# Towing & The Wind!



## Guest (Nov 17, 2006)

Hello all! I'd like a little input and/or advice on a towing question. We have a 2003 FBS25 we pull with a 2003 Chev Trailblazer. We have the typical towbar & sway bar set up and normally have no problem at all towing our Outback. Last year on a trip to Deschutes Recreation Area in the gorge area on the border of Oregon & Washington we encountered severe wind problems that literrally had the trailer dancing! It was bad enough that we had to pull off the road and wait for the wind to let up. We then continued on to the park at a reduced speed to keep the trailer from overly swaying side to side. We have since replaced the anti-sway bar and it seems to have helped. I have been told by others and a few RV mechanics that our problem is a short wheel based tow vehicle. Has anyone else experienced this & are there any suggestions to help relieve the problem? This was scary enough that my better half does not wish to go out the gorge again as she is concerned about the wind factor. The gorge is a known windy area & we've been out there many times but this past summer, in a sustained windy condition rather than just gusty, the trailer was a bit dancy! Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanx kindly!

Travel safe & enjoy!

jwk_oregon


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## paylorr (Sep 27, 2006)

I am no expert, but I used to tow with a Ford Ranger. The shorter, lighter vehicle definitely felt overextended by the trailer. I suspect that , even if your Trailblazer is V8 vice V6 you may have too much trailer for your SUV. Even with my bigger Dodge, I am wishing I had at least a 5.7 instead of my small V8, and am really wanting a 2500 instead.


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

You are both correct. The longer the wheelbase of the TV, the steadier the ride in cross winds.

A couple of things you can do is make sure you are loaded within limits, and proportionally in the trailer, (i.e. not tongue heavy). That is the first thing I would check. Also, make sure the tires on your tow rig are the right tires rating-wise, and they are inflated to their recommended maximums. This is a huge deal. You might also check the shocks on the TV, make sure they are stiff enough. Does the TrailBlazer have a sway bar on the rear end? I think so. If not, you might invest in beefing up the tires and suspension a bit.

I don't want to sound negative, but you need to prepare yourself for the bottom line: you may never get a 25' to tow comfortably in a strong wind behind your rig.

I hope it works out for you.


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

I originally towed my 21RS with an Envoy. I loved that SUV, but it did not like my Outback! I did not feel safe even towing in flat Florida.

I traded my Envoy for a Sierra 1500 crew cab. What a difference. My Envoy had a 113 inch wheelbase and the Sierra has a 143.5 inch wheelbase. We also have a 5.3l V-8 vs. a 4.2l V-6.

I have towed with the Sierra from Florida to Connecticut and back. We towed in the Shenandoah Valley. We've towed in pretty strong winds. Hardly a wiggle from our 21RS.

I would strongly suggest that you look for a different tow vehicle. Your camper weighs at least 1000lbs more than mine and is probably 4 feet longer. That is a lot of trailer for a Trailblazer.

IMHO, the next time your trailer starts to sway, you have a great chance of not being able to stop it. Only bad things happen then.

Good luck,

Dan


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## edt (Jan 30, 2004)

Hi

What made you feel unsafe? I have done thousands of miles pulling a 21rs behind a envoy - never felt unconfortable. What bothers me is having to stop every 2ish hours for gas. On the other hand those breaks probably do me good...

Ed



3LEES said:


> I originally towed my 21RS with an Envoy. I loved that SUV, but it did not like my Outback! I did not feel safe even towing in flat Florida.
> 
> I traded my Envoy for a Sierra 1500 crew cab. What a difference. My Envoy had a 113 inch wheelbase and the Sierra has a 143.5 inch wheelbase. We also have a 5.3l V-8 vs. a 4.2l V-6.
> 
> ...


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## Scott and Jamie (Aug 27, 2006)

jwk_oregon Welcome to Outbackers!!

I live just south of Hood River and Know the wind can blow here







This year I had a gust that took my F350 and trailer and moved me about 5 feet! No sway just pushed me over the rummble strip.

I am not sure what a FBS25 is but I do feel if it is larger than a 18' trailer it is to big for a Trail Blazer to safely tow. You need a Good weight distribution hitch and a good sway control. I use the Reese dual cam and others swear by the equalizer hitch.. both have sway control built in and work very well.

What part of Oregon are you from?

Scott


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## ARzark (Aug 9, 2005)

Hi jwk_oregon! I am not the towing expert, but I would like to say WELCOME TO OUTBACKERS.COM








Have you looked into the Equalizer hitch? I think the others are right on the money with the wheelbase as they have mentioned. You may be able to add a significant amount of stabilization with the Equalizer with your current TV. It really helped out with my old Outback TT. Made a big difference.

Glad to see another PNW Outbacker join the group. And you have been to Deschutes too! The PNW Outbackers have had a good rally or two there. Hope you can join us next time







Or better yet, caravan out with us out to the 2007 Western Region rally at Zion National Park!!


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> I have been told by others and a few RV mechanics that our problem is a short wheel based tow vehicle.


I think they pretty much nailed it. Good luck.

I have the big dog, the 31RQS, and I pull it with a 8.1L 3/4 ton Suburban and in the wind, it's He..Well, it's not much fun.

Mark


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## webeopelas (Mar 11, 2006)

Wind is never your friend when towing a trailer (except when it is directly behind you







). The mechanic is right in that a shorter wheelbase vehicle will have more problems. You can go to extremes to minimize sway, it is just a personal choice of whether you spend the thousands on your hitch setup(hensley or other) or a different vehicle.

By all measures my setup is pushing the limit for sway, but I have not had any issues with sway, so I feel comfortable towing it.


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## Scrib (Jun 28, 2005)

The Gorge is always exciting! We really had to slow down over Labor Day, when we were heading east - some of those curves where you come out of the sheltered canyon area and get blasted with a gust of wind are brutal. It sounds like you can use a better hitch, though (Equalizer, Reese, Hensley) and fill your fresh water tank when it's windy - an extra 400lbs helps make it a bit more solid in mild crosswinds (won't help you much against those blasts in the Gorge, though!).


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

Not much else to add except to welcome you to Outbackers.

I had a bad wind situation towing a 25RSS with 1/2 ton Yukon. I wasn't out of control or anything but just felt "squirrelly". I use the Equal-i-izer and repacked during the trip to distribute weight differently. I made up my mind then to upgrade the TV and found a nice 3/4 Yukon shortly afterward.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Hi again, John! (we are near neighbors),

Well, towing in The Gorge is probably about the ultimate test of man and machine, sway control wise, so if you are going to have a problem, it's gonna happen there! That said, I think the wheelbase of your Blazer is the biggest issue you face. It creates a real tail wagging the dog situation, and even the best sway control system is going to be working hard to keep ahead of things.

The best solution - if you can afford it - would be to upgrade to a longer wheelbase tow vehicle. If you like the SUV aspect of your Blazer, a 3/4 ton Suburban makes a fine tow vehicle. If that kind of upgrade is not possible, get a top notch sway system (Reese Dual-Cam, Equal-i-zer or Hensley come to mind), not the 'friction' systems most dealers sell, and make sure it is perfectly tuned for your setup.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

It bears repeating!!!
*Welcome to Outbackers!!*

...so does all this stuff about short wheelbase!

As the owner of a *Toyota 4Runner * (110" wb) towing a *25RSS* thru all major Mtn Ranges in the N'East (that would include the windy valleys) on a *Hensley Arrow Hitch*, I can tell you that the Hensley prevents  all sway....its not reduced...it doesn't happen. I do know what sway is....but have NEVER experienced it (with this set up). Yes, the Hensley is expensive, but far less so than a new SUV or, worse, having the accident that sounds inevitable.

Good luck to you!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

A longer wheelbase truck would indeed make a difference. Sometimes wind is just gonna move you a little no matter what you have. I have been white knuckled by wind more than once pulling an empty trailer and a few times with a loaded trailer. Big rigs are what I am talking about. I have even seen MT 20' trailers get blown over on there side on the Goethels Bridge in NY from wind gusts.

Doug sounds like he knows the area you speak of so upgrade and improve your set up but 
Mother Nature will always need to be respected in some areas more than others.

John


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## willie226 (Apr 4, 2006)

Welcome jwk_oregon
The wide wheelbase makes a big difference before I got my F150 I was towing with a ford Exploror which had the short wheelbase and was a
V6. I had prolems with the wind and the power. So it does make a big difference.

Good Luck


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

jwk, you done the right thing and that was to pull off the road.. We have some real windy days here too, mainly in the spring. Last spring, a day with 80+ winds, gusts over 100, blew over 5 semi trucks in a 20 mile stretch. Luckily my trailer is a dry bulk trailer. Its 12 feet tall 46 feet long and very round. So it didnt bother me much. I hardly slowed down much. My truck is very long, 260 wheelbase, and by semi standards, my trailer is short, 46 feet. But my trailer weighs 65000 lbs. So once it overtakes you, your done... Your just a rider...

Back in my dry van/reefer days it was not uncommon to be moved a whole lane by the winds on I-80 in Wyoming around Green River. That was a 53 footer. I have seen prolly 30 trucks blown over in my 2 million mile experience. Countless rv trailers though and those are ugly...

The wind translates to towable rv's as sway.. The wind translates to big trucks as movement.. So basically, I'll take the semi over pulling an rv in the wind... I feel a towable rv is the most dangerous thing on the road in the wind. The reason is, they are very light and are unstable. Big trucks are stable and weigh 80k. The trailer wheels are sat forward with rv's, they are sat back on semis. If you are empty in a big truck anything over 50- 60 mph and you park it. Anything over 30-40 mph in an rv, you park it.

It doesnt matter what your towing or towing with. Respect the wind and the weather.

Your rig is short, so what may feel like a little wind to someone else, will feel like alot to you. The longer the tow vehicle the less the trailer can steer it. The shorter the tow rig, the more trailer movement will translate to you in the drivers seat.. You might be ok if you totally respect that the trailer can and will overtake you if your not very carefull. Please be careful with your combo.

Welcome to the forum! And good luck to you.

Carey


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> jwk, you done the right thing and that was to pull off the road... Please be careful with your combo.
> Carey


Carey, that was an awesome post! Thank you.


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## Guest (Nov 18, 2006)

Many thanx to all the responders! I'll try to answer some of them personally but I appreciate all the input. We'll difinitely look into upgrading the anti-sway system. I've always been careful with tire inflation and proper load distribution so we'll look more at the sway bar. I know we're always going to get some wind problems and we've been out to that area many times. This one time it was more of a steady wind rather than gusty.

We're hoping to upgrade the Trailblazer in the near future, but as with anything, dollars make the decisions!

Again thanx to all of you, I really appreciated the advice!

enjoy & travel safe!
Happy Thanksgiving!

jwk_oregon

Thanx Carey - informative & interesting reply. Trust me, I have a healthy respect for Mother Nature & how unpredictable she can be to rv's & tow vehicles! This one particular instance was petty hairy so I thought I'd ask for help! Thanx again!

enjoy & travel safe!
jwk_oregon

Hey Doug! Thanx for the reply, got a lot of good info! I'll be looking into upgrading my sway bar as I do have one of the friction types you mentioned. Sunday I'll be working on getting the Outback ready for Thanksgiving, if you go by & see the gate open please stop by & say hello!

John aka jwk_oregon



PDX_Doug said:


> Hi again, John! (we are near neighbors),
> 
> Well, towing in The Gorge is probably about the ultimate test of man and machine, sway control wise, so if you are going to have a problem, it's gonna happen there! That said, I think the wheelbase of your Blazer is the biggest issue you face. It creates a real tail wagging the dog situation, and even the best sway control system is going to be working hard to keep ahead of things.
> 
> ...


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Welcome to Outbackers.com

Let me start by saying that pulling over was a really good decision. If you do not feel save pulling over for a rest is a very smart thing to do









Towing in a strong x-wind is never fun and the only way to make things feel safer is to upgrade your sway control and/or your TV.

Good luck and happy camping

Thor


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Welcome...

Glad to see another Oregon Outback family. As Doug said, I can't think of any other place then the Gorge to test your trailer setup. That place has unbelievable wind gust and even semi's get flipped over out there (very rate...but it has happened)

We had our spring rally at Deschutes River State Park last spring and the wind came up Saturday night and we all had to take cover.

Hopefully you can join us for the Spring Rally in Aprl/May (date/location not set yet)


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