RCSB Towing Hesitation

[emccalment]

I know that this has to have been covered before, but I couldn't really find what I was looking for through search. I've got a 98 RCSB K1500 with the 5.7 Vortec.

I have some hesitations about towing... mainly because I got into an accident towing my old '90 Lincoln Mark VII LSC. It was an emotional experience. I believe the issue was the alignment of the tires on the car, but I still remember the swaying and thinking I was about to go head first into a telephone pole.

So I'm looking into options for reducing sway while towing. I don't plan to tow often, but when I do it will likely involve a Corvette Z06, and I would probably lose my mind if I had a similar incident. I'm looking at sway bars, I don't know off hand whether my truck currently has one or not. Do they help a lot with sway, and do the other sway reduction kits actually work? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

I'd appreciate any ideas/prior info. Thanks.

[kcb37]

You were towing the Lincoln not towing with it correct?
Was it on a tow dolly?
If it the puller or on a full trailer, the sway is the weight placement on the trailer.
You need to have atleast 10% of the weight on the ball. So a 10,000 pound trailer would be 1,000 pounds on the ball, 5,000 pound trailer 500 pounds on the ball and so on.
If you are to light the trailer will sway as you experianced.
If it was on a tow dolly, I would have to say something with the car.

If your pulling on a full trailer you shouldn't have a problem as long as your weight is placed correctly on the trailer. That being said the best thing you can do as soon as you notice sway is let off the gas. If your going downhill pump the brakes to lower your speed and maintain a safe lower speed.
Around town you can be fine, get up to highway speed and the trailer will sway.

I also had a somewhat similar experiance. I did not wreck but I pulled a 68 Dodge 1/2 ton rclb on a uhaul trailer with the 96 in my sig. Engine and trans were out of the Dodge, front tires were all the way at the front of the trailer. So I couldn't correctly position the weight. (this was before I knew what I do now, I also knew the whole 10% thing, just didn't realize it would be that bad.)
At 50mph the trailer started to sway and I could feel the getting some body roll from the trailer also. At 55mph (hit that once downhill) The back of the truck felt like the trailer was going to make the rear end slide. Thought I was going to wreck and roll. So I drove 445 miles at 45mph. Got a flat on the trailer, had to wait for u-haul. Took me 14 hours. That was a fun trip.

I also saw a ECLB Chevy mid 90's pulling a RCSB Dodge about 2000 on HWY 24 in TN. The Dodge was backwards on the trailer so alot of weight at the back of the trailer behind the tires. I was about to pass him, saw the trailer start to sway.
This guy kept going, the trailer started swaying to each line in his lane, then beyond. At that point I though I was going to be on the phone to the highway patrol and trying to see if anyone was still alive. But the pass front tire of the Dodge jumped off the side of the trailer and I guess that's when he thought he needed to stop.

But to add, a sway bar is a good thing to have, however proper weight placement on the trailer is essential. If your trailer will have to much weight on the ball, use a W/D hitch. (weight distribution hitch)
The sway control stuff does work too. But that is more designed for a TT (camper) when there is a side wind or a semi passes and causes the trailer to sway.

May not be what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helps you. As a side note, I bought a 20' trailer after the Dodge. Figured that way I know I have room to move the load. But even so I have used every bit of that 20' with a couple trucks, firewood, and random other things. Just make sure your weight is on the trailer properly.

[Mr_Shamrock]

kcb covered it in the above post. Also you don't want too much tongue weight where the front end of your tow rig gets light either. Before I knew better I towed a ECSB 1500 with a 1995 Tahoe and I had too much weight on the tongue. It made for a white knuckled ride for sure. When I got back with it I was made well aware that if I would have just moved the truck back a couple feet on the trailer it would have been a much nicer ride. It was at that moment that I actually paid attention to my elders and have never forgotten that conversation. So like already said above - #1 make sure you have enough truck to do the job & #2 weight distribution makes all the difference in the world. Good Luck!

[kcb37]

If I didn't explain before. (I know I mentioned it atleast)
Mr_Shamrock's story is a great example. While he had the truck to far forward on the trailer the point can be made.
If he had the trailer loaded correctly so that he did have 10% on the ball, but it was to much weight. (trailer loaded correctly but same weight on the truck) A W/D or bigger truck is a must.
The W/D will essentially lift the rear of the truck and put some of that weight on the front of the truck. This is how and why you can get away with a heavier trailer.

[_zebra]

i can attest to both of the stories above. i just towed my FRC corvette to atlanta this summer & on the way up, it was a little too far back on the trailer and it would start weaving a bit around 65-70mph, so i just drove slower. on the way back, i pulled it about a foot forward & it pulled much straighter. the back of the truck was squatting a little more, but it wasn't bad at all.

[kcb37]

The best way to level a truck is to use it, who knew spend the money for a leveling kit, or you could just use your truck.

[emccalment]

The towing accident, definitely something wrong with the car that I should have identified earlier. So, how do you know you're distributing the weight right? Other than hooking it up and towing it for awhile, then realizing you did it wrong?

[kemble]

I towed a loaded car trailer to Atlanta and back in the summer and had no problems with a RCSB. Even to speeds past the speed limit. Trailer has wheel chocks set up for the car, so I just pull it against them and tie down.

[ToyHauler]

The towing accident, definitely something wrong with the car that I should have identified earlier. So, how do you know you're distributing the weight right? Other than hooking it up and towing it for awhile, then realizing you did it wrong?

technically you could calculate the tongue weight and put something in the bed that weighs the same. then measure your fender to wheel gap. then put the car on the trailer till you have the same gap. but generally you get a feel for how the truck is supposed to sit the rear is slightly lower(a couple inches) and the front shoudnt be way up in the air. you may have to play with it a couple times then mark the trailer for ease of doing it again.

[Quyonmob]

WD hitch, E range tires, balancing the load to 10-15% tongue weight, and sway will be history.