Sway problem? F350 SRW w/ 14k 44' 5er

[NPCampbell]

1st post here. I am wondering if sway will be a problem with my future purchase.

I'm looking at a:
tow: f350 diesel Tremor with guesstimated 3350 payload on the sticker
5er: 44' Arctic Wolf with 1655 pin weight, 13700 GVWR, 10800 UVW

I am pretty sure I'll be well within safe limits for payload, rear axle, etc. even after loading up the trailer.

What I'm not sure about is how bad it will sway with a SRW? 20 years ago, I reduced trailer sway on a 35' Coachman using a friction sway bar. However, that trailer was shorter and lighter and a sway bar is easy to mount. I'm not sure how 5er's handle sway.

Will it be a problem in moderate winds? Are there devices like sway bars to reduce it? Or should I focus on a DRW and the PITA of driving in town with a tank?

[tuffr2]

How far do you expect to tow said 5th wheel and how often? SRW trucks towing a big 5th wheel can be a bit squirrelly.

[ggrimm01]

Hello

5th wheels trailers are the most stable platform. During a crosswind you will feel it somewhat. However it should only be light to moderate. No white knuckles. Good luck and happy camping

[Toby Dog]

Two important weights mentioned shouldn't be guessed at. If the pin weight is from the trailer specs it is the unloaded pin weight.
As to the payload capacity you need to actually look at the truck sticker itself.
Typically 5ers don't sway but that length and a light pin can keep you busy.

[Dieselguy4]

Check rear GAWR and tire load capacity. You will get more sway out of those 35 inch tires due to them rolling. My SRW Dodge Ram Mega Cab 3500 did it . It was not fun to tow in cross winds. I have a 40 ft fifth wheel. Moved to a dually.

[TXiceman]

I went and looked at the FR site to check the specks on a 44 foot Arctic Fox as I could not believe the low GVWR for a 44 foot 5th wheel. I do not see how thay can be that light weight and still hold together.

We are selling our 40 foot HitchHiker with a GVWR of 19,000 lb and a pin weight of over 4000# when loaded. The dry weight was 16,500#

By the numbers you should be OK, but the Tremor comes with oversized tires and a jacked-up suspension, both of which lead to less desirable handling. Personally, I would move to a more standard SRW F350 or even a DRW for better stability.

Ken

[Timing]

Tremors are designed to provide increased off road capability at the expense of other functions such as towing. As a result, you may feel less stability than with a regular F350. Things that other tremor owners seem to do is make sure the tires are broken in and properly inflated, add a rear sway bar, upgrade the shocks.

You should check out the Tremor forum because there is a lot of good information that is specifically relevant to towing with a tremor.

[mistercee]

Wow, those AW 5th wheels are super light for 44'. I looked at the entire family of the 44 footers but didn't see any matching your listed weight specs.

One thing to remember while shopping and 'guesstimating', those Forest River (or any manufacturer's) website pin weights are not for a loaded trailer. Standard rule of thumb is that 22% of trailer GVWR will be pin weight on a 5th wheel. Maybe 20% on the super lightweight designs? In any event, they will increase significantly over what is on the website.

Agree with what others have stated about the Tremor package not being the most suitable F350 to tow with. By the same token that is a very reasonable overall weight - even fully loaded - for an F350 diesel. I just don't know about that length - or if being that long and that light makes for any other towing challenges.

[NPCampbell]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

How far do you expect to tow said 5th wheel and how often? SRW trucks towing a big 5th wheel can be a bit squirrelly.

Maybe 3,000 miles over 5-6 months out of every year? We work M-F so travel is limited to weekends primarily. Our weather windows will be more restricted than a typical RVer.

[4x4ord]

I’ve got a 5ver with a light pin. With no food, clothes or water in our 5ver it weighs 13840 lbs and has a pin weight of 2330 lbs. Pin weight is about 17%. It tows very nice behind my SRW F350 short box. I sometimes load over 1000 lbs of motorcycle and carrier on the back bumper ….. that changes things. With the bike loaded I load an additional 400 lbs of weight in the front closet in order to keep the sway from being excessive.

[Camp CA]

Pin weight for a 13,700 lb GVWR to be closer to 21% or 2877 lbs based on my experience. Never had a sway issue towing a fifth wheel trailer with a SRW, however, a DRW will be more stable in windy conditions.

[Timing]

Originally Posted by mistercee

Wow, those AW 5th wheels are super light for 44'. I looked at the entire family of the 44 footers but didn't see any matching your listed weight specs.

Looks like it is probably the 3660SUITE

[Reprobate]

I live on a farm puling many kinds of trailers (and RVs) with mainly 1 ton pickups. Some SRW, some DRW. Never noticed enough difference in towing experience between the 2 types to make the PITA DRW worthwhile. You will be happier with a SRW 1 ton.
The biggest change to towing experience for my 35' fifth wheel was going up a load range in trailer tires to load range G. Never feel any sway now when in driveable cross winds or around semis. Game changer. No more blow outs either

[TXiceman]

Light pin weight can make for a miserable towing experience. A friend has a 37 or 38 foot 5er that is a normal weight trailer, not a light weight and his pin weight is closer to 17 or 18% of the trailer GVWR. It will beat you to death on a road that did not both our trailer and truck. My advice is not trying to go light on the pin weight just to get into a smaller truck. Get a truck suitable for the weight rating on the trailer as well as the cargo capacity to carry the pin weight and passengers.

Ken