Community Forums

PCGuy53 · 06-18-2017, 11:21 AM

Thanks again for everyone's input. It is much appreciated. I am leaving some gear at home, and trying to move most everything else that I "need" out of the truck bed and to the trailer, as close to the axle as possible. The truck bed will probably only have wheel chocks & several bags of charcoal in it.

When I get home from church, I will increase my truck tire pressure & find a level spot to check my truck fender heights with & without the trailer. If it is off, I'll see if I can borrow the tools needed to adjust the hitch.
I will then give it a short test run to the CAT scale (maybe 15 miles away) and get re-weighed.

I'll keep my speed no higher than 55-60 mph.
Hopefully these actions will reduce the weight and stabilize the handling to be safe for this trip. Long term though, I may need to see if I need to change or modify my truck.

Thanks again for your inputs & concern for my safety.
(By the way, I'm traveling from a Kansas City, MO suburb to Truman Lake near Clinton, MO, if you want to stay clear[emoji57])

Ken

keymastr · 06-18-2017, 11:42 AM

Don't know why you are so upset about this, he came looking for answers so clearly he is not going to just figure it is fine. He also stated that he carries 400 pounds of stuff in the bed which if removed would make him only 200 pounds over on the rear axle. Still significant but we are making progress. Now if he adjusts the hitch himself to optimize weight transfer and removes some extra weight from the trailer he will be fairly close to factory limits.

I am with you that towing at the factory limit is not great but with the addition of E rated tires that don't squish from side to side and possibly taking a second car for passengers and other gear this would be a marginally acceptable rig for local trips until he can acquire another vehicle. Certainly you see people far more overloaded than he would be every time you get on the highway, I know I do.

We all want people to tow safely and clearly this combination is not safe as it is and it will never be a comfortable drive. He already knows this. The bigger issue here is that no one is screaming for the head of the dealer who let this off the lot. When I picked up my new trailer the dealer was using the advertised dry weight and actually told me not to use the gross trailer weight, nor did they have scales or tongue scales and they are the largest volume RV dealer in the region. They send hundreds of overloaded vehicles out the door every year and they did not come here to learn how to fix the issue. Seems like we tend to blame the victim a bit too often. If his dealer were required to give accurate information I am sure he would have made a different decision. Perhaps requiring a test drive with your vehicle would help eliminate these mistakes.

Wilde · 06-18-2017, 12:33 PM

When your tow vehicle is overloaded (like yours is), you can have a good tongue weight and a good sway control system and it will still feel like the trailer is driving the truck. You need to move up to a 3/4 ton or buy a lighter trailer. Maybe there's a possibility of customizing your suspension to handle additional weight? That wouldn't be necessarily legal, but it may be possible.

bobbin · 06-18-2017, 07:39 PM

true, your basic problem is too much trailer for too little truck. consider these points:
1/ do not exceed any weight ratings: gcwr, gvwr, gawr, etc. lest you be liable for fines
2/ get tires having higher weight ratings for truck and trailer
3/ add dual-path air bags to truck's rear suspension
4/ install disc brakes on trailer
5/ install the Tuson anti-sway device.
6/ at all times, drive below speed limits.

MorganT69 · 06-18-2017, 09:00 PM

My $.02 worth is this, you either need a lighter trailer or a bigger truck to fix your problem LONG TERM. I pull a 29' Super Ultra Lite with my F-150 with sway control and equalizer hitch and I get some sway from wind gust but not to bad, I drove an 18 wheeler for 12 years and I know with your set up, if you come into a high wind gust situation with your set up you are going to be in trouble. My trailer only weight 4490 lbs dry, I couldnt image trying to add 3000 more lbs to my F-150, it would be a nightmare.

xrated · 06-19-2017, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keymastr

Don't know why you are so upset about this, he came looking for answers so clearly he is not going to just figure it is fine. He also stated that he carries 400 pounds of stuff in the bed which if removed would make him only 200 pounds over on the rear axle. Still significant but we are making progress. Now if he adjusts the hitch himself to optimize weight transfer and removes some extra weight from the trailer he will be fairly close to factory limits.

I am with you that towing at the factory limit is not great but with the addition of E rated tires that don't squish from side to side and possibly taking a second car for passengers and other gear this would be a marginally acceptable rig for local trips until he can acquire another vehicle. Certainly you see people far more overloaded than he would be every time you get on the highway, I know I do.

We all want people to tow safely and clearly this combination is not safe as it is and it will never be a comfortable drive. He already knows this. The bigger issue here is that no one is screaming for the head of the dealer who let this off the lot. When I picked up my new trailer the dealer was using the advertised dry weight and actually told me not to use the gross trailer weight, nor did they have scales or tongue scales and they are the largest volume RV dealer in the region. They send hundreds of overloaded vehicles out the door every year and they did not come here to learn how to fix the issue. Seems like we tend to blame the victim a bit too often. If his dealer were required to give accurate information I am sure he would have made a different decision. Perhaps requiring a test drive with your vehicle would help eliminate these mistakes.

It might help if you state who you are directing this reply to or quote the post that you are replying to

wandering1 · 06-19-2017, 06:25 AM

You dont have the right truck. The f150 suspension is not stiff enough to CONTROL the trailer. The f150 has a soft mushy suspension to make your wife happy with the ride not the suspension to control towing a trailer, something ford wont tell you about.

timetogo · 06-19-2017, 08:43 AM

The number 1 cause of sway besides wind, is lack of tongue weight on the truck. Air your trailer and rear truck tires to max sidewall PSI. Front truck tires can be a little less.

Save travels.

monkey · 06-19-2017, 10:27 AM

I totally agree with getting E rated tires... Also as said inflate your present tires to max pressure as listed on the sidewall of the tire. 35PSI (or 37) and you are on a bowl of jello...
Monkey

PCGuy53 · 06-19-2017, 11:14 AM

With help from everyone's advice, we made it to the lake. Took almost everything out of the truck bed, left other gear at home or put in trailer over axle, aired up truck tires. I measured the truck wheel well heights with & without tow bars or trailer. We took the truck to the 24 hour truck repair shop & adjusted the wd hitch to move more weight to the front axles. I know this isn't a permanent fix, but the ride was MUCH better.
I will look into what my options are long term.

Thanks again for everyone's comments. I probably have enough into now to make more informed decisions going forward.

Ken

xrated · 06-19-2017, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCGuy53

With help from everyone's advice, we made it to the lake. Took almost everything out of the truck bed, left other gear at home or put in trailer over axle, aired up truck tires. I measured the truck wheel well heights with & without tow bars or trailer. We took the truck to the 24 hour truck repair shop & adjusted the wd hitch to move more weight to the front axles. I know this isn't a permanent fix, but the ride was MUCH better.
I will look into what my options are long term.

Thanks again for everyone's comments. I probably have enough into now to make more informed decisions going forward.

Ken

That is excellent news Ken, glad you had a safe trip.

chboone · 06-19-2017, 09:50 PM

I didn't read every post, if someone hasn't mentioned it already, before going to E load range tires make sure your rims are designed for the higher pressure 80 PSI.

1320Fastback · 06-19-2017, 10:05 PM

More tongue weight of course would help but being already overloaded it's not a good move.

Get rid of the Passenger car tires and step up to E rated truck tires. Expanding on the post above there should be a psi and weight rating on the inside of your rims somewhere. If it's not within E tire specs switch to rims that are. You do not want a rim hub failure while towing!

NFlcamper · 06-20-2017, 07:56 PM

I was in your situation for the 1st year I owned my trailer - I had a 1500 GMC Z71 with tow package. It towed great but I could not go over 60 mph at all or leave the flat land of Florida. I experienced sway anytime someone passed me. Sway control helped and I also had E rated tires. It wasn't until I got a 2500 CTD and now I don't use any sway control, just WD hitch with 1,000 to 1250 tongue weight.
The right truck makes the difference.