A conundrum for sure. Get ahold of US spring in Oakland. See what they have to say suspension wise. Truck and trailer. Worth a shot anyway. Short of a different tow rig that is.

 

Yes it is.

 

I guess the only thing I'd suggest that others haven't is to double check the Equalizer bars. The beefiest bars you can get on that hitch is the 1400 pound toungue weight bars. That is the max tounge weight they are rated for. If you really have 2200 toungu weight...those bars may be deflecting so much that they are not controlling the sway or even helping with load distribution. Perhaps a look at a Hensley Arrow setup would offer some added control? Trailer Sway Elimination Guaranteed - Hensley® the ONLY trailer hitch guaranteed to totally eliminate trailer sway.

Sounds like there are alot of issues to work with with this setup. I'd like to reiterate the fact that even with a F350 the setup is well past it's ratings....and all the mods in the world don't change the ratings, no matter what the mod manufacturers say. Even if by some luck, you'd get to the point where it does feel comfortable, the insurance risk alone would haunt me. It sounds like you have quite the toy hauler...and so it must have lots of toys in it ;-) You gotta post a pic, man ;-) It has to be quite a sight!

Personally, I think you're looking at F450 territory for conventional towing.

 

To get the higher GCWR towing, you need to go to an 05+ SD F350. The 7.3 are only rated to the 12500 towing. Also, they dont have the power a 6.0 has without significant mods. E4OD 4 speed auto versus Torqueshift with |Tow/Haul also makes a difference. I have had both see sig, older 2000 SD and there is no comparison in the tranny.

I tow 9000 lb on a bumper pull with my sig truck. 14000 is within my spec, but, I suspect at the limit, you are having issues with the axle flip changing the geometry and that your tongue weight loaded is not as high as you think. Consider flipping axles back, working at your Equalizer hitch set up. Toy hauler load is in the back, which really lifts weight off your tongue, when the tongue is lighter, you get sway, if the front of the hitch is not slightly nose down, this is also an issue. |you could have all the forces working against you. If you have all toys loaded in back, you may need to keep your front water tanks full to keep the tongue weight up and nose of the trailer slightly down. Good luck in your efforts, sounds like you have done much to the Ex, now the thing is to have actual weights and get the equalizer hitch set up right and the attitude of the trailer set up propely for towing. I think my sig shows a pic of truck and trailer and you will see, nose is down, tanks are full in front water and my trailer axles are back of centre which makes for an extemely calm towing. truck weight is 8700 lbs with fuel. Ussually, like in picture, the truck is also loaded with firewood under tonneau. I know my trailer is much lighter, but its the set up and how it pulls. Also, is your Eq hitch rates for 2000 lb bars? I dont think they make a model for that heavy?

 

I had WW flip the axles on my FSC 2800 shortly after I bought it in April 2006. I've never had it push my truck around too much but, I don't load mine past 12,500. It's dual axle. My unloaded truck weighs 8,400.

Do you have 15" or 16" wheels/tires on the trailer? What is their load rating and ply count? Overloaded tires will make a trailer 'squirrely'.

One addition to my trailer that helped the towing manners was adding Trailair Equa-Flex axle pivots: Trailair

The trailer does not bounce around as much on I-5 and especially over the Grapevine. Items inside the trailer are no longer strewn about when we arrive at our destination! Also, check the shackle plates as mine were being stretched to the point of failure when I took it apart a few months back. I added the Trailair 'wet bolt kit' for peace of mind.

I think adding those items would help but, your Excursion is simply being pushed around by that heavy WW.

Hope this helps!

 

dang double post....

 

First here are some pics of it



And I think your right about being in the 450 territory. Man my dad is going to shoot me when I tell him this

 

Its looking more and more like I need a 450 Yikes!

 

Maybe it's just the picture angle but, that last pic in post #23 of the '04 Ex sure makes the trailer look a bit tail heavy. Have you weighed the trailer and checked the tongue weight when it's loaded? A tail heavy trailer really does tend to wag a tow vehicles tail.

You may also need a lower hitch ball height to get that trailer nose down a bit.

 

My $.02, FWIW. I don't think you need a bigger tow rig. I don't think your sway is caused by the axle flip. I think you have a problem with either your hitch or improper weight distribution in the toy hauler.

I say this because I am towing a 12k toy hauler with my 01 F-250 crew cab short box, V-10... with no sway issues whatsoever. My trailer has "flipped" axles from the factory... they call it an off-road package. I'm parking a 1,600 lb. Mule 4-seater in it and having no control issues. One thing I did notice... my trailer manufacturer also recommends putting 60% of the weight forward of the axle. However, that is physically impossible with the interior design of my hauler. I am probably closer to 50%. Any more weight on my tongue and I know that sway would become an issue. Looking at the pics, you might need to do the opposite... put more weight forward. I agree with Russ, it looks like you are tail heavy.

I don't have airbags and have no clue as to whether or not that is a culprit. I suggest playing with the load distribution in the trailer and double-checking that hitch to make sure you have it connected properly. Do you have good tires on the rear... meaning rated high enough to carry the load and aired up properly?

I'm not saying this setup is perfectly legal, but I think it can be made to pull safely!

 

Guys,

I can't help but think here that this is more of a weight distribution issue just like swann pointed out. If the tongue is overloaded and the trailer is unsafe with an excursion, it's probably going to be unsafe even with a big bad F-450. It's a big step up, but probably not enough to make up for an improperly configured trailer.

It suspect that no matter which way you cut it, it would be cheaper and easier to at least weight the trailer and try different configurations. Almost anything is cheaper than years of car payments.

 

OK, here's a link to CAT scales: CAT Scale Search

Get that trailer weighed accurately!

And another option for the axle equalizers: Dexter Axle - Trailer Axles and Running Gear Components - K71-653-00 E-Z Flex Complete Tandem Kit

 

just my .02 , I have 38' WW 5th wheel - bigger , but same 3axle setup. I agree on the basic need to get your true load weight, that said weight each axle from steer to rear axle . Check your X unloaded than loaded to see your true weight on your rear axle on the X to be sure you have'nt to much tongue weight . Than (with your your toys,water,food,fuel etc ) weight the 3axle group one at a time to see that(loaded) weight is in front of or behind the middle axle . This is important that the weight is infront of that axle or, as you might have found the trailer "feels" like no matter how you drive it , it wants to dance around . It will most likely be worse on roads that are crowned . I have owned acouple of these toy boxes, and if you flip the axles to lift the trailer to match the height of a lifted truck or x you run the risk of lifting the center of gravity of the trailer. A better way to get the height is to put taller wheels ( 15''-16"" ) and tires . Or as I do when I plan to haul mine is to have a second set of wheels and tires that are closer to the stock size. A heavy loaded bumper pull trailer is much harder to operate heavy than a 5th wheel loaded with the same weight , so before you put any $$$ out , load the trailer just as you would as you have in the passed, than go find your locale cert, scale , untill than you me and everyone here trying to help you is just guessing the fix . Lots of luck to ya ,,

 

Well if your looking for a 7.3 you dont have to be stuck with a 4R100... get a stick shift! There are a couple F350 DRW 7.3L / 6speeds on the farm and though they dont have the power of a 6.0 or 6.4 that doesnt seem to stop em

 

To the op, other here have included some good info, way more that I put in my posting for additional consideration.

I agree with the others on a couple of points that I want to stress.

If you are going to upgrade to a truck it needs to be 05 and up to max the capabilites and get the tow package with it so you have the tbc and everything.

secondly after re-reading some of the posting it does appear that you have a little too much wt up front. 10-15% of trailer wt is what you want for tongue wt.

I will a 27' TT with my truck, no problems.