Hitch advice, sway and bounce

[bugman3]

I have a 2010 Yukon Denali towing a 2008 27FB trailer. I have towed for many years using just a weight distribution hitch, no sway control and I haven't weighed anything. I notice that everything in the rear of my trailer gets really thrown around, cabinets open while driving, my sub woofer came unattached, the table moves around, even my bike rack bent, so I am thinking maybe I should look a little closer at what I can do in terms of hitch and sway control. I have always just thought it was normal, so I try to store stuff in the bedroom when travelling as the bedroom area is undisturbed. I have a pretty basic hitch, a DSP I believe, came with the trailer. I had a fridge hinge problem and some one suggested trailer bounce could be a problem, although that didn't break the hinge, it may have created the wear and tear. Thoughts? where to look, opinions....

[cwf]

you have opened a multi-faceted and target rich Thread!!!! Congratulations.. and 'good luck'...

Let the abuse begin...

How is your rig setup on the CAT scales?

[AWCHIEF]

Another fun thread 😈

[bugman3]

Cat scale??

[cwf]

Originally Posted by bugman3

Cat scale??

That is a serious question. A "CAT" scale is an actual scale used to weigh vehicles like 18 wheeler to ensure they are within legal limits, balanced, and can properly invoice the customer.

The advantage to RV's is we can weigh our rigs while setup for camping or empty... This is how you determine the RV and TV weights. Then, balance and tongue weight of RV against the Manufacturer specifications. Now you can compute proper tongue weight and WD transfer.

There is a spreadsheet on the forum where you can plug in the numbers and get the weight targets.

Here is thread link....
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...sis-19236.html

There is good info in first post... Spreadsheet is at post 69 I think.

Also, don't forget the TV condition.. If shock absorbers are not dampening the bounce, they may need replacement.

[boondockdad]

Sounds like a lot of movement to do that much damage. Do you feel any sway while underway?

What tires on ur trailer?
After changing out the ST bombs with larger LTX, I noticed signs of increased vibration. But, it looks like a set of Centramtics took care of that.

(Had to get the ST shot in there....)

[Urbanologist]

What you're describing is a wave pattern from your hitch point. It's much like the wave you see when a rock or boat moves through water - its wake. The more severe the bump or sway, the more intense the wake/wave magnifying itself through your trailer. That's why stuff near the hitch stays stable and midpoint to rear gets tossed. To counteract this you MUST dampen the effect by sway control AND weight distribution technology. Once I did BOTH, the physics of towing a 34' AS changed - no more "earthquake" damage between points A to B.

[JimGolden]

Check your tire pressure as well. Running too high a pressure will really bounce things around. Too low a pressure though and the carcass overheats and comes apart. Better to err on the high side, but not too crazy.

Best of luck,

[paddle whisp]

Use a sway bar.

[Phoenix]

Bugman3, low tire pressure can sometimes cause a wallowing effect that might contribute to some of your problems.

What kind of tires (specifically, load range) are you running, and at what tire pressure?

[gwg]

I'll stay of of the WD / sway comments but I do know that when we had a front bedroom floorplan the kitchen cabinets, drawers opening were an issue. With a rear bedroom layout problem solved.

[cwf]

So, two tires walk into the Sway Bar...
Tire1...I think I can get the swing of this!
Tire two... You are so full of hot air...

[PKI]

Sounds like a wireless g-force meter would be an interesting tool to measure improvements ........ or maybe we could just use Lacy? Then again, there is probably an app for it.

Guess if the RVer had filled with N2, slowed down a bit, and inflated to the correct pressure for the load, Tire #1&2 would still be spinning in the wind, instead of wrapped around a sway bar. Pat

[Jammer]

Hi bugman

Serious problem deserving serious advice so here you go

Yes, go to the scale, cat or otherwise, and confirm all your weights. There are threads on how exactly to do this. The two things you want to confirm are that the tongue weight is around 10-15% of the trailer weight, and that the weight on the front wheels of the tow vehicle is more or less the same with the trailer as without.

Get your trailer tires balanced and make the shop tell you whether/how much of a change in weight they made, if large, that might be your problem.

Check tire inflation, opinions vary, you should either be at the max PSI for the tires or at a somewhat lower PSI based on actual load, depending on what school of thought you subscribe to, or somewhere in between, if not maybe that's your problem.

Check to be sure the trailer shock absorbers are present and working. Opinions vary on how much they help but at a minimum it's something to try. Replacements are not expensive nor are they difficult to install.

[dalecamp`]

Bugman3, You might consider an Airsafe Hitch. I have a 34 foot Avion that has had similar issues towing with a 2500HD Chevy 4X4. I researched the receiver mount Airsafe hitch on this forum and others and decided it was the best solution for my situation. Everyone is different and everyone will have a solution for you. This the one that I'm using and am very happy I made the change from the standard load equalization hitch. I also use a friction sway control bar.
Best of luck.

Dale Camp
1982 Avion 34V

Airsafe:
http://airsafehitch.com/category/air...ivers/class-v/

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by bugman3

cat scale??

ditto!!!!!What does a Cat weigh???😞

[bugman3]

Doesn't seem likely the shocks are done, after all it isn't that old and not really used that much. Certainly I'll check the tire pressures, something I always do anyway. Tires are oem, not very worn I would say. I also plan to add a sway control hitch which should help with the unintended lane change tendency when being over taking by a semi. I guess having a shorter vehicle doesn't help the sway either.

A suggestion from the airstream service center was to ensure I have the proper ball height when towing, they say perhaps the trailer may be a bit low on the back end. The trailer looks level when hooked up to me. Last years trip was along the coast from Washington state to San Francisco, a rough ish road for sure. A previous comment from a former front bedroom owner seems to suggest that open cabinets may be a normal occurrence. I adjusted some of the door catches and that seemed to help.

[SSquared]

Originally Posted by bugman3

I have a 2010 Yukon Denali towing a 2008 27FB trailer. I have towed for many years using just a weight distribution hitch, no sway control and I haven't weighed anything. I notice that everything in the rear of my trailer gets really thrown around, cabinets open while driving, my sub woofer came unattached, the table moves around, even my bike rack bent, so I am thinking maybe I should look a little closer at what I can do in terms of hitch and sway control. I have always just thought it was normal, so I try to store stuff in the bedroom when travelling as the bedroom area is undisturbed. I have a pretty basic hitch, a DSP I believe, came with the trailer. I had a fridge hinge problem and some one suggested trailer bounce could be a problem, although that didn't break the hinge, it may have created the wear and tear. Thoughts? where to look, opinions....

I also have a 2010 Yukon Denali (short wheelbase, AWD). I tow a 2013 25FB. I have used both Blue Ox and EAZ Lift WD hitches. The combination bounces a lot on concrete highways. I think it is just the nature of the tow vehicle.

We often find our cushions on the floor. One time our table detached from the wall (we hit a pretty big pothole that day). We have had three rivets lost inside, which is not a lot for 15,000 miles.

Without the trailer, the Yukon ride on the highway is good, better than a pickup, but not as good as our minivan.

[kleimanr]

What weight hitch bars are you running? Is your tow vehicle a half ton or bigger? Sounds like your setup is too ridged.

[bugman3]

Not sure what the tow bars are, probably 1000. The vehicle has an air set-up which controls the height automatically. Not sure if a Yukon Denali is 1/2 or 3/4 ton.