Need better anti sway? Or maybe im just spoiled by popups?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
nrg2brn

nrg2brn

Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2017
Posts
14
Ive recently gone from popups to my new travel trailer - a winnebago winnie drop 170k, 2880 dry, 4000 loaded (calculated WITH DW and kids in back of the truck - we dont haul water)
the tow vehicle is reasonable, 6800lbs max, so we are good there, but my cheap husky friction sway does not instill me with happiness and blood flow in the knuckles when windy, traveling at 68mph, and a truck passing. I do not want or need to go with wd hitch, and since im not bill gates, I cant do a hensely arrow, nor would I but, is there something a little better than a little husky friction? perhaps im being a bit of a nimby, do TT's just tow a little more...like somethign is back there.....than popups? I assume so, hell, its like a sail back there. any thoughts are welcome from this dark side noob :)

~nrg
 
Try filling your water tank.  Your trailer may be too light for it's suspension.  Make sure you have enough tongue weight.

I have a Husky and couldn't be happier.  No sway.  Easy set up and removal.  I can back my trailer up without disconnecting. :)(
 
I do try to put more weight up front, like the old pop up days, but its hard, I dont have the storage unit up front. I dont have a lot of options. perhaps I should put some water in there. ive noticed the tank is a bit north of the axle. maybe that will help. and yeah, sometimes I think that I acutally have to drive this thing slower than I did with the popup. I was using the 68 mph as the highest speed I would ever go, as hyperbole. I need to watch some youtube vids on people adjusting their husky;s. maybe im just not tightening it enough.

nrg
 
After you have the trailer hitched up, stand off to the side and look at it.
It should be perfectly level with your TV, (in the exact same plane).
If it is not, you need a weight distribution set up better then what you have.

Just  a guess here, but I am thinking perhaps the rear end of your TV is too low or too high

jack L
 
Like someone else said, it might be your rig would tow better with some water in it. Ours certainly does. Also the recommendation of checking your front bumper height when not connected and again then hooked up is a good one. You shouldn?t have the front of the tow vehicle more than an inch off I connected height when connected. If you do, you need a WDH. We have used Equil-I-zer WDh And Seay control for years and years on multiple trailers. Good compromise between cost and benefit, and you can install it yourself if you are at all handy and follow the instructions.

As for speed, I don?t think your knuckles will get more blood flow if you tow 3 mph less. It should be noted that many trailer tires are rated at 65 mph, so check yours. I also think that if you can?t drive your rig comfortably at 65 mph then something in the set up is wrong. You may choose to drive slower for fuel mileage, but your set up should not keep you from driving 65. Fix the rig instead of driving 60.
 
I think you would be really happy if you put a WD hitch on.  I resented the idea, but couldn't be happier.  $300, and 2 hours labor.  Go to e-trailer.com and research. I still play with my Reese anti sway, if I crank it down, sometimes it moans like a whale during turns in the city, lol.  68mph is a tad fast, especially if you are not distributed perfect.  I tow 65-70 as the norm, and stick closer to 65 only because I start to suffer MPG really bad.

 
He is towing with a Nissan, driving too fast and doesn't have the sway control engaged.  This information gleaned from another forum.
 
Your hitch weight is probably pushing 500lbs and given your max tow is 6800lb, I'm guessing your TV+hitch isn't rated to tow that TT without a WDH...check the label on the hitch.

The Drop is pretty aerodynamic but if you are pulling it at 68mph with an SUV (my guess), that 17' tail is wagging the dog.

My 2 cents: spend the money on a decent WDH with anti-sway
 
I'm no fan of those friction sway-control  devices. Rarely are they adjusted properly to begin with, and they wear over time or get dirty or oily from road travel.  But a better anti-way device isn't what you need anyway.

You mentioned 68 mph and wind, and that's a poor combination to begin with. The Drop has a lot more sidewall area than any pop-up and is going to be greatly affected by crosswinds and passing semis. It's the nature of the beast.  The best thing you can do is increase the tongue weight, which helps keep the trailer pointed  in the right direction. 10% of the gross weight is a minimum and 12-15% is better for windy days and higher speeds. That's probably somewhere between 350 and 500 lbs for a Drop 17.  Weigh the trailer & tow vehicle to determine the actual tongue weight when loaded for travel and start from there to determine what to do.

Carrying more water can be good or bad, depending on where the tank is located, i.e. forward or behind the axles. One adds tongue weight, the other removes it.

What is the max tongue weight your tow vehicle can handle?  Even 350 lbs is probably a lot for a typical SUV.  Are you using a Weight-Distributing hitch as well as the friction sway device?  Does the tow vehicle ride level or sag down at the back when the trailer is hitched?
 
We really need to know what your tow vehicle is and what your receiver weight limits are.  It would be very helpful if you got it weighed.  You can get a tongue wt at home.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx

I suspect you may not have enough tongue wt and / or you are overweight on the hitch and need a WD hitch.
 
I agree what is the vehicle towing the trailer and what does the yellow door decal say for weight capacity, what is the hitch weight on the trailer,
A used wd hitch can be. Purchased cheap enough there isnt much to them

And

Redistribution of the weight in the trailer

But somemore info is needed please
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 405 (members: 7, guests: 398)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,913
Posts
1,387,270
Members
137,665
Latest member
skibumbob
Back
Top Bottom