Sway control

[68sprtsat383]

Asking for a friend. He's pulling a 9000 lb trailer using another friend's 2015 2500 Cummins. He's worried about it swaying on him while going to the beach. Do you guys think he would need sway control.

 

[JDmac72chrgr]

Tongue weight is????? Trailer length over 30' recommended: Both MUST BE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY LEVEL if no sway control. Sway bars cheaper then wrecking both (insurance policy). FYI: Owned 2002 29' Jayco Eagle with 1600# tongue weight, air bagged truck with weight dist bars back then.

 

[68sprtsat383]

He tongue weight on trailer is 900#. Trailer is 31ft 36 with tongue and bumper.

 

[JDmac72chrgr]

He tongue weight on trailer is 900#. Trailer is 31ft 36 with tongue and bumper.

Personally, I would recommend sway control for that length EVEN if perfectly level How far pulling it?

 

[68sprtsat383]

Thanks

 

[Richard Cranium]

 

[JDmac72chrgr]

@Richard Cranium : PERFECT!! Any person pulling trailers needs to see those: trailer weight distribution is VITAL for sure. Passing trucks & buses were NOT fun (white knuckles) on my 1st run to SC back in 02, took getting use to.

 

[440Coronet500]

Classic reasons for proper tongue and weight distribution. Definitely recommend sway control of some type for a longer trailer! 440'

 

[69 Sleeper Bee]

You definitely need a weight distribution hitch regardless
I have a 28 foot pull behind camper and in high winds or when you go by a semi it is a white knuckle experience without one

 

[Budnicks]

Especially tag trailers

A) scenario
Too much weight far forward of the axles
with a load in/on the trailer
makes the front end/steering very light in the truck
very heavy in the rear, very ill handling
death wobble/killer sway

B) scenario
too much weight rearward/back of the trailer axles
pulls up on the rear suspension of the truck
making it sway back & forth violently
makes for a death wabble/killer sway too

that RC's video above
didn't really represent the forward weight scenario very well
at all

both resulting in killer trailer death wabble/killer sway
known as severe trailer whip

disclaimer;
even with sway control
the weight needs to be distributed in the proper place
it will help some but it won't cure a bad weight bias
at all
especially in short(er)-wheelbase light-duty pick-ups/tow rigs

having a tag trailer that weighs
2 times the truck weight
is not good either,
for braking or controlling trailer whip/death wabble/sway
you get that enertia going behind you, it takes control of the tow vehical

for brakes too
better have trailer brakes, it will help stop all that weight behind you
your pick-up trucks brakes aren't designed
to stop 2-3 times it's own mass/weight
especially if you -tag tow- anything of serious weight behind you
modulate the brakes/trailer braking controller inside
will usually stop the violent whipping/death wabble/sway motion

C) scenario
Your receiver drop or rise, the hitch/ball height
in relation to the 'trailers tongue' at trailers appropriate ride height
has something to do with it too
on how well it rides on the trailer axle/s
especially when you get into tandem & triple trailer axles
you'd prefer an equal weight on both trailer axles,
if needed only a very slight forward weight bias/towards the tongue
not one the hitch/ball receiver
that's riding too high higher level/lighter tongue weight
or too low lower level/heavier tongue weight
than the other
even with weight properly distributed

too low of a trailer hitch/receiver ball level/location on the truck
results in A) scenario like above

too high up with the ball/receiver hitch
results in a B) scenario like above

carry on

in my experiance anyway

 

[68sprtsat383]

Update my friend got the sway control and a new hitch. He sent me this picture and said his friend's 2500 Cummins pulled it like a dream. He's trying to convince his wife that they need a 3/4 ton so he can trade in his 2017 1500 Silverado lol. Thanks for all the advice and help.