First Tow - Have an issue

[Rsmied]

Towed my AS yesterday for it first significant trip, Pensacola - Lafayette, LA, and discovered an issue but not sure where it's originating from. When towing, my vehicle has a significant pull to the left side of the road. Previously, I thought my axles may have been slightly out of alignment, but 5 days ago I had the original axles replaced with new ones along with new tires and the problem still exists. 2 weeks ago I had 4 new tires put on my TV along with an alignment correction and everything functions as normal when I'm not towing anything.

The trailer isn't loaded with anything really significant, and all my tanks are empty. Its hard to imagine that it is loaded improperly but It appears when looking in the rear view mirror that the curbside of the AS rides slightly lower than the street side. Since the problem existed before I had new axles put on I dont think it's a result of improper install by the shop that did the work.

[SteveH]

What type of hitch do you have, and are you sure it's setup correctly?

Have you checked to prove you don't have dragging brakes?

[CBWELL]

Park the trailer on level parking lot and measure the height on both sides, front and back, and between the wheels. They should be the same. Also check the A frame for signs of damage or twisting. Have someome follow you when pulling and confirm that the trailer is tracking straight. If this problem started on the original axles, and was the same when new axles were installed, I am suspecting a bent or twisted frame. Good luck, and keep us informed of the progress. Chris

[AldeanFan]

agree on the checking for a stuck brake

more information on your vehicle and hitch would help.

one way of checking for alignment problems on the trailer is to drive on a straight dirt road and look at your tire tracks, if the alignment is right on the tire tracks should look like the tire tread, if the tracks are scuffed and show no tread indentation you probably have a problem. if you don't have a dirt road available a bag of play sand and an empty parking lot will work too. not scientific by any means but a cheap way to identify the source of the problem.

[SteveH]

A maladjusted Reese Dual Cam, ProPride or Hensley hitches could cause this problem.

[Glenritas]

Do you have a friction type anti sway bar ? If its adjusted too tight it could cause this.

[Drathaar]

Dragging brake?

[Sodbust]

Most roads and hi-ways have a crown or taper to each side to allow water to drain off into the ditches.. Some are 1 degree while others can be as much a 4 degrees.. This will tend to tilt or lean the trailer more than the TV,, then transfer this off center line draw bar pull to make the TV pull a little to the left.. ( American right hand lanes).. I have found if I feel a pull as long as traffic allows I drive dead center down the center divider line and if the problem goes away I feel safe to go onward till the next spokey issue faces me.

Sodbust

[J. Morgan]

It almost has to be the hitch setup.

I doubt a twisted frame would cause a pull, and being loaded heavy to one side pretty much wont make a difference. (Wouldn't a twisted frame make for a wrinkly trailer?)

Road crown should move you slightly to the right in the right lane of an interstate and slightly to the left in the left lane.

I have pulled trailers that dogleg pretty bad, but I have never felt a dog leg trailer mess with my steering.

I say look at your WD/anti-sway setup first. If that isn't it then we have a real mystery to solve.


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[lahrfarm]

I would look at WD hitch, possibly not set tight enough, causing light steering

[SteveH]

Interesting the original poster has not been back on this thread with more info or questions.

[r carl]

Start a process of elimination by towing your AS with a different TV.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by r carl

Start a process of elimination by towing your AS with a different TV.

Very good advise!


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[FishinHatteras]

Yeah I was hoping to read some feedback from the OP too. Some excellent suggestions & areas to inspect given by all posters to the thread. I have (fortunately) only run into a bent frame issue once. And the first indication was the "cupping" of the tires. That can be an arduous & expensive task to narrow the problem down to the frame itself.
I wish the OP all the luck I can, that it's NOT his frame, but as you guys said. "Check the hitch."

[larryglarson]

This is simplistic, but you said only one tow. What was the wind doing.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by larryglarson

This is simplistic, but you said only one tow. What was the wind doing.

Very good point also.


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

[Msmoto]

Always interesting when the OP does not give feedback, but maybe some folks are not as obsessive about the forums as I am....

My guess, totally a guess is that somehow the hitch is not set up properly, one side of the weight distribution/sway control arms being adjusted to a different length than the other.

The way I have found to check this is to drive the TV and AS to a large level parking lot, straight forward, and then adjust the bars precisely.

Another issue could be tire pressures, and if one wants to compensate for road crown, there are some ways to do this with right left variations on the TV. My moho had about 3 lbs. different R to L, i.e., 110 on road side, 113 curb side....Steer axle, 100, 102 in rear, duals and TAG.

[CBWELL]

Reading the original post, the problem was present with the oiginal axles, and after the new axles were installed, the problem was still there. This indicates problem with 1. Hitch, 2. Tow vehicle, 3. Frame or A frame on trailer, 4. Miss alignment of axles from original. OP has not returned to comment or indicate that he has tried suggestions given, so I ASSUME problem has been solved. Hopefully OP will return and give us an update!!

[Rsmied]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sorry I wasn't able to get back and respond to comment sooner. The hitch I've got is a Reese 49586 Pro Series WD hitch. The hitch itself is pretty much brand new but I bought it from local guy who had used it a few times before selling his trailer. After making my original post, I dug up the installation directions for the hitch and went to see if I could find anything wrong. In the past I had made several slight adjustments but it was just to the height and angle of the ball to achieve an level ride.

While comparing my hitch to the installation directions and a few YouTube videos I realized that the WD arms were installed upside down by the previous owner! The u-bolt connecting the chain too the arm had been assembled upside down so I took it apart, flipped it around and now the arms are correctly installed and everything is perfect...i solved the issue...or so I thought. The same issue is still hanging around.

The road and the wind definitely aren't the issue. I've pulled it all the way across I-10 through texas into arizona. The trailer doesn't pull dog leg, I had two separate people follow behind me to watch and everything checks out. My TV, when unhooked drives straight as an arrow and right now I dont have anyone with a different TV to test it out. I'm gonna continue to make adjustments to the hitch and hope that solves the problem. I'll be sure to update along the way. Thanks for the help!

[SteveH]

The only thing I would caution you on with that hitch reference the problem you are having is to make sure the snap-ups are located such that the chains on both sides are straight up and down when the truck and trailer are in a straight line. If the chains are slanted, it could cause the problem you are having.