losing control

[justin443]

Towing the boat this past weekend i realized when i run over pot holes or a lot of rough cement doing 65+ the steering wheel is ultra sensitive and my truck swerves. how do i fix?

 

[swamp_life hemi 05]

Rear sway bar if you don't already have.one....

Sent from my VS920 4G

 

[justin443]

i do not, thanks

 

[SmokedRam]

Steering stabilizer?

 

[GhostRam94]

yea both of these is a good start... or go slower

 

[justin443]

My truck is stock other than the 2-4 drop, i hate how loose the steering feels

 

[justin443]

Slower is just not an option with the Hemi

 

[Birddog]

For those that have the loose steering issue, does that loose steering happen with a heavier load? I pull a single axle trailer, about 3500 lbs, and I've never felt that before.

 

[justin443]

It only gets worse with heavier load

 

[justin443]

what kind of pavement are you on? nice smooth pavement or backwoods crappy roads? i never had that problem with my GMC sierra so i am new to this steering.

 

[SmokedRam]

How does your truck sit when loaded? Does it squat very much?

 

[GhostRam94]

i haul a 24ft pontoon boat with a 135 merc on the back... thing is heavy as fukk.... just take it slow.... my truck swerves at the higher speeds also and i have a rear sway bar.... only thing that is gonna change it is a bigger truck or slower speeds

 

[WhiteExpress]

How does the trailer sit when it's loaded? If it's not sitting level, it can pull the nose of the truck up, then the slightest of disturbance can really throw it around.

 

[Stangshcky12]

How much does your boat and trailer way? Do you have a no-drop hitch or even a raised hitch reciever?
It seems to me that you have to much tongue weight which is causeing your rear to drop and your front to lift up

You really shouldnt tow any trailer over 55 mph either....

 

[Power247]

How much does your boat and trailer way? Do you have a no-drop hitch or even a raised hitch reciever?
It seems to me that you have to much tongue weight which is causeing your rear to drop and your front to lift up

You really shouldnt tow any trailer over 55 mph either....

x2 See if you can find a truck stop near by that has scales (or your local landfill if you can talk them into it). Knowing your weight is the most important part of towing safely.

 

[wermbang]

slow it down when towing, with it swerving and at the speeds thats looking for disaster.

 

[TRCM]

Sounds like you either have the towing rig set up wrong, or it's too heavy.

 

[audio1der]

How is the rear end sag? Is the front end getting light, lessening the contact of the front tires??

 

[D33k]

Rear sway bar, steering stabilizer and for heavy loads gooseneck, and if rear is squatting hard airlift 1000

 

[jlb]

These 4th gen 1/2 tons are really washy in the back when loaded. I think it is primarily a function of the coil springs allowing the truck's weight to easily shift left to right as the truck rolls. The anti-roll bar would probably help, but don't expect any huge gains (I have one and still experience this problem). The other problem you could be experiencing is if the tongue is too light the trailer gets washy and causes sway.

If you are just towing a boat, and experiencing this problem I would be concerned. Do you only experience the problem after running over a section of particularly bumpy road? Is it possible you are new to towing and just not used to what it feels like if you are getting some trailer sway, and front to rear bounce that can happen after going over a lucky series of bumps?