2017 Ford F250 and trailer sway ???

[Davis]

Hello all, it’s been a while for me posting due to work increasing this past fall and thru Christmas. So to update on what I have found so far.

I installed a Ford rear sway bar which was easy . Still have not towed trailer yet.

I purchased a weigh safe hitch that has a built in scale to measure tongue wt. so this past weekend I hitched up the trailer and the tongue wt was 600 lbs. So that’s too light should be closer to 900 or so in order to be 10% of gross wt. I removed all contents from under the rear bed and that added 100 lbs back to the front of trailer making it 700 lbs. The propane tanks are not full but that would only be 60 more pounds and all 3 holding/fresh tanks are empty.

So I need my things back in the rear storage area and also I need more tongue wt. I am at a point that I don’t know what to put in the front of the trailer to increase tongue wt without putting something unnecessary in the front .
Trying to figure this out and get this rig safe on the road as spring is approaching.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Not sure where your tanks are but we generally tow with at least 3/4 full fresh water. Try that? Or would you normally tow all empty?

[Andrew T]

Hi Davis. The early 34 wide body models were a little light on hitch weight. Though I’ve never seen one that low. We put a 1.25” spacer above the third axle and it usually adds 300 pounds. You can try it by putting blocks under the third axle, level the trailer and then see what your hitch weight is. The third axle easily handles the extra weight. Makes the trailer track better as well.

Andy

[Andrew T]

Another option is a Hensley or ProPride. They don’t need hitch weight for stability.

[Davis]

My fresh tank is above the rear two axles and holding tanks are aft the rear axle. I do usually have some water in the fresh tank while traveling maybe 1/4 tank. But I drained it for the winter.

Would backing up on a 2x6 under the two rear tires provide the same results if so I will try that.

Thanks

[Airstreamer67]

Originally Posted by Andrew T

Another option is a Hensley or ProPride. They don’t need hitch weight for stability.

So they don't require the 10% to 15% of trailer weight factor on the tongue?

[Davis]

Ok as Andrew suggested I moved the trailer to a level area and placed two 2x6 boards under the rear tires and it did add 300 lbs to the tongue so it's now at 1000 lbs tongue wt.

So if I go this route where do I get the spacers from and will it create any additional wear on the rear axle or the rest of the trailer ?

[Davis]

I found the Dexter spacer kit for these axles but they are 2 7/8 in and I don’t really want that much rise for one axle.

Andy do you sell the smaller spacers or did you fabricate them ?

[AirMiles]

I recently purchased a 2019 F250 Diesel and also experienced stability issues when compared to my previous Titan XD Diesel.

First, I improved the F250 stability by moving up to 1500# bars on my Blue Ox Swaypro (I have 940# of tongue weight) and by increasing tire pressure in the F250 to 72 PSI all the way around. This improved stability, but I decided to add the Ford OEM rear stabilizer bar like the one on my Titan XD.

Adding the rear stabilizer bar greatly improved the stability of the F250 both while towing and non-towing. After adding the stabilizer bar, I can run lower air pressures in the F250 tires without the losing stability. Here are the Ford part numbers for adding the factory stabilizer bar to their 2017-2019 F250:

Sway Bar (1) - HC3Z-5A772 A (includes bushings)
Sway Bar Brackets (2) - 7C3Z-5486 B (secures sway bar to axle)
Sway Bar Bracket Bolts (4) - W500634-S309 (secures sway bar brackets to axle)
Links (2) - HC3Z-5K484 D (includes the 4 link bolts already installed, arms that connect sway bar to frame brackets)
Link Nuts (4) a W520214-S440 (secures link/bolts to frame bracket and sway bar)
Frame Brackets (2) - HC3Z-5L499 A
Frame Bracket Bolts (4) - W500644-S439 (bolts to secure frame brackets to frame)
Capture Nuts (4) - W717462-S439 (capture nuts that are inserted into frame to secure frame brackets to frame)

Adding the stabilizer bar does increase roughness in the ride, but also allows running lower air pressure to smooth the ride again without losing the stability improvement. The parts cost $230 at my local Ford dealer and easily bolted into existing holes in the frame in about 1 hour.

I don't know why Ford doesn't put the stabilizer bar on all F250s. Do they want to save money? Do they want to save payload (for bragging rights)? Did they choose a cushy ride over stability? I don't know the answer, but I'm glad I added the rear stabilizer bar to my truck to improve its stability.

[hjnj]

FWIW, We have a 2017 F350 diesel towing a 33 ft Classic with Equalizer sway bars and it tows beautifully. This is at least as high as your F250 and the F250 should be plenty capable of handling any Airstream. I am no expert and don’t have specific advice - just wanted to share my view that it is likely not the truck itself that is the problem.

[Snerf]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

I recently purchased a 2019 F250 Diesel and also experienced stability issues when compared to my previous Titan XD Diesel.

Can you take a photo of the maximum payload capacity sticker located in the driver side door jamb? Here's one for the 2019 F-250 6.2L gasoline 4x2. Using a basic trucker's rule-of-thumb, the math looks like this:

Maximum payload capacity 3,859 lbs

Less:
Passengers (2 adults/1 child) 500
Options/shell 1,000
Gear/equipment 500
Total 2,000 lbs

= Payload available for
hitch weight 1,859
Less: Weight distrib hitch 100
= Payload capacity for
tongue weight 1,759 lbs

divide by .13 (avg TW of TT)
= Gross trailer weight max 13,530 lbs

Base trailer weight (80%) 10,825
Fluids/supplies/gear 2,705

There's been some mention that the weight of the F250 4x4 suspension and 6.7L diesel engine subtract from the maximum payload capacity. So, even though the 6.7 diesel engine itself could probably pull over 20,000 lbs, the F250 runs out of suspension support long before. That is, the gross axle weight rating (GAWR) and overall gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) become the limiting factors.

That's why some people recommend moving to the F350 when purchasing the diesel. In that situation, the 1 ton chassis more evenly matches the shear power of the 6.7 Powerstroke. Lastly, the dually (DRW) option creates a literal definition of a tow monster - hence the preferred choice for huge 5th wheels.

[FloydCoVa]

Snerf, I am wondering what options/shell that equals 1000 lbs. My shell is only 200 lbs. What are the “options” that you are referring to?

[turk123]

Originally Posted by hjnj

FWIW, We have a 2017 F350 diesel towing a 33 ft Classic with Equalizer sway bars and it tows beautifully. This is at least as high as your F250 and the F250 should be plenty capable of handling any Airstream. I am no expert and don’t have specific advice - just wanted to share my view that it is likely not the truck itself that is the problem.

My 2017 Ford F-250 also exhibits a bit of sway and I have a proPride hitch. Ford added 4" to the height of this truck and I believe it is the trucks problem. My trailer is now balanced beautifully (4 trips to the scales) and I've tuned the hitch the best Sean and I could. I still do not like the feel although I don't feel it's dangerous, just annoying sometimes.

I ordered the ford sway bar for the rear and new Bilstein shocks to see if they will help. I pulled it over 11,000 miles to this point and could not get it right as I want it. I'll report back as to what I find out.

[Moflash]

We tow a 28ft International with our 2017 F350 6.7 Supercrew W/8ft box.I use a Airsafe hitch coupled to a Equilizer 4 point WD.Never had any Sway even with a Can Am Outlander 800 Max atv in the bed and two Hobie kayaks on the roof.

[Snerf]

Originally Posted by FloydCoVa

Snerf, I am wondering what options/shell that equals 1000 lbs. My shell is only 200 lbs. What are the “options” that you are referring to?

Oh, I was just trying to be almost ridiculous in overstating weight. Typically, most people are surprised by how close (or over) they are to GAWR & GVRW. Rather than play around on the margins, for the sake of the example I just assumed between shell, racks, tool box, power equipment, gear, kayaks, what-have-you that it would quickly add-up.

Of course, the real world way to do this is to go to a CAT scale with everybody and everything you might actually typically take along - including weight distribution hitch. Once you have that actual number, then you can compare it to the GVWR & payload carrying capacity sticker applied to every vehicle.

Alternatively, one could do a very careful and detailed inventory of exactly what's being taken along in the TV. This includes people, options (shell, racks, tool boxes), gear (kayaks, pit bikes, ATV), WDH, etc, etc. Subtract that number from the max payload on the sticker to find out the max tongue weight potential.

Either way, the net remainder represents the maximum tongue weight your vehicle can safely bear. You then can either use the sliding 10-15% tongue weight estimate to SWAG the maximum trailer weight, really go through and inventory what you have and add it to the base, or also take the TT along to the CAT scale to get the actual weight. Again, many people are caught by surprise by how fast weight can accumulate over the base - before you know it, you're nearing the GVWR of the trailer as well.

Ideally, and this makes sense just from a logical stand point, if the TV is under max payload capacity by a 10-20% margin, and the TT is under max GVWR by the same 10-20% margin, then all things being equal, the rig should drive fairly predictably. Start getting near or over the maximum on either side (or both!), and well, that's when the SHTF given the right (unfavorable) circumstances.

[Snerf]

Originally Posted by turk123

My 2017 Ford F-250

Do you have F250 4x2 6.2 gas or 4x4 6.7 diesel? I posted the payload capacity sticker above for the F250 XL 4x2 6.2 gas Super cab, 8' box, 164" wheel base.

Here's a photo of the payload sticker from a 2019 off a dealer lot in Costa Mesa. It's a F250 XLT 4x4 6.7 Powerstroke, Crew cab, 6.75' box, 160" wheel base.

As you can see, both the Powerstroke diesel and 4x4 suspension reduce the payload capacity due to both weight and suspension characteristics.

You should go out to yours located in the driver side door jamb and post it to this thread.

[Snerf]

Originally Posted by Moflash

We tow a 28ft International with our 2017 F350 6.7 Supercrew W/8ft box.

Is it 4x2 or 4x4? Here's the payload capacity sticker for a 2019 XLT F350 4x4, 6.7L diesel, Supercrew 6.75" box, 160" wheel base.

The second photo is from a 2017 XLT F350 4x2 6.2L gas, Supercrew 8' box, 176" wheel base.

As you can see, both the Powerstroke diesel and 4x4 suspension reduce the payload capacity due to both weight and suspension characteristics.

You should go out and take a photo of yours and post it to this thread. It's located on the lower driver side door jamb.

[FloydCoVa]

By options I was thinking sun roof , power running boards,etc. These options would reflect the payload sticker on the door jam. You made it perfectly clear thanks.

[Snerf]

Originally Posted by FloydCoVa

By options I was thinking sun roof , power running boards,etc. These options would reflect the payload sticker on the door jam. You made it perfectly clear thanks.

Yeah, those factory options are already reflected in the official payload warning sticker. A lot of people don't realize that the load value for each and every vehicle made, including various options & configurations, is reflected in its unique payload rating.

Where things can go sideways is when you start adding after-market stuff, more people, more things, more everything. That has to come off the max payload rating number to get a "real" net net that is going to be subject to bearing the tongue weight.

[FloydCoVa]

Yep exactly