# Towing Issues



## luvmyob (Apr 4, 2010)

We just purchased a new 2010 250RS and took it on its maiden voyage. Everything was great except getting it there and getting it home. We pull it with a 2001 Dodge 3/4 CTD. We have a weight distribution hitch, but oh my....we have swayage! When a minivan can push the camper around as it's passing, we are all over the road. We're not sure if it's the set up of our hitch or just how high the Outbacks sit up off the ground?? Travel speed was 65 mph. A semi passed us and I thought we were headed for the ditch. Any suggestions??? Love the trailer, but pulling it is not so fun, at least not yet.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Oh my, let us help you here.

Tell us a little about your hitch setup.

Specifically, start with Brand and sway control method (is it a friction bar, or is there control inegrated into the hitch)

Other useful info would include the trailer's attitude when hitched (i.e. is it nose high, level, nose low???), and if you know the tounge weight (acutal measurements).

You have a truck that should be able to handle the trailer without a problem, so now we just need to help you fix the setup.


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## Just Add Dirt (May 5, 2009)

If you bought that new from a dealer, the dealer should have set up not only the TT, but also the TV, so the 2 work in unison while traveling down the road. That includes all aspects of towing including sway... 
I would go back to the TT dealer and make them make the TV & TT, travel with only minimal, normal sway. Could the axles or the wheels be out of alignment on the TT? A Minivan passing should have no effect what-so-ever on your rig.
.02


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

It sounds almost as though you are riding nose high on the TT.

You want to be level or slightly nose down while towing.

Please give a little more info or some pictures of the hitch set up itself.

Steve


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Agree with everyone else - sounds like your not setup right - please provide more information.....


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## Up State NY Camper (Apr 7, 2010)

WOW, learning a lot here. I know I'm not set up the correct way yet either. I will be keeping an eye on this thread. I have some sway issues that hopefully will go down greatly once I have the TT hitched correctly. I assume some sway is normal?


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

My first guess is not enough weight on the tongue followed by tow angle is most likely tongue high. Once we get details of your set up we can narrow it down for you.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Up State NY Camper said:


> WOW, learning a lot here. I know I'm not set up the correct way yet either. I will be keeping an eye on this thread. I have some sway issues that hopefully will go down greatly once I have the TT hitched correctly. I assume some sway is normal?


I would say there should be no sway in standard towing conditions (At least nothing that effects your handling). That way, in a severe condition, say a huge wind gust, there might be a little sway but not enough to cause you to lose control. IMO, if trucks are causing sway, you have a setup that is dangerous.

To further clarify, I experienced some minor sway on my way home on Saturday because the dealer didn't setup the hitch correctly. I was driving in 20mph winds with gusts to 40mph and could feel the wiggle when the wind was at my side. It was never bad enough to have to touch the trailer brakes, but I could feel it in the steering wheel. I consider that type of dynamic to be completely unacceptable, and will be tuning in the hitch before I tow again.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Sway's not normal, under the right circumstances it can get out of control quickly. A properly set up truck/trailer combo won't really move around at all.

Something is definitely wrong if you're getting sway with a 3/4 ton truck pulling a 250rs. That combination should be very solid. Along with checking what's been mentioned, also check tire pressure. LT tires on a 3/4 ton truck can be aired up to 80psi to carry their maximum load. Check the tire sidewalls as well as the driver's door post to see what pressure is specified.

I keep the front tires on our dodge at 60-65psi and the rears at 65-70psi.

Mike


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

I concur with the above writers. You have a serious setup problem. First, print out the hitch setup instructions on this web site. They are achingly detailed, but your towing problems will get you and your family killed or injured. Seriously. If a minivan causes you to sway, you really do have a dangerous situation.

Get the parts (tape measure, etc.), set your tire pressures correctly (TV AND TT) and then take your TT to a flat, level place. A parking lot with little or no slope. A closed gas station with concrete. Then start the setup by doing the measurements, etc. as the instructions say.

If you can do it, you can get your TV and TT weights at a commercial weigh station. Again, this site has the steps to follow to get your vehicle weight, your TT weight and your tongue weight. Make sure the tongue weight is within specs for your TV (both your model and your TV should be no problem), and your hitch and bars are designed for the weights you will put on them. You can also get your tongue weight at a dealer who uses a little flat scale that goes under the TV jack pad and reads the weight out for you. Verify that you're within specs. Then verify it again.

Now start the setup following the instructions carefully. The whole job will take you an hour or so. Leave the kids home so you do not get distracted. What you are doing is absolutely critical and a real safety issue. Don't skimp on the time it takes to do it right. Validate even such setup issues as the bolt positions for the hitch head/ball assembly. If it's wrong or off by more than 1/4", you should rebolt the hitch or get it rebolted. You need a huge torque wrench to do that--if I remember correctly, mine has the bolts torqued down to 150 foot pounds. And the bolt heads are like 1" across. Not just your everyday bolt, and I sure don't have a torque wrench of that capability!

If you get stumped or totally frustrated, then you should get help from a dealer who sets up TT and TVs. It's worth paying him $100 or $150 for an hour or two labor to do it right.

Good luck and safe towing.


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## luvmyob (Apr 4, 2010)

Wow, okay. When my hubby gets home this afternoon, we will get some more info out to all of you trying to help us. We have pulled a travel trailer before and like all of you mentioned, we did not have this problem. So we need to get it fixed for sure. Thank you so much for all of the advice....will write the details here shortly! Thanks again.


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## luvmyob (Apr 4, 2010)

First off I want to thank you all for your input, what's the fun in camping if you never make it to your favorite camping spot!

The dealer was no help when we picked the trailer up. He looked at the hitch and receiver and said that'll do and walked away. To say the least I have been on my own and you can see the situation I'm in.

All mesurements were done on level ground.
Set-up 
EAZ-Lift Weight Distro System / No friction control
The reciever 10,000 MGTWR
The Bars are 750lbs 10,000 MGTWR
Truck tire pressure front 60 psi
Truck tire pressure rear 75 psi
Trailer tire pressure 60 psi

The truck without trailer measures; 39 3/4" to the bottom of the front wheel well, 43 1/4" at the rear wheel well. Truck with trailer and weight distro connected; 40" at the front and 42 5/8 rear. With that said, the trailer was measured at the bottom of floor level (white line that runs leangth of the trailer on the outside). 33 1/2" at the front and 32 5/8" at the rear.

Thank you!


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

luvmyob said:


> First off I want to thank you all for your input, what's the fun in camping if you never make it to your favorite camping spot!
> 
> The dealer was no help when we picked the trailer up. He looked at the hitch and receiver and said that'll do and walked away. To say the least I have been on my own and you can see the situation I'm in.
> 
> ...


Sounds to me like you have very little tongue weight. The back of your TV only settled 5/8" while the front raised 1/4". With a WD hitch both ends of the TV should settle about the same amount. The trailer is sitting a little front high, but with more tongue weight, it should be about level.

I towed my last trailer (21', 3300 lbs) without a WD hitch, and it settled the rear of the TV about 1 1/2". I never felt a trace of sway in two seasons of RVing, from gravel back roads, to Interstates, but had a friction sway control just in case. I used to tow a 28 foot boat, which swayed a little on quick lane changes when I first got it, but adjusting for a little more tongue weight totally eliminated the sway.

Get it sorted out, then have fun camping!


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

luvmyob said:


> First off I want to thank you all for your input, what's the fun in camping if you never make it to your favorite camping spot!
> 
> The dealer was no help when we picked the trailer up. He looked at the hitch and receiver and said that'll do and walked away. To say the least I have been on my own and you can see the situation I'm in.
> 
> ...


OK, so with the WD bars on, it looks like you aren't transferring quite enough weight. The old rule of thumb is to have the front and back of the truck drom equally. IMO, on 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, just keep the front from rising and you should be ok. You are very close, but you could transfer a little more to the front. As for the trailer, it is riding ~1" nose high. If I were you, I'd drop the hitch head one notch (usually there's a shank and some bolts holding the head to it. Lower those by one hole. That will drop your front by that amount (it's probably about 1.5"). Then when you re-setup your WDH bars, try to get the front not to rise and the back to settle a little. Both of these things should help stability slightly.

So, then you'll have the WDH part of the hitch dialed in. Now we need to get you some sway control. The most basic is a friction sway bar which is used to reduce sway. On bigger trailers dealers sometimes put on 2 bars, one on each side. These bars are not ideal, but they may work for you since you have a good sized truck. To really take care of the issue, most around here will reccomend a WDH upgrade to either the Equal-I-Zer brand or the Reese Dual Cam (Also called Straight Line) hitch. These work much more effectively to reduce sway, but they also require that you buy a new WDH setup.

Ok, now let us know if you have more questions.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

Nathan said:


> First off I want to thank you all for your input, what's the fun in camping if you never make it to your favorite camping spot!
> 
> The dealer was no help when we picked the trailer up. He looked at the hitch and receiver and said that'll do and walked away. To say the least I have been on my own and you can see the situation I'm in.
> 
> ...


OK, so with the WD bars on, it looks like you aren't transferring quite enough weight. The old rule of thumb is to have the front and back of the truck drom equally. IMO, on 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, just keep the front from rising and you should be ok. You are very close, but you could transfer a little more to the front. As for the trailer, it is riding ~1" nose high. If I were you, I'd drop the hitch head one notch (usually there's a shank and some bolts holding the head to it. Lower those by one hole. That will drop your front by that amount (it's probably about 1.5"). Then when you re-setup your WDH bars, try to get the front not to rise and the back to settle a little. Both of these things should help stability slightly.

So, then you'll have the WDH part of the hitch dialed in. Now we need to get you some sway control. The most basic is a friction sway bar which is used to reduce sway. On bigger trailers dealers sometimes put on 2 bars, one on each side. These bars are not ideal, but they may work for you since you have a good sized truck. To really take care of the issue, most around here will reccomend a WDH upgrade to either the Equal-I-Zer brand or the Reese Dual Cam (Also called Straight Line) hitch. These work much more effectively to reduce sway, but they also require that you buy a new WDH setup.

Ok, now let us know if you have more questions.
[/quote]

I agree with everything you said Nathan. The front of the truck lifting indicates that there isn't enough weight transfer, and lowering the hitch head would improve the attitude of the trailer and shift some weight forward.
The point I was trying to make with my ramble about my experiences, is that the best way to eliminate sway, is to get the 10 to 15% tongue weight (preferably closer to 15%) that everyone recommends. The fact that the rear of the truck settled so little, makes me think the main culprit is lack of tongue weight. I feel sway controls should be used as insurance, rather than a necessity to hold the trailer straight. I'm wondering if some heavy cargo was loaded in the rear of the trailer, as the 250rs specs say 540lbs hitch weight, which is a little light to start, and could easily be made worse with improper loading of the trailer.
Just my 2 cents,

Doug


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I agree that weighing shoudl be done. IMO though, the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks don't settle much with a measly 600-800 lbs on the hitch.


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