I have an '06 megacab 4x4, 3.73's, 4 spd auto with the 5.9 CTD. 3" of lift and 35" tires. Trailer is a 32' pull toyhauler fully loaded with bikes and gear weighing about 12,000 lbs. i already have a weight distributing hitch. this is the first big trailer i've pulled. my previous ones were small and light. so a couple of questions that i could use some answers on. 1 - should i tow the setup in tow/haul or overdrive off mode. 2 - i was pulling up a pretty good grade doing about 65 making a right turn. the back end of the truck felt like it was trying to sway and was sliding back and forth. do i need some airbags or something else. if more info is needed let me know i'll provide it. trying to learn how to tow a big trailer as painlessly as possible and without doing the trial and error method. thanks for any insight.
Your lift and tire size might be causing the sway, sounds to me like you need some type of anti-sway with your hitch. A 32' bumper pull @ 12k is hard on any 3/4 ton, it's like the tail wagging the dog. Check your hitch weight, and keep heavy loads over the axles as much as possible. Also check your tire pressure on all tires, if the rear axle tires are not equal this will sometimes give an advert effect. As for the tow/haul mode, I see no difference. My tranny still shifts into OD. It must change the shift patterns or something to that effect. But I do tow in the tow/haul mode.
thanks for the info. i did make sure my tire pressure was good before i hooked up and took off. also all the bikes and gear are in the rear of the trailer and over the triple axles. from what you are saying sounds like i need some air bags, a sway bar or some of those helper springs you put on top of the rear springs. anyone have suggestions on what's the best type of spring? i don't have any sag problems just the sway problem i wan't to eliminate while towing. thanks for any input.
IMO I don't think air-bags are going to solve the sway. How much drop is your hitch, sometimes a lot of drop (over 6") will cause a little sway. Air-bags can't hurt, if anything you'll be able to put more load in the bed and stabilize your rear a little better. Maybe an aftermarket anti-sway bar for the rear axle?
i've never measured it but i would guess about 4 to 6 inches of drop. i used the standard hitch that came with my weight distribution hitch. so you believe an anti-sway bar would be better than air bags? i don't know anything about air bags or sway bars so i appreciate the information.
I believe Hellwig makes a anti-sway bar for your truck, with that and a anti-sway bar on your hitch you should be set. I would try the hitch set-up first then go with the Hellwig if some sway still continues.
It's a 32', triple axle 12K monster and it's NOT a 5th wheel? Get a weight distribution hitch for the setup and that might help the best. Your class 4 reciever is rated for 10K, IIRC. Honestly, I would have bought the trailer in a goose configuration because you wouldn't be dealing with this. You may have to live with a certain amount of sway with that much weight from the reciever.
thanks for the info. as for a 5th wheel, i couldn't fit it under my truck with what i was looking for, hence the pull trailer. i will check into the sway bars for sure. thanks again everyone who has replied.
Oregonians never learn... lol im just kidding. im from oregon, so i can say it. what did Dunks do for the lift on the rear of the truck? might want to look into full springs if you dont have them. if you have lift blocks you might be getting some sway from that. also lift and bags can be tough to do, but possible. i would look into the glacier performance axle wrap bars. might help with some of that axle wrap and sway...
What tires are you running? How much does the trailer dip/lower your rear end when you hook it up? It sounds like you don't have enough weight over the rear axle or the tires are softer. There are a lot of load range C 35" tires for 17" wheels out there now. I have had more than a few trucks in my shop changing them out cause of sway issues (we won't install anything less than a D on 2500+ trucks). Just some ideas.
smartest thing i have heard, my buddy wanted c range tires on his 250 cuz they were 15 wider and $30 cheaper each, i smacked him...
Been gone for a couple of days riding my bike in the pacific northwest rain. anyway my tires are toyo open country load range 'e'. I have a 3 inch block in the rear to raise it. also i just realized i was only running 55 lbs of pressure in the rear tires. max pressure on them is 65 cold. will this make a big difference that 10 lbs of tire pressure? last the trailer dips the rear of the truck about 3 to 4 inches. it actually rides pretty level with weight distribution hitch. thanks again for all the information you have been giving me. and for clarification on the lift it is a 5 inch lift on the front to level the truck and 3 inches on the rear.
Yes, getting your tires to full air pressure could make a noticable difference. The extra 10lbs could help take some up and down weaving out and if you went around and made sure that all the tires on the truck and trailer were full, you might gain 1mpg.
might be time to look into some full springs for the rear then. the blocks suck for just about anything. like i said before, finding air bags for lifted rides is tough. possible, but tough.
thanks everyone. the trailer tires were good with air pressure, only the rear tires on my truck were a little low so i will try those at the max pressure of 65 lbs. also i spoke with a local shop and i am going to give the air bags a try. they say putting them on a lifted dodge is easy and since i'll only be in to it for 3 bills i figure if i don't like it i can than look at an anti-sway bar or some full springs. again thanks everyone for all your input it was most helpful.
What kind of WD hitch are you running?? Some have built in sway control like the Equalizer or Reese/Drawtite Dual Cam. If your hitch doesn't already have one look into a Friction style sway control bar. They are relatively cheap (under $100 IIRC) the dealer you picked the trailer up at should hook you up. Also factory recievers arent known for their strength so you may consider upgrading your reciever with a stronger aftermarket unit.
Good Info to have Brisk thank you. I have an Eaz-Lift WD with no sway control bar wo I will look into one of those also. Thanks for the info.
With the bags, be prepared to have your ride quality suffer when you're not towing. My suggestion is take the trailer to a shop and ask them what they would charge for a gooseneck conversion. You don't have a dually so even with the bags you're going to get sway under certain conditions. Also, you need load range E tires with that much weight, regardless of how else you rig it.
I think you're trying to put band-aids on a bad situation. Any amount of lift is going to hurt you and your profile shows you're running mud tires, even if they are load range E. There's not enough rubber on the road to keep it stable. If you look at virtually all the tire manufacturers they brag about a center rib on the tires for highway stability. Also, if you look at some of the more extreme lifts from some companies they tell you right in their material not to use the truck for towing. Why anyone would buy a 1 ton rig and then disable it's towing ability, I don't understand. I know plenty of guys like to customize but the name of this site is Towrig.com. I think if you're serious about moving that weight safely you should consider a second set of tires/rims. Cheap insurance when compared to that trailer pushing you around a turn.
