Towing wobble

[steveoe]

I got a 08 ltz and a 30’ camper. When I was on the interstate doing 65 I had a bad wobble when passing semis or they passed me. It made for some white knuckle ride. Didn’t know if the short wheelbase or does anyone else have this problem. I have a weight distribution hitch and a sway bar on it. This is what I’m towing it’s 5200 lbs dry

 

[wjburken]

I got a 08 ltz and a 30’ camper. When I was on the interstate doing 65 I had a bad wobble when passing semis or they passed me. It made for some white knuckle ride. Didn’t know if the short wheelbase or does anyone else have this problem. I have a weight distribution hitch and a sway bar on it. This is what I’m towing it’s 5200 lbs dry

How heavy was it when you were towing? I’m not an expert by any means, but many folks don’t realize how much weight gets added over and above the dry weight. What’s your tongue weight?

A longer wheel base definitely helps.

 

[steveoe]

It was probably an extra 300 pounds. We really only carry food and clothes and chairs. I heard a longer wheelbase helps too. I believe my tongue weight is 700 ish

 

[B-train]

I pull a 19ft with my yukon and it does the same thing with wind buffeting. Another thing to consider. Your tires are passenger tires which means the sidewall is softer than a truck tire, so you'll end up getting a little more squish/movement. Keep them aired up for best results.

I know longer wheelbase help and dual wheels works magic. My company dually truck never knows there's a trailer behind. 2 more tires definitely help.........but it may look weird on your Tahoe.

When you boil it down, you're towing a shoebox that weighs almost as much as your tow vehicle. Keep the wheel steady, safe travels!

 

[OR VietVet]

Is the sway control adjustable? Might try a stiffer setting if it is. Also, might try loading more weight to front. Need to keep the tongue weight approximately 10% to 15% of gross weight when trailer is loaded.

 

[Fless]

Are you putting water in the holding tanks before towing? That would add a lot of extra weight.

 

[steveoe]

no water in the tanks. Yeah I played around with the sway bar made it tighter and looser to see how it did. Tighter definitely helped. I will say this new camper kinda sits up higher than my old 21’ which I wasn’t to thrilled about. I never looked at my tires to see if they are passenger or a lt tire. They are Goodyear all terrain. I’m gonna have to go look at em. Does anyone else use a tuner for towing? I was thinking about getting one to help a little more. Thanks for all the advice

 

[OR VietVet]

After what you just said, I would back off a bit on the weight distribution hitch and lower the nose.

 

[Geotrash]

I got a 08 ltz and a 30’ camper. When I was on the interstate doing 65 I had a bad wobble when passing semis or they passed me. It made for some white knuckle ride. Didn’t know if the short wheelbase or does anyone else have this problem. I have a weight distribution hitch and a sway bar on it. This is what I’m towing it’s 5200 lbs dry

Hmmm… I would expect some sway with that setup, but not white-knuckle levels of it.

I pull a 32’ camper that weighs around 7200 lbs with our 2012 Yukon XL Denali. It pulls like it’s welded together, even in gusty winds. I also know of people who tow with shortys and for some it’s very stable, while for others less so. My guess is that the difference lies in either the hitch’s sway control, the way the trailer is loaded, or both.

If your sway control is adjustable, crank it up. You can also take it to any truckstop with a CAT scale and use the scales. Weigh it 3 ways: just the tow vehicle, tow vehicle and trailer without the weight distribution bars hooked up, and tow vehicle and trailer *with* the bars hooked up. From this you can get your tongue weight and how well your hitch is distributing the weight. You want 10-15% of the trailer’s total weight on the hitch.

I use a Recurve R3 hitch and the sway control is adjustable. Once setup right, it’s very effective at controlling sway.

 

[steveoe]

After what you just said, I would back off a bit on the weight distribution hitch and lower the nose.

Sorry I meant the whole trailer is taller and is higher than the 21’ not when I am towing it is pretty level when I have it hooked up.