sparky
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Post by sparky on Feb 7, 2014 3:50:56 GMT -8
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Post by bigbill on Feb 7, 2014 14:09:38 GMT -8
The first thing I would check is tongue weight, you should have at least 10% of your total loaded trailer weight this includes the trailer and everything in it on the tongue. In other words if the trailer weighs 2500 lb loaded you should have at least 250lb. on the hitch. as you get less than that the trailer will start to sway easier. My guess with what you are describing you only have around 5 to 7 percent on the hitch now. Some people will suggest adding sway controls but you have a problem that needs corrected not hidden. Sway controls are designed for a trailer that tows right under normal conditions then the sway control helps in extreme conditions like strong crosswinds, ect. It sounds like you have a good stable tow vehicle so you should be able to tow very comfortable. I am assuming you have the hitch dropped so that trailer sit level.
Also make sure you have all tires inflated to max pressure, trailer and truck. I am also assuming that you have matched tires on the trailer, as in all radial or all bias.
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sparky
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Post by sparky on Feb 7, 2014 19:46:10 GMT -8
Bigbill, Thanks for the input. I'll find a local scale and find out what's what.Also the batteries and inverter system could be moved to the front to shift weight to tounge. I'll report back.
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Post by vikx on Feb 7, 2014 22:26:28 GMT -8
I think the batteries shouldn't be moved. Right by the wheel well should give plenty of balance and support.
Friends have told me the sway control is AMAZING. Try that as well...
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Feb 8, 2014 8:20:10 GMT -8
Once you've got the tongue weight taken care of, go for the sway control (vikx is right). And don't feel bad about hovering around 55, gives everyone a good chance to ogle your gorgeous vintage trailer!
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Post by universalexports on Feb 8, 2014 9:15:46 GMT -8
you mentioned you are running radial tires, are they trailer Tires (there is a huge difference) 'Special Trailer' (ST) tires have a much thicker sidewall to control the side to side movement, light truck (LT) or passenger car(p) are not as good for a trailer as an actual trailer tire (ST). you can get up to a E-load with a 10 ply rating. all tires are not created equal, and this is a common cause of trailer sway.
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Post by bigbill on Feb 8, 2014 12:25:51 GMT -8
Sparky Another thing to check out is your truck. Some Dodge trucks like yours had a minor steering problem that caused the truck to wander a small amount. If yours is doing this it will transfer the movement to the trailer causing a minor sway. This sits on so gradual that if you are driving it all the time you won't notice it. The way to check for this is get on the highway on a nice straight level stretch and see if the truck stays in it's lane position with no corrections, if it does you are good to go if not this may be your problem.
As mentioned above the sway control is great but with you towing with a 4wd 3/4 ton truck it should not have a sway problem unless you have something wrong. Make sure you get this corrected before you try to mask it, if you was towing with a light weight short wheelbase vehicle it would be different but you are towing with a truck that should pull that small trailer without knowing its back there. You certainly should not feel out of control at 50 mph.
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John Palmer
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Post by John Palmer on Feb 8, 2014 19:13:22 GMT -8
you mentioned you are running radial tires, are they trailer Tires (there is a huge difference) 'Special Trailer' (ST) tires have a much thicker sidewall to control the side to side movement, light truck (LT) or passenger car(p) are not as good for a trailer as an actual trailer tire (ST). you can get up to a E-load with a 10 ply rating. all tires are not created equal, and this is a common cause of trailer sway.
I'm not a believer in condemning the use of LT and P tires on a single axle trailer. Heck, even my F150 "with a factory towing package" came new with original equipment P rated tires. I have run a 3500# single axle race car trailer that I built twelve years ago with P Rated tires without any problems or sway issues up to 80 MPH. I tow this trailer about 5,000 miles per year. P rated, or LT rated tires are fine, as long as you have the proper weight load rating tires on your vehicle. Make sure you keep a safety margin in the weight rating numbers, and never run tires older than four years old and you will be fine.
Having ST tires (even with 10 ply ratings) will not fix a trailer with improper balance.
The important thing is what Bill already pointed out. Proper weight balance is the key. Having sway bars and weight distribution hitches are nice "accessories", but they are just band aids for the real problem. Fix the problem first.
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Post by bigbill on Feb 8, 2014 19:29:25 GMT -8
Yes John I agree totally, I won't own a combination that I can't comfortably tow at 80+ mph, that doesn't mean that I always tow that fast what it means is if it is setup to do that when I am towing at 55 or 60 my safety and comfort level are greatly enhanced. I pull my roadster on a custom built trailer that I designed and built it has seen twice whats nice behind my Silverado which has a towing cap of 9600 lb. It also has tires rated for twice the total load and the air pressure gets checked on a regular basis.
Nothing will ruin a trip quicker than a trailer that is on the verge of going out of control, it wears out your mind and body.
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sparky
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Post by sparky on Feb 14, 2014 4:51:33 GMT -8
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Post by bigbill on Feb 14, 2014 5:57:42 GMT -8
They make a couple of different kits that takes the wandering feeling out of the dodge trucks they aren't real expensive and might help if you still have the wondering feel to the steering. Let us know how it all turns out.
Nice looking rig.
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Feb 14, 2014 9:27:18 GMT -8
One easy thing to check on your "wandering" tow vehicle is the "Toe Setting". It has a very big impact on driveability issues. It should have been rechecked after the steering box was replaced. Make sure you have it set to a factory setting. Many times on a raised vehicle the alignment settings change as the suspension is altered and not reset to the correct settings which will cause all kinds of issues.
You can easily check the setting yourself with some string and a tape measure. I'm not a big fan of tire shops with "computer alignment machines". It's the alignment tech that needs to know what to check and test, not a machine. Find an old time front end alignment shop if you need to have your alignment corrected.
It's hard to tell from your photo, but it looks like the trailer is riding high in the front and low in the back? Or it could be you have the tongue jacked up? Trailer's need to be level or slightly down in the front, "not high in the front" to tow good at speed. |
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sparky
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Post by sparky on Feb 14, 2014 16:52:43 GMT -8
Ok, The kit and toe setting are on the list. It's good to know about the trailer sitting a bit down in front. Mine does sit a little high in front due to tounge drop. The truck is has factory wheels and has not been "lifted" but still sits really high.
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soup
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Post by soup on Feb 15, 2014 2:46:58 GMT -8
FYI I'm a total MOPAR and RAM freak. Big Bill is correct on the Dodge Pick up. I had a 2001 Ram 2500 Cummins. Dodge had problems with these on the 2001 models and other years with the same body style Cummins or gas. Not sure about the newer shaped body style years. There is a steering shaft under the hood that is just forward of the fire wall. It has a U-Joint at each end and slides in the middle. 9 times out of ten, they need replacing about every 40K miles. Replace it and get some sway control for the trailer. ALL your other front end parts will have to be top notch and get your rotors checked too. If it's 18 foot and over, get the load leveling hitch system. 80mph would be possible after proper front end alignment, sway control, and load level hitch, but that alignment will be useless on that 01 Ram without the new steering shaft. Soup  |
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Post by schweetcruisers on Feb 15, 2014 6:56:39 GMT -8
Some state require trailers to have trailer tires, i have also heard if your in accident while towing your trailer if you do not have the correct tires on it you could be fined and your insurance could decline your claim., and would probably be head responsible if the resulting accident caused injuries or even death.
The other thing to keep in mind is a lot of states including Califorinia have speed limits on vehicles towing trailers, California's speed limit is 55 no matter what the posted speed limit is.
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