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Old 04-14-2018, 05:14 PM   #1
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Sway

I have 2018 f 150. Pulling 2016 Coleman 270RL I notice a lot of sway and only 1 time it pulled perfect with no sway
Oh using 1000lb blue ox swaypro please help any ideas
Thanks
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Old 04-14-2018, 08:30 PM   #2
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Controlling sway involves lots of things working together. Just purchasing that Blue Ox doesn't guarantee no sway. And to some degree, sway is part of towing.

But tires, air pressure, proper trailer weight distribution,....... Well, you get the idea.

That new 18 Ecoboost has a lot of towing potential. But it needs proper setup as much or more than most trucks. (My brother and I both tow with Aluminum Ford Eco)

And finally, I know that Blue Ox calls that the sway pro, but I'm not sure about how much anti-sway it has in it. Looks like a really nice WDHitch though.

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Old 04-15-2018, 05:31 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Devrydad1 View Post
I have 2018 f 150. Pulling 2016 Coleman 270RL I notice a lot of sway and only 1 time it pulled perfect with no sway
Oh using 1000lb blue ox swaypro please help any ideas
Thanks
As said many factors can come into play with sway but generally it's not enough tongue weight. You got to get to the scales. Weigh your trucks axles without the trailer then again with the trailer including the trailer axles and your weight distribution hitch set.

Subtract the numbers and you will be able to see how much tongue weight you have. You want Gross trailer weight to get between 10% and 15% of tongue weight. If that checks out then we can move onto other factors.

Looking at the Blue OX Pro except for a fancy chain ratcheting system it really looks like any other Trunnion style WDH.

You can check things in your own driveway if you don't have a scale nearby to see if your WDH is doing anything. Mark the top of your front and rear wheel wells and measure to the ground on your truck without the trailer. Then with the trailer but without the WDH then again with the WDH applied. With the WDH applied you want to try and get the wheel well measurement back to as close as possible when the truck was measured without the trailer. Example if the front was 30 inches empty 33 inches with the trailer but no WDH, with the WDH you want to try and get back to 30 inches. If your measurement does not change when you add the WDH then add more tension to the chains. It may be necessary to to tilt the head of the hitch.
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Old 07-11-2018, 11:52 PM   #4
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I have a 16 F150 and a 14 274BH. I used to tow the 274 with a 14 F150 and it pulled GREAT with a simple Husky 800# RB and single sway control.



The first time I towed with the 16 using the same setup, once I hit 65 that trailer wanted to be every where the truck was not. Tore it down and set it up by the book, and no matter what, it just did not pull right. I did the scale thing and all, and just could not get the front axle back to empty weight. The Ford OM says return 25%, Forget that crap, it was 25% and swayed!


I replaced the husky with a BO with 1500# bars, nailed it on the first try. When I hit the scales I didn't bother with the bars hooked and unhooked, as the first weigh told me I had it nailed.


So here is how to do it. First get the trucks empty weight with a full tank of fuel and the driver and this will be the base line.



Now set the hitch up exactly as BO tells you too and forget what the Ford OM says. Now go load up as you would for travel and scale it. If you did it right then you will find your front axle weight to be where it is when empty. This should eliminate the sway. Just remember to keep 13% on the tongue before hooking up, or you will not get it right.



To find out the TW you can either take it to the scale and unhook it, dropping the jack on one pad and the axles on another, or get a couple 2x4's and screw them together, a couple foot long pipes, a cheap bathroom scale and a landscape paver, one of the 18" ones works best. Put a line across the short side of the 2x4, meaning the 2" side before screwing together, every foot. Put the first foot mark on a pipe in the middle of the paver block, the 5 foot mark on a pipe centered on the scale and the jack on the 2 foot mark. Multiply the weight by 4 and you have your tongue weight. You can use the 6 or 7 foot mark, just multiply by the number of marks between pipes.



The new F150 is very sensitive to setup, and I also heard that BO recommends disabling the trucks trailer sway control as it tends to counteract against the hitch. Haven't found this to be either true or false.



If you follow the above steps, this should pretty much make the towing more comfortable.
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Old 07-12-2018, 04:13 AM   #5
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Or, get a Hensley... just saying. Used the same Hensley on two trailers and three trucks. Sway is not a problem.
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Old 07-12-2018, 01:46 PM   #6
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Or, get a Hensley... just saying. Used the same Hensley on two trailers and three trucks. Sway is not a problem.
Nice to know I live close to some rich people if I ever need a loan.
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Old 07-12-2018, 05:16 PM   #7
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Nice to know I live close to some rich people if I ever need a loan.


Not rich, retired on SS. Thrifty. Purchased previously owned from original owner.
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Old 09-20-2018, 12:25 AM   #8
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Nothing like,or equal to a Hensley hitch. We towed a 30’Artic Fox for 12 years going from Bangor Maine to the Key West. Never a sway issue. We pushed box trucks off the road.
A costly item no doubt but what are we worth!
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Old 10-13-2018, 02:22 PM   #9
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Helwig Rear Sway Bar

I have a 2018 F150 Eco Boost that has the MAX tow package. Truck rated at pulling 11,500 pounds. I am pulling a Coleman 263BH under 6000 # dry weight, trailer tongue weight unloaded is 775#. I have a dealer installed Fastway E2 round bar 2 point friction weight distributing hitch. I experience some bouncing; but that improved with just getting all tires inflated to MAX. However, still having more sway than one would feel comfortable having. I am considering replacing this hitch with a Equalizer 4 point friction hitch. However, I have heard from a few that have had much success with installing the Helwig rear sway bar on the actual truck. I was curious if anyone have heard of or actually had success with trailer sway by installing the truck sway bar???
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Old 10-13-2018, 02:40 PM   #10
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I have a 2018 F150 Eco Boost that has the MAX tow package. Truck rated at pulling 11,500 pounds. I am pulling a Coleman 263BH under 6000 # dry weight, trailer tongue weight unloaded is 775#. I have a dealer installed Fastway E2 round bar 2 point friction weight distributing hitch. I experience some bouncing; but that improved with just getting all tires inflated to MAX. However, still having more sway than one would feel comfortable having. I am considering replacing this hitch with a Equalizer 4 point friction hitch. However, I have heard from a few that have had much success with installing the Helwig rear sway bar on the actual truck. I was curious if anyone have heard of or actually had success with trailer sway by installing the truck sway bar???



I stopped reading at "Dealer Installed". There's your problem, not all dealers, if any, properly setup the hitches. It's the looks good enough install.



What you will want to do is get out the manual, and walk through all the steps and verify that it is properly configured for your trailer. Then once confirmed, if you still feel a bit of sway, turn off the trucks anti sway. I doubted at first that it would interfere, as Blue Ox recommends disabling it, and after installing a BO hitch, I found out that it is actually true, it did interfere as I got some weird sways until I turned it off.



If you have bouncing, then you may have too much weight in the rear of the trailer, so go to a scale and verify all weights and once you have them, get the tongue weight and make sure it falls between 10 and 15% with 13 being the ideal weight for the F150.



I also have an 18 F150 with Max Tow, and my Coleman 274BH tows very nicely with it and it scaled at 6400 pounds with a full FWT and 13.5% on the ball.
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Old 10-13-2018, 10:15 PM   #11
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Thanks ACDII. Yes...I have already lost some confidence in my dealer on other issues...so it is likely the setup is not according to specs.
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Old 10-13-2018, 10:16 PM   #12
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I have a 2018 F150 Eco Boost that has the MAX tow package. Truck rated at pulling 11,500 pounds. I am pulling a Coleman 263BH under 6000 # dry weight, trailer tongue weight unloaded is 775#. I have a dealer installed Fastway E2 round bar 2 point friction weight distributing hitch. I experience some bouncing; but that improved with just getting all tires inflated to MAX. However, still having more sway than one would feel comfortable having. I am considering replacing this hitch with a Equalizer 4 point friction hitch. However, I have heard from a few that have had much success with installing the Helwig rear sway bar on the actual truck. I was curious if anyone have heard of or actually had success with trailer sway by installing the truck sway bar???

I'm pulling my Coleman 249 RB (Max 6500, tongue 605) with my Yukon XL and the E2 trunnion bar 8K hitch system. It tows like a dream. Suggest you go to the Fastway web site, download the install instructions and go over each step as if you were doing it your self. Do the measurements, etc..I found my dealer had the bars not in the center two holes of the "L" link bars, rather in the top 2 holes. I dropped them down one hole each and great ride! This system, if you bought the right weight hitch, is excellent. One step down from the 4 point Equalizer. So you know it's good. BTW, if you need more washers (you should have 6 or 7 installed under the ball), just call them up and ask for them. They are very responsive to problems and questions as well....good people!

Good luck and report back.
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Old 10-14-2018, 04:11 PM   #13
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Thanks Videoarizona...my first mistake (as a rookie) was to expect the dealer to be the expert in the matter of installation. I plan to do exactly what you have said and see what the results are.
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Old 10-14-2018, 06:34 PM   #14
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have you checked the bolts to see if they are tight?
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Old 10-15-2018, 12:19 AM   #15
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Good advice...actually I did check the bolts and found that the bracket bolts on one side was extremely loose. I tighten...but really could not tell much difference in the pull. The truck I have has no problem with the pulling part...I just have more sway than I feel comfortable having. The trailer was a bit bouncy at first; but after properly inflating both the truck and trailer tires to specs; the bounce has improved a great deal. I really think if I could just tone down the sway a little more; I would have a good ride or at least one I could live with.
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Old 10-15-2018, 12:29 AM   #16
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Sounds like u need to start over with the hitch adjustments..does the front steering feel light? Seems like it bounces up front?
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Old 10-15-2018, 01:55 AM   #17
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Watch the video linked below, it sheds light on the main issue with trailer sway. The best hitch in production will not eliminate all sway if the trailer is loaded improperly.






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Old 10-15-2018, 03:17 AM   #18
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The front does seems a bit light; not extreme...but somewhat. I really think the bounce we were having has worked itself out for the most part...seems like any bounce we get is from not so good road conditions. Before we inflated the tires to specs it had a lot of bounce under any road condition. The sway issue is my primary concern at this point. I will follow the advice that I have been given and go through all the install instructions to see if the hitch was installed correctly by my dealer. As a side note; I have had others (not on this forum) advise me to look into a better hitch than the one I have. I currently use the Fastway E2 2 Point round bar 10,000/1000 Weight Distributing Hitch. The Equalizer 4 point trunion hitch 12,000/1200 hitch and of course the Hensley Hitch have been pointed out to me.
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Old 10-15-2018, 02:16 PM   #19
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The front does seems a bit light; not extreme...but somewhat. I really think the bounce we were having has worked itself out for the most part...seems like any bounce we get is from not so good road conditions. Before we inflated the tires to specs it had a lot of bounce under any road condition. The sway issue is my primary concern at this point. I will follow the advice that I have been given and go through all the install instructions to see if the hitch was installed correctly by my dealer. As a side note; I have had others (not on this forum) advise me to look into a better hitch than the one I have. I currently use the Fastway E2 2 Point round bar 10,000/1000 Weight Distributing Hitch. The Equalizer 4 point trunion hitch 12,000/1200 hitch and of course the Hensley Hitch have been pointed out to me.
More rambling thoughts ....hope you don't mind.

You really have no need for the 12K pound hitch....the 10K or 8K will work just as well. But I still think the E2 you have "should" work just fine. The bars, when adjusted properly, give plenty of friction for sway control on most setups. The tilt of the hitch ball...governed by the washers, increase sway control as well. So there are two ways to increase sway control tension....one is to add a washer that tilts the hitch head adding more tension, or, raise the 2 "L" brackets that the end of the bars sit on. That adds more tension too. Do that one hole at a time.

The hitch you have is a rated more than you need with your trailer...you "could" be using my 8K rated one. Your trailer isn't that heavy. And the light feeling in the front end is normal..to a point. Once adjusted properly, your truck and the trailer should both be very close to being level to the ground...front and rear. Not level, level...but level to the ground. And the hitch bars should be parallel to the trailer frame.

Glad the tires settled the bouncing issue. I run my Michelin LT All seasons at 40psi cold...just 10% down from a max of 44 psi cold. That seems to be the best compromise between safety, stability and comfort for my setup. I've been towing my 2.5 ton sailboat for 14 years with my Yukon...over 30K miles...all over the country with no issues. Boat trailer tires at max of 50 psi.

My TT tires max are 65 psi cold. That's where they are. I figure if not loaded I can let them go down to 60 psi cold...but that's it. Coming back from Knoxville I had no issues with my trailer...even when semi's blew by me. Sure the trailer would move over, but a touch of steering and back she came in line right away.

One other thing to mention. If you have any form of auto leveling suspension, turn it off before you do any measurements. BTW, I forgot to mention, Fastway has a simple youtube video that explains the installation process step by step. If you have any installation questions do call them...

Last thought. You, like me, are on the edge of trailering with our vehicles. Yea, yea, I can tow 12K pounds with my Yukon XL...it says so on the factory hitch! Will I? NOPE! 7500lbs is my limit...not the trucks. My limit is set there due to experiencing Oklahoma high headwinds and going uphill all the way to Texas. 65mph in 3rd gear was it. Anything more than that and it's a slow beastie for sure. If you have EcoBoost, you will have more power but it's still an F150. And some F150's under heavy loads do have an issue with sway from what I've read on other forums.

So if the adjustments made to the hitch aren't enough, then that means there are other factors in play....and the Equalizer will probably be necessary for you.

Lots to keep in mind...but one step at a time and you will get this solved!

Keep us posted...
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Old 10-15-2018, 08:41 PM   #20
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WOW...that's a lot of rambling thoughts and I APPRECIATE every one of them. I had a 21 foot trailer many years ago (25 years ago) and it never had a sway problem with the old sway hitch that I had at the time. So...I am starting at ground zero on this. Therefore; thanks so much for your insight. My plan is to walk through the install and verify/correct anything that is wrong; give it a test and go from there. I really feel like I am not very far from getting this thing where it needs to be...so we will see.
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