Towing problems

[Steve A Kuehnel]

Towing a 4900 lb. travel trailer with 2013 Espy with HD tow package. I'm getting a lot of up and down movement with the Espy. I have an r3 campco recurve hitch.

 

[kyleaaronburkett]

Towing a 4900 lb. travel trailer with 2013 Espy with HD tow package. I'm getting a lot of up and down movement with the Espy. I have an r3 campco recurve hitch.

It looks like that's a weight distribution hitch. We have a lot of up and down when we hit some bumps, but, we've weighted our trailer down in the back. I think 2/3 of weight should be towards hitch. We load a motorcycle on the back of our camper.

When I first started pulling I would often forget to latch the ball (hooking the weight distribution without the ball latched created a lot of sway).

None of that probably helps. Hopefully it's not shocks or struts.

Good luck!

Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk

 

[Dr0idattack]

My near perfect towing setup is:
2013 Limited with HD tow
Equalizer 12k WDH
LT truck tires (Falken Wildpeaks); aired up to almost 80psi when towing
Sumospring helpers on the back
Bilstein 4600s (front and back)

My Retro 265 probably weighs close to 6k loaded and I can get up to 70+ will minimal porpoising on bumps.

Also make sure your trailer load is balanced, probably biasing towards the front of the trailer axles.

 

[JasonH]

Towing a 4900 lb. travel trailer with 2013 Espy with HD tow package. I'm getting a lot of up and down movement with the Espy. I have an r3 campco recurve hitch.

Weight on the trailer hitch should be 10 - 13% of loaded trailer weight. Check your axle drop to ensure weight is distributed between the front and rear axles after loading. You can purchase a tongue weight scale to get the tongue weight, but for the full loaded trailer weight you'll need to visit a truck scale.

 

[Oldnerdguy]

I have a 2017 non-EL. Had some issues in the beginning getting it right with sway and bouncing. Sway was my worst issue.
I blame it on the Independent Rear Suspension and the intent to be a pleasant riding SUV.
I added the Sumosprings to the rear. Aired up all the tires to closer to max. I think max pressure is 45ish, and run them at 42 when towing. Then I did some re-adjusting to get the loaded weight measurements on the fender wells as close possible to the recommendations that came with the hitch. These things helped A LOT. Still not my truck but very usable.
You need a flat surface to do the measurements. And a test course (same path to drive) that has turns, bumps, humps, uneven road, etc. Make adjustments then drive the loop. Note what got better and what got worse. Tweak and repeat. It only took 3 or 4 trips to get it right.

 

[chuck s]

Check your weight and balance. You need weight on the ball.

I've towed the same ~6000 pound travel trailer since 2005 with my Expeditions with none of these symptoms. First with a '07 and presently with a '17, both with HD towing. Equalizer (brand) WDH with 13%-15% on the ball as required for safe towing. Eastern mountains (nothing over 5000'). Run at highway speeds 65mph typically.

-- Chuck

 

[Dr0idattack]

Check your weight and balance. You need weight on the ball.

I've towed the same ~6000 pound travel trailer since 2005 with my Expeditions with none of these symptoms. First with a '07 and presently with a '17, both with HD towing. Equalizer (brand) WDH with 13%-15% on the ball as required for safe towing. Eastern mountains (nothing over 5000'). Run at highway speeds 65mph typically.

-- Chuck

Yeah Equalizer hitch fixed most (if not all) of my issues. I no long want a truck that bad (but I do wish I had the 3.73 differential. I know those hitches can be pricy and the setup is challenging, but it really made a difference.

 

[chuck s]

3.31 axles on my '17 with the Ecobost 3.5 engine tow at least as well as the 3.73 limited slips on my former '07 5.4V8. I admit it surprised me. Towing is all about torque and the 3.5EB has it!

I have a tongue weight scale used to setup my last two campers for the 10%-15% weight requirement. Last used it when I moved two years ago with a heavily loaded 6'x12' U-Haul trailer containing stuff neither my wife nor I wanted to entrust to the moving company. No WDH with these trailers so weight and balance are critical.

I'm very pleased with the Ford HD Tow package brake controller and the ability to have the towing data for several trailers stored in memory and record their mileage hooked to the truck. First time connected to my '06 model camper there was a "tail light out" message on the dash and, sure enough, one was out.

-- Chuck

 

[JimmyM]

My near perfect towing setup is:
2013 Limited with HD tow
Equalizer 12k WDH
LT truck tires (Falken Wildpeaks); aired up to almost 80psi when towing
Sumospring helpers on the back
Bilstein 4600s (front and back)

My Retro 265 probably weighs close to 6k loaded and I can get up to 70+ will minimal porpoising on bumps.

Also make sure your trailer load is balanced, probably biasing towards the front of the trailer axles.

My tires have a max PSI of 51 and I run them at 45 while towing. I've found that it helps a lot. The rear feels more solid.
My WDH is an Equalizer 10K with 1000lb bars. I tow a camper that weighs in around 6500. Tongue is around 800#. Porposing is minimal, but happens over larger bumps.
My issue I'd like to solve is the rear sag. The WDH helps a lot. There is 0" rise on the front when hooked up.
I'm sure the 4600s would help my Expy's rear motion control better than the stock shocks with 135kmi on them.

What's your ride like with the Sumo coil helpers when NOT towing?

 

[Dr0idattack]

Good. Didn’t really impact the ride much except to be less floaty.

If you still have sag with your hitch, you may need to add another washer or two. There shouldn’t be any sag, or at least the sag should be evenly distributed across all four wheels.

 

[Texas Dave]

I tow a 5000 pound trailer with my 2007. Adding Sumo Springs helpers to the rear springs made a dramatic improvement. No more bouncing and I feel more in control.

 

[JimmyM]

Most of the WDH set-up guides I've read/watched say that getting the nose back down to normal is the target. The front of the truck is fine. The rear, with about 800# of tongue weight is compressing.
I'll see how much getting a set of Sumo Springs costs to install.

 

[chuck s]

I'm maxed on washers (8) in the same Equalizer WDH and same trailer weight as you. The Ford receiver is very sloppy up and down and needs all 8.

-- Chuck

 

[JimmyM]

I've got 7 washers, but have the friction saddles adjusted up.

 

[Eric Mowrer]

I pull a 21' center console around town and to the Keys twice a year (700 miles round trip - lots of stopping due to traffic).

Boat and trailer loaded with fuel and kayaks, bait, fishing gear, drinks, etc. pushing 5500lbs
Surge brakes, no WDH on a boat. About 400lbs on hitch.
Exped loaded to the max with luggage and gear.

Pulls great... no swaying, no bouncing, stops quick considering.
Little sag... but to be expected.

Biggest change was Michelin LTX M/S LT series tires on Exped aired to 65PSI.

 

[JasonH]

Good. Didn’t really impact the ride much except to be less floaty.

If you still have sag with your hitch, you may need to add another washer or two. There shouldn’t be any sag, or at least the sag should be evenly distributed across all four wheels.

Seconded. The body will drop because weight is being added to it. You want a bit more weight on the rear axle as compared to the front because under braking, weight is going to shift to the front. Keeping some additional load on the rear will enable the rear brakes to help out when stopping.

 

[chuck s]

Motor boat vs conventional trailer weight and balance is very different as motor boats have most of their weight at the stern. Still need 5%-7% of the trailer weight on the ball.

-- Chuck

 

[CaptOchs]

A 4900 lb trailer causes bounce? Something isn't right. Two things come to mind.

1) Adjustment of the hitch. Might be worth it to pay a camper service center to take a look.
2) Trailer suspension issue or unbalanced tires. Trailer tires don't always come balanced. It's an ask.
3) Concrete resonance. Worn concrete roads can resonate bumps. All the sudden the trailer bops up and down. I first experienced that on a concrete highway. I pulled over and checked for a broken bar. I read about it later that some roads naturally amplify bumps and start bobbing the trailer up and down. As soon as I got back to asphalt, the ride smoothed out.

 

[bobmbx]

A 4900 lb trailer causes bounce? Something isn't right. Two things come to mind.

1) Adjustment of the hitch. Might be worth it to pay a camper service center to take a look.
2) Trailer suspension issue or unbalanced tires. Trailer tires don't always come balanced. It's an ask.
3) Concrete resonance. Worn concrete roads can resonate bumps. All the sudden the trailer bops up and down. I first experienced that on a concrete highway. I pulled over and checked for a broken bar. I read about it later that some roads naturally amplify bumps and start bobbing the trailer up and down. As soon as I got back to asphalt, the ride smoothed out.

I can vouch for the bobbing. Had a 31' motorhome (Class C), and at the right speed on the right road (usually I-95 in SC or GA) it would literally be jumping hard enough to launch dishes out of the sink, or turn the rear bed into a trampoline. All I had to do was speed up or slow down by 2-3 MPH and it went away.

 

[RustyOval]

Good. Didn’t really impact the ride much except to be less floaty.

If you still have sag with your hitch, you may need to add another washer or two. There shouldn’t be any sag, or at least the sag should be evenly distributed across all four wheels.

I have an Equalizer as well. Seven washers max recommended, I run eight and it made a big difference. I really like my Sumosprings and only run them on the back I dont really notice a difference not towing, sets up a little higher that's all. I run my LT tires at 60#, no sway, no porposing. I have an '09 HD tow with 3.73 FWD