65 then that sway control on your hitch setup will be overtaken. Just slow it down To 50-55 mph or if it's real bad, get off the highway and park somewhere until the winds die down.
The best wdh that will eliminate sway completely is the Propride P3 hitch. It is guaranteed to do that. It is the best hitch on the market. Very pricey. But if you have a family especially with kids, safety is the number 1 priority and you cant put a price on it. In crosswinds, it will move the truck and trailer together as a unit which is normal. Not just the trailer like you're experiencing. Very rock solid towing experience. I just bought one very recently and I'm very happy with it. I have an 18 5.0 3.73 screw 6.5 bed. I tow a 34ft in total length Grand Design Reflection 297rsts travel trailer 8900lbs loaded. Its 8164 dry. My weight distributed tongue weight is 940 and yes I did have it weighed. I kicked myself in the butt for buying too much trailer especially the length. I had that regret, I'm not going to lie to you. After installing that hitch, I don't have that regret anymore. It's either I'd do that, or trade my truck in after 4 months of buying it for an F250 which I'm not going to do. I dont want another truck payment. If you decide to go this route it's cheaper than upgrading to a bigger truck.
The best wdh that will eliminate sway completely is the Propride P3 hitch. It is guaranteed to do that. It is the best hitch on the market. Very pricey. But if you have a family especially with kids, safety is the number 1 priority and you cant put a price on it. In crosswinds, it will move the truck and trailer together as a unit which is normal. Not just the trailer like you're experiencing. Very rock solid towing experience. I just bought one very recently and I'm very happy with it. I have an 18 5.0 3.73 screw 6.5 bed. I tow a 34ft in total length Grand Design Reflection 297rsts travel trailer 8900lbs loaded. Its 8164 dry. My weight distributed tongue weight is 940 and yes I did have it weighed. I kicked myself in the butt for buying too much trailer especially the length. I had that regret, I'm not going to lie to you. After installing that hitch, I don't have that regret anymore. It's either I'd do that, or trade my truck in after 4 months of buying it for an F250 which I'm not going to do. I dont want another truck payment. If you decide to go this route it's cheaper than upgrading to a bigger truck.
What about other options for stiffening the ride? Tires? Other suspension components?
#9
I'm going to concur about that spendy P3. That is a very viable option other than moving up to a 250. We only have a 23 footer and have the equalizer and love it. I've yet to go somewhere where there's major cross winds and when I get passed by semi's I've not felt any sway. Of course we don't drive faster than the posted speed limit and I rarely pass others so speed my friend is the key. If the equalizer does start to feel inadequate, I will try that P3 before I even think about moving up to a 250 as this is my DD truck. Safe travels!
#10
Have you returned the front axle weight to the empty weight? If not, do this and you should find the truck handles the wind better. Been through that myself, went by the OM of 25% on the front and it swayed over 60 MPH, got it to 50% and it was better but still moved around with winds and trucks Got it to 100% with a Blue Ox and it is rock solid now. Wind pushed the entire rig instead of one then the other. Didn't fix the underlying issue, but confident that on my new truck it will be a very nice tow.