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Swaying when towing

83ChevyK5Blazer

83ChevyK5Blazer

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McHenry Mississippi
When we moved to wyoming from Mississippi we towed a 5x8 uhaul trailer with our stuff in it, with my 91 suburban ( 454/465/241, tons, 4 inch tuff country front, stock 56's with a 4 inch flip and 6 inch shackles, 38mtrs)

While we were driving if i had to make a quick correction or hit an expansion joint, the truck would begin to sway, like body roll type sway until i left off and slowed the speed down. Then it would level back off and i could do the speed limit.

We are headed back to Mississippi in a few weeks but we will be towing a 6x12 uhaul this time. I would really like to figure out what causes the sway and not have to deal with it this time around.

My hitch uses an 8 inch drop and the ball height is 23.5 inches. Uhaul max is 25 inches.

20210730_092910.jpg
 
83ChevyK5Blazer said:
When we moved to wyoming from Mississippi we towed a 5x8 uhaul trailer with our stuff in it, with my 91 suburban ( 454/465/241, tons, 4 inch tuff country front, stock 56's with a 4 inch flip and 6 inch shackles, 38mtrs)

While we were driving if i had to make a quick correction or hit an expansion joint, the truck would begin to sway, like body roll type sway until i left off and slowed the speed down. Then it would level back off and i could do the speed limit.

We are headed back to Mississippi in a few weeks but we will be towing a 6x12 uhaul this time. I would really like to figure out what causes the sway and not have to deal with it this time around.

My hitch uses an 8 inch drop and the ball height is 23.5 inches. Uhaul max is 25 inches.

View attachment 394844
Click to expand...
I will tell you what caused mine on my suburban, hopefully yours is as simple.
I had just put in a new axle in the back, and a few days later towing a small trailer it started doing just that.
I checked almost everything from weight distribution in the trailer to tongue weight to bad shocks and finally tightened the ubolts on the axle and it got better.
I had to go back over them a couple of times in the following days until they didn't need anymore.
 
Sway is almost always not enough tongue weight. You want 10-15% of the trailer weight on the hitch, and with a small trailer like that maybe even a bit more.
 
tRustyK5 said:
Sway is almost always not enough tongue weight. You want 10-15% of the trailer weight on the hitch, and with a small trailer like that maybe even a bit more.
Click to expand...
As I said that was my first thought and the first thing I checked.
It wasn't until it did it without the trailer that I started looking at the truck not the trailer.
By the way to the OP, please confirm you are having the same thing I had, my trucks leaning side to side not wagging the tail like a typical light tongue weight sway?
 
83ChevyK5Blazer said:
When we moved to wyoming from Mississippi we towed a 5x8 uhaul trailer with our stuff in it, with my 91 suburban ( 454/465/241, tons, 4 inch tuff country front, stock 56's with a 4 inch flip and 6 inch shackles, 38mtrs)

While we were driving if i had to make a quick correction or hit an expansion joint, the truck would begin to sway, like body roll type sway until i left off and slowed the speed down. Then it would level back off and i could do the speed limit.

We are headed back to Mississippi in a few weeks but we will be towing a 6x12 uhaul this time. I would really like to figure out what causes the sway and not have to deal with it this time around.

My hitch uses an 8 inch drop and the ball height is 23.5 inches. Uhaul max is 25 inches.

View attachment 394844
Click to expand...
On my truck I had stock springs but the ubolts being loose made it sloppy and it leaned sideways.
On your truck with tall lift springs and a longer shackle you need to make sure everything is tight, including the spring bushings too.
 
Its the truck starting the sway, then the trailer wags as a result. I'm going to do another bolt check before we leave out. Would the tongue hight have any effect on this?
 
83ChevyK5Blazer said:
Its the truck starting the sway, then the trailer wags as a result. I'm going to do another bolt check before we leave out. Would the tongue hight have any effect on this?
Click to expand...
The tongue height could possibly have an additional effect but the height of the truck is the biggest leverage you have.
I didn't think mine could be the truck because I had a stock suspension but the fact I had replaced the rear end got me to at least check.
Do a once over everything and take it slow.
 
An ORD sway bar would fix the body roll but could it actually be the trailer wagging manifesting as suburban body movement right at the beginning? I’d be the longer trailer will be better.
 
My suspension is very close to yours. Smaller tires and no tons.
I have been towing a single axle enclosed trailer for months. No sway. My ball mount was 20" to bottom of ball, top of flat mount.
Now I am 19".
Yes do check your u bolts and shackle/spring eye bolts.
Load the tongue, if it is easy to lift the tongue, there isn't enough weight.
Air pressure in your rear tires, probably want to bump them up. I had mine at max, but again smaller.
 
Tongue weight being low and tongue height being high isn’t helping anything either. You said you have a 8” drop hitch. Id pick up either a 10 or even a 12. The trailer sitting level will help a lot.

Giving your suspension a once over doesn’t hurt either.
 
Went over the rear suspension today, u bolts were still at the torque spec, shackle bushings were tight, drivers shock was loose and the hole for the stud egged out. I tightened it up and it broke later in the day, so have to fix that now...
 
I’ve got an old MOO inboard shock crossmember I can’t use because of my exhaust, maybe try it to fix the shock problem?
 
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