Frizlefrak
Well-known member
Wavery said:
Nicely done. Nailed it perfectly. 8)
Get it to the scales and know for sure.
Trailer Sway
- Thread starter Poe
- Start date
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Nicely done. Nailed it perfectly. 8)
Get it to the scales and know for sure.
warsw
Well-known member
Really.............It sounds more like there is a lot of ad-libbing going on.Frizlefrak said:
Frizlefrak
Well-known member
How is suggesting he take it to the scales and find out for sure "Ad-Libbing"??
warsw
Well-known member
You missed the rest of the post I think.Frizlefrak said:
warsw
Well-known member
This is what I was referring to.Wavery said:
Frizlefrak
Well-known member
True, we don't have a specific model number yet. And really, even with the MFG numbers, it's still a guessing game without putting it on the scale as ready to travel. But I still suspect that trailer is a bit portly for what the OP is towing it with, which if that isn't directly causing the sway condition, it's aggravating it.
BigDfromTN
Well-known member
Poe said:
First of all. Go to Library and check out..... http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=195:using-a-adjusting-a-weight-distributing-hitch&catid=26:towing-and-towables&Itemid=45
Set your hitch up per instructions. If you still have sway. Tighten the friction sway control. Simple as that.
That's true but we have no choice but to "Ad-lib" when we don't have all the facts. I thought that I was pretty careful to state that fact. I even stated, "All conjecture, I know....." and I was clear that I was referring to the trailer that I found that met the OPs only description. IMO.... It's best to err on the side of caution than the side of recklessness.warsw said:
I think that it's a lot safer than stating, "I pulled that 6200 lb TT (28 ft) with out any sway control and had no problem at all." Leaving the OP with the assumption that the OP would have a similar trailer with a similar experience. I see no real-time comparison between the 2 trailers or 2 TVs for that matter.
I think that it may be a tad careless to make statements like that in forums like this because often times that's exactly what a new poster is looking for to justify something that he knows in his heart is wrong........ then when all goes bad, they have this as a justification for their actions (not referring to the OP).
Everyone, thank you for your feedback. I was just looking for some good experienced advice...I did not mean to start an argument among any of you. I was a over the road truck driver for 7 years and I have not experienced this before. The trailer is a 2013 Keystone Cougar RBK Xtra-lite 7200 lbs (dry weight) 750 lbs tongue weight. My TV is rated for 9000 lbs plus some change. It is not a standard Expedition it is an EL. Its longer than a standard Expedition. Your right, I have not gone to the scales to figure out the actual tongue weight. I'm going to do that. This trailer is completely empty other than 200 lbs gear in the very nose. I have only towed this twice since I bought it......once, home from the dealer and once with the front water tank completely full to see if this made a difference. My WD bars are on the very first chain link...lowest WD possible as set by the dealer. My main concern was if the dealer had things set up properly and correctly. Everyone has given me great things to try to get this fixed and I appreciate it. I think I just need to do some weighing, adjusting, with it loaded, and then test drive then make adjustments.
The problem with "Dry weight" is that often does not include extras like A/C awnings etc...... I believe that you should have a sticker that tells you the "Delivered Wt". At any rate, I think that you will find that your loaded wt will be closer to 8500# with a tongue wt of well over 800#.Poe said:
The other figure that you will need to know is the GCWR of your Expedition. It's best to subtract the GVWR from the GCWR of the vehicle to come up with the max wt that the vehicle is rated to tow (this is what I found....2013 Expedition GCWR: 4x2: 11,800; 4x4/EL 4x2: 12,100; EL 4x4: 12,300 http://www.sandersonford.com/2013-Ford-Expedition-Phoenix-AZ.aspx )..... Keep in mind, the MAX tow rating is the max wt that the empty vehicle can tow as long as long as no other ratings are exceeded. 9,000# is not a realistic # for a fully loaded vehicle, pulling a long camping trailer, ready for a camp-out. In fact, I don't see how Ford can advertise a 9K# tow rating at all with those #s..... I must have something wrong.... you will have to use the actual #s from YOUR "Owners Manual". You would have to have a GCWR of at least 15,000# if your curb wt is 6,000#
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tab=specs&recnum=&actLog=&listingId=106044390&paId=492116862&listingRecNum=6&criteria=sf1Dir%3dDESC%26mkId%3d20015%26stkTyp%3dU%26mdId%3d21085%26rd%3d30%26crSrtFlds%3dstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3d92627%26rn%3d0%26PMmt%3d1-1-0%26stkTypId%3d28881%26sf2Dir%3dASC%26sf1Nm%3dprice%26sf2Nm%3dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3dfalse%26rpp%3d50%26feedSegId%3d28705&tracktype=usedcc&pageNumber=&numResultsPerPage=&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE&certifiedOnly=false&&aff=national
Curb weight 5,928 lbs.
GVWR 7,625 lbs.
Payload 1,697 lbs.
Towing capacity 9,000 lbs.
Using the #s above..........If you just use the 12,300# figure and subtract your curb wt of 6,000#, you will see that your vehicle is grossly over-loaded with your empty trailer even before you even begin to add passengers and cargo to either.. It's best to have actual #s from YOUR vehicle.
mnmnutswer
Well-known member
More weight towads the front then the rear will do away with the sway.
warsw
Well-known member
What I stated was fact. Yours was not. What my statement was saying was that with proper set up I got no sway even without sway control using the SAME vehicle the OP was using. He maybe pulling a little heavy with his set up but the SWAY is because he doesn't have things setup properly not because he might be 50 lbs over on his tongue weight. That's a different problem.Wavery said:
It may not have been wrong. You were just making assumptions. I was going on what info was given not trying to interject something that wasn?t there.
Have you every pulled a TT with an Expedition? If not you have absolutely no experience with his set-up. Set up properly an Expedition is a very capable tow rig. You don't need a One Ton Dully to pull an empty 8' utility Trailer :
.You win..... ;Dwarsw said:What I stated was fact. Yours was not. What my statement was saying was that with proper set up I got no sway even without sway control using the SAME vehicle the OP was using. He maybe pulling a little heavy with his set up but the SWAY is because he doesn't have things setup properly not because he might be 50 lbs over on his tongue weight. That's a different problem.
It may not have been wrong. You were just making assumptions. I was going on what info was given not trying to interject something that wasn?t there.
Have you every pulled a TT with an Expedition? If not you have absolutely no experience with his set-up. Set up properly an Expedition is a very capable tow rig. You don't need a One Ton Dully to pull an empty 8' utility Trailer :
Mopar1973Man
Well-known member
Another factor that makes sway worse is tire pressures on the TV and also on the TT. If the tire pressures are lower than there suppose to then sway becomes more pronounced. I learned this lesson not to long ago. I hitch up the RV and thought I pull it down the highway for a few miles come back and park it. I didn't change my tire pressures from empty to towing numbers. Wow! The trailer pull the truck left to right all over the place. Next trip out I air up the tire on the truck and absolutely no issues with sway. I don't even have a sway bar. Sometimes it also makes it better to let out one link on the WD bars and put more weight on the rear of the tow vehicle. Just some things I've figured out towing a 7,500# (scaled) 31' Jayco Eagle 296 FBS with a 2500 Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo Diesel.
Mud Puppy
Well-known member
Wow I din not see anyone suggest to OP how to set up a WD hitch. I found it in the arcives when I needed it and it was most helpful.
Measure front and back bumpers of vehicle unloaded. Hook up TT and WD hitch and measure again. Try to keep lost inches as close as possible.
Cathy
Measure front and back bumpers of vehicle unloaded. Hook up TT and WD hitch and measure again. Try to keep lost inches as close as possible.
Cathy
tanglemoose
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 14, 2013
- Posts
- 708
We have a Dutchman Kodiak 200Q, 25' that has a equalizer hitch that came with the travel trailer. We are now in process of buying new truck, Toyota tundra that has built in sway... brake system etc... is anyone familiar with this? We are wondering if we still need to use the equalizer hitch with new 2013 trucks? thanks, I am sure I have not given you enough info..
Hights,
Hights,
warsw
Well-known member
Yes, you will still need a WD hitch and some sort of sway control. The built in sway control in the Tundra is there to help stop loss of control in the event that the trailer gets excessive sway. It does not work to stop it from happening. It works to get the trailer back under control when/if it does and it does absolutely nothing for weight distribution. Hope this helps some.tanglemoose said:
