Montana Travel Trailer Towing Issues

[CD]

Rick
The TT that I mentioned had original tires on it. This happened about 40 yrs ago so your tires are probably OK but I would look at the load rating and compare to actual weight.

[flagypsy]

As others have pointed out, this is a simple matter of the wrong tool/equipment for the job. The Reese HP Dual Cam will fix this problem if there are no other issues that must be corrected first

[rharveysr]

In the last couple of days I have adjusted the setup on both the trailer and truck. When we bought the trailer I adjusted the ball height to a point that it looked level when the trailer was hooked up.
Now that I followed the instructions here on this website..I actually dropped the ball 3" lower. Also I was able to go up one link in the WD to 6 links instead of 7 and they look level with the bottom of the tongue.
My wife and I worked on it for a good long while to get the "drop" in the suspension in the truck equal front and back. It didnt make any difference what combination we tried that front end on my 97 dodge would not move! So we decided to work with what we had and test it this weekend. We are headed out on a 3 hour drive to Pismo Beach from here in the Central Valley. We will have both 2 lane and freeway traffic to test the new settings. If for some reason this does not change things..I will be ordering a Reese Dual Cam setup. I get tired of the white knuckle syndrome.
I will post the results of the adjustments...

Rick

[rharveysr]

Ok...here is the results of the adjustments that we did last week. In the 3 hour of towing we experienced side wind and also being passed by big rigs. I can say that 75% of the issues that we had are now history. I did that 3 hours easier than I ever have with this trailer.
I will pull it like it is until I have the money to change the system.

Rick

[TXiceman]

Sometimes it does take some adjusting on the hitch to get the settings where it is right fro your truck and trailer. The instructions are just a good starting point that does work most of the time.

I had one small trailer years ago that pulled best with the nose slightly high...contradictary to the general consensus or nose low is better. The trailer also like to be closer to 15% of the weight on the tongue.

There are a lot of factors to look at when towing...

Wheel base of the tow vehicle,
overhang from the axle to the hitch.
Trailer length
Tongue weight
Trailer axle location.

Glad you are on the right track with the towing.

Ken

[rharveysr]

Got back home last night from a trip to the coast(150 miles one way). The trailer followed me like a dragging a log chain! Only had 1 issue of the trailer trying to do the twist and it was when a van passed me. Other than that it pulled great..even with a side wind.
Until things get crazy again..I will keep the towing setup that I have. Even though it can be a pain to hook everything up.
White knuckle towing is no longer needed.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions. Now we dont need to sell the trailer and get another one.

Rick

[CD]

rharveysr
I'm glad to hear you got to the bottom of most of your problems. It's been my opinion that you need to resolve the problems as you did before throwing money at better hitches. These hitches may be very good but without solving the other problems first they may come back to haunt you later. I got rid of some smaller problems when I got the 1T dually.

[Carl in St Augustine]

As an aside to this thread, we just fixed one that really had a problem with swaying at about 60mph. The axles were mounted wrong! All most a two inch difference! Took a string to the center of the tow point (ball socket) and fastened it down. Took the string to each front mount point for the axles. Found a 1.75 inch difference. The axle was creeping causing a sway. Relocated axle for an even tow length and the sway was gone. This unit came from the plant this way. Do not assume it is put together right!