Reasons a Trailer would have Persistent Sway if Tongue Weight is Adequate

Question:

Hi, I need some help with towing. I have a 25foot 11inch Coleman TT with a dry weight of 4500 lbs, and hitch weight of 455 lbs. Loaded the hitch weight is between 650 and 700 lbs. I am towing with a 2016 F150 with the 3.5, 3.55 gears, and max tow package. I got the F150 after towing with a Jeep GC and experiencing very scary sway. I should mention I also have a camping world chain/round bar style WDH with a friction sway bar. The thing is that I still experience quite a bit of sway in the F150. After reading a lot of articles, it seems that 1 friction bar or maybe the whole hitch system is not right for my setup. The trailer is pretty level when hooked up, but my back end still sags about an inch or more even with the WDH at the max adjustment. Im at a loss of what to do. Is there another product or type of WDH that I should be using? Like the Equalizer 4 point system?

asked by: Mark B

Expert Reply:

I'd check the suspension of your trailer as it sounds like something might be worn out which is allowing too much movement that is turning into sway. Normally insufficient tongue weight is the cause of persistent sway like you described but your trailer sounds like it has enough tongue weight and is sitting level enough so that checks out.

Under-inflated tires or worn out/broken suspension components is another issue that can cause sway too. I'd go over all of the components to see if you can find anything damaged and fix as needed.

expert reply by: Jameson C