Anyone had this issue while towing?
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Prolocutor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 13,618
Likes: 1,245
From: Western MA
Anyone had this issue while towing?
Just got off the phone with my buddy Stan. (Not a member here on FTE...) He has a 2014 350 DRW 6.7 with 20k miles and an XLR 375 which is very similar to mine. He's in NC and usually goes to Ocean Lakes at Myrtle Beach but it was booked last week so he headed to the mountains of TN near Pigeon Forge. When coming down the mountains while towing, if he had to do any braking, he'd get a rather heavy shimmy in the truck. The truck won't do this unloaded no matter the grade or braking force applied. But with the trailer pushing it's bad. This is a braking shimmy/shake and not an engine braking / driveline issue as when he'd let off the brakes and let the truck do it's engine braking thing, the problem would disappear. Anyways, he's going to go to the dealer but asked me to see if anyone else has had this issue and if so, the cause. Any thoughts would be appreciated...
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,406
Likes: 3
From: Altoona, Ia
I have a semi similar issue with my truck but only when pulling my dump trailer when it has a lot of tongue weight on the truck. It almost feels like a shimmy/wobble when breaking. Sometimes it almost feels like a tire is going to fall off it wobbles so bad. Doesn't do it everytime so I was thinking it might be the road surface and added weight with a short wheelbase trailer?
This never happens with any other trailer, regardless of weight.
Curious to see other experiences. Maybe there is something wrong with my truck.
This never happens with any other trailer, regardless of weight.
Curious to see other experiences. Maybe there is something wrong with my truck.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 11
From: Greenwood, SC
Absolutely. Whenever I'm rolling heavy it doesn't take much to develop this condition. I'm willing to state that the issue is overheating the brakes on the truck.
It's an oscillating vibration felt in the pedal and in the cab, my mind tells me that the rotors deform a bit or its gases pinched between the rotor and brake pad. I plan to install cross drill/slotted rotors up front as soon as my pads get worn down, shouldn't be much longer, maybe a couple months.
I feel it brake heat simply because I've experienced it enough to know when it's coming. I work the transmission and exhaust brake best I can but sometimes it is not avoidable.
It's an oscillating vibration felt in the pedal and in the cab, my mind tells me that the rotors deform a bit or its gases pinched between the rotor and brake pad. I plan to install cross drill/slotted rotors up front as soon as my pads get worn down, shouldn't be much longer, maybe a couple months.
I feel it brake heat simply because I've experienced it enough to know when it's coming. I work the transmission and exhaust brake best I can but sometimes it is not avoidable.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 11
From: Greenwood, SC
Thanks. There is a pair I'm looking at on Amazon that fits our trucks, I'll check it out.
Rodney, I want to add that the worst condition where I get this oscillation is running high speed down hill and needing to scrub the speed aggressively. I don't experience it below 45mph, in my case it is high speed braking heavily loaded, slowing down faster than I would like.
Hopefully your friends experience is the same, it would suck to have a real equipment problem.
Rodney, I want to add that the worst condition where I get this oscillation is running high speed down hill and needing to scrub the speed aggressively. I don't experience it below 45mph, in my case it is high speed braking heavily loaded, slowing down faster than I would like.
Hopefully your friends experience is the same, it would suck to have a real equipment problem.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 11
From: Greenwood, SC
Cool beans.....anyone that likes ocean lakes and pigeon forge are 2 of our "go to" spots if we can swing it.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 5,222
Likes: 4,232
From: Kaysville Utah
I used to get this on my 2000 and 2003 trucks. It was warped rotors and the shimmy would manifest itself under heavy braking. Turning the rotors usually corrected the problem.
I have not seen that problem since they upsized the brake rotors in 2005. But maybe you guys are towing a littler heavier than I and have pushed the limits of the newer rotors.
I have not seen that problem since they upsized the brake rotors in 2005. But maybe you guys are towing a littler heavier than I and have pushed the limits of the newer rotors.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 11
From: Greenwood, SC
You're likely plenty heavy with your horses. In my case the issue doesn't ever happen unless I either:
Driving too fast for conditions and need to slow down aggressively
Someone in front of me does something unexpected
It really isn't a systematic weakness or faulty equipment, in my cas anyway, and it is emerald never going to happen if one is driving responsibly.
The op very well could have a defective rotor, but that tends to be all the time.
Driving too fast for conditions and need to slow down aggressively
Someone in front of me does something unexpected
It really isn't a systematic weakness or faulty equipment, in my cas anyway, and it is emerald never going to happen if one is driving responsibly.
The op very well could have a defective rotor, but that tends to be all the time.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,180
Likes: 83
From: Georgia
Rodney, I wonder if the uneven wear the front tires get on the duallies is the culprit here? They wear off the edges pretty badly when towing and the only thing we can do to rotate them is merely swap sides. I wonder if the uneven wear and the heavy weight has anything to do with it? I'm leaning more towards the brakes, but just happen to walk by my truck after reading this and the thought crossed my mind.
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Just got home a little while ago and signed up, now watching UFC 199 on the Fire Stick.
I have a white 2014 F350 DRW Lariat with 20K on it. I had just under 1K miles on it when I did a full delete (DPF & ERG) and have had no problems at all, until the shimmy issue. I was driving back home from TN pulling my XLR Thunderbolt 375 and started to get front end/steering wheel shimmy while driving down black mountain with light pressure on the brakes. Not sure what is going on since I get 0 shimmy without towing. I'm going to make an appointment with the dealership on Monday and hope to get it looked at by the end of the week.
Thanks,
Stan
I have a white 2014 F350 DRW Lariat with 20K on it. I had just under 1K miles on it when I did a full delete (DPF & ERG) and have had no problems at all, until the shimmy issue. I was driving back home from TN pulling my XLR Thunderbolt 375 and started to get front end/steering wheel shimmy while driving down black mountain with light pressure on the brakes. Not sure what is going on since I get 0 shimmy without towing. I'm going to make an appointment with the dealership on Monday and hope to get it looked at by the end of the week.
Thanks,
Stan
