# Tail Wagg'in The Dog!



## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

Just got back from our maiden voyage---but that's another post. The tow was going great until I went over 55 mph. The truck would act like I had to much gravel loaded in the back and the front tires were drifting







Here's the weird part, when being passed by tractor trailer rigs I didn't feel any sway at all. I weighed before leaving, the truck was 6300 lbs. and the TT was 5700 lbs. The equalizer was on the first link but tight and the friction sway bar was as tight. Winds were 10 to 15 and the tires were as follows. Truck, the 10 plys were 65 on the rear and 60 in front the TT Duro's were at 45 lbs. The rig looked really level with no pooch in the tires. There was also a little to much hobby horseing going on. Any suggestions?


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

It's possible that when you were driving over 55mph, that you had enough wind resistance on the front of the Outback that the wind effectively was pushing down on the front of the trailer. This would increase your tongue weight and take some load of the front axle. It may not be enough to cause the problem you are having but it could be a factor.

Having just discovered that my Equalizer was not set up correctly myself, you may want to drive through a truck scale both with and without the trailer to be sure your hitch is set up correctly.

Linky

Cheap and dirty wind speed to pressure calculation


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

I would venture to say that you need to make some adjustments to your hitch. You may not feel the sway when being passed by tractor trailers, but there may just be a bit too much weight on the rear. If you can go over a scale and weigh just the front axle and the rear axle individually. You should be close, but heavier in the rear.


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## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

I will look into both those possibilities----thank you


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

As well as weighing axles, I'd suggest parking the rig on level ground and taking measurements of the front and rear wheelwell heights, first without the trailer attached, then with the trailer attached without WD bars, then with the Weight Distribution bars. This will help figure out how the tongue weight is being transferred to the TV.

On the scales, you'd like to see 12 to 15 percent of the trailer weight on the tongue.

Doug


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## Jim B (Mar 26, 2010)

I'm curious about the tire pressure readings. I think the TT tire pressure (45) seems low and the truck tires (60 & 65) seem high (is it a 1/2 or 3/4 ton ?), at least compared to my set up. Our TT tires show 60 or 65 for max load and my 1/2 ton TV tires should be at 44psi for max load. Of course I realize that it depends on the tire rating and manufacturer, but just something to double check.

Not to redirect this post, but I am curious what you guys pay at the scales for weight readings? I stopped by a local one and they charge $9 for the truck and another $9 to do the trailer.


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## gonewild (Mar 13, 2009)

X2 on measuring your TV on level ground. You mentioned that the TV seemed level, but how about the TT. It should also be level or even a bit lower at the tongue. This also makes a huge difference in tail wagging..


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

CAT scales at the pilot truck stop near me charge $9 for the first weigh, and then $1 for each re-weigh within 24 hours of the first weigh. $18 seems a bit much......


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## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

Jim B said:


> I'm curious about the tire pressure readings. I think the TT tire pressure (45) seems low and the truck tires (60 & 65) seem high (is it a 1/2 or 3/4 ton ?), at least compared to my set up. Our TT tires show 60 or 65 for max load and my 1/2 ton TV tires should be at 44psi for max load. Of course I realize that it depends on the tire rating and manufacturer, but just something to double check.
> 
> Not to redirect this post, but I am curious what you guys pay at the scales for weight readings? I stopped by a local one and they charge $9 for the truck and another $9 to do the trailer.


Hi Jim----My rig is a HD 1/2 ton with load range E Hankooks. Max pressure is 80 psi. Max on the TT is 50 psi. Also the scales here in Oregon are free--I have two within 15 minutes of my house.


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## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

gonewild said:


> X2 on measuring your TV on level ground. You mentioned that the TV seemed level, but how about the TT. It should also be level or even a bit lower at the tongue. This also makes a huge difference in tail wagging..


I went out and measured the TV to the center of the hub each were 22" to 22 1/2"
All these suggestions are great, I hope to have this figured out tomorrow we'll be hittin the road again in two weeks.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

jcamp said:


> X2 on measuring your TV on level ground. You mentioned that the TV seemed level, but how about the TT. It should also be level or even a bit lower at the tongue. This also makes a huge difference in tail wagging..


I went out and measured the TV to the center of the hub each were 22" to 22 1/2"
All these suggestions are great, I hope to have this figured out tomorrow we'll be hittin the road again in two weeks.
[/quote]

The measurements need to be to the wheelwell lips, so you can figure out how much the suspension is compressing.

If you do before and after measurements, you should see some compression on the front and rear suspension of the truck, if the WD bars are doing their job. Without the WD bars, the front measurement will likely be higher than it was with no load. On a half-ton the load should be distributed fairly equally. As you get into the heavier trucks, it's better to leave a little more weight on the rear tires, as the rear suspension is capable of carrying a bigger portion of the weight.

Doug


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## OutbackPM (Sep 14, 2005)

jcamp said:


> Just got back from our maiden voyage---but that's another post. The tow was going great until I went over 55 mph. The truck would act like I had to much gravel loaded in the back and the front tires were drifting
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 It sounds like the hitch is not doing its job and leaving the front lighter than it should be. You already have some suggestions to follw for this. I had a Reese dual cam so my set up was different but achieving the same. As you have the E rated tires put them up to the max 80 psi to stiffen the walls up. This may help the situation until you can figure it out. If your trailer were much heavier the lower pressures would be more significant.

On another though do you have enough tongue weight? In my local storage place there was a guy I spoke to that had all kinds of sway issues with his trailer. When I quizzed him he had put a 7KW generator in the back lower compartment so had a low tongue weight and all that weight localized to the back so it swung all over the place. He told me later that he got the Hensley hitch and it made it bareable but fundamentally he was very poorly balanced. Funny I have not seen his trailer recently parked.

Good luck with the set up


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## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

OutbackPM said:


> Just got back from our maiden voyage---but that's another post. The tow was going great until I went over 55 mph. The truck would act like I had to much gravel loaded in the back and the front tires were drifting
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 It sounds like the hitch is not doing its job and leaving the front lighter than it should be. You already have some suggestions to follw for this. I had a Reese dual cam so my set up was different but achieving the same. As you have the E rated tires put them up to the max 80 psi to stiffen the walls up. This may help the situation until you can figure it out. If your trailer were much heavier the lower pressures would be more significant.

On another though do you have enough tongue weight? In my local storage place there was a guy I spoke to that had all kinds of sway issues with his trailer. When I quizzed him he had put a 7KW generator in the back lower compartment so had a low tongue weight and all that weight localized to the back so it swung all over the place. He told me later that he got the Hensley hitch and it made it bareable but fundamentally he was very poorly balanced. Funny I have not seen his trailer recently parked.

Good luck with the set up
[/quote]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I'm sure the answer to my problem is within your posts. I'll start on it this morning and let you know what I find.


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## Escalade Steve (May 10, 2009)

One more suggestion I didn't read yet. You can add a second anti sway device to the receiver hitch.

I have a 5th wheel now, but back when I had a trailer, I added two anti-sway devices to the receiver hitch and it helped immensely. From what I read I think you have one now. Adding a second one will make a world of difference.

Of course that is my opinon from personal experience. To add the extra anti sway, I had to weld a steel plate onto the receiver, drill a hole and install the mini ball with the kit.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Where did you go on the maiden voyage?


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Have to agree with the others above. We had the exact symptoms you describe and they were the direct result of our Equalizer being setup by our dealer. Dealer setups on WDH hitches can, almost universally, be described by the word "Fail". I got the rig on level ground and set it up using the Equalizer instruction manual and the problems we had, just as you describe, went away.

-CC


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## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

thefulminator said:


> Where did you go on the maiden voyage?


We went to Fishermen's Bend on hwy 22 just west of Mill City, OR. I posted all the info and photos on the "Have you been camping" forum---------great place!


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## jake's outback (Jul 24, 2010)

jcamp said:


> I'm curious about the tire pressure readings. I think the TT tire pressure (45) seems low and the truck tires (60 & 65) seem high (is it a 1/2 or 3/4 ton ?), at least compared to my set up. Our TT tires show 60 or 65 for max load and my 1/2 ton TV tires should be at 44psi for max load. Of course I realize that it depends on the tire rating and manufacturer, but just something to double check.
> 
> Not to redirect this post, but I am curious what you guys pay at the scales for weight readings? I stopped by a local one and they charge $9 for the truck and another $9 to do the trailer.


Hi Jim----My rig is a HD 1/2 ton with load range E Hankooks. Max pressure is 80 psi. Max on the TT is 50 psi. Also the scales here in Oregon are free--I have two within 15 minutes of my house.
[/quote]

So I was really interested in weighing the individual axles on TV (before and after) and TT. So I found a place that charges $10 each time







This was at a moving company!
well I'll keep looking east of Toronto for something cheaper. Sure hope we have one that is cheaper around...


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## CdnOutback (Apr 16, 2010)

check with any of the truck stops. Many of them have scales.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

jcamp said:


> Where did you go on the maiden voyage?


We went to Fishermen's Bend on hwy 22 just west of Mill City, OR. I posted all the info and photos on the "Have you been camping" forum---------great place!
[/quote]

Used to drive past that one when I lived in Salem but never camped there. How did you like it?


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## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

Well--we got the drifting problem solved! Turns out the ball was to high. I took the rig to On The Way RV in Rickreall and for $25 they hooked me up correctly. They measured the distance from the ground to the top of the frame between the tires, which was 22". Then adjusted the ball to 23", allowing for a one inch drop. After getting the wd bars on the right link the whole rig sat dead on level.----Thanks to all for the helpful hints.


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## gzaleski (Aug 29, 2009)

Great! I had mine lowered a little and it made a world of difference after I upgraded my TV from a F-150 to a F-250 Super Duty!


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I ended up talking to customer service at Equalizer last week. Here is the way I was told to adjust the Equalizer.

When adjusting hitch height:

Set ball to 0 to + 1" above trailer tongue (top inside of ball socket) height.

Front of truck should end up 0 to + 1/4" (high) with trailer attached.

Rear of truck should end up -3/4" to - 1-1/2" (low) with trailer attached.


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## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

gzaleski said:


> Great! I had mine lowered a little and it made a world of difference after I upgraded my TV from a F-150 to a F-250 Super Duty!


My wife picked out our truck







I'm just the driver!


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## jcamp (Oct 16, 2009)

thefulminator said:


> I ended up talking to customer service at Equalizer last week. Here is the way I was told to adjust the Equalizer.
> 
> When adjusting hitch height:
> 
> ...


Yup! Sounds exactly like what I was told


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