Divacat
Arkansas
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We just bought our first TT Toy Hauler - 2012 Work and Play by Forest River. It is 30 ft long/9000 lb. dry weight. We are pulling it with a 2012 Toyota Tundra 5.7L - tow package plus we added the WDH and a sway bar on one side. First time out we loaded our bikes (two harleys) - the trailer is all over the place. We could no exceed 50 mph or the TT would sway. We are at a loss of where to start on getting control of the TT. The specs on the truck state it is rated to pull the TT. If we have a WDH and a sway bar why is it still swaying so badly when we haul it? We have only had it out the one time (loaded with bikes) and it was the most stressful experience ever. I am scared we just made a significant mistake...what should have been our dream is now a nightmare. Do we need to add a sway control to the other side of the tongue? Does that make a significant difference? I can't imagine what it would have been like to pull with no WDH or sway bar.
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LoneCowboy
Colorado
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not enough tongue weight.
two harley's probably weigh 1600lbs or more, way at the back end.
there's no weight on the tongue.
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the bear II
Torrance CA.
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Usually a sway problem will be caused by not enough weight at the tongue of the trailer. When you put your Harleys in the back you are adding approximately 1000 lbs to the rear of the toyhauler which will act as a counter balance at the tongue.
Try adjusting your WDH to put more weight at the tongue rather than send the weight across the frame of the Tundra. Otherwise try to get the Harley weight as close to the front of the toyhauler as possible.
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bikendan
Napa, Cal.
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IMHO, that's too much trailer for a 1/2 ton pickup, even with a WDH.
with a fictional "dry" weight of 9000lbs. plus options, propane, battery, cargo and your toys, it's got to be over the Tundra's max.
even the best WDH/sway control won't help a overloaded combo.
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downtheroad
Pacific Northwest
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Welcome to the Forum..your first post.
You have a lot going on here.
Who told you that you could safely and comfortably tow a 30 foot 9K dry toy hauler with your Tundra?
I suspect that loaded trip ready, you are a good bit over weight.
Also, a single or even double friction bar set up is not the best choice for a heavy 30 footer. There are a number of much better options.
Bottom line...my opinion, you are asking way too much from your Tundra.
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mpfireman
Cook County Il
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The # 1 cause of trailer sway is, too much weight loaded to the trailers rear. Those bikes are not light, thus try driving around without those bikes and see if you trailer handles differently. I bet it will. Plus you might have your sway bar incorrectly adjusted. I own a fiver, thus these are not necessary. As stated, just take a ride, without those bikes.
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rfryer
Phoenix
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Personally, I think that may be way to much TT for your TV. But I think your problem is more weight distribution than total weight. I'm not knowledgeable enough to give you good input, but there are many on the forum that can and I think you'll be getting those responses soon.
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Divacat
Arkansas
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LoneCowboy wrote:not enough tongue weight.
two harley's probably weigh 1600lbs or more, way at the back end.
there's no weight on the tongue.
Our bikes don't weigh more than 1100 lbs overall. I have a Sportster 883 and he has a Vrod.
But even still - if the weight of the bikes are offsetting the tongue weight then that would make sense.
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Divacat
Arkansas
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rfryer wrote:Personally, I think that may be way to much TT for your TV. But I think your problem is more weight distribution than total weight. I'm not knowledgeable enough to give you good input, but there are many on the forum that can and I think you'll be getting those responses soon.
My husband drove the TT off the lot, empty and he said it handled the same way empty as it did with two bikes loaded.
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BarneyS
S.E. Lower Michigan
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the bear II wrote:Usually a sway problem will be caused by not enough weight at the tongue of the trailer. When you put your Harleys in the back you are adding approximately 1000 lbs to the rear of the toyhauler which will act as a counter balance at the tongue.
Try adjusting your WDH to put more weight at the tongue rather than send the weight across the frame of the Tundra. Otherwise try to get the Harley weight as close to the front of the toyhauler as possible.
The first paragraph is correct but the second one is wrong. You DO need more tongue weight but adjusting the WD hitch is not going to change it. Tongue weight is tongue weight and the only ways to change it is to move some weight in the trailer forward of the axles, move the wheels/axles themselves, or change the tongue length.
Adjusting the hitch only changes the effects of the tongue weight on the tow vehicle. It will NOT make a trailer that is tail heavy stop swaying or change its' tongue weight. You need to get some weight off the rear of your trailer OR add some weight to the front when you put the bikes in the rear. Maybe the fresh water tank is up there and will need to be full, or some other tank like a gas tank.
Usually, toy haulers have a VERY heavy tongue weight when unloaded in order to compensate for the weight of the toys when loaded in the rear. Sounds like your trailer manufacturer forgot about that important item, or you are loading heavier than the trailer is designed for.
A single friction sway control bar is not enough for that long or heavy of a trailer. You should be using two of them, even if the trailer is balanced correctly. Even better would be a hitch with built in sway control such as the Reese "Strait Line" hitch or the Equal-i-zer hitch. There are others also.
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