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Old 07-05-2017, 04:58 PM   #1
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1996 34' Excella
Americus , Georgia
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2017 Ford F250 and trailer sway ???

Hi All, I just made the first tow with a new F 250 this past weekend and the stability was not good so I am inquiring to see if other 2017 F250 owners have had this type of experience and if so have you been able to correct it.

I have a 2017 Ford F250 Crew Cab 4X4 diesel short bed and I am towing a 96 34ft trailer with the Reese dual cam and one eazlift friction bar.

I have towed this trailer with this hitch setup with my 94 chevy crew cab dually and never had any issues with sway at all just a pleasure to drive .

What I have done thus far to prepare for the F250 is:
New drop bar to lower hitch head so trailer will ride level
add 7 way wiring extension to reach the truck end plug
set up Reese dual cam WD hitch

The sway was bad enough that drawers came open, microwave dish would push the door open and come out, closet doors came open, illuminated the trailer sway light on the instrument cluster, and of course very dangerous on the road.

The truck has a good ride but wonder if its to soft ? Also it sits up very high and wonder if that has anything to do with it ? I still have my 94 chev and like the versatility of this hitch set because I have two different heads and can use one for the ford and have one setup for the chevy.

Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.Thanks
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Old 07-05-2017, 06:21 PM   #2
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I tow our 86 Classic Limited with a '13 F350 diesel. We used the Reese dual cam hitch for years and years with no problems. When using the Reese hitch, I did have some "jolts" of sway when passed by a semi, or in heavy eastern Colorado cross winds. We are using the Reese on my son's Globetrotter single axle and it works well. He had no weight distribution or sway control before I gave him the Reese, and he made note of the dramatic reduction in sway.

Have you weighed your truck's axles and your trailer's axles to ensure you have your hitch adjusted the way you want it. Maybe the tongue weight is too light, or there's too much weight in the trailer behind the axles. There is very little difference between the F250 and the F350, about $1000 retail. Most of it is the helper springs on the rear axle. My truck may "squat" in the rear a bit less than yours when we drop that 800 pounds tongue weight trailer on the back bumper. I hope your truck is within an inch of level with the weight bars cinched up. I measured mine on level ground at the wheel well lips before and after hitching up.

I did switch to a "no sway" ProPride hitch. Wow, what a dramatic difference it made for me. I have NO sway what so ever now. But it was manageable with the Reese, just not as good as with the ProPride.

Your new F250 may have the new "anti sway" system on it where it can apply the right brakes to eliminate sway once it detects sway. You mention the "trailer sway" light came on during these sway events.

Let's see what others might have to say. There are a lot of hitch experts here on Air Forums.

David
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Old 07-05-2017, 06:36 PM   #3
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Hi

On a F-250 combined with a 30' Classic, things aren't all that bad. I do have a different hitch, but I doubt it is any better or worse than yours.

Bob
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Old 07-05-2017, 07:40 PM   #4
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Davis... I have a 2016 F350. It comes standard with a 3 inch receiver and a sleeve to fit a 2 1/2 inch shank.

I did a Thread on Hitches about the Slop when using a 2 1/2" shank with the sleeve in the 3" receiver. The clunk of the shank up and down movement was heard and first caught my attention when departing service stations.

Might this be your issue? I ended up buying a 3" shank for my Equalizer Hitch and it fits much tighter. I use a shim that slides into the receiver to reduce the up and down slop. I had no sway, but did not like the clunking at the hitch. This took care of my 'issue'.

You did not mention Shank nor Receiver dimensions, but just in case, much of this was discussed.

Good luck with your F250. I find the F350 and diesel great for our 25 foot. Your towing a 34 foot may create the sway due to the slop.
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Old 07-05-2017, 07:44 PM   #5
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We have the 2017 F250 6.7 diesel and it pulls a fully loaded 25FB up and down hills and across heavy wind swept plains of Montana and South Dakota like nothing is back there. We are running an equalizer hitch.
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Old 07-05-2017, 07:56 PM   #6
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Hi Davis

One of our customers gets a new 250 every year and he noticed a substantial reduction in stability with the 2017.

The truck is 3" taller than the 16 which was already very tall so the center of gravity is higher but I think the biggest difference is that they have softened the upper level of the rear suspension.

If you reduce pressure on the torsion bars it helps the rear suspension but then the steering is light. It seems the best solution is about 800 pounds of cargo in the box and then set you torsion bars from there.

Your extended drop is likely putting you ball a long way behind the bumper which does not help.

Andrew T
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Old 07-05-2017, 08:23 PM   #7
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Hi

Just for reference, we run about 1,000 lb in our F-250. Not all of that is in the bed.

Bob
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Old 07-05-2017, 08:30 PM   #8
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Americus , Georgia
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Thanks to all that replied.

Ray I have noticed the slop in the receiver and I to have the reducer that has a vertical slot for the pin hole. And it does cause noticeable movement when stopping and starting.

Andrew I have thought about the point of the hitchball being so low and the truck so high because I am using a 14in drop shank and the hitch head is at the lowest position which makes the trailer ride level. I don't usually haul much in the bed of the truck so I will have to work on adding some weight and readjusting the hitch.

I have used this Reese setup for many years on different tow vehicles including a half to suburban with out having these sway issues. So I will try tweeking the hitch adjustment and add some weight to the truck bed and see if that helps.
Any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks Davis
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Old 07-06-2017, 09:19 AM   #9
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Hi

Do you have a tow package (or packages) on the F-250? Some of them add stuff like sway bars, shocks, and springs.

Bob
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Old 07-06-2017, 10:12 AM   #10
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Hi Davis If you like send me an email and I can send you a couple of word documents that go through our set up process. Andy@canamrv.ca
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Old 07-06-2017, 10:28 AM   #11
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2-wheel drive vs 4WD?

We have a 2012 F-250 Diesel RWD to pull our 2016 Classic.
Air safe Hitch with 3" shank with an Equalizer hitch.
No sway problems, but maybe because we're lower than a 4WD?
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Old 07-06-2017, 10:41 AM   #12
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I just picked up a 2017 F250 6.2 4x4 Crew Cab for my 30' bunk. Absolutely no problems towing thus far and I've been towing with an empty bed.

Just picked up a truck cap and loaded up the bed. Probably 700 lbs or more back there. Won't tow again for 3 weeks, but I can report back at that time.
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Old 07-06-2017, 11:27 AM   #13
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I think dbj is on the right track. I've helped many of our members get their WD system set up correctly. The best way to check your set up is to weigh the axles one at a time. Do the truck axles first without the trailer, then each trailer axle without the WD system. Then hook everything together and weigh the axles again. You would be surprised how many dealers install WD systems just so it looks right. Imbalance on the tow vehicle axles can cause serious stability problems. Many states have unmanned weigh stations for the public.
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Old 07-06-2017, 11:55 AM   #14
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1996 34' Excella
Americus , Georgia
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The truck came factory equipped with the tow pkg and also has the FX4 pkg which includes upgraded shocks not sure if the sway bars were or not in that pkg.

I don't have access to any scales in my area and the few times I have been on weigh scales in the past were to weigh the rig together since it was one long scale for over the road trucks.

Andrew I will send you an email on those docs.

ScottinNJ what brand of hitch are you using?

Thanks for the replies.
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2005 Chevrolet Suburban LT 1500 2WD 5.3
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Old 07-06-2017, 12:10 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davis View Post
The truck came factory equipped with the tow pkg and also has the FX4 pkg which includes upgraded shocks not sure if the sway bars were or not in that pkg.

I don't have access to any scales in my area and the few times I have been on weigh scales in the past were to weigh the rig together since it was one long scale for over the road trucks.

Andrew I will send you an email on those docs.

ScottinNJ what brand of hitch are you using?

Thanks for the replies.
I have the FX4 as well.

I'm using an Equalizer.
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Old 07-06-2017, 12:23 PM   #16
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I don't have experience with the 2017 F250s, but my 2016 4x2 F250 pulls my FC 30' with no obvious sway. I haven't crossed the Great Plains with it yet, but I don't expect any problems. I use an Equalizer hitch. Big trucks, etc., have no effect.
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Old 07-06-2017, 12:52 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davis View Post
The truck came factory equipped with the tow pkg and also has the FX4 pkg which includes upgraded shocks not sure if the sway bars were or not in that pkg.

I don't have access to any scales in my area and the few times I have been on weigh scales in the past were to weigh the rig together since it was one long scale for over the road trucks.

Andrew I will send you an email on those docs.

ScottinNJ what brand of hitch are you using?

Thanks for the replies.
There are CAT scales at the Pilot Travel Centers at exits 101 and 109 off I75, and one in Albany at GA300 and US82. Those are the 3 closest to Americus, GA listed on their site.

https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/
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Old 07-06-2017, 01:12 PM   #18
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I think the first thing I would try is to take the slop out of the receiver / hitch head.

www.etrailer.com sells a receiver stabilizer that takes the slop out of the receiver going into the hitch head. I had to do that on a older Ford I owned. Whomever is making Fords hitches have way to much slop between the receiver and the hitch, yours is worse because your going from a 3" to a smaller shank.

The truck shouldn't be an issue as long as your running 80 psi in your tires on the truck.

Anyhow that's my 0.02 worth.
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Old 07-06-2017, 02:49 PM   #19
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Help with 30' FC, F350 6.7 diesel, set up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hhendrix View Post
I think dbj is on the right track. I've helped many of our members get their WD system set up correctly. The best way to check your set up is to weigh the axles one at a time. Do the truck axles first without the trailer, then each trailer axle without the WD system. Then hook everything together and weigh the axles again. You would be surprised how many dealers install WD systems just so it looks right. Imbalance on the tow vehicle axles can cause serious stability problems. Many states have unmanned weigh stations for the public.
Hello, I live in Sandy, Or and would love some help on checking my set up. If you have time, I would love advise, I use an Anderson WD hitch.
Thanks, Carlos
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Old 07-06-2017, 02:50 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carlose View Post
Hello, I live in Sandy, Or and would love some help on checking my set up. If you have time, I would love advise, I use an Anderson WD hitch.
Thanks, Carlos
Oh, BTW, my email is mundosworld@mac.com
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