big trailer towing stability

Was I'm the same boat a couple years ago. First tried the heavier ply tires then a better hitch with sway control. Those did help a little but still wasn't the comfortable feeling I was looking for and I was still we'll over my payload rating.

Ended up with a 3/4 w 6.4 and man what a nice towing experience. When people ask me how I like the 3/4 compared to the 1/2 I tell them I went from two hand white knuckling to one hand cruising.


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Not everyone can just dump their truck and move up to the next size.

To the OP..
I was in EXACTLY the same boat.. I bought my truck (f 150 ecoboost) then a year later the camper.. My camper, by the numbers had me very close to my limits.
I had issues with sway. I had my hitch set properly, anti-sway etc.. it wasn't as horrible as your describing and my wife didn't want to get out of the truck, but I felt a little uneasy at times and I have two little girls riding around with me.

For me I got the 3/4 ton.. For you, that may not be a possibility, nor maybe you just don't want a rough riding truck when you pul a camper a few times a year.

There are some good hitches on the market that pretty much eliminate sway, but they are VERY expensive. (propride)..For me I considered those but I couldn't justify the cost and still being right on my payload limits..

IF you can, move up in truck, It is a great long term solution and gives you room to grow into a larger camper down the road..

If thats not an option for you, then 10 ply, propride and airbags should help considerably.

VERNDIESEL is on here, look him up, he has pulled a few hundred thousand miles with an ecodiesel, He certainly has his setup right and he tows heavy sometimes..But I Believe he has a tuner, and all the above as well.

OP, Seems like everyone is pretty much in agreement that if your keeping your truck a set of E rated tires, A good set of air bags and make sure your hitch is set up correctly will be the best way to go.
If that does not solve the issue a heavier truck will be in order or a shorter trailer.

I really dont feel like putting good tires or airbags to be a band aid fix, more like setting the truck up to do a job , it should have came with atleast a D rated tire to start with not something meant for a Passenger car or suv.


Good luck.

Fok I put together an excellent informative post for OP but just before sending got hit with a pop up ad that lost it. Out of time & Ill be on the road for about 10 days

ronheater70 said:

Not everyone can just dump their truck and move up to the next size.

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Of course not everyone can move up to the next size truck. That is why you really need to have your head screwed on straight when making a purchase of a TT and making sure your truck can tow it properly. Properly does not only have to do with weight capacities. My guess is the OP has his truck set up pretty good already. YEs, he can make some minor changes and upgrades but I'd bet his wife will still not want to ride in his truck while towing. Heavy winds and the air coming off the front of the thousands of tractor trailers on the interstate pushing your truck and TT all over the road is rarely thought of when purchasing a trailer. However, it is probably the reason his wife won't ride in the truck.

Get a 3/4 ton or buy a smaller trailer.

trailer empty = 6510lbs
trailer gvwr = 8250 (i roll dry and 1740lbs seems like a lot of cargo)

truck is a 2015 1500 EcoDiesel crew cab 4x4, Lonestar edition, short box with 3.92 gears. i'm quite sure i found it's tow rating to be 8750lbs. but i'm struggling to find that on the web now for a 2015.


hitch is a Reese ProSeries weight distributing with the friction sway bar. I may need to crank up the friction and see how it runs.

the wife has anxiety issues even without hauling the trailer. so, her reaction is probably extreme. but, do i keep both hands on the wheel most of the time?
YES!

i may try towing it with some friend's trucks and see how it feels

I had the eco diesel with air ride, 7500lb trailer loaded. I added the pro pride hitch, and after that the trailer stays put. It was a bit pricey but totally worth it. It's basically an updated hensley hitch. If you haven't heard of them, do a little research and you won't be disappointed. No more sail feeling, the trailer just stays put now.

KSH said:

I had the eco diesel with air ride, 7500lb trailer loaded. I added the pro pride hitch, and after that the trailer stays put. It was a bit pricey but totally worth it. It's basically an updated hensley hitch. If you haven't heard of them, do a little research and you won't be disappointed. No more sail feeling, the trailer just stays put now.

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$2500 for a hitch? yikes. i'd probably put that $$ down on a 3/4 ton truck.

gtex1970 said:

$2500 for a hitch? yikes. i'd probably put that $$ down on a 3/4 ton truck.

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My eco diesel msrp was 59k. Adding the hitch and the performance of it was a no brainer for me. They have military discounts as well.

59k for a half ton.... holy Jesus-

Ratket said:

59k for a half ton.... holy Jesus-

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I paid 51. Had everything I wanted on it. 28mpg highway, 15mpg towing my trailer.

2500 try it you're like it or you can just keep towing your trailer with that kind of weight and get in a accident, your choice, just disregard everything they say here and move on. The length of that trailer is 36', total weight is 8250 lbs, payload of that is going to be about 850 to 900 lbs but no problem you are good to go. Get you some air bags and some LT's tires and go for it.

gtex1970 said:

trailer empty = 6510lbs
trailer gvwr = 8250 (i roll dry and 1740lbs seems like a lot of cargo)

truck is a 2015 1500 EcoDiesel crew cab 4x4, Lonestar edition, short box with 3.92 gears. i'm quite sure i found it's tow rating to be 8750lbs. but i'm struggling to find that on the web now for a 2015.


hitch is a Reese ProSeries weight distributing with the friction sway bar. I may need to crank up the friction and see how it runs.

the wife has anxiety issues even without hauling the trailer. so, her reaction is probably extreme. but, do i keep both hands on the wheel most of the time?
YES!

i may try towing it with some friend's trucks and see how it feels

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So hows your trailer setting when hooked up ? is the nose up or down, level ?
Really just wonder if you have enough weight on the back of your truck.
Have you or have you had anyone look at your set up to make sure its set up the best it can be.

gtex1970 said:

trailer empty = 6510lbs
trailer gvwr = 8250 (i roll dry and 1740lbs seems like a lot of cargo)

truck is a 2015 1500 EcoDiesel crew cab 4x4, Lonestar edition, short box with 3.92 gears. i'm quite sure i found it's tow rating to be 8750lbs. but i'm struggling to find that on the web now for a 2015.

Click to expand...

gtex1970 said:

i've got a Jayco 294 model travel trailer. It pushes the GVWR weight limit on my 2015 Ram1500 crew cab 4x4 EcoDiesel. but the weight doesn't seem to be the biggest concern. acceleration is decent and braking seems adequate. but the big trailer is like hauling a sailboat with the sails up! when we roll down the highway, passing vehicles can make the trailer then the truck wiggle a bit. i can probably get used to it, but it makes my anxiety suffering wife want to jump out of the truck. she literally switched to the other vehicle in our group recently because she could not stand it!

has anybody added airbags and/or a larger sway bar with noticeable improvement?

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How many times a year do you plan on pulling this thing, and how long in distance. i just got a TT and It weighs 7100lbs dry. my cc hemi with 3.21 pulls it fine and the trailer brakes i installed stops it fine. it is a bit nerve racking pulling with other idiots on the road, but i only pull it to the bay then park it (1 hour away). i couldn't justify upgrading to a 3/4 ton when i could just add some stuff to my half ton and trailer to get it done.
if you plan on pulling it cross country 5-6 times a year, then you might re think it.

Luke

lukedukem said:

How many times a year do you plan on pulling this thing, and how long in distance. i just got a TT and It weighs 7100lbs dry. my cc hemi with 3.21 pulls it fine and the trailer brakes i installed stops it fine. it is a bit nerve racking pulling with other idiots on the road, but i only pull it to the bay then park it (1 hour away). i couldn't justify upgrading to a 3/4 ton when i could just add some stuff to my half ton and trailer to get it done.
if you plan on pulling it cross country 5-6 times a year, then you might re think it.

Luke

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it will go on trips almost every other week in the summer and less in the winter. 4 hour trips would be the long trips.

i upgraded to some BFG ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2, higher load rating. like the looks much better as well.

also found a deal on a Hellwig rear anti-sway bar , so that's on the way.

i'll try to crank down the friction sway-bar some more on the next trip. we'll see how it acts with that, the new tires and the stiffer rear sway-bar

Hows that trailer setting level wise ? to high on the nose is not good. I would not take to much weight off the back of the truck with that wdh either, gotta keep some weight on the back tires.

just my 2cents

69GWC said:

Hows that trailer setting level wise ? to high on the knose is mot good. I would not take to much weight off the back of the truck with that wdh either, gotta keep some weight pn the back tires.

just my 2cents

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it was setup by the RV dealer. it rides level.

Some weight distributing hitches work better than others. I personally feel like mine works great. I have the blue ox with the 1500lbs bars. I tow a 28' toyhauler trailer. Dry weight is 6600lbs with a 900 tounge weight. But I'm easily towing 8,000+ with my Ram 1500. I've towed a few times with my Harley and a full tank of water (100 gallons)

I tow with a 1500 hemi and yes e rated tires make a YUGE difference. Its night and day with stiff sidewalls and some more air pressure.

Anyway the OP needs a better hitch also. If you have bars with chains there is little sway control and the friction bars are crap.

I have had a reese dual cam in the past with a single axle trailer using a short wheelbase wrangler for a tow vehicle and it was properly set up and worked great.

I now have an e2 hitch that has the bars that ride on steel pads and I get no sway and I am at max payload fully loaded and combined weights. Yes I have CAT scale numbers. This 1500 tows great and its not a white knuckle experience. It is set up so I have weight on the front axle and proper weight on the tongue.

It was amazing how much better it towed after I went to the CAT scale and weighed loaded and then empty from my starting point. Then I made adjustments to the weight distribution bars (mine double as the anti-sway friction device) and the front axle got its weight back and it tows great.

So 1500's are very capable if even at the maximum capacity ratings but you have to spend time on a complete setup for the hitches and you have to have a hitch that actually can dampen sway and keep the trailer tight to the vehicle.