Terrible Toad Wobble

[nanrobaz]

Hit some bad freeway roads today going 60 mph. We tow a Chevy Equinox and twice it wobbled so much we had to take an emergency stop on the freeways we were on. We are concerned about the front end of the toad. Has anyone else experienced this and do you have any advice?

[1st-tt2018]

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/death-wobble-406770.html

Try there.

[cwit]

Electric steering pump is problem. Check owners manual and it should tell you how to over come problem.

[lonfu]

Temp fix, keep it at 50 mph until you can get a steer damp installed. Make sure your tow bar is parallel to the ground when you are fully aired up and engine is idling. Note tow speeds where you are at, most states are 55.

[CWSWine]

Originally Posted by lonfu

Temp fix, keep it at 50 mph until you can get a steer damp installed. Make sure your tow bar is parallel to the ground when you are fully aired up and engine is idling. Note tow speeds where you are at, most states are 55.

I spend a couple of months a year in Arizona and tow at between 60 and 65. Are you saying that the max speed is 55 while towing? Other than California what others restrict towing less than the posted speed limits?


Edit: There is a couple of states with lower speed limits. Here is the list https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/trailer-speed-limits/

[georgelesley]

Another quick fix is to bungee cord the steering wheel loosely in place. Not so tight it cannot move, just enough to provide some resistance.

[Lit]

I had experienced the wobble several times going over the same very rough stretch of NB I-75 in Tenn. Yes when your going 65 mph it's frightening to say the least. Looking at my tow setup I noticed slop in the square tubing, male to female. I bought on Ebay: RV Anti-Rattle Hitch and it has not had any wobble in the last several trips over the same stretch of I-75.

[Jim_HiTek]

I'm with George and Lit. I have the clamp, and have read numerous times about the bungee cord trick. About the only time I've had to deal with wobble was when I put the Blue Ox connector on upside down. Despite the warning in bright white letters saying UP with an arrow.

[aether_one]

Originally Posted by CWSWine

I spend a couple of months a year in Arizona and tow at between 60 and 65. Are you saying that the max speed is 55 while towing? Other than California what others restrict towing less than the posted speed limits?


Edit: There is a couple of states with lower speed limits. Here is the list https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/trailer-speed-limits/

So NOT "most states" then?

[FIRE UP]

55 mph has absolutely NOTHING to do with the "death wobble". 38 years of towing 9 different and highly modified Jeep Wranglers at speeds of anywhere from 50-75 or more mph and not one has ever had the "death wobble". Things like alignment, this newer thing with the electric assisted steering, worn out or non installed steering dampeners, unbalanced and or even out of round front tires, and more, can have some input into the death wobble. And, also, the angle of the tow bar has NOTHING to do with it.

Again, that many years of towing all those Jeeps and, well, almost none of them have ever had a flat, PERFECTLY LEVEL tow bar. Some were up and some have been down, even as much as 4" down (due to lift kits on the Jeeps). Nope, no death wobble. But, every single one of our 9 Jeep Wranglers have had, quality steering dampeners on them. And by the way, there's not that many states with the 55 mph tow limit.
Scott

[Skip Y]

Have a 2010 Journey towing a 2015 Equinox (4 cylinder). Problem occurs when PS tries to keep wheels straight while you're turning, especially when you hit a bump. Watch the front wheels in the side mirror as you make a turn and you may see the wheels trying to straighten. If the wheels hit a bump, you reduce the friction between the tires and pavement and bad things can happen.
It appears with Blue Ox at slow speeds, and Roadmaster at high speeds. Chevy has a fix which involves pulling a different fuse than identified in the Owners Manual. The PS then stays energized, requiring a 12V power supply from the coach to save car batteries.

Skip Y
2010 Journey, 2015 Equinox

[PawPawx10]

we have experienced the wobble multiple times at varying speeds between 40-60. Made the change to pulling the fuse in the engine compartment and adding the charge line. Made several trips with no problems, thought we had it solved. On our current 3 month trip we suddenly had a very bad wobble in a construction zone and discovered the battery was completely dead. Tried again on our next leg with same results after only 2 hrs. I have had it looked at by 2 RV dealers who both said everything appears to be working including the charge line, 2nd dealer added a Battery Maintainer system which I questioned since the charge line was working. Problem continues after 1-1.5 hrs towing. a chevy dealer tested battery and performed all kinds of draw test and could find nothing wrong. So we have been driving separately for most of 2 months. Frustrated and working our way back to Pa. so the person who installed original tow package can hopefully solve the problem.

PawPawx10
17 Tiffin Allegro Open Road
13 Chevy Equinox

[NXR]

I suggest you buy a voltmeter that can plug into a power outlet in the Equinox, perhaps something like this one: https://smile.amazon.com/LIHAN-Charger-Display-Voltage-Compatible/dp/B01JA627KU/ref=sr_1_25?crid=3UCXXCKNF4B47&keywords=car+batter y+voltage+monitor&qid=1570802482&sprefix=car+batte ry+voltag%2Caps%2C398&sr=8-25

Then monitor it during a trip, either at rest stops or put a wireless camera on it so your passenger can watch it while driving. Heck, you probably could rig a cell phone to FaceTime it or something else as well, assuming you can get someone to give up their cell phone for a while.

You'll probably find that the voltage, which should be above 13 volts when charging, starts dropping off. That likely will be a defective connection somewhere in the charge line once you start moving and wires start flexing.

You probably can pick one up at a local auto parts store since you're on the road. The amount of power these things pull from the battery is negligible.

Are you using the Equinox's brake and tail lights or separate lights?

Ray

[beamisl]

We have a 2015 Equinox.

Manual says to pull fuse #32.

We then received a paper saying they changed it to add fuse #16.

We have never had any issues following the above.

In MotorHome Magazine was the following article. Hope this explains.