New camper - Sag issue

[Adieu]

Chuck, the camper is a 2018 Keystone Passport 2920bh. Dry weight is 5,385 pounds and we haven't put much in it honestly as it was our first trip Also, I had winterized it a couple months back so there should not have been any liquid in the trailer anywhere. There were some camping chairs, fishing poles, and a bag with hammocks in the back of the expedition. I was the only person in the vehicle but wasn't in the vehicle when I took the photo. The hitch weight per the trailer specs is 625 pounds. I was estimating 6000 pounds but could bump that to 6500 I guess Regardless, I don't think I'm overdoing what the truck can handle and just want to get the squat resolved. I'm going to take it to an RV place and let them redo the hitch setup professionally. I have not modified it from the previous owner.

Doubtful that thing's really LIGHTER than your truck.

Prolly some loopholey trickery for dry, stripped empty, wheels off etc.

Go and weigh the darn thing

 

[coolzzy]

My husky centerline TS with 1k pound bars, configured correctly gives me zero rise in the steer axle and a half inch drop in the rear. My L Brackets are not at their highest adjustment point and I have all 5 washers installed as per the instructions. I have serious doubts you are pulling anywhere close to that dry weight. It's 33+ ft long bumper to tongue, compared to my 29ft bumper to tongue trailer which is lower profile, also ultralight and has aluminum frame and a "dry" weight of 5k pounds. Mine actually weighs closer to 6k without water in the tanks, but my expy pulls it up mountain sides in Idaho with ease. If you're feeling underpowered pulling that trailer, you've either got a problem with your turbos/bov, or that trailer is pushing 8k+ pounds.

 

[chuck s]

Sway. the kinder-gentler term for fishtailing, is a direct result of improper weight and balance and further acerbated by reduced weight on the steering tires as happens with the front of the truck is unloaded. Add to this that the Ford HD Tow system will mitigate trailer sway but can only do do much.

Conventional trailers need a minimum of 10% of their total weight on the ball and may need as much as 15%. Several DIY methods to weigh the tongue weight using your wife's bathroom scale, some PVC pipe and a board. Get at least 10% on the ball, it's critical.

Tongue-high trailers can cause problems during braking. Lower is always better than higher here. Ford receivers are sloppy vertically as well.

Dozens of settings are involved setting a WDH many of which are specific to the mechanical properties of the hitch. This makes internet troubleshooting difficult. My personal observations over a couple decades towing campers is a large number of trailers, seemingly the majority, don't transfer enough weight to the front axle resulting in light feeling steering ('cuz it is) and sway problems.

-- Chuck

 

[Jake Pryor]

Chuck, all of these last posts are after photos. The before photo is in the very first post of this thread. I can't figure out how to delete the above posts - the website was running very slowly while I was trying to post my recent response. After hitching up the trailer, my expy front comes up 1/2 inch and the back goes down 1/2 inch. You are the second person to say that the front of the trailer looks high. I don't see it and from measuring the frame, front and back, they are the same distance from the ground. Not sure what I'm missing here.. Also not sure about that cross wind statement. You are saying that I should not have felt that sway at all? Also, I think I am at the bottom of the holes for that hitch so not sure how I'd get the ball lower except through the washers to recline the ball some more.

Hey man, it's looking better! Any crosswind with that much surface area will be felt, I wouldn't sweat what anyone else has been griping about. Like painting, towing is all in the prep work. Watch a few videos on what to look for, maybe take it to a dealer or trailer repair place you can trust in your neck of the woods and have them show you everything they know, and still take it with a grain of salt, and possibly even take it to a second. I had a 2012 - 33' Ultralight Keystone Bullet, tag said 7200 lbs but I always guessed an even 8k. Didn't have the Expy then just a 96 GMC, it did pull it, albeit not gracefully with un-upgraded 20yo suspension parts.

It's a steep learning curve but you're doing it right bud, trial and error on small trips. I always cringe when i see folks on the highway with a heavy squat, and I hope they learn before they get in a wreck. I've seen some unfortunate accidents with a TV getting tossed around.

 

[JExpedition07]

Unfortunately a half ton is much less forgiving than an F-250+ on how you’ve got it loaded. These Expeditions have plenty of pulling torque whether you have the Triton or EcoBoost but it’s the chassis that limits you. Once you figure it out and get it dialed in you’ll be ok, you’ve got some good advice here.


Whenever you are pulling 6-7K pounds a bit of a power difference will be felt.

 

[MyExpedition2016]

Hello everyone and thank you very much for all of your replies. I took the trailer to a moderately level location and went through the motions on the hitch setup. I do not have a motorized lift so there was a lot of cranking involved... I am mostly happy with the outcome and have a half inch drop on the rear and a half inch rise on the front. This is a vast improvement from before and looks much better. I had not adjusted the hitch after buying the trailer and hitch from the previous owner. I did not really know much about it as this is my first travel trailer.

With the new adjustments the trailer and expy sit better but the cradles for the sway arms are at their highest points. For any of you Husky CenterLine TS owners you will understand my frustration when the L shaped locks would not fit into place as they should. I have them in backwards but this bothers me to no end. I think it is safe but I do dwell on it.

I pulled it up into Oklahoma last Friday and had a 20+ mph wind hitting me at an angle across the driver's front. Sway was a nightmare and I told the wife I'd be buying an F250 soon. I felt like I kept hitting patches of ice. The drive home was simple with no sway though I sometimes felt that the expy didn't have a ton of power as I went up hills and cars started passing me. I could floor it but didn't feel that it would be great for the engine to constantly be going through that. Gas mileage was 8.5 going back home.

I was having some problems with this site and posted multiple responses. If someone knows how to delete them, please let me know.

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So I’m beginning to think that the ‘15-‘17 expy towing experience is more sensitive due to the electric power steering system. I bought a 2017 in fall coming from a 2010. Both are the EL. I have the exact same trailer pulled behind both and the 2017 is like driving on ice as you describe. Last week I brought it to the dealer and had them drive it with the trailer and they agreed it was all over the road. Hooked up to another 2017EL on their lot and same issue. This is with the same trailer and same setup as the 2010 which was solid on the road. I am going to now go through WDH setup and see if putting more weight to the steering axle will help but I find it frustrating as the 2010 vs 2017 only difference is the turbo engine. The chassis and hitch distance are all the same.

 

[chuck s]

Strange (at least to me). Only difference I noted when towing the same trailer I towed with my '07 with my '17 was the system alerted me to a burned out tail light/turn signal (I forget which). Both my trucks are "short wheel base" XLTs with HD tow. Did not alter my WDH whatsoever. Tows just as good or better with the '17.

Had a tire blow out (not mere a flat) at speed on the Ohio Turnpike with the '17 and just pulled over onto the shoulder. No dramatics, just pulled over. Guys at the repair shop seemed to think I was some sort of ace driver as I didn't wreck the whole rig when it happened. Just me and the truck.

I've been using the Equalizer(tm) WDH on this trailer for the past 15 seasons. Took me a while to get it setup years ago. Ya need weight transferred to the front axle which means the height of the truck must be lower up front than it was before it was connected. Some instructions seem to imply or specify something else. "Driving on ice" is the classic symptom of no or certainly not enough weight transfer.

-- Chuck

 

[Fasttimes]

Been watching a few YouTube videos on WDH setups and saw a dealership mention that they suggest to turn off any anti-sway software on the tow vehicle when using a WDH. What's the consensus on this?

 

[chuck s]

Nonsense. Especially since many WDHs offer little sway control.

-- Chuck

 

[TX_Trails]

Been watching a few YouTube videos on WDH setups and saw a dealership mention that they suggest to turn off any anti-sway software on the tow vehicle when using a WDH. What's the consensus on this?

https://www.etrailer.com/question.aspx?qid=61877

Came across this tonight. Still reading. I have not yet readjusted my hitch but hopefully I'll have time soon. I will probably disable the electronic antisway on our next trip.

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