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Trailer Sway

S

Super Dave

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Location
IGH Minnesota
I have a 22' pontoon that I pulled all last year and it was completely stable. I had stock tires on at the time. During the winter I put on 265/75 Nitto Terra Grapplers and I can't get this boat to stop wagging. I even got a lower drop hitch thinking that maybe I wasn't level anymore since the new tires are slightly bigger than stock. The only change from last year when it went into storage is the tires. Are the Nittos known for being lousy while towing? I didn't know if this needed to be in the "Wheels and Tires" section so I'll let the mods decide where to leave this. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave
 
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What are you running for tire pressure? Run them at full pressure, the extra side wall may be allowing it to "Roll" a bit causing the sway.
 
That was my thought exactly. I put 80 lbs in and it is still swaying. This is driving me nuts because when I stored it last year everything was perfect. I'm starting to think that these tires are too soft (compound).
 
I have 285 grapplers on my wife's truck and don't have any issues at over 10k in tow. I do have 16x8.5 wheels though.
 
How heavy is the loaded boat and trailer?

I would have the loaded boat/trailer weighed to make sure you have the correct tongue weight. It should be 10% to 12% of the total weight of the loaded trailer.

It is possible that the boat may have shifted rearward on the trailer, reducing the amount of weight on the tongue. Load distribution changes on the boat could also inadvertently move some weight back and reduce the tongue weight. Did you install any new equipment, coolers, cooking grille, extra fuel tank, etc. on the boat during the winter? Was the fuel tank empty when you parked it last fall, but now it is full? All of these can inadvertently move the center of gravity rearward and cause problems.

Also if after installing the larger tires, the boat now has a "nose up" attitude, wind will create an upward force, reducing tongue weight even more.

If the new tires are installed on the stock 16x6.5 wheels, you'll get more sidewall flexing, even at 80 psi vs the original 245 tires, but I don't think your problem is the tires. This sound more like a weight distribution problem to me.

FYI - My Goodyear 265 tires have not given me any problems towing any trailer, including a boat.
 
RayMich,

Thanks for all the suggestions! I also thought about the boat shifting on the trailer, but it seems that it is in the exact same place as when I dropped the boat off in storage. All of the fluid levels are identical to when it was dropped off. I tried a 4 inch drop hitch instead of the 2 inch drop on my other insert to compensate for the additional tire height. I'm going to jack up the trailer tomorrow morning and thoroughly inspect all 4 trailer tires and see if the brakes are grabbing.

Thanks again,

Dave
 
I would look for a truck stop with CAT scales. It should cost less than $10 to get it weighed and you will then know exactly where the weight is.

Weigh the truck first, then weigh the truck with the boat/trailer. Get the weight for all the axles and that will remove any questions on the weight.

Good luck.
 
Yes, tires can make a big difference, even in the same size. My stock bridgestones were much more stable than the Michelins I put on it. My truck is 2wd and has all season tires. After about 10,000 the Michelins they have settled some, but I don't think they are as good for towing. Even the wife noticed the new tires were squirrelly. I even checked to see that they were "E" rated. I love the tires except for towing. After a lot of fiddling with air pressures, sway bar adjustments, etc, I finally am mostly happy. I was really surprised the difference they made.

I feel your pain, stay after it, get the axle weights... as mentioned above. The Equalizer weight distribution and sway control would be a good investment. There are better ones, but they are $$$$
 
If you want the best equalizer hitch and money is no object, you can get a Hensley Arrow Hitch. ( http://www.hensleymfg.com/ ) About $3,100

You won't have to worry about trailer sway. They claim that it is physically impossible for a trailer to sway with their hitch, due to the linkages in the hitch.

You can order a FREE DVD explaining how the hitch works. http://www.hensleymfg.com/freevideo.htm

It's expensive, but everyone that has one swears that they will never tow without it.
 
Just following back with everyone on this issue, I talked with the marine shop that sold me the boat/trailer and the service guy there asked me if the trailer was a tandem axle (it is) and he said to check the "shackle" that the two leaf springs tie in to between the wheels. He said that it's possible that when the place I had storing it needed to move the boat, that they might have used a bobcat or something that raised the tongue too high and the springs might have become "stuck" and not allowing the weight of the boat to shift forward and provide the proper amount of tongue weight like it was all last year. He suggested that I lower the tongue all the way to the ground to try and "break loose" the springs if they are in fact "stuck". I did this, but I haven't had a chance to pull it yet, so I don't know if it worked. Has anyone else with a tandem axle boat trailer ever heard of this happening?

Thanks,

Dave
 
Yes I have heard this and seen it. what happens is the shackel will flip over if extended too far. They can be a real pain in the ass sometimes to get straight.
 
I just installed 265 terra grapplers from 285 Bridgestone duellers and Im happy with them. I was actually thinking about upgrading to a 285 grappler. When Iwas looking for my terra grapplers I did hear people complain they handled bad with the soft tire. I do agree with 04llygmc that a wider wheel could help. You'd get less side wall buldge and less sway.
 
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