How Does Tongue Weight Typically Affect Trailer Sway

Question:

I have a travel trailer with a manufactures advertised tongue weight of 608 lbs and a GVWR of 7600. The person I talked with at Etrailer recommended that I purchase the Blue Ox BXW1000, as the loaded tongue weight was at the upper limit of the BXW0750. When I put enough tension on the spring bars to get the vehicle back to level, the vehicle and trailer start to get a slight sway when I hit 60mph. It does not feel dangerous, but it makes me not want to pass 60mph. My question is is it possible to remove too much tongue weight and cause an imbalance with a weight distributing hitch?

asked by: Mike

Expert Reply:

If you don't have enough tongue weight relative to the total trailer weight you'll end up with bad sway problems like you mentioned. The tongue weight of the trailer needs to be 10 to 15 percent of the total weight of the trailer otherwise you'll have sway issues. If you are having sway now you'd actually want to increase the tongue weight as that should take care of the problem. If you are experiencing sway only when the weight distribution system is connected that's an odd issue to have but you should stop using the setup immediately. Does it feel really harsh when you hit bumps too with the system connected? That's the most common side effect of using too high rated of a system.

expert reply by: Jameson C