Mobile Shop Inside V-Nose Trailer Sways and Bounces

Question:

I have 2007 chevy 2500 hd reg cab long bed. the trailer is 16x7 vnose. the trailer is loaded with about 1800 lbs. it is a mobile shop. the way its set up is 250-300lbs in the nose 675lbs near left front axle and then 300lbs over right rear. right now I have bounce and sway with the way the trailer is loaded.

asked by: Chris

Expert Reply:

The best defense against trailer sway and the bouncing issue is going to be proper loading of the trailer. First, the tongue weight should be 10 to 15 percent of the gross trailer weight. It sounds like the tongue weight is too low. To increase the tongue weight you can move some weight towards the front of the trailer.

The weight left to right is also uneven enough that it could cause some problems including uneven tire wear. Balancing out the weight left to right more equally will help a lot. Also the more the trailer suspension is compressed from the weight in the trailer the less bouncy it will be.

A weight distribution system with sway control would help with sway as well. To choose a weight distribution system you will need to go by the total tongue weight of the set up. This is calculated by taking the tongue weight of the trailer, when loaded and ready to tow, and adding to that the weight of anything loaded behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle.

Since you will likely be moving weight around it is hard at this time to pin down the appropriate system. Once you have gotten things inside the trailer in better positions as mentioned above you can determine the tongue weight and choose a system. I have included some helpful links on weight distribution and determining tongue weight for you.

expert reply by: Michael H