[curtcharlespdx]

I'm a newbie to pulling a travel trailer but not a newbie to towing. Up to this point, I haven't had an issue towing. I recent bought a Grand Design Imagine 3100RD. GVWR is 9495, UVW 7778, and hitch weight is 782lbs. My 2019 Supercrew with 145" wheelbase has the max tow package. I also purchased the Equalizer 4 point WDH and I am all over the place. On Friday, we ran into high winds but navigated that slowly. On the way back, we had about 15mph winds and I had the same sway. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. When I look at my truck, it looks like it's managing the weight well. I don't have a ton that is in the camper but what I do have is in the lower front compartment centered. I'm truly at a loss on why this is swaying so bad. Any help would be great.

Make sure you have at least 10% of the trailer weight on the ball, better at 12% or even 14%. Weigh the trailer un-hitched, then the axles hitched. The difference is what's on the ball. (I use Better Weigh - it's within 10% or better. I can explain the physics of how it works if you want.)

My Lance comes in at 6700 lbs, and I have 1000 lbs on the ball. That's 14.9%. I also have the same hitch, and my 2018 F-150 with max tow also does sway control. I've tried to get it to sway, and nothing. So I have to conclude that your issue is brought about by how the weight is distributed in the trailer. Some of that you can effect. For example, if you moved the batteries from the front to the back so you could have more, you've transferred a lot of weight to where you don't want it.

Sent from my SM-T720 using Tapatalk

 

[curtcharlespdx]

I,m not a newbie to towing and I’ve been sorting out my current trailer towing for two seasons. I have a 2018 F150 Super Cab, 3.5, 6 1/2 ft bed, tow capacity 10,600 lbs, trailer 6780 lbs, hitch weight 520, and bumper to ball is 30 ft. Those weights are before loading. I've done all the calculations and am way under all the limits advertised by Ford of my trucks capabilities after loading the trailer and truck for a trip. Still I get sway, buffeted around by big trucks and big 5th wheels. I also get “porpoiseing” when I encounter whoop de does on the freeways, and I don’t go faster than 65 mph. Before buying the F150 I towed the same trailer with my 2011 Titan Pro4X and all worked beautifully. I just think Ford over rates their F150, to the detriment of their buyers. I have just turned 19,00 miles on my truck, and so far I’ve put on new rear shocks, Bilstein 4600, and a Hellwig helper spring over the rear leaf springs. I’ve towed twice with those new items with very little improvement. I also now use duel friction control bar with my setup, which has helped some, but it is not there yet. My next move will be to add a rear sway bar to the truck. Good luck with your situation.

Agreed. My F-150 is rated at 12,700 tow capacity, but only has a payload of 1465. I have a dialed-in WDH and added Helwig helper springs to improve the ride and reduce sag. They accomplished both, expecially on rough roads. If money were no object I'd buy a Tesla for commuting and an F-250 for towing. The F-150 was a compromise.

When I tow I'm actually over the truck's GVWR, but I'm under the GAWR both front and rear. I'm adding 2 e-bikes to the back of the trailer which should reduce the tongue weight from 1000 lbs to 850 lbs or so. That will still be 12% of the trailer (for sway mitigation) and will be sufficient to bring the whole shebang back under GVWR.

Sent from my SM-T720 using Tapatalk

 

[curtcharlespdx]

How did you come up with that 12.7k towing capacity ?

Ford 2018 literature based on F-150, max tow, and Platinum config with 20" wheels, 145" WB with SCrew. GCWR is 18,100 lbs. View attachment Ford_Linc_18RV&TTowGuide_r8_May15.pdf

Sent from my SM-T720 using Tapatalk