Trailer sway help
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New User
Joined: Feb 2015
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Trailer sway help
2002 5.4L e150 with Michelin LTX 235/75-15 tires and with the steering dampener installed (would strongly recommend the dampener) towing a 7x18 enclosed trailer with a little british sports car inside. Going down the road we're at 4200 pounds. Towing this with my GMC Envoy was a pleasure till we came to big hills. So we added the e150 as a tow vehicle. There is a lot of trailer sway using the van. Why? It's not fear of death sway but it really is noticeable, hard to drink your coffee sway. Am not using a weight dist hitch - trailer and van look very level. Suggestions? Help!
Thanks
Thanks
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 246
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Hate to sound like a broken record but... Check your tires. I think that tire might be an XL rated rather than E load tire. E load tires and 80 PSI in the rears make a big difference. Other stuff, make sure your shocks are good and play with the tongue load. You shouldn't need a weight distribution hitch for that.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
Likes: 3
From: gravel road ONTARIO
Hate to sound like a broken record but... Check your tires. I think that tire might be an XL rated rather than E load tire. E load tires and 80 PSI in the rears make a big difference. Other stuff, make sure your shocks are good and play with the tongue load. You shouldn't need a weight distribution hitch for that.
even the 235/75/15 LTs are only 6ply Crange, nothing available heavier in that tire size.
some newer E150 rims could yield a 10ply Erange set of tires.............
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
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From: gravel road ONTARIO
read the rating on the tire, run that max psi when you are pulling the trailer. xl tires are 41psi rating .
I've never used any sway control devices. but I have always run 10 ply Erange tires.
*** never run your tires any more than max pressure listed on the side wall, they will also have a max load capacity ***
I've never used any sway control devices. but I have always run 10 ply Erange tires.
*** never run your tires any more than max pressure listed on the side wall, they will also have a max load capacity ***
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 2,196
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From: N Ca.
yes
worth a try.
you may need more plys though
you may need more plys though
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2010
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Here in SoCal, and tracking in the desert, I'm regularly going up 2-3k hills and many times hitting mountain and canyon winds in the 30-40 mph range.
My E-150 is very stable. I run Firestone destination tires at the recommended 41 lbs. I'm no expert and never towed before I got this van 5 years ago but all is good. there not cheap but I'm happy and satisfied. good luck, Mike
Equal-i-zer® Hitch - The ?American Original? with 4-Point Sway Control? and Weight Distribution
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Tuned
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 299
Likes: 6
From: South NJ
Having towed a "little British sports car" around quite a bit on an open trailer with a series of different tow vehicles over the last 20+ years... I hear what you are sayin'.
You should be going arrow straight down the road.
I've been back and forth from SUV (early 4-door Explorer) to a pair of "mid-size" awd GM vans to the 04 Expy and now the E250 for towing.
Some of the basics have already been questioned/covered above. I found surprising variation in tongue and trailer weight capacities of my vehicles.
How sure are you of the 4200#? Most enclosed trailers that I've heard of were close to 3000 # empty?
What is your tonque weight? What is your other cargo weight and where was it?
What is the max tongue weight of your E150?
Good luck with getting squared away, lots of good insight on here
You should be going arrow straight down the road.
I've been back and forth from SUV (early 4-door Explorer) to a pair of "mid-size" awd GM vans to the 04 Expy and now the E250 for towing.
Some of the basics have already been questioned/covered above. I found surprising variation in tongue and trailer weight capacities of my vehicles.
How sure are you of the 4200#? Most enclosed trailers that I've heard of were close to 3000 # empty?
What is your tonque weight? What is your other cargo weight and where was it?
What is the max tongue weight of your E150?
Good luck with getting squared away, lots of good insight on here
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2014
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From: 51.6N 114.7W
Where is the caster set? The normal Ford specification is really broad, like about +1.5 to +7.5. I have our E450 set at +5.25 to +5.50 for best highway handling. Less then +4.0 was very troublesome on the highway, as in loose steering and wandering. JMO.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,512
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From: Detroit
read the rating on the tire, run that max psi when you are pulling the trailer. xl tires are 41psi rating .
I've never used any sway control devices. but I have always run 10 ply Erange tires.
*** never run your tires any more than max pressure listed on the side wall, they will also have a max load capacity ***
I've never used any sway control devices. but I have always run 10 ply Erange tires.
*** never run your tires any more than max pressure listed on the side wall, they will also have a max load capacity ***
I think E load rating is overkill on a 150 and would make for a pretty jarring ride--I would get the alignment set correctly first off. Maybe 235/75x15's in a C range would be a good compromise.
I recall a poster here whose van was scary at freeway speeds and it was an alignment issue that a truck alignment shop finally got right for him.
Good luck,
George
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Thank you to everyone for the comments. My van tires were under inflated at 38 in the rear and 36 in the front. My fault for not checking them - checked the trailer tires/wheel lugs but not the van (cue Homer Simpson). Trailer empty (trailer spare, battery and wench) comes in at 2350, loaded is 4200 weighed at a CAT scale. Will check tongue weight tomorrow (bought a guage) and will road test with tires at 41front and 50 rear (max pressure on Mich LTX sidewall). I have not unloaded the trailer from the weekend so it should be a good test.
Thank you all again.
Thank you all again.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
Likes: 3
From: gravel road ONTARIO
Thank you to everyone for the comments. My van tires were under inflated at 38 in the rear and 36 in the front. My fault for not checking them - checked the trailer tires/wheel lugs but not the van (cue Homer Simpson). Trailer empty (trailer spare, battery and wench) comes in at 2350, loaded is 4200 weighed at a CAT scale. Will check tongue weight tomorrow (bought a guage) and will road test with tires at 41front and 50 rear (max pressure on Mich LTX sidewall). I have not unloaded the trailer from the weekend so it should be a good test.
Thank you all again.
Thank you all again.
you could run them all at 50psi, a good place to start.
Hotshot
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 11,141
Likes: 25
From: south louisiana
Thank you to everyone for the comments. My van tires were under inflated at 38 in the rear and 36 in the front. My fault for not checking them - checked the trailer tires/wheel lugs but not the van (cue Homer Simpson). Trailer empty (trailer spare, battery and wench) comes in at 2350, loaded is 4200 weighed at a CAT scale. Will check tongue weight tomorrow (bought a guage) and will road test with tires at 41front and 50 rear (max pressure on Mich LTX sidewall). I have not unloaded the trailer from the weekend so it should be a good test.
Thank you all again.
Thank you all again.
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We got the guage out and had 650lbs of tongue weight. Car is loaded with the engine going in first. With the tires inflated to 41F 50Rear went down the road much better. The real fix was the sway controller - big help, took the sway right out of it.
Thank you all for your input!
EZ
Thank you all for your input!
EZ
now you have it dialed in. off to the races