Difficulty Reducing Tongue Weight

[SGS2019]

Hello! I joined today because I have been unable to solve my towing issues and would like to see if anyone can give me ideas to help.

Tow rig: 2018 F150 Lariat Crew 4x4, 3.5L max tow
Camper: 2007 Gulf Stream Innsbruck 24RKL
Background: For as long as I’ve owned this camper, towing with two previous GM trucks, I’ve never felt comfortable towing this trailer. It doesn’t sway, but in any type of winds, the stability just isn’t great. It feels as if I am being shoved around and it can be difficult to keep in the lanes at times. I upgraded to an equalizer hitch setup in hopes that would help, but it has not. I decided to start from scratch and start weighing everything. This is where I ran into a serious problem. My camper, with no propane, water, gear in the front is weighing in at 1200 tongue weight using a sherline scale. After finding that, I hit the cat scales and confirmed a reading of 1160. This is well in excess of the recommended 10-15%. I am also just under my gvwr, with just me in the truck, and the tongue weight is over the rating of my equalizer.

I tried to fill my back grey tank, shift weight and the best I could get down to was 1100 lbs. Basically, I’m at a loss on how to get this trailer down to an acceptable tongue weight of say 900 lbs. The actual tongue weight is far in excess of what the trailer spec sheet shows. I guess shame on me for not figuring all of this out earlier, but I want to figure out how to make this safe and comfortable to tow.. I would appreciate any suggestions, and please let me know if I’ve left out any detail needed. I am looking to get rid of this camper at this point because it would seem that I need 600-700 lbs of ballast at the rear to make this right, but I am afraid of creating a sway issue. Thank you for any and all input.

[drsteve]

Have you checked the axle alignment and the suspension bushings for wear and play? This can cause the towing issues you are experiencing.

[SGS2019]

schlep1967 wrote:
12 year old trailer. I searched your trailer and I'm seeing trailer weight of 5683. Yours is about 1200 higher than that. Any chance you had or have a roof leak in the front of the trailer? Saturated wood gets real heavy. If the front wall has that much extra weight in it, you may never get it to where it handles correctly.

Thats where I haven’t been able to figure out on the weight gap and where my assumptions have bit me. I should have weighed this trailer a long time ago. There is zero water intrusion damage that I’ve seen and the trailer has towed consistently (bad) in the 4.5 years I’ve owned it. I take really good care of it and inspect my roof a few times per year. I think it’s a very poorly designed rv. I’ve got no water in my tanks, no propane, and about 150 lbs of cargo inside it right now. It doesn’t add up.

[schlep1967]

12 year old trailer. I searched your trailer and I'm seeing trailer weight of 5683. Yours is about 1200 higher than that. Any chance you had or have a roof leak in the front of the trailer? Saturated wood gets real heavy. If the front wall has that much extra weight in it, you may never get it to where it handles correctly.

[MFL]

Your numbers work out okay, and airing up/lower nose has made a difference you can feel. Those tires (low profile,less squirm) and aired properly for towing, should work. LTs in load range E, yes, better, but so is heavier duty truck, or smaller trailer. IMO, you may be towing a little fast for that rig, but you know your comfort zone best.

Hope handling has improved enough for your satisfaction! Good luck,

Jerry

[librty02]

drsteve wrote:

SGS2019 wrote:

George3037 wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
I still don't know what your problem *IS* to even make a recommendation. "Tows poorly" is meaningless, and you *are* driving scared even if you don't think so. It's subconscious. You mentioned the accident and how it affected you.

I would gladly make a recommendation, if only there was even a halfway concise description of a problem.

Too much tongue weight isn't your problem, and trying to reduce it with ballast... You'll have over 2000lbs in the back of your trailer before you see an appreciable change in tongue weight. The axles are simply too far back for that to work.

I still think his problem is that he is running "P" tires on his truck as I mentioned on page one. Needs to put at least LT tires on the truck.

I tell you what, I filled my P tires to max and I could tell the difference. It seems like a pretty decent tire as well, has 2 ply in the sidewall. Hankook dynapro at-m, 275/55/20.

You have found your problem, or at least the biggest problem. Load range E tires are a ten ply rating, they are much stiffer than a P tire.

Load range E tires are not needed with the 275/55/20s with that short sidewall as I have the same exact tires on my 2018 truck...They work very well towing my trailer and have done so on this truck for 8k worth of towing so far...My 2011 has 275/65/18s on it and I put Load E tires on it because of the larger sidewall and the 2018 with the P rated is just as firm as the E rated tires on my 2011...the key is having the P rated tires aired to the max like he has changed too now. I air mine cold the rears 50 and fronts 47...when they heat up they get to 50 in the front and 53 in the rear while towing...

[drsteve]

SGS2019 wrote:

George3037 wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
I still don't know what your problem *IS* to even make a recommendation. "Tows poorly" is meaningless, and you *are* driving scared even if you don't think so. It's subconscious. You mentioned the accident and how it affected you.

I would gladly make a recommendation, if only there was even a halfway concise description of a problem.

Too much tongue weight isn't your problem, and trying to reduce it with ballast... You'll have over 2000lbs in the back of your trailer before you see an appreciable change in tongue weight. The axles are simply too far back for that to work.

I still think his problem is that he is running "P" tires on his truck as I mentioned on page one. Needs to put at least LT tires on the truck.

I tell you what, I filled my P tires to max and I could tell the difference. It seems like a pretty decent tire as well, has 2 ply in the sidewall. Hankook dynapro at-m, 275/55/20.

You have found your problem, or at least the biggest problem. Load range E tires are a ten ply rating, they are much stiffer than a P tire.

[SGS2019]

George3037 wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
I still don't know what your problem *IS* to even make a recommendation. "Tows poorly" is meaningless, and you *are* driving scared even if you don't think so. It's subconscious. You mentioned the accident and how it affected you.

I would gladly make a recommendation, if only there was even a halfway concise description of a problem.

Too much tongue weight isn't your problem, and trying to reduce it with ballast... You'll have over 2000lbs in the back of your trailer before you see an appreciable change in tongue weight. The axles are simply too far back for that to work.

I still think his problem is that he is running "P" tires on his truck as I mentioned on page one. Needs to put at least LT tires on the truck.

I tell you what, I filled my P tires to max and I could tell the difference. It seems like a pretty decent tire as well, has 2 ply in the sidewall. Hankook dynapro at-m, 275/55/20.

[George3037]

mkirsch wrote:
I still don't know what your problem *IS* to even make a recommendation. "Tows poorly" is meaningless, and you *are* driving scared even if you don't think so. It's subconscious. You mentioned the accident and how it affected you.

I would gladly make a recommendation, if only there was even a halfway concise description of a problem.

Too much tongue weight isn't your problem, and trying to reduce it with ballast... You'll have over 2000lbs in the back of your trailer before you see an appreciable change in tongue weight. The axles are simply too far back for that to work.

I still think his problem is that he is running "P" tires on his truck as I mentioned on page one. Needs to put at least LT tires on the truck. "P" tires have too much sidewall flex especially when towing.

[BenK]

Everything is going in the right direction

[BarneyS]

Weights look good to me. Hope this works out for you.
Barney

[Bedlam]

The weights look good.

[SGS2019]

Well today took a bit longer than planned, ended up doing two hitch adjustments and then got stuck for 2 hours on the highway in a construction zone during my last test drive.

Here is what I ended up with:
Dropped hitch head 1 slot
6 washers (14k equalizer set up)
Truck tires 51 psi
Trailer tires 65 psi
Front axle 3200 lbs
Rear Axle 3700 lbs
Trailer axles 5920 lbs

Unloaded truck values
Front axle 3180 lbs
Rear axle 2780 lbs

Previous hitch setup
Front axle 3040 lbs
Rear axle 3900 lbs
Trailer axles 5840 lbs

Truck gvwr 7000 lbs
Rear Gawr 4050 lbs
Front gawr 3600 lbs

I didn’t get a lot of highway towing in and there was little wind so I will do some more testing on a windy day, but it did feel better and more stable today.

Can I get some feedback on my weights?

[BenK]

Note...OEM ratings, specifications, etc are their contract to the buyers/owners...but most do NOT understand that, they are their CYA's (with additional CYA's via the fine print) for the Mr Murphy moments out there (ability to manhandle that moment or not)


ST class tire mostly have speed ratings of a MAX 65 MPH. Some newer ST's do have higher speed ratings...

[SGS2019]

JRscooby wrote:
Going back thru the posts I think I spotted what might be the issue

SGS2019 wrote:


I get some push away then pull back in when passing semi trucks.

How fast are you towing?

65-75, depending on wind conditions.