I purchased a new 2016 F150 SCrew, max tow, 3.5 eco, 3.55, short bed last month. I am pulling a 7500 lb GVWR TT with a Reese WD hitch and anti-sway bar that was installed and set up by the RV dealer. The hitch weight was weighed at 730 lbs. When I left the dealership, the truck acted like it was on an icy road. Pucker factor was high. I returned to the dealer and they took up one link on the chain. Better results but still feel like the truck is driving on one of those grooved roads. Not at all comfortable with the way the truck handles. Any suggestions?

 

Take your truck and trailer to a CAT scale and weigh all the axles with the WD hitch hooked up properly. Then, disconnect the hitch and weigh the truck's axles without the trailer. Also, have the disconnected trailer completely on the third scale platform so that you can get an accurate reading of its weight. It may be higher than you think.

Ideally, the WD hitch should be adding the same amount of weight to each of the truck's axles. If the added weight between them is different, Lengthen or shorten the chains to even the weight up. You shorten the chains to transfer more weight to the front axle of the truck.

Another adjustment is the hitch ball height. It should be slightly above the height of the trailer tongue receptacle when the trailer is sitting level before the two are connected. If it is too low, the rear of the truck will have to be lifted too high to get the trailer to "ride level" which it should to even out the load on the trailer axles.

Finally, you MAY be able to "tilt" your hitch ball backwards or forwards (I can). Tilting it backwards has a similar effect to shortening the chains, because it drops the WD bars at the chain ends.

The last consideration is your tongue weight. It is just under 10% of the total trailer weight. Ideally, it should be closer to 12% (about 900#, if your trailer is truly 7500#) to help control sway.

Other than these thoughts, I can't think of why your truck should be "squirrely" with that trailer. It SHOULD be able to tow it if you have the Max Tow Package.

And, I'm going to move your thread to the towing section, because I think you may get better advice there.

- Jack

 

Thanks for the wisdom and direction. I looked at my numbers and the TT weighs in at 6300 lbs. the tongue weight was 760 lbs on the scales. I have the axle weights without the trailer but will need to weigh them again with trailer. I will also check the ball height. It is difficult to find someone nearby that really knows how to set up a WD hitch properly.
Again, thank you.

Gary

 

WD hitches have been redesigned I'm sure since I towed a 25' tt but my Reese hitch came with 1,000lb bars. 500 lbs, and 750lbs bars were also available. I used the dual cam sway control that works with the bars and the 1,000lb bars made the sway control more effective. The TT was very stable behind my 86 SWB 2WD F150 after the dual cam swaybar installation.

 

Do you have the factory brake controller with sway control?

 

Unless there were terrible downgrades between his model year and mine, he does, with the Max Tow Package. I have the integrated sway control, but my Equl-I-Zer hitch has sway control built in. They seem to play very nicely together.

However, it took me a couple tries to get the WDH set up right. Initially, the ball was too low and that effected steering on the truck. Not "squirrely", but it pulled to the right when towing, so it was changing the alignment. Now, except for the reduction in acceleration and slightly poorer gas mileage, I don't even know it's back there.

- Jack

 

I do have the integrated brake controller and sway control built in. In describing squirrelly, the steering seems loose and not positive. Before the first adjustment the truck would pull or dart to the left. Not much sway from the back, most of it feels like it is coming from the front as in not good steering control. Thanks for everyone's input so far.

Gary

 

Sounds like there isn't enough weight on the front wheels of your truck. Is your truck level with the trailer hooked up?

 

When the RV dealership hooked everything up initially, it all seemed to be level by visual inspection. When we hit the highway the truck was all over the place and seemed to be on ice. Steering was very erratic. They took up one link and it was better but not fantastic.

Gary

 

Go over to a truck stop that has a CAT scale. Make 2 runs - one with just the truck and one with the trailer connected. Please post the axle weights for each run.

 

Not sure what a CAT scale is. In rural KS the only scales are at the COOP for weighing grain trucks in and out. I'll research to see where the closest truck stop is. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. More to follow.

 

A CAT scale is what 18 wheelers use to check their weight. I think you'll find the people who operate the CAT scale to be very helpful and, if you go in beforehand and explain what you want to do, they'll answer any questions you have. Usually, there is not much activity on the scales, so you should have no difficulty getting on.

The first two platforms will accommodate your truck axles. The long third platform will be where your trailer wheels will be.

Your "grain scales" may work fine too. It just needs a minimum of two platforms for your two truck axles.

- Jack

 

When I first got my 25' TT, I towed it from Raleigh NC to Orlando, FL without sway control with my 86SWB 2WD F150. It was very unstable. It took both hands on the steering wheel to keep it in my lane. Every time a big truck passed me on the interstate, I would cringe because it would pull me over and push me away. I was a road hazard. I had the WD hitch which did a great job of distributing the hitch weight over the entire truck but without sway control it was an accident waiting to happen. I made it safely back home to NC and immediately installed the dual cam sway control. Steady as a rock after that with those 1000lb bars working with the dual cam sway control. So, I would guess you don't have enough sway control for your trailer.

 

Thank you guys for all your help and suggestions. I now have avenues to pursue when I return home from my business trip. I will post my results when I make my adjustments. Thanks again everyone.

 

Grain scales are fine, as long as they have a way to weigh each individual axle