[Mudman1]

Hello,

I am looking around on Google and ETrailer for sway control hitches. I currently use a B&W 3 ball Stow-N-Go steel hitch. To make my 13,000 + mile road trip this summer a little more enjoyable, I am looking at getting a better hitch setup. I've never owned nor used one before, so I don't know what really works well for my setup. Any thoughts or suggestions? Here are some pictures of what I have. Thanks!

 

[Rojhan]

How heavy is the trailer? How much load do you put on the tongue?
Sway-control and weight-distribution are two totally different things, although the systems are sometime integrated with each other.

If you actually need weight-distribution, the systems are are rated on how stiff they are and how much weight they are intended to transfer. You almost certainly want one of the lighter-duty ones if you go down that path. Also note that WD ball mounts are significantly heavier than a regular one. The one I had for my Ram 2500 could have been used for a boat anchor.

Sway control may be more what you are looking for. They are essentially just a friction pad and bolt on.

What condition/problem are you actually trying to solve?

In addition to the weight-distribution, WD setups also tend to stop "porpoising" where the tow vehicle and the trailer are fighting against each other over road imperfections and the whole setup starts bouncing around. The TV and the trailer are much more solidly locked together, almost like a single vehicle.

 

[Rojhan]

Also, can you post a closer, side-on, view of trailer tongue + hitch connected?

Since you don't have a triangular tongue, I'm not sure how a sway bar would mount. And, having said that, I found:
https://www.etrailer.com/question-13468.html
https://www.etrailer.com/question-28114.html

 

[Mudman1]

How heavy is the trailer? How much load do you put on the tongue?
Sway-control and weight-distribution are two totally different things, although the systems are sometime integrated with each other.

If you actually need weight-distribution, the systems are are rated on how stiff they are and how much weight they are intended to transfer. You almost certainly want one of the lighter-duty ones if you go down that path. Also note that WD ball mounts are significantly heavier than a regular one. The one I had for my Ram 2500 could have been used for a boat anchor.

Sway control may be more what you are looking for. They are essentially just a friction pad and bolt on.

What condition/problem are you actually trying to solve?

In addition to the weight-distribution, WD setups also tend to stop "porpoising" where the tow vehicle and the trailer are fighting against each other over road imperfections and the whole setup starts bouncing around. The TV and the trailer are much more solidly locked together, almost like a single vehicle.

Good Morning,

The trailer weighs 900 lbs empty. The tongue weight is around 150 lbs as best I can tell. Driving around town is not a big deal aside from the bumps in the road. I designed the trailer with Dexter Torsion axles rated at 3,500 lbs with LR C radial tires inflated to 50 PSI. When I am driving at highway speed and it is windy with bumpy roads, the trailer jerks me around quite a bit. I used to tow a 16' V-nose tandem axle steel frame trailer with my '06 Silverado 2500. I also owned the truck and trailer below, before I traded them in on the Cherokee. I never had to think about using anything other than a regular hitch on them, empty or loaded. But I think it is the Jeep's short wheelbase that allows it to be jerked around a lot more. So much that I often use Sport mode when I should not have to so I can keep the RF wheel from spinning in the wrong situation. This very noticeable jerking and swaying occurs both empty and loaded, though more when empty.

Since I am going to be dragging the trailer with me on my long road trip, I want to make it a more enjoyable drive. I came across this https://www.etrailer.com/Ball-Mounts/Convert-A-Ball/AMSC2.html and reviews from many Sites indicate it works well.

 

[Mudman1]

I do not have any better pictures of the Jeep attached that I can zoom in on in the daylight. The best one is in the original post, bottom picture. The only difference is that I upgraded to a dual wheel, 1,500 lb capacity jack.

 

[Rojhan]

Good Morning,

The trailer weighs 900 lbs empty. The tongue weight is around 150 lbs as best I can tell. Driving around town is not a big deal aside from the bumps in the road. I designed the trailer with Dexter Torsion axles rated at 3,500 lbs with LR C radial tires inflated to 50 PSI. When I am driving at highway speed and it is windy with bumpy roads, the trailer jerks me around quite a bit. I used to tow a 16' V-nose tandem axle steel frame trailer with my '06 Silverado 2500. I also owned the truck and trailer below, before I traded them in on the Cherokee. I never had to think about using anything other than a regular hitch on them, empty or loaded. But I think it is the Jeep's short wheelbase that allows it to be jerked around a lot more. So much that I often use Sport mode when I should not have to so I can keep the RF wheel from spinning in the wrong situation. This very noticeable jerking and swaying occurs both empty and loaded, though more when empty.

Since I am going to be dragging the trailer with me on my long road trip, I want to make it a more enjoyable drive. I came across this https://www.etrailer.com/Ball-Mounts/Convert-A-Ball/AMSC2.html and reviews from many Sites indicate it works well.

I don't think that that cushioned mount is going to address what you are describing. Road imperfections and wind are going to give you vertical and lateral movement, not longitudinal.

You may also be seeing more effect from the wind since the Jeep is so much lighter and has less of a cross-section than the truck. There's more effective impact from the trailer.

I'd recommend getting a light-duty WD setup with integrated sway control. The long-pole/single-pole vs triangular will stop you from using a classic sway control, or at least require an adapter that will give the needed leverage.

That will stiffen up both the lateral and vertical movement making the Jeep and trailer act more like one solid vehicle than two different pieces behaving differently.

Something like:
http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Pro-Series/PS49902.html
or
http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Reese/RP66558.html

and
http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Reese/RP3280.html

I've never used that combination (never had a single-pole tongue), so do some extra due-diligence, but that should take care of everything. I don't think you'll be able to use the cam-style WD hitch, just chain or torsion.

 

[Mudman1]

http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Reese/RP3280.html

I saw that one, thanks! I don't have 30" to mount that plate without removing the toolbox, which I need.

Maybe I can just use some big bungee cords to keep it in check

 

[Rojhan]

http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Reese/RP3280.html

I saw that one, thanks! I don't have 30" to mount that plate without removing the toolbox, which I need.

Maybe I can just use some big bungee cords to keep it in check

Shim up the toolbox a couple of inches to give the room underneath? Depending on how strong the tongue is, may be able to bolt in from the side if reinforced, rather than clamping over the top?

 

[Hudsonhawk]

What is the weight distribution in the trailer when it is loaded? I am curious as mine weights just a little more than yours and I never experienced adverse behavior, even in West Texas Thunderstorms.

Although after I looked at this picture I realize I have a lot more distance between the hitch and the axles. That extra distance would help stabilize the trailer.

 

[homac]

Hudsonhawk may be onto something. I agree if the trailer is a self build could be something to look at. A cushioned coupler can help but usually just masks an underlying issue.

Ensure nothing is out of line with the trailer suspension, axle etc. Also could be too little tongue weight, this makes a trailer bounce around and ride rougher since the suspension is not compressed down. As a test you could try to add weight to various places to see what happens and safely test.

 

[Rojhan]

What is the weight distribution in the trailer when it is loaded? I am curious as mine weights just a little more than yours and I never experienced adverse behavior, even in West Texas Thunderstorms.

Although after I looked at this picture I realize I have a lot more distance between the hitch and the axles. That extra distance would help stabilize the trailer.

Hitch/pivot to trailer axle distance makes a huge difference. After getting pretty good at backing utility trailers, I got a TT with the axles biased to the rear and it was no comparison. Almost did it by itself.
@Mudman1 everything is levers when towing a trailer. Distance to the rear axle is going to affect tongue weight and how much up/down/left/right trailer movement will affect the vehicle. If you had a trailer with wheels all the way at the end, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion.

it's also possible that the trailer is too light? 950lbs isn't that much. Especially if you have stiffer springs, it's going to want to bounce around unless loaded.

 

[Wolfgang92025]

Mudman1

I would try a couple things before buying any sway control.

You said your trailer is about 950lbs empty. I did not see what you thought the loaded weight was. Unless your trailer is at max axle weight, I would take the tire pressure way down. On my 2000lbs teardrop I only have a tire pressure of 30 psi, and that is mainly for unproved gas mileage. At 1500lbs, I would try 20 to 25psi for a start.

The other is playing with how you load up the trailer itself as far as weight distribution. I would try putting the heavy things towards the front to see if it improves tracking.

The 3500lbs torsion axle will have a pretty high spring rate, that is just the nature of the beast. On off-road teardrops, folks quite often us a 3500lbs axle but have it derated to 2000 or 2500lbs for a better ride.

Good luck, Wolfgang

 

[Mudman1]

We had a sale at work last night. I picked up the Cushion Hitch and the SS ball mount for 20% off. It blew the online prices away. I am going to give that a try in the next couple weeks and see how it feels.

As for loading, I always load my trailer correctly. Not only have I moved myself more times than I can count, but worked Logistics in the Army for many years as well as in other government jobs. Loading ammunition, rolling stock, freight and containers, just to name a few.

I am thinking about putting the same tires I have on my Jeep, on the trailer. But I will have to check funding availability for that.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Rojhan]

As for loading, I always load my trailer correctly. Not only have I moved myself more times than I can count, but worked Logistics in the Army for many years as well as in other government jobs. Loading ammunition, rolling stock, freight and containers, just to name a few.

You could still be running too light. If the springs aren't getting compressed it's going to be like you don't have any suspension at all.

Think about the difference in towing an empty utility/flatbed vs actually putting some real weight in it.

Trying the cushioned ball mount and dropping tire pressure is a much cheaper/easier test than going right out to a new hitch, though.