Trailers Sways above 65

[hidust]

I have a Sea Ray 185 Sport on a new Shorelander single axle trailer. I bought the boat new and the trailer came setup from the dealer.

I use 1500 standard suburban series subruban to tow. When everything is hooked tongue the tounge is level with the top of the back bumper. So everything looks right, however when I am pulling it can handful a handfull.

I have tried with more weight in the front and that seems to help a little everytime it still sways 67 when i hit 67 or higher.....

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

What is the weight of the trailer/boat and how much tongue weight do you have?

And why drive so fast? Gas is expensive, slow down and save some cash.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

It sounds like you need more tongue weight. Ideally you should have about 7 or 8 % of the total weight of the boat and trailer on the tongue.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

7-8% on the tongue is an absolute minimum and in my view is only 2/3 of what it should be. Most seasoned boaters who tow long distances including most on this forum will go along with a minimum of 10%. While the boat/trailer may be set right, loading a bunch of stuff into the rear of the boat removes tongue weight. Pack your heavier things at the front of the boat. That adds tongue weight.

 

[woosterken]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

WHOA!! I would check the tongue weight and SLOW down
here in Ohio the legal trailering speed is only 55mph
ken

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

10-4 on the tongue; an absolute must.

Had a coworker load some concrete culverts on a 16' tandem trailer. He paid no attention to tongue wt and loaded heavy on the rear.

Was about 100 yds behind him when he came down a hill and went across a bridge at the bottom of the hill.

You would not believe how far a trailer can jackknife nor how fast it can move, but I'm here to tell you he had one big mess and both sides of his truck were caved in.

And I agree on speed. Slowing down would save a lot of wear and tear on your rig and save you some gas.

Mark

 

[Mark42]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

I agree with the other posters....

Reduce the speed. Most states have a 55mph limit on vehicles pulling a trailer even if the highway speed limit is 65.

Up the tongue weight but do not exceed the rating.

Also, have someone else drive your vehicle and trailer and you ride behind in a different vehicle and make sure the trailer is tracking straight and not off center due to shifted axle or broken spring, etc. Look for obvious problems like hopping out-of-round tires, tires that need balancing, bent rim or wobbly wheels, etc.

 

[bomar76]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

here in Ohio the legal trailering speed is only 55mph
ken

Not a word of truth in that....

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

Appears to be only if you weigh more than 8k lbs for Ohio.

Speed Limits: 55 mph is the maximum speed for any vehicle or vehicle combination that weighs over 8,000 lbs.

Ohio:

Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles - Trailers: 614-752-7568
Maximum Speed Limit: 65

 

[jtexas]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

Speed increases the trailer sensitivity to the motion of the tow vehicle; you are probably experiencing some side-to-side motion not perceived inside the passenger cabin of your suburban. Faster you go, the more precise your weight distribution needs to be.

You probably just need smaller outside rear view mirrors.

 

[shipoffools]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

Boats tend to be a little tail heavy so I agree on the tounge weight.

That boat is by no means a heavy load for your vehicle, so if you get the rig balanced, remember increased stopping distance, and the general rule that when things go wrong with a trailer in tow everything is worse, I don't believe that 70mph under the right conditions is too extreme.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

Something is wrong with your setup, so slow down. When you get it together, you can run with us at 75, where it is legal of course8)

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

...remember increased stopping distance, and the general rule that when things go wrong with a trailer in tow everything is worse...

However I do think 70mph is irresponsible. I'm glad you aren't in my state. If ANYTHING goes wrong I hope you have good insurance, because you should get sued.

No matter where you have to go, you will arrive alot later if you have a mishap than you would if you just slowed down and drove responsibly.

But all this advice to slow down will probably be ingnored so up your insurance coverage and the rest of us will say a few prayers.

And up the tongue weight, just don't exceed the tongue & coupler or hitch ratings.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

demsvmejm, have you been on an Interstate with triples going 75 legally? Talk about cracking the whip8)

 

[STL Towman]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

ive noticed the same thing when pulling my 20 ft mark twin with my exploer that it starts to sway when i get over 70 mph but when i pull it with my tow truck it can run 80 mph and the trailer does not sway one bit the tow truck is a 05 ford f-550 so yes i realise there is a heck fo a wieght differance

 

[brine]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

A few other things that were not mentioned are..

1. Side to side air pressure in trailer tires has to be really close when towing at higher speeds. The Nascar guys dont go up or down a half psi just for fun, it really does affect adversely.

2. If you are running P tires and not LT tires on your burb, the sway could actually be coming from the weaker sidewalls of the tow vehicle's rear tires.

3. Slow the he(( down!!
Sorry that has already been mentioned.8)d8)d

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

Is there a hitch hieght difference between the two tow vehicles?

ive noticed the same thing when pulling my 20 ft mark twin with my exploer that it starts to sway when i get over 70 mph but when i pull it with my tow truck it can run 80 mph and the trailer does not sway one bit the tow truck is a 05 ford f-550 so yes i realise there is a heck fo a wieght differance

 

[aggiedave98]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

I really have a problem with folks telling people to slow down universally there may a law in their state. Is 57mph with a trailer really unreasonable???

In states where the speed limit is 65 and everybody does 80 (like in TX) then it's pretty darn dangerous period to drive 55mph.

Just my opinion.

 

[STL Towman]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

yeah Brian there is a hitch hieght differance. the exploer hicth is probabbly 1-2ft off the ground and when i tow the boat with my tow truck i have a hitch on the wheel lift and it is about 3-4ft off the ground

 

[Mark42]

Re: Trailers Sways above 65

I don't see any state listed with a legal tow speed over 65. Many are listed at 55.

Regardless, if your doing 75 or 80 and have to stop fast, you will quickly realize why the legal tow speeds are lower than the normal highway limit.

I tow slow. Driving in NJ and NY with a trailer takes a lot of awareness and concentration because people drive very agressivelly around here and think nothing of cutting you off. And they are really bad at trying to merge onto the highway... They think you will just get out of their way... or they don't realize they are driving next to a boat when they run out of road and slam on their brakes....

Congested states have earned their lower tow limits. Towing two trailers in New Mexico at 65mph is totally different than driving on the Long Island Expressway (NY) with a bunch of chewing gum blowing kids on cell phones with ipods glued to their heads zipping in and out of traffic and delivery vans trying to keep a schedule and you are just slowing them down....

Check out this link of speeds by state....

http://www.recvehicle.com/laws.html