I have a 2021 Grand Design Momentum 381m 5th wheel. I knew based on others experience, the layout on these make the pin weight lighter than normal with a toy in the garage. I've got a 2100# SxS that I back into the garage.
We took a trip about an hour away and the drive wasn't great. Everything about the towing experience was good except one big thing. It felt really sensitive to sway. It just felt like it had a tendency to continue swaying until I intervene. I never had it get dangerously out of line or anything like that. So it wasn't terrible, but just didn't feel right. It's hard to explain. I Felt like it would not be a good time doing this for 7+ hours. I have towed with my last truck (tundra) at capacity (10k~) and it felt more stable as a bumper pull than this fifth wheel right (even though everything I read it should be opposite.). I was going 62ish in a 75 most the time ... But some of the time I had to go as slow as 53 or so just to feel stable.
Then I weighed myself and founds the problem. My pin weight is WAY too light. It was 2620 on a 19k trailer weight. I moved everything I could think of that had any weight to it up into the bedroom and the best I can get it to is 2660#. 14% is not good! This hopefully explains the driving experience.
Here are some things I have thought about:
Thanks guys
We took a trip about an hour away and the drive wasn't great. Everything about the towing experience was good except one big thing. It felt really sensitive to sway. It just felt like it had a tendency to continue swaying until I intervene. I never had it get dangerously out of line or anything like that. So it wasn't terrible, but just didn't feel right. It's hard to explain. I Felt like it would not be a good time doing this for 7+ hours. I have towed with my last truck (tundra) at capacity (10k~) and it felt more stable as a bumper pull than this fifth wheel right (even though everything I read it should be opposite.). I was going 62ish in a 75 most the time ... But some of the time I had to go as slow as 53 or so just to feel stable.
Then I weighed myself and founds the problem. My pin weight is WAY too light. It was 2620 on a 19k trailer weight. I moved everything I could think of that had any weight to it up into the bedroom and the best I can get it to is 2660#. 14% is not good! This hopefully explains the driving experience.
Here are some things I have thought about:
- I have airbags coming in as my back end is 2" lower than my front when loaded. So I imagine it's gonna get even worse as the front of the trailer is raised from raising the rear end!
- Water tanks would be a good idea, but my research has shown they are over the axle's and won't help
- I can lower my Pullrite 2600 hitch receiver one inch, and lowering the nose the trailer a little should transfer some weight. But as I said, this may not even even out the airbags. Also, right now I have 8" truck bed clearance, and this would eat up some of that, which isn't great.
- Literally add some kind of dead weight in the Generator/Battery compartment. But it sucks to have to tow more weight.
Thanks guys
Last edited: