Trailer towing advice

[brutal]

WD truck doesn't mean you shouldn't try to shift weight to the front of the vehicle and to the trailer axles, what a proper WD setup does. Unloading the steer axle contributes to handling issues. The added benefit of sway control when towing a giant sail is also relevant.

There are better sway control hitches, but they're mostly more money and a hitch like the E2 that you already own is a good use of resources.

Overall, IMHO, it will make for a more stable tow on a heavy large sided RV regardless of the tow vehicle unless you're running a dually or bigger.

[Wulf202]

I forgot to say I had the single axle trailer on a weight distributing hitch. The sway control system was necessary after I got to the Ozark mountains. Not sure why, but the trailer was whipping around like an angry cats tail. There wasn't that much wind either. I am assuming it was the road surface that wasn't liking the tires/suspension of the trailer.

I've been in situations where ruts in the road caused the trailer to do weird things since the ruts were pickup width and the trailer actually tracks wider. So road surface is a definite possibility

[00tec]

A bit of a hijack here:

Picking up a 16ft tandem utility trailer next month to drag the RZR around (4 seater). Should I look into WD or sway control applications, or is it just overkill? The RZR seems like it would be a bit light and high profile for wind, but I dont have much experience towing lighter than a sedan on a uhaul trailer.

Tow vehicle is a 06 F150 crew 4x4 that is damn near perfectly level empty. I usually enjoy a bit of overkill, but dont want to set cash on fire. RZR will be strapped with tire nets and will have its assigned spot on the trailer for correct tongue weight.

[brutal]

A bit of a hijack here:

Picking up a 16ft tandem utility trailer next month to drag the RZR around (4 seater). Should I look into WD or sway control applications, or is it just overkill? The RZR seems like it would be a bit light and high profile for wind, but I dont have much experience towing lighter than a sedan on a uhaul trailer.

Tow vehicle is a 06 F150 crew 4x4 that is damn near perfectly level empty. I usually enjoy a bit of overkill, but dont want to set cash on fire. RZR will be strapped with tire nets and will have its assigned spot on the trailer for correct tongue weight.

Setup probably weighs much less than a 20' boat setup.

Trailer and RZR are probably about the same weight 1700-1800?

WD/sway should not be necessary IMHO. Overkill.

[00tec]

Setup probably weighs much less than a 20' boat setup.

Trailer and RZR are probably about the same weight 1700-1800?

WD/sway should not be necessary IMHO. Overkill.

RZR is right around 1500. Dont know spec on trailer. Pipe top, so a little heavier than angle.

Thanks for the input.

Only time I have dealt with sway is back when I was 19 or so. A friend and I thought were geniuses and intentionally loaded a little ATV trailer tail heavy when moving. Trailer and load were light enough that throttle input would shut the sway down when a bump was encountered. Scary stuff though.

[brutal]

RZR is right around 1500. Dont know spec on trailer. Pipe top, so a little heavier than angle.

Thanks for the input.

Only time I have dealt with sway is back when I was 19 or so. A friend and I thought were geniuses and intentionally loaded a little ATV trailer tail heavy when moving. Trailer and load were light enough that throttle input would shut the sway down when a bump was encountered. Scary stuff though.

Yea, light tongue (% of load) is the worst possible thing to do.

[colorider]

Fastway trunion style. Square arms, not round. AMAZING product. I tow my loaded toy hauler at 9000# with my f150 ecoboost. The fastway trunion makes the towing super smooth, level, and great sway control

[brutal]

Fastway trunion style. Square arms, not round. AMAZING product. I tow my loaded toy hauler at 9000# with my f150 ecoboost. The fastway trunion makes the towing super smooth, level, and great sway control

Agree, I have an E2 square bar, much easier to just pop out the bars and it was more than sufficient for towing my boat behind my old 5th wheel. Don't need it with the new rig.

FWIW, for even more sway control, one can step up to an Equal-i-zer 4 point. A little more money but honestly they're the same company. The Fastway is just a cheaper, somewhat less effective system they sell under that brand.

[whitewalrus]

A bit of a hijack here:

Picking up a 16ft tandem utility trailer next month to drag the RZR around (4 seater). Should I look into WD or sway control applications, or is it just overkill? The RZR seems like it would be a bit light and high profile for wind, but I dont have much experience towing lighter than a sedan on a uhaul trailer.

Tow vehicle is a 06 F150 crew 4x4 that is damn near perfectly level empty. I usually enjoy a bit of overkill, but dont want to set cash on fire. RZR will be strapped with tire nets and will have its assigned spot on the trailer for correct tongue weight.

Hauled similar setup without a WD or sway control. I didn't feel it was needed, just make sure you position the RZR in a good spot for the weight to be balanced right as you have already noted you will do.

[hollohas]

Side-note regarding my new truck. It's a Ram 2500 and the passenger side mirror SUCKS.

It has the tow mirrors. The little convex mirror is fine, but the main mirror appears to be magnified. Seriously. Instead of being "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" (which it doesn't say), the damn thing makes it look like objects are a lot CLOSER than they actually are. The field of view in the main mirror is tiny. Cars appear much bigger in the passenger mirror than they do in the rearview. There have been a few times that I was changing lanes into the right lane, after checking in my rearview saw that it was clear but then when I view the RH side-view I said "oh shit" because it looked like I was going to cut someone off. Only to look back in the rearview and over my shoulder to find out that the car in the right lane was actually a reasonable distance back. I can still see cars coming up along side me in the right lane in the rearview that I have long lost sight of in the side-view. It's fucked up.

Otherwise, the truck is awesome. But damn, I may need to find after market mirrors.

Edit:

Three pictures to show how bad it is.

Driver's side I can see over 4 signs/parking spaces wide a few rows away in the parking lot. Also, (not in the picture) I can see cars passing me on the left all the way until they are even with my rear bumper. It's a nice wide field of view


Passenger side I can only see two signs wide at the same distance away. Also, the white car is almost completely out of view in the main mirror. It's about 2.5 car lengths away and just to the right. (As you can see in the convex mirror). It would be completely out of view long before it should be. It's a super narrow field of view.

Also, the rearview for comparison. You can see basically the entire white car in the rearview even though it's nearly out of view in the RH side view.