I recently purchased a Jayco 26rls tt.My tv is a f150 ecoboost with a
wd hitch and sway bar.I traveled to the fla. keys and back and had some issues with trailer sway when it was windy.Passing truck and trailers were not a concern.The day I left, the wind was gusting 20 to 35 mph.The front end of the tv felt like it was floating.I was thinking about adding another sway bar.I am new to towing a trailer, am sure everyone has experienced tt sway from time to time.Has anyone had the same problem under windy conditions.
Wind makes it fun for sure. I do (and the friction sway bar manufacturers) recommend a second sway bar for trailers over 25 ft.
I run two and I am well pleased.
They are too cheap not to upgrade to the extra one. I am sure you will be pleased.
Be prepared though, you are about to be given recommendations for Hensley, dual cam, and equal-I-zer hitches with intigrated sway control from this forum. They are great too, but I, and thousands more, are satisfied with friction sway control. Nothing wrong with either though.
Thanks
TT: 1995 Layton 2910
Tow Vehicle: 1999 F-350, v10, 2wd, Crew Cab, Dually
Hitch: Draw-Tite Trunnion WD Hitch
Sway Control: Valley dual friction sway control
Brake Control: Tekonsha Voyager
"It's Kind of Fun To Do The Impossible"
~Walt Disney~
Keeping speed down to between 50-60 mph works very well for me without sway bars of any kind.
In windier conditions or on downhills I may go a bit slower.
And on the freeway I keep an eye on the rear views and if a semi comes up to pass I put one hand on my manual brake controller knob.
Application of trailer brakes (ONLY) while the big boy's getting past keeps the trailer in line.
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies toJ.R.R. Tolkien
Should've got a 1 ton dually. Just kidding, sounds like a combination of things. Not enough/or heavy enough WD bars/tension. Tires not at max psi. Too little tongue weight. Our Heartland NT 26LRSS has sway tendencies. the axles are more towards the center and most everything heavy is over or behind the axles. Thus contributing to a light TW. I have now got the TW to 13% of 7200lbs. But it still has a wiggle going down the road. Can't feel it in the truck but you can see it in the mirrors. Those winds are relativly high for towing a TT, so most would get some sway. It may be inherent of your TV/TT combo also. But since the front is floating I would say you need to crank insome more tension on the WD bars. Maybe add another washer or whatever it takes to tilt the hitch head down, then grab a little more tension on the bars.
Tell us what your WD set up is and more about your TV. Another thing is those friction bars may not be the best for a long TT, going with a better WD hitch like a Reese or EQ will be better. Find one with built in sway control.
I recommend re-adjusting your WD hitch according to this thread. Then add a second sway bar.
I had similar problems when my WD was out of adjustment. The Reese dual cam is a bit picky about that. Once dailed in, I had no problems up to 75mph if I chose.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009 2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS 2012 VW Passat TDI
I had some issues that felt like the front end was floating. They were only resolved after going through my WD setup myself and finding my dealer had some things way out of whack. I have a single friction bar installed and the second is ready to install...I believe my setup will be pretty solid once the second friction bar is in place.
2011 Keystone Passport 2590BH
2008 Chevy Silverado 1500 Z71 Extended Cab
2012 Chevy Tahoe
Prodigy BC
Bulldog #4000 Tongue Jack
Do make sure your TONGUE weight really is 13 to 15% of the FULLY LOADED TT weight. Many folks don't bother to ever properly weigh things, and some live to regret it. Your description is very typical of an under adjusted WD hitch.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Australian Shepherd
2010 Ford Expedition TV
2010 Outback 230RS Toybox, 5390# UVW, 6800# Loaded Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
If the wind continues to push you around you might check your owners manual for instructions for setting up your WD system. The instructions have changed for the 2011 model year and I set mine up using the same criteria I had always used and noticed more movement than I"d had with previous trucks. After reviewing the new instructions and making corrections, it is not rock solid. Ford is only recommending removing half of the front end rise whereas the old instructions have always said to put it back to it's original stance.
I'd ALSO recommend you get rid of the friction bar and install an integrated anti sway system. they apply nearly 2.5 times as much force as a friction bar.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
Offline
Online
