Trailer sway

[brianMO]

I was towing my tractor over the weekend for the first time on my home-made trailer. All was good all the way down to my property. I kept it at 60 mph on the highway. On the way back it was raining. I was competing with the holiday traffic so I increased my speed to about 68 mph. I was going through a long curve and I went into the death wobble. Talk about making your butt pucker! I was able to slow it down and pull over. I kept it at 60 the rest of the way. I am having a little trouble trying to figure out tongue weight. I also had my bucket up and over the front of the trailer a little. 18 ft trailer really is not long enough for the bucket and a 6 foot b. hog. The trailer is stout enough I think. I have 5200lb axles. I am contemplating buying a weight distribution system with anti-sway. Anybody try this?

 

[George2615]

There are many other posts of this same situation. You are correct that your trailer is stout enough but really need a longer trailer since when you have your tractor w/ loader and B/Hog on, the tractor sits too far back on the trailer not giving enough tongue weight. This will cause the death wobble or dog tail wag. If a longer trailer is not an option and you can't move the load more forward on the trailer the best option is to add a weight distibution hitch or keep your speed below the point of the death wobble.

A good general rule of thumb would be to measure your truck bumper height with the trailer attached but with no load on it. Then drive your tractor on and move forward until the tongue weight makes the truck bumper sag about 2-3 inches.

 

[Diamondpilot]

The hitch and sway bar will help but you may also want to try positioning the tractor on differently. I back mine on my trailer. Just seems to ride better and appears to be easier on the canopy.

Chris

 

[Bird]

A weight distributing hitch can help with sway, especially if it includes a sway control, but its primary purpose is to "distribute" some of the tongue weight to the front axle of the towing vehicle when you have too much tongue weight. It sounds as if, in this case, there might be too little tongue weight.

 

[KeithInSpace]

I have a WD hitch and love it. I've seen claims of systems that combine the WD trunnions with a sway control, but I figure they're counting the friction of the trunnions in the hitch head as "sway control". Not 100% sure about this. I've never had a sway problem with my 20' trailer, but have noticed that it could be a bit more controlled in cross-wind.

I just got a 19.5' long hybrid travel trailer that was already set up for my WD hitch, thankfully, but it also had a friction-type Reese Sway Control bar installed. What a WORLD of difference. That thing stays LOCKED behind my truck in all conditions even though it has a much higher wind profile than my regular trailer/tractor combo.

I'd get a regular WD setup and get the seperate sway control bar. It allows you to adjust and the geometry (about 6" off ball center) seems much more apt to properly/effectively control trailer sway.

 

[Hematite]

First, ST trailer tires are rated for a MAX of 65 mph. It's a good idea not to exceed that speed rating. Blowouts at that speed can be catastrophic!

Second, from the safety standpoint it is a very good idea to weigh the weight on the tongue. For stable towing a certain percentage of the total weight should rest on the tongue. If I remember correctly, it should be at least 6% up to 10%? You may have to change loading practices to achieve this.

Third, depending on the truck/ trailer/ load, the desired tongue weight may be too much for the hitch receiver on the truck. If it is, you need a WD hitch. I use a Reese Dual Cam high performance model. This includes what is likely the best sway control on the market (Dual Cam arms).

 

[daBear]

I have about 25 years experience pulling RV's, both 5th wheel and bumper pull. The problem you describe is only caused by low tounge weight. Load distributing hitches, sway bar or bars will certianly help, but your load and ballance is way off and you found this out in somewhat normal conditions. If you were in an emergency condition like trying to move quickly to avoid hitting something you probably would have wound up on your side.

There are other contributing factors like tire design, tire pressure, sidewall height and flex, wind, etc., but those are just contributing factors. Please take care of the toungue weight issue before you have a real problem.

 

[brianMO]

I know this is scary. I went ahead and ordered the friction sway bar today from etrailer.com. This is the Reese. Fairly economical addition, but I believe bottom line is I did not have enough tongue weight. I have a V5 hitch with the proper hitch and ball. I think I am going to have a measuring tool handy so I can see exactly how much I squat my truck. I pull with a 2500 dodge w/ a cummins 24v. My axles are 50/50 with recommendation of my neighor because of tongue weight. I think the next time I am going to drop the bucket up front since I have quick skid loader attachments. I then will raise the fel arms and nose the tractor up further on the trailer.

 

[Duffster]

I know this is scary. I went ahead and ordered the friction sway bar today from etrailer.com. This is the Reese. Fairly economical addition, but I believe bottom line is I did not have enough tongue weight. I have a V5 hitch with the proper hitch and ball. I think I am going to have a measuring tool handy so I can see exactly how much I squat my truck. I pull with a 2500 dodge w/ a cummins 24v. My axles are 50/50 with recommendation of my neighor because of tongue weight. I think the next time I am going to drop the bucket up front since I have quick skid loader attachments. I then will raise the fel arms and nose the tractor up further on the trailer.

What do you mean by "My axles are 50/50"?

 

[brianMO]

My axles are measured exactly in the middle of the trailer. Not including the tongue.