2016 Expy towing issues

[kimqt2001]

Hi, I recently own new to me a 2016 Expy EL 2WD with tow package to serve as family travel vehicle and tow a 2200 lb dry weight camper. So during my first camping trip 300mi away towing the camper, most of the time I felt loosely control of the steering wheel. The steering wheel felt super light and easily moving side to side at high speed or passing big trucks. The camper carried about 100 lb inside with tongue weight about 280 lb. All people and things in the truck around 800 lb. The rear squatted about 2.5" and the front lifted about 2". I was going mostly 75 mph and a few times the truck swayed a bit and the truck's Auto Traction Control activated braking to stop the sway.

So was I driving too fast that caused this? Was the rear squatting and front lifted contributed to the wind pushed the front of the truck up that I felt loose at the wheel? I'm sure I loaded the camper evenly and level to the hitch with tongue weight within limit. I only had the camper hitched to the ball, nothing WDH or anything fancy. I thought with this big of truck I shouldn't have any of these issues but now I don't know what I did wrong.

With just the truck by itself and no load, the front is already 1/2" to 3/4" higher than the rear. Is this normal? Will it help if I install 2" blocks to the rear spring/shock to offset the squat? Have the spring/shock fatiqued enough that require replacement, which I really don't want to?

Thanks for your time.

 

[JasonH]

Add some ballast to the front of the camper. Sounds like your tongue weight was too low.

 

[kimqt2001]

Add some ballast to the front of the camper. Sounds like your tongue weight was too low.

Thanks. I'll try that this weekend. I thought the tongue weight is within 10-15% of the camper that shouldn't pose sway

 

[JasonH]

Correct, but it sounds like you're guessing as to the total camper weight since you only provided a dry weight, so your tongue weight estimate may be incorrect. If ballast fixes the issue, then you'll know your camper and tongue weight estimate was too low.

 

[chuck s]

"Dry weight" is pure fiction. Use the GVWR of the camper as the planning number.

You sure this has HD Tow? (They all have tow capability.)

I don't understand your weights. Your squat/lift is excessive for "280 pounds." With my nearly 700 pounds on the ball I don't get much different numbers. 2.5" squat coupled with 2" raise off the steering axle makes the steering light, perhaps dangerously light. With those numbers you need a WDH (weight distribution hitch).

Sticking stuff in the rear suspension won't change the poundage removed from the front axle. A WDH will put it back on.

Did I miss the trailer you're trying to tow?

Trailer sway is a function of improper weight and balance. A 3500 pound GVWR trailer needs at least that quoted 10% - 15% (350 to 500 pounds) on the ball. Hint: If you can lift the tongue it's too light. I ran a WDH on my Coleman popup years ago wit these weights.

75mph with this setup is excessive judging how the the rig is performing and trailer sway control activating.

-- Chuck

 

[JVinOlathe]

There are a couple of misconceptions here. The tongue/hitch weight cam affect driving in 2 ways. If you have a very light tongue weight, the trailer will sway causing driveability issues. If the tongue weight is excessive, it cause the rear of the truck to squat and the front to go up and you lose steering wheel control since there is not enough weight to keep the front (steering) wheel making good contact which appears to be your problem.
If your truck has that much difference in height when unloaded, chances are you have an issue with the rear suspension, either worn springs, shocks/struts or both.
A WDH will certainly help move some of the weight from the rear to the front and improve steering control.
You need to determine the loaded weight of the trailer, determine the proper tongue weight and calculate the cargo; keep in mind that the tongue weight is part of the cargo, something that most people miss.
My guess is you have a rear suspension that at one time was abused and now you have a squat when unloaded that becomes worse when loaded and/or towing. I would start making sure the suspension, particularly the rear, us in good condition and ho from there.

 

[PaulRP]

One other thing to consider with your speed of 75 mph. Are you sure your trailer tires are rated for that? A lot of trailer tires are only rated for 65 mph. Just trying to save you other issues down the road.

 

[kimqt2001]

"Dry weight" is pure fiction. Use the GVWR of the camper as the planning number.

You sure this has HD Tow? (They all have tow capability.)

I don't understand your weights. Your squat/lift is excessive for "280 pounds." With my nearly 700 pounds on the ball I don't get much different numbers. 2.5" squat coupled with 2" raise off the steering axle makes the steering light, perhaps dangerously light. With those numbers you need a WDH (weight distribution hitch).

Sticking stuff in the rear suspension won't change the poundage removed from the front axle. A WDH will put it back on.

Did I miss the trailer you're trying to tow?

Trailer sway is a function of improper weight and balance. A 3500 pound GVWR trailer needs at least that quoted 10% - 15% (350 to 500 pounds) on the ball. Hint: If you can lift the tongue it's too light. I ran a WDH on my Coleman popup years ago wit these weights.

75mph with this setup is excessive judging how the the rig is performing and trailer sway control activating.

-- Chuck

@chuck, the dealer listed this vehicle has 202A and HD Tow packages. The dash has E-brake lever and sensitivity control. There are 2-3 large radiators plus an additional smaller up-front. I think that's a sure HD tow package items right?

I used a health scale, placed the tongue jack wheel on the scale and raise it so I guess that does the trick and got 270 lbs. The sticker shows dry weight is shy of 2100 lbs. It's a 2008 Fleetwood Coleman Cheyenne. With this big of a vehicle I shouldn't need WDH for this pop up camper? I'll add more weight to the tongue and test again and will report back.

 

[kimqt2001]

There are a couple of misconceptions here. The tongue/hitch weight cam affect driving in 2 ways. If you have a very light tongue weight, the trailer will sway causing driveability issues. If the tongue weight is excessive, it cause the rear of the truck to squat and the front to go up and you lose steering wheel control since there is not enough weight to keep the front (steering) wheel making good contact which appears to be your problem.
If your truck has that much difference in height when unloaded, chances are you have an issue with the rear suspension, either worn springs, shocks/struts or both.
A WDH will certainly help move some of the weight from the rear to the front and improve steering control.
You need to determine the loaded weight of the trailer, determine the proper tongue weight and calculate the cargo; keep in mind that the tongue weight is part of the cargo, something that most people miss.
My guess is you have a rear suspension that at one time was abused and now you have a squat when unloaded that becomes worse when loaded and/or towing. I would start making sure the suspension, particularly the rear, us in good condition and ho from there.

You know it's odd that I towed my friends' camper very smoothly at 70-75 mph, a 2020 Flagstaff pop up around 2400 lbs which seems to have heavier tongue weight than mine. It also has higher coupler at only 2-3" drop vs my camper at 7-8" drop. Would towing camper's tongue almost level with hitch vs drop hitch makes a difference?

 

[kimqt2001]

One other thing to consider with your speed of 75 mph. Are you sure your trailer tires are rated for that? A lot of trailer tires are only rated for 65 mph. Just trying to save you other issues down the road.

I have Carlisle HD Trail, LRD, 13", I think it's rated for 81 mph