Weight Distribution, Sway, and Tongue Weight

[washouglie]

I want to open a thread on this matter. These are observations, more than questions, but please chime in. I think a pleasant ride to and from your destination is golden and paramount.

Sorry for the very very long post, but when all said and done we can refer people back here on this topic. Ill even later shrink it:)

I had to make a quick trip to NC from TN and instead of flying I decided to just tow the 21BHS with F150 there on Friday, and back on Sunday. I've said to myself it's hard to learn everything about the trailer without camping and it's hard to learn all the aspects of Sway, Distribution, and Tongue weight without a "good road trip".

Destination -  Chattanooga TN to Greensboro NC
via 75N and i40E
380 mile one way.

If you know the route, you know its not 100% easy starting 10 miles before border traveling 40 east. You must keep your eye on the road 200% of the time on many spots, a second could make the difference, especially during the 30 mile stretch that includes the border and the descent from Black Mount (2-3% downhill, 6 miles)

1) After 100 miles near Knoxville heading East, I stopped and tweaked the brackets on my 4 point equalizer hitch to help with sway, but I said why not call Livin Lite also just to get their opinion on WDHs and sway bars. I spoke with whoever answered the phone in Service/Parts/Warranty – I think option 3 or 4

His words verbatim,

"Well we really don't get into Weight Distr. hitches or any of that. As you are torqueing the tongue, and as you know steel is stronger than aluminum and that could bend the frame. Those 4 points where they reference includes where the frame could bend."

I continued to say I just felt I should have a better ride, with the lightweight and my pulling power per se.  

However after he told me this I did later undo the adjustment as I feel I was over torqueing to get that ride I had with my previous Resse pro hitch with chains. I was a bit nervous so again I undid these, just being honest.

He did add it was ok to use the hitch for sway, as long as I'm not torqueing the frame. Ok fair enough.

2) I also needed to fill up with gas; I think I was very low from not filling up earlier. I have a 26-gallon tank. So at 6 lbs. per gallon, I added about 22 gallons or 132 lbs.

Voila, I get back on the highway and I am now driving the smoothest truck and trailer thus far from my all my drive test. It's not as perfect as I feel – I still want better sway control, but it was noticeably different in a good way. I undid my bracket changes, so the only variance was 132 lbs of fuel.

3) This then takes me back to a conversation I had with a gentleman at my RV storage lot. I mentioned how I felt I should tow better, He said mentions a tongue weight scale he has and he makes sure he is at the 10-15% of total loaded trailer weight. He said once he got his tongue weight correct he didn't need any equipment for WDH or SWAY. He doesn't own any. He tows a commercial V nose trailer that when loaded is 8K lbs. So he has figure out how to have 800 to 1000lbs upfront.

4) This also takes me back to the 1st time I cleaned out grey and black tanks. Unbeknownst to me they were full from the dealership, I had towed it home 100 miles. And went camping 2 nights not using plumbing.

I don't know how full they were, but they dumped with full force for a good amount of time. Now to do some math, using 8 lbs per gallon,

If black is full, that's 224 lbs
If grey is full, that's 256 lbs

These two alone are 480 lbs

If Fresh water were full, that's another 244 lbs.
I assume my fresh water is empty, I'm not really sure to be honest.

A total of up to 724 lbs could be added, whatever the weight is, it's not on the tongue. I don't think that is good if I didn't factor it in.

The ride was ironically different when I filled the truck with gas, but could that be enough to make a difference in the ride? I mean it was only 120 lbs? Both grey/black tanks were empty leaving out. The ride was much better, I was still on flat driving terrain.

But 3 things are happening now, im moving weight around (fuel) and im learning to counter steer better as tractor-trailers get in my trailers blind spot, the point where I feel the tug inward, and I'm driving in right lane and driving as far right as I can while staying in lane. The further the passing truck is away, the further I won't deal with their sway. While the last 2 items provide a sense of security, it still seems like too much to do all the time, this is why it's hard for me to plan a Grand Canyon destination trip for example.

5) Something else learned, wind is wind and there's nothing you can do about it. But the only thing you can do is have sway under-control.

The descent down Black Mountain was beautifully controlled by the F150 towing features, but Mother Nature's winds also were in play. Prior to descending I was still enjoying the better ride.

Wind was my problem after descending down. Until wind hit 0, I constantly asked SIRI "what is wind speed right now". Sometimes the iphone gives it to you with speed only, other times it gives you direction as well. A very interesting feature that I noticed I used this week and of course the wind speed was a direct link to the ride.
 
When wind hit 5 mph, I was fine, It was as high as 25 mph at times. it eventually hit 0 and I was in heaven, but what about sway. Only with trucks at that point, and especially if I was zoned out, and missed one coming up on me.

My trip back, I started out with grey and black each ½ full, I did this on purpose. I filled the tank. The ride was not as good as 2nd and last leg of trip in.

Winds were 0, not many trucks early Sunday morning. But as they increased, I moved into negotiations with counter-steering, far right driving etc....

So I'm always prepping for the long trip, and I realize this is not a problem for all, and I am still tweaking it, as I know the ride I want.

If you have any input, please chime in with experiences, secrets, whatever.

Sorry for the very long post, but wasn't sure how to shrink this down without details.

Thanks
 Ken

[washouglie]

Awaiting del of 11FB. It's light wt is a towing concern, esp in my Columbia Gorge winds. Having stablizers installed now. Most interested in learning by following this thread. First question, would you explain,"asking SIRI about current wind speed? Thanks.

[charliem]

Awaiting del of 11FB. It's light wt is a towing concern, esp in my Columbia Gorge winds. Having stablizers installed now. Most interested in learning by following this thread. First question, would you explain,"asking SIRI about current wind speed? Thanks.

[font size="3"]SIRI is a voice operated personal assistant application on Apple iPhones. You're supposed to be able to ask it questions such as where to, find gas, find hotel, weather, etc. It uses the cellular phone system and requires a data plan. I don't use it so I can't speak from experience, but perhaps someone who does will jump in.
[/font]

[furpod]

Accuweather or even the Weather Channel app will give you the local conditions at the push of an icon, if you have signal. Use them camping all the time.

[leslie]

I use the weatherbug app, which shows the wind gusts direction and speed. I have an android.

[twounderpar]

Charliem is exactly right with regards to SIRI.  I don't have it, but the wife and kids do.  It's like "voice google with a twist" in that you can ask it anything, including, "SIRI, how many miles from (current location) to (destination)?", or for fun you can ask, "SIRI, who do you love?" or "SIRI, do you like me the best?"  Our family has had some great laughs using SIRI during road trips, although sometimes it just gets confused and says your question doesn't compute or it doesn't understand what you're asking...

[jtelles3993]

At 7000 miles the friction cone started malfunctioning. It's still working but it's making a horrible noise when maneuvering around camp sites, gas stations, etc. We're still on the road so Andersen is shipping a new one to our home.

[daplumbr]

Thanks for posting back about the friction cone. My wife and I just installed our Andersen WDH today and on the short test drive it made a difference that we liked. I wondered about the longevity of the friction cone; I hope generally it's more than 7000 miles. 

[jtelles3993]

Thanks for posting back about the friction cone. My wife and I just installed our Andersen WDH today and on the short test drive it made a difference that we liked. I wondered about the longevity of the friction cone; I hope generally it's more than 7000 miles. 

Once I get home, replace the cone and verify that it is the culprit, I plan to speak with a tech rep about cone longevity. 7000 miles is not acceptable at all. However, the rep I spoke to was fast to blame the cone which gave me the impression it's a known problem?

[vrvinmo]

Not sure if this will work from my phone, but here is a pic of mine after about 5k miles. https://flic.kr/p/rXTq9K

[vrvinmo]

Oh well, I guess you have to click the link.

[ammobob]

Link worked fine. Definitely some damage. Starting to rethink my purchase and It's already shipped. Wonder what a replacement sleeve would cost if you have to replace it every 5K miles or so.

[daplumbr]

Rust, corrosion, and ordinary wear and tear is excepted from the limited lifetime warranty. That might not bode well for my long term ownership if the friction cone gives up in what amounts to less than one trip out west for me. Hmmmm.....

[tincan]

That is disconcerting.  I will hold off purchasing one for now.

[fasteddieb]

In the interest of K.I.S.S...

My Husky sway control was about $50 and is stone-axe simple.

Recommended to me by Andy at CanAm RV in London, Ontario.

Not saying anything bad about any particular setup - just that our EAZLift Elite with that sway control seems to be getting the job done at a modest overall price.