I had a previous post titles Towing wander, what next. You guys had a lot of good advice which helped me tremendously. To recap, I have a 2001 Limited PSD, Helwig sway bar, radius rods, new KYB shocks. My TT is a Wilderness 31 GL, 7400#. A month ago, I towed the trailer about an hour down the interstate and everything was as good as it could be. I could travel 70-75, pass and be passed with little to no sway. Last week, I got a screw or nail in one of my rear tires and decided to just put on two new tires instead of patching the old one. The new tires are Uniroyal Laredo load range E, just like the old ones. Friday, I hooked up to the TT, started down the interstate and the sway was worse than it has ever been. I stopped twice in 10 miles to try adjusting the weight distribution bars and tighten the friction sway bar. None of which made any difference. Simply having a Honda civic come up beside me would push me around. Semis pretty much blew me off the road. The TT was empty. A few clothes and a little food. I had maybe 200# in the back of the Ex. I ended up dropping the TT off at a campground near home and just staying in a hotel at our destination. Even at 45-55 mph, it is almost constant corrections to stay on the road. Could the new tires be the problem. I have checked tire pressures on both truck and TT and they are at specs. The only other thing I have had done was new sway bar bushings on the front. I have another trip in 2 weeks, If I can't figure this out, there will be a new duramax in my drive by then.

 

Seems to me that the only thing that changed form when it was good to when it was bad was the tires. They will certainly have a profound effect on sway.

What were the pressures you were running the rears at?

 

What about difference in the TT load? You say it was almost empty. How about the tanks in the TT. It sounds like the weight distribution in the TT may have move aft reducing the tongue weight which could lead to excessive sway. Just a thought.
Ben

 

The tires on the truck are supposed to have 80# in them, which they do. The tanks in the TT are empty and there is nothing in the trailer other than a few clothes and a little bit of food. The TT load was the same this time as it was last month when it pulled fine.

 

All load range E tires are NOT created eqaual...

A good buddy of mine put Michelins on his 3/4 ton burb and has been fighting an issue he NEVER had before. He has been slowly playing with the tire pressure to return the Burb to normal...

So your tires are likely your issue. With the new tires the WD "may" need to be adjusted again due to the different side wall flex of these tires.

My truck took some getting adjusted JUST from rotating the tires!...I dread when I have to replace them!...but I also had front end work (gear swap) and fought to get the "proper" balance back...seems like jacking the front and working up there contributes to "changing" the handling on our trucks!!!

You also mentioned the front sway bushings...did they wear out or you went with poly ones?

I have been focusing my theory lately that the FRONT of our trucks contribute to MUCH of the sway issues we fight...I notice you have the LandYots already installed...they are supposed to cure most of the issues on our Ex's...from what folks claim...BUT you still have an issue...

Tires on the TT still inflated to the max as well?...I picked up a nail in one of mine two weeks ago...so keep an eye on them too.

Loading wise you answered questions I would have there...holding tank weight can play havoc with WD...but if yours was the same when it was good...

Are you sure you returned to the same link in the chain? TOO much WD on the rear of our Ex's make them dance around like a politician in the confessional booth...so if you cranked it up by accident...but again you adjusted on the road.

I find 70ish#'s up front is all that is needed when towing...too much pressure up front contributes to issues too...

One thing I started doing with my WD bars from my old DC was to mark drivers side and passengers side bars so they always went back to the same side...with the DC they "wear in" a groove...so if you swap sides on your bars on the DC that could make a difference.

WHEN did you get the "new" shocks you mention in your first post?...

joe.

 

New shocks were installed less than a year ago. Think I will focus on tires, but I am more than a little annoyed that the X's are so finnicky in their handling. My dad pulls a 27 ft TT with a half ton Silverado. It doesn't matter how the trailer or truck are loaded, it always pulls the same. Yet with the X, it seems that a couple hundred pounds of load in the wrong place makes it all but undriveable. I am on my way to try my trailer with a friends truck, will see how that plays out.

 

Just got back from hooking up my TT to my friends 3/4 ton extended cab Silverado. With no sway control and despite driving through a nasty thunderstorm with a lot of wind, there was no sway whatsoever. One handed driving and actually able to carry on a conversation while driving. Looks like the X is on the way out.

 

My '03 X had similar issues when I changed from BFGoodrich to Michelins. The Michelins dog-tracked (followed grooves) to a much bigger extent as well.

I tried everything like you are. Finally, I replaced the front ball joints, tie-rods, sway bar links, and track rod bushings. Cured 99% of the issue. Perhaps your '01 ball joints were "over the hill" and the unusual new/old tire mix exacerbated the problem.(?)

 

I have had my best luck when I tow with my water tank full, I have a front sleeper 32' TT and it helps alot when I have my 30 gal fresh water full. I have Cooper Discoverer Tires and I can't wait to get those things off my rig. I have also notices that the swaycontrol is useless, I don't even use it anymore. Give it a try.

 

I have had my best luck when I tow with my water tank full, I have a front sleeper 32' TT and it helps alot when I have my 30 gal fresh water full. I have Cooper Discoverer Tires and I can't wait to get those things off my rig. I have also noticed that the sway control is useless, I don't even use it anymore. Give it a try.

 

There's one problem. Get rid of the friction sway, they aint worth crap.

You and I have vitrually the same TT - when we bought ours (traded from a 93, 24 ft Terry) I invested the $$ for the Equalizer hitch set up. With in 20 miles of leaving the dealership, my wife was making comments on how much better this larger TT towed and how the X felt more stable. When I told her it was the Equalizer and not the TT, she asked why I didn't buy it sooner.

The Equalizer made such a huge difference, that my wife volunteered to drive part of the way home on our last trip - this was the first time in 5 years she has ever offered to tow - and she it did pretty good.

Before you go out and start spending more $$ on other stuff, take a real close look at your hitch set up. I like my Equalizer and of course, there are many folks out there that like the Reese Dual Cam system. Both are price about the same.

Just my $0.02 worth.

 

I beg to differ. We have a 2000 Starcraft pop up trailer that we towed with a 97 Explorer and our 2000 Expedition. It swayed really bad with both trucks (not as much with the Expedition) no matter how we loaded the trailer. We put the Reese friction equalizer hitch on it and the thing tows straight and true all the time.

 

One thing the OP said is that he replaced just the rear tires. I wonder if different rear tires and different front tires is contributing to the problem.

 

Okay...when towing a popup behind an Exploder or Expedition they will make a difference.

BUT...the OP is towing a 31' heavy TT even behind an Excursion...friction bars WON'T do crap...can we agree on that!?!

joe.

 

Yup, are you talking about the friction style equalizer hitch, or the friction swap devices that have a separate ball welded onto the trailer frame and a the draw-bar?