Major towing problem

[Hunter mike]

We towed a 29' Jayco Jayfeather with our 2007 Tahoe (pretty much the same as the newer ones).

Assuming your weights/tow capacity are in the correct ranges here is what I know about towing with this truck:

-A Tahoe has a short wheelbase for this long of a trailer.  Although the tow capacities are pretty high, the long trailers will jerk the truck around more than a shorter one. 

-I would highly reccomend an Equalizer brand hitch with built-in 4-point sway control.  Expext to pay $600 for this.  We took the hit in the beginning and our rig towed rock solid pretty much all of the time.  If the rear holding tanks were full or other weight in the rear, it was VERY noticable and I got pushed around in corners a bit more than I liked (but always in control and quickly dampened by the hitch).  The hitch also controls up/down (fore/aft?) sway well, which is another issue with the short wheelbase.

-The hitch reciever is ridiculously high on the Tahoe so you need an extended shank for most hitches to keep the tongue low enough.  My 3/4 ton Ram with oversized tires and solid axles rides much higher, but the hitch receiver is the same height as the Tahoe's was (Tahoe at stock ride height).

-Tahoe's come with passenger rated tires that suck for towing.  My other equipment compensated for this OK and I never replaced mine, but some good E-rated tires would have really made my setup solid.

I guess I would disagree that you should inherently know how to setup a trailer to be able to tow it but you should have a good service person setup your rig or do tons of research and measurements before hitting the road.  When you do hit the road, take it easy!  I just resign myself to the slow lane and keep a long following distance.  The faster the speed, the sloppier the tow!

Keep it safe and have fun!

[Jburke]

Sorry dont take this to hard but if you can't figure out how to get a trail to tow right you shouldn't be towing it!  to many dumb arses on the road anymore to play nice 

Kind of falls in the same area as 90 yr old retired lawyers with one ft in the grave driving 45 ft freightliner s down the rd without a cdl but yet I have to get one to keep a 25 ft dump truck out of their way! 

Lol.  No worries.  You couldn't offend me if you tried anyways.  I'll be the first to admit he didn't do his research before buying the trailer.  When he bought it he was living in it while working out of town, so it was always parked.  Now that he has a new job close to home he is finding these things out the hard way.  Lol

[jeepasaurusrex]

I always tow with a vehicle that can handle pulling the trailer, but more importantly, stopping. It is way too easy for a small truck like that to be overcome by the weight of the trailer in a stopping situation. I pull a 27' travel trailer behind my F-350 dually. Some say that's way too much truck. I disagree. The nice thing is I don't need load leveling hitches, sway bars, etc. The vehicle will handle towing a load with a heavier transmission, larger brakes, etc.

A couple years ago while coming back from hunting, we were following this guy in a Dodge Durango, pulling a trailer about 25'+ long. Ever time he would get over 45mph, the trailer would start whipping back and forth. It was scary. The next strait away, we spooled up the turbo and flew past this idiot.

[Skyvalhunter]

So you were the one

[Rick]

The nice thing is I don't need load leveling hitches, sway bars, etc.

Even a dually will benefit from a weight distribution set-up and some sort of sway control.

I'd rather run down the highway beside a guy that has a 1/2 ton thats properly set up to tow his trailer than a guy with a dually who's ego says he doesn't need to bother with that.

[jeepasaurusrex]

I can tow my trailer at 70mph (don't do it very often) and not even know its back there. There is no need for load leveling hitches on a 1-ton truck. Even with 400lbs of tongue weight, the truck barely squats an inch or so. There is no need for a sway control as well. That is the nice thing about having duals and load range E tires. You don't get the side wall flex like in a SRW setup.

You can tow a large trailer with a 1/2 ton truck, just not as far (trans will overheat eventually) or as safely.

[timberghost72]

The nice thing is I don't need load leveling hitches, sway bars, etc.

Even a dually will benefit from a weight distribution set-up and some sort of sway control.

I'd rather run down the highway beside a guy that has a 1/2 ton thats properly set up to tow his trailer than a guy with a dually who's ego says he doesn't need to bother with that.

Only if you tow with a Chevy, definately with a Dodge.  I've put 3000# in the bed of my 1997 F350 and it only dropped the stock suspension 1". As long as your trailer is level 300#-400# tongue weight on a one ton with either SRW or DRW won't matter. I've used both types of hitches and didn't change anything. Load distributing hitches are for smaller, shorter and lighter wheelbased vehicles. 1/2 tons fit in that catagory so using a load distributing hitch is the proper way to set it up. Doesn't mean you can't use one though on a 1 ton but no need for one with your average trailer/travel trailer.

[jeepasaurusrex]

My truck rides better with about 900 pounds in the bed.   

[Southpole]

How is the weight distributed inside the trailer. If too much weight is behind the axles of the trailer, it can cause the trailer to sway side to side.

That's correct. I once hauled a load of hay on a trailer with too much weight on the rear end of the trailer and whoa nelly, look out. I barely made it to my destination because it was swaying so bad!

[Buckmark]

Trailers that have a problem with sway are mostly caused by poor setup, a poorly setup trailer (ie weight distribution or hitch height) that sways behind a 1/2 ton regular cab 2wd truck will sway behind a 4 door, 8ft box, dually diesel truck if it is set up the same behind both...
Larger/heavy more stable tow vehicles have the advantage with outside forces and sway, ie: crosswinds, semi bow waves etc..
Hey jeep hows the trans, must not of liked the 27ft trailer...
*
I have loaded my firewood trailer wrong before and it will wiggles like a gogo girl behind my superduty but the truck is steady, move some weight forward and i smooths out like its on rails..

[jeepasaurusrex]

The trans did not "fail" per say. The mid plate loosened up and shifted slightly blocking the fluid passage for the forward gears. I figured why he had it apart, might as well build it. I can finally get the 592ft lbs to the ground a little better. 

The funny thing is, the trans did it with nothing behind the truck....

Overall I'm pretty happy with it though. A few years ago when we went over to your place, I only used a 1/2 tank of fuel all the way from Marysville.

[HntnFsh]

Well talked to him after he talked to the dealer about it.  Dealer told him it was probably the trailer ball being too high.  In turn making it sit on the axels uneven.  Which would explain why the two times he towed it empty it towed fine.  But the times he's tried to tow it after filling the tanks it sways like this.  Should be fixed in the morning and he'll meet us at camp.  Lol, but if that doesn't fix the problem we will be nice enough to bring a tent for him to sleep in 

Yep,sounds to me like tongue weight is too light. Try redistributing the weight a little bit more forward.

Also if your trailer starts fishtailing on you hard.The worst thing you can do is hit your brakes..  Power out of it and then when it settles down,slow down.Then get everything set weight wise, where it needs to be.

[windygorge]

weight distribution bars will do it

[Bofire]

Or reach down and use your trailer brake ,gently, to help straighten it out. I have a 1500 silverado, 2010 ex cab, short box. tow a 22 foot fancy trailer with easy lift hitch and brakes, 700 lb tounge weight, trailer tow package from Chev. and after market over load springs. tows fine!!!!
Carl

[Jburke]

Turned out his hitch was too high on the tahoe.  Problem solved.  Thanks gentlemen.