My truck is rated to tow 6000 lbs. My unloaded camper weight is approx. 1500 lbs. Do I need a sway bar for this setup?
Thanks
Quote from: uchwearMy truck is rated to tow 6000 lbs. My unloaded camper weight is approx. 1500 lbs. Do I need a sway bar for this setup?
Thanks
Too little info..... :confused:
I doubt it but what kind of truck do you have and what camper? It may help answer your question. Someone with a similar set-up may even respond.
A lot of sway conditions may be stimulated by the way the trailer rides. It should be level and have at least 10% tongue weight. In your set-up, more may be better.
I have a 2001 Ford F150 Supercrew. The camper is a 1999 starcraft 2107.
Quote from: waveryToo little info..... :confused:
I doubt it but what kind of truck do you have and what camper? It may help answer your question. Someone with a similar set-up may even respond.
A lot of sway conditions may be stimulated by the way the trailer rides. It should be level and have at least 10% tongue weight. In your set-up, more may be better.
If a trailer wants to sway there is something wrong. Tounge hi or low, tire preesure, overload tires, miss loaded or overloaded trailer. If you can't find or fix what is wrong, put a bandaid on it.
In one word - NO
I tow my 2107 with a Tundra. I don't even know it's back there.
It depends on a lot on the setup.
I pulled popups with five different minivans and didn't have a problem until I hooked up a 12 foot Mesa to a Sienna. Then, I did need a sway bar.
Pulled the Mesa with my Silverado and didn't need the sway bar.
I doubt that you will need one with your truck.
I used a friends '99 f150 reg cab to pull a 18' deep v boat from up north, 700 miles. The boat swayed a good bit at times but I only knew cause I would watch it in the mirror. I never felt the truck quiver a bit.
Quote from: ScoobyDooIf a trailer wants to sway there is something wrong. Tounge hi or low, tire preesure, overload tires, miss loaded or overloaded trailer. If you can't find or fix what is wrong, put a bandaid on it.
Sometimes the problem isn't any of the above, certain model Colemans sway naturally from the factory. For my Utah not to sway, I needed to substantially change loading. We have probably 300 lbs in the 150 lb max storage trunk, two propane tanks, two batteries, all canned goods at the inside front of the camper, water in the hot water heater, etc.
Looking at the original specs, an unloaded Utah has about 4% of its weight on the tongue. When I actively tried to address the sway, I was at 7%. We're now about about 17% which works pretty well. Even 15% twitched a bit.
But even so, I wouldn't go down the road at highway speeds without that sway bar on and tight.
Quote from: wynotLooking at the original specs, an unloaded Utah has about 4% of its weight on the tongue.
It looks to me that this would be a miss load, even if the factory loaded it that way. My point stands.
I could probably get by without one, but I feel more safe with one. I tend to get a little sway around 65, and I may push 70 on occasion, so sway bar is needed at that speed with my set up.
Quote from: wynotSometimes the problem isn't any of the above, certain model Colemans sway naturally from the factory. For my Utah not to sway, I needed to substantially change loading. We have probably 300 lbs in the 150 lb max storage trunk, two propane tanks, two batteries, all canned goods at the inside front of the camper, water in the hot water heater, etc.
Looking at the original specs, an unloaded Utah has about 4% of its weight on the tongue. When I actively tried to address the sway, I was at 7%. We're now about about 17% which works pretty well. Even 15% twitched a bit.
But even so, I wouldn't go down the road at highway speeds without that sway bar on and tight.
WOW!!! 4% tongue weight from the factory :confused:
It sounds to me like this trailer was designed with the axle too far forward. That would guarantee a built in sway that would be hard to get rid of. :mad:
Quote from: waveryWOW!!! 4% tongue weight from the factory :confused:
It sounds to me like this trailer was designed with the axle too far forward. That would guarantee a built in sway that would be hard to get rid of. :mad:
Basically, most every heavy thing has been put rear of the axle, then combined with a 2 ft box on the front.
Rear of the axle-
20 gal water tank
Refrigerator
Cassette Potti
Galley & cupboards
Barely in front of the axle-(I guess)
A/C unit
In the front -
Water heater - which is supposed to be drained...
150 lb max capacity storage box
Love the layout, but the weight distribution leaves a lot to be desired.
Quote from: waveryWOW!!! 4% tongue weight from the factory :confused:
It sounds to me like this trailer was designed with the axle too far forward. That would guarantee a built in sway that would be hard to get rid of. :mad:
It was. Our Bayside has the same footprint, and sway is a significant problem (6% tongue weight empty). I'm all set at about 13-15%, though, before anti-sway device (Reese Mini-350). I still tend to run at about 17%.
As part of the Coleman-Fleetwood lawsuit fiasco, I believe Fleetwood lawyers said the floor plans need to change. Many of them got flipped front-to-back. In the process, all of the axles on 12-foot boxes with storage trunks got moved back. Without a formal admission, I think it is a
de facto admission to a design problem.
I can remember stories of dealers that would not let them off the lot without either a sway bar or a signed waiver releasing the dealer from all liability w/r/t sway.
Austin
The trailer I pull the most has mt weight of 9,800lb and a TW of 400. Depending on where I'm going I load between 24,000 and 34,000lb. The TW does not change with load. The trailer tracks like it is on rails. Why do camping trailers in U.S. need "10-15%" tounge weight?
Quote from: ScoobyDooThe trailer I pull the most has mt weight of 9,800lb and a TW of 400. Depending on where I'm going I load between 24,000 and 34,000lb. The TW does not change with load. The trailer tracks like it is on rails. Why do camping trailers in U.S. need "10-15%" tounge weight?
Is it a 5th wheel? Does it have 2 (or 3) axles? Does it have a very long tongue (such as a boat trailer)? What makes a particular trailer stable or not is more complex than just tongue weight.
The requirement is not really that 10-15% of the weight be on the tongue, either, but that the center of gravity be far enough in front of the axle. With a typical trailer, that works out to 10%-15% tongue weight. My trailer runs very close to 350 lbs on the tongue. But if I put a 12 foot extension in the tongue, I could get away with 150 lbs. or less on the tongue because the longer tongue acts like a lever with the weight on it. Why don't all trailers come with an extra-long tongue (the way typical U-Haul trailers do)? Manufacturers are cheap.
Austin
Quote from: AustinBostonI can remember stories of dealers that would not let them off the lot without either a sway bar or a signed waiver releasing the dealer from all liability w/r/t sway.
Austin
Our salesperson told us we could either buy the sway bar when we took delivery or when we turned around and came back to the lot on the way home.
Think he knew about the sway problem?
Quote from: uchwearMy truck is rated to tow 6000 lbs. My unloaded camper weight is approx. 1500 lbs. Do I need a sway bar for this setup?
Thanks
I tow with an '02 GMC Sierra 1500, with about the same tow capacity as your Ford, which is rated to tow over twice what my little Starcraft weights. The problem is not with the popup being towed but with all the junk I carry in the truck ... chain saw, charcoal grill, lawn chairs, outboard motor ... and this is just the beginning of the list! As everybody knows, cargo weight is subtracted from the towing capacity, but just that weight alone in the truck bed effects the truck's handling characteristics. I've been driving pick-up trucks for years and for sure the newer ones ride so much better then the one's of yester-year. However, that nice ride comes with a price; the older ones handled a load much better and that's because they were stiffer sprung. Of course, you can order out a stiffer suspension model, but the run-of-the-mill 1/2 ton pick-up trucks of today don't come that way standard.
So if your like me, bringing along all kinds of "stuff" and maybe the truck is doing a "squat" routine (before you ever hitch-up!), you might consider something like this:
//www.activesuspension.comI don't have this system but have run across a couple of trailer towers who do and they say this is a big help.
Fly
Quote from: flyfisherman//www.activesuspension.com
"Up to 10% fuel savings" for a suspension enhancement? Hmmm....
Austin
Quote from: AustinBoston"Up to 10% fuel savings" for a suspension enhancement? Hmmm....
Austin
Now, look here A.B. ~ remember how you cast aspersion on my nitrogen filled truck tires ...? Well, to date, there is an increase of overall mileage (.02 mpg) since I began the "experiment" ... so there!
Now, maybe there's something to this truck sway, maybe the truck's consuming a little extra fuel to combat it ... who knows? But saving fuel was not my idea of posting the site; it was more about being able to stabilize the truck's load if that was indeed a factor.
Besides ... remember that old advertising admonishment of times past ... "sell the sizzle, not the streak!" ~ Maybe that's got something to do with the fuel savings. Got to admit ... that's a lot of gas savings. Maybe I should look into this, too ... what's another experiment or two?
Fly