Bad sway problems towing 23' front bed

[r carl]

If your trailer has a tendency to sway I would replace it.

[SteveH]

I actually had an Airstream that DID have a tendency to sway. It was an '01 25' Classic that I bought used, of course, and it had been repaired from an accident. Well, sort of repaired. The wheel alignment was bad. Even took it and had the axles aligned, and that helped a little, but not a cure. Before the alignment it would want to sway with any kind of input above about 55MPH, and after alignment it was stable to about 65MPH.

That's when I bought a ProPride hitch, and that solved the problem completely. I had been using a Reese Dual Cam.

[JamuJoe]

Originally Posted by Mary Lehner

We have friends who are very discouraged with towing their 2014 23" Serenity—so much so they want to ditch airstream altogether. When they're passing or being passed by large trucks at highway speed, they have experienced a terrifying sway problem. They are very experienced at towing Airstreams... owned a 20 footer that they traded for the 23 and traveled a lot with that with no problems. They took a long trip out west last summer.



I'm hoping someone can tell me if this is a known issue with front bed units. They've been told to try to increase their tongue weight, and have put as much as they could under the bed, etc., but with no improvement. They are camping buddies...we don't want to lose them!!!!

Our 2011 FC23FB tows beautifully on a 10K Equalizer behind our 2014 Grand Cherokee Diesel. 38,000 miles of trouble free travel enjoyment. Your friends have some other problem, it's not the front bed design.

SafeTravels,
JamuJoe


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[Vermontmary]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

This /\.

The thread really cannot move forward without more details. Otherwise we're all just shooting blind.

To many variables at play.

Thanks for the quick responses! I should have provided more details! Their TV is a Nissan Titan. I'm not sure what kind of they have, but I know it isn't one of the "fancy" ones like a Hensley or Propride. I'll try to find out what they have! The hitch/trailer combo was set up by the dealer when they bought it, and they've taken it back to try to figure out why they're having trouble, but with no improvement. They're reluctant to invest big bucks in a Hensley. I don't think they've taken their rig to be weighed anywhere, which would be a good idea!

[rmkrum]

Also need to look at tire pressures on the TV and the AS as well. A soft tire will not help.

Even with a ProPride I keep a close eye on tire pressure and run close to rated pressure on all the tires. It's just more stable that way. Sidewall flex also contributes to sway issues.


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[TG Twinkie]

What tires and pressure are on the TV?
Just because the dealer set up the hitch, doesn't mean it is right.
I'll assume this is a single axle coach. They tend to sway more than tandem axle rigs and are more sensitive to the hitch height.
Does the TV have an auto level system?
The sway is more than likely due to the hitch setup.IMHO
I would lower the ball height some and see if it makes a difference. If it gets worse, I would go the other direction. Hitch height being too high will cause sway much more than too low.
If the WD bars are too heavy they may be lifting the rear of the TV too much. Try backing off on the tension first before changing the hitch height.


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[TinTin]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

What tires and pressure are on the TV?
Just because the dealer set up the hitch, doesn't mean it is right.
I'll assume this is a single axle coach. They tend to sway more than tandem axle


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23FB is a dual axle trailer.

[Gsmblue]

Pictures of the set up would help too. A profile shot of it all hooked up ready to tow might help the more knowledgable people here help diagnose the problem.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Axle alignment specs call for a 1/16 inch tow in.

Placing a straight line across tandem wheels is a great way to check that.

Keep in mind, that having a 1/16 inch "tow in", for the front of the tires, will also provide a 1/16 inch "tow out" for the rear edge.

Therefore the dimension for the front of the tire, when correct, will be 1/8 inch away from the straight edge.

Andy

[HowieE]

Almost all tires are inflated TOO high by the shop that puts them on. They don't have the information to do it right so they just hit the MAX.

Use an inflation chart after you know the weight of the trailer and TV.
http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

This is not as critical a problem on cars because the tires are often specified very close to the max the car would ever be subject to. However on trucks and trailers the weight can be subject to a much wider range and thought is required to do it right.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Gsmblue

Pictures of the set up would help too. A profile shot of it all hooked up ready to tow might help the more knowledgable people here help diagnose the problem.

Pictures of the hitch set up, exact tow vehicle, and exact trailer all need to be known.

Then and only then, can a proper rated load equalizing hitch be prescribed.

All Airstreams sway, when towed with just a ball. The objective is to have adequate control of the rig, so that the sway never starts.

That control is a proper rated load equalizing hitch, properly installed, AND properly adjusted.

Heavy duty tow vehicles seem to be the new "in" thing, which is a total waste of money and equipment. Four wheel drive is also a waste.

Since a large size car can safely pull a 34 foot Airstream, that speaks loud and clear for itself.

The HUGE ISSUE with load equalizing hitches, because of liability, is for sales people and shop people to over sell them, when in fact seldom has any of those people ever towed an Airstream, and are simply GUESSING.

Each combination of trailer and tow vehicle requires almost always, different setups, instead of well that's what my neighbor has, etc.

Each Airstream owner should make a dedicated effort to correctly learn how to determine load equalizing hitch setups, for maximum safety, or fine someone that knows how to do it, again, correctly. Just because someone may own an Airstream and has been around for a long time, does not necessarily qualify them as an expert.

What works for one, may not work for someone else, if for no other reason in that the simple task of adding a payload, can change the hitch requirements.

No offense intended, but opinions should never have a place when it comes to maximizing safety. Facts, heck yes, opinions, heck no.

Maximizing safety, should never, ever, be compromised.

Andy



Andy

[Landshark]

Too high a speed can be a problem, too. Stay at 65 or below, else a good pothole, bump, or passing 18-wheeler can set off a bouncing or swaying in a smaller trailer, although this is less likely with dual axles, IMHO.

But without Mary's friends coming online and answering questions about hitch, tongue weight, etc, I don't see how the truly amazing collected wisdom of the forum can be of much help.

Vivian

[Vermontmary]

Believe it or not, all these comments have been helpful in starting to narrow down the problem, even as info-lite as my posts have been. I'm going to work on my friend to get on here himself...
I'm such a forum newbie that I haven't figured out how to put up my avatar or proper username... I hadn't realized either how helpful people would be nor how much information is needed to solve the problem. Duh!!! Anyway, thanks for the support... we'll rescue this beautiful rig together!

[Foiled Again]

Tire Pressure is the EASIEST and fastest thing to check and correct.

I made the mistake of having my truck serviced at the dealership - where they were going to do a 30 point check as well as an oil change - and I left the dealership, went home, hitched up and left on a trip. About 40 miles down the road I was praying because the EB was behaving badly... and I hadn't changed anything.

Got out, did a visual inspection of the trailer, NADA. Felt the hubs, OK.

Walking around the right side to go around the front and get in... and the right rear tire on the TRUCK looked a little soft. Turned out the valve was loose and it was leaking rapidly and the only thing that had changed was the dealership had serviced it. Fortunately I carry a valve tightening cap and a 12 volt pump (slow!!!! but works in a pinch).

The ride issue went away immediately. I am in the habit of checking both the Ford and the Airstream's inflation before every trip, but this time I didn't and was lucky I didn't ruin the tire.

Paula

[AldeanFan]

I tow a 23' Safari with a 2005 Tundra,
The tundra is in some ways similar to the Titan.

My Tundra's door sticker has a silly inflation pressure 29lbs! That's not adequate for just the truck never mind with a load. My road racing friends use 1lb of pressure for every 100lbs of car as a starting point, so based on this Toyota thinks my full size, 4x4 CrewCab truck weighs only 2900lbs

I run 40lbs in all my tires when towing and it makes a world of difference. I suggest you have your friend check inflation and see what difference that makes.

Other Thoughts:
How old is their truck and how may miles? Worn shocks or steering components can make the truck feel unstable and a trailer would magnify the problem.

What type of tires, is the truck stock height or lifted?

A friction sway control is cheap, if they don't have one it is available from HF for around $40 and is worth a try to try to identify problems.

[Revery]

Look to the hitch set-up, we tow a '14 23 FC with a 9000#rated SUV using an Equalizer (brand) anti-sway hitch and never a hint of sway. Be sure it is set up with trailer in "level" position when hooked up. We have pulled thru 25-30 mph crosswinds, passed 100's of semis and never had a problem. No sway, no porpoising (except a bit of the later on these losey California highways) but always never a feeling of lose of control. This given that the trailer is in sound and safe condition. Andy at Inland makes a lot of sense.

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Heavy duty tow vehicles seem to be the new "in" thing, which is a total waste of money and equipment. Four wheel drive is also a waste...
Since a large size car can safely pull a 34 foot Airstream, that speaks loud and clear for itself.
...
Each combination of trailer and tow vehicle requires almost always, different setups, instead of well that's what my neighbor has, etc.

Each Airstream owner should make a dedicated effort to correctly learn how to determine load equalizing hitch setups, for maximum safety, ...

No offense intended, but opinions should never have a place when it comes to maximizing safety. Facts, heck yes, opinions, heck no.

Maximizing safety, should never, ever, be compromised.

Andy



Andy

Usually agree with everything that Andy has to say, BUT in this neck of the woods, you would be remiss to not have 4WD. Weather and environmental conditions determine the value of 4WD ... not what someone else says long distance ... if you have it and don't need it, congratulations. But there are times when - if you did not have it, you would be stuck! Enough said ...

[rmkrum]

I have 4WD but not because it's good for towing. I have reason to travel in my Tacoma under bad weather conditions occasionally, but do so without AS in tow.

When you absolutely need to get through bad weather judicious use of 4WD can make it possible. It's not a substitute for cautious driving in bad conditions.


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[barts]

We use 4wd when towing on steep or wet dirt roads, esp. some of the 10-15% grades. It also make camping on the beach possible. The trailer feels nice and stable, and the truck and trailer go where I point them. It also helps a lot on wet grass and muddy areas. We don't get stupid, but there are a lot of places we like to go that are really more easily reached w/ 4wd. We have 4k lbs on the front wheels, nearly 4 K on the rear (w/ trailer hitched) and ~4.5k on the two trailer axles. Having those front wheels helping pull us along in the soft stuff is a definite win.

As far as WD and anti-sway, this depends a lot on your vehicles. Many lighter tow vehicles and/or heavier/new trailers absolutely need WD hitches, because the tongue weight is far more than the vehicle's suspension can manage. Whether or not you need an antisway hitch depends on many factors; many people feel safer w them.

We don't use either one, but we have a f250 crew cab and a light correctly loaded trailer, and tow pretty slowly compared to many. If you're pulling a big trailer with a softly suspended car or SUV, I'd definitely suggest a pro-pride or hensley.

- Bart

[m.hony]

If you adjust the hitch you will find towing success and peace of mind. Change everything one increment at a time and compare. This may takes hours, days, weeks, months (or years in my case) but is rewarding in the end. After adjusting the hitch and towing the trailer with no sway I had a huge sense of accomplishment. I had to be persistent and try things my way and figure it out on my own. Every combination is different, but I know what works with a Tundra Crewmax Limited with 20" wheels, an Equal-i-zer with 1,000# bars, and a 30' Classic. Change any of those variables and the hitch settings will change. No one can say what will or won't work with your specific rig unless they have the same thing.