Twitchy steering with a big travel trailer (rear sway bar help?)

[AuroraGirl]

If the tires have/had uneven wear you might be experiencing some tread pull too.

My tire guy recommends an X pattern rotation for trucks. Not sure if other rotation patterns would be better or worse, but I trust his judgment.

Tread pull meaning down the road? actually goes pretty straight. the tires are old (16 and 17 for year)
And the front tires are above minimum tread but below good traction

The rear have a lot of life (10-15k if i was really trying to squeeze the life from them)
my step dad DID NOT rotate or keep the pressures up sufficiently when he used it all the time before getting his 14 2500hd

So my rear tires before winter had very much more wear. I had swapped tires side to side in the front when I fixed my brakes last fall (exploded piston, almost wore one side of rotor) and then when I lubed all the brakes after doing brake lines and fixing my stuck parking brake shoes I did the fronts to the rear, and then backs to front (since they were swapped side to side not even 2k before that)

I just drove it this morning with equal pressures all around (i must air my driver front all the time, babying it a bit to save money,) I want to get them rebalanced when i repair the leak. needs a valve stem.. anywho, i just drove it and it goes straight with the wheel, but a month or 2 ago I noticed that with bed weight the front becomes a little wiggly

 

[AuroraGirl]

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The second pic is the two tires that were in the rear, so they are the front ones now, they have morre wear but are relatively close to that (my bad the now fronts have over inflation wear, putting them up front at the same psi the tire tread is flat across lol)

If the tires have/had uneven wear you might be experiencing some tread pull too.

My tire guy recommends an X pattern rotation for trucks. Not sure if other rotation patterns would be better or worse, but I trust his judgment.

 

[txaggie]

While it’s possible the tires are a contributing factor, first off you didn’t mention trailer sway or wiggle which is where some of the responses are leading.
But your numbers above don’t make sense at all unless you have a VERY nose heavy trailer.
If you need 60psi in the bags on top of 3/4 ton springs AND a wdh properly setup that makes zero sense.
For comparison 60psi is about what it takes to handle 4000lbs in the bed under 3/4 ton truck springs.
And your wdh should largely or completely negate the need for bags.
Those jumping on the tires as the cause doesn’t math out. Assuming a 275/55/20 117 load index tire you’ve got about 2800lbs capacity.
id be surprised if you had more than 5600 lbs on the rear axle. Or the same even if your wdh is doing its job.
IMO you need to check your actual numbers and tire rating and know where you’re at. A lot of speculation here with tires.
However as load rating is largely a function of tire pressure and air volume (yes that’s why low pro = less capacity than taller sidewall profiles.) if you suspect it’s soft tires causing the squirm translating to twitchy steering, just air them up more for a short ride to verify.
You will not hurt anything doing that. I’ve run 1/2 tons a lot with 45-51 psi max tires at the 60-65 psi range to stiffen them up with heavy tongue loads.
Again though your published numbers 60psi airbag and a wdh don’t make sense as stated above.
Another example. Full load bearing toyhauler with a 1500lb plus tongue weight takes about 40 psi to level back up on an avg 3/4 ton.
Another factor, how much towing experience do you have? Is this a problem or just to be expected? What is your basis for comparison?

Thanks for the response. The empty weight on the trailer at the scales was around 8600. Im assuming that we probably add 1000 pounds once loaded but I need to verify this. Typically my tounge weight measures in between 875-950 pounds based on the tongue weight scale I have. Once this is set, I then have to adjust the weight accordingly to the weigh safe app via the hitch adjustment.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Thanks for the response. The empty weight on the trailer at the scales was around 8600. Im assuming that we probably add 1000 pounds once loaded but I need to verify this. Typically my tounge weight measures in between 875-950 pounds based on the tongue weight scale I have. Once this is set, I then have to adjust the weight accordingly to the weigh safe app via the hitch adjustment.

arr you measuring the trailer and truck on this scale? thats.. .a heavy trailer for such light payload

If it is, subtract your trucks weight (4-5,000 pounds id take it?)
Still heavy but changes things considerably

 

[txaggie]

arr you measuring the trailer and truck on this scale? thats.. .a heavy trailer for such light payload

If it is, subtract your trucks weight (4-5,000 pounds id take it?)
Still heavy but changes things considerably

Trailer only. This truck weighs around 4600

 

[AuroraGirl]

Trailer only. This truck weighs around 4600

what is it? so heavy. how many axles does it have and what tires are on it

 

[txaggie]

what is it? so heavy. how many axles does it have and what tires are on it

28dbs outdoors rv mtn trx travel trailer:

 

[AuroraGirl]

28dbs outdoors rv mtn trx travel trailer:

what kind of tires is the camper using?
And an idea i just had
While pulling it, manually apply the trailer brakes just a bit , does this improve or not change the issue?

 

[bucket]

Tires being run anywhere remotely close to their max load rating are going to handle poorly compared to a heavier rated tire.

A good and sturdy tire is the #1 most important item for towing. In my experiences, 8k isn't that heavy of a load for a 3/4 ton Suburban, even without any sort of weight distribution.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Tires being run anywhere remotely close to their max load rating are going to handle poorly compared to a heavier rated tire.

A good and sturdy tire is the #1 most important item for towing. In my experiences, 8k isn't that heavy of a load for a 3/4 ton Suburban, even without any sort of weight distribution.

And I would figure a 2500 Burb would scale closer to 5500# but that's just me....my OBS C1500 Burb is around that much. I can haul the same load with it as I haul with the one ton Crew Cab, and it handles it fine(I know how to load Burb and trailer and I air the tires up some) but the one ton hauls it more stably.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Tires being run anywhere remotely close to their max load rating are going to handle poorly compared to a heavier rated tire.

A good and sturdy tire is the #1 most important item for towing. In my experiences, 8k isn't that heavy of a load for a 3/4 ton Suburban, even without any sort of weight distribution.

i meant its a heavy trailer when I was trying to picture what he was hauling that only has 1000 payload
I didnt think of a camper lol

 

[bucket]

i meant its a heavy trailer when I was trying to picture what he was hauling that only has 1000 payload
I didnt think of a camper lol

What I meant was that it was brought up that the tires in question should be up to the task as far as the ratings go. But sufficient tires are never as comfortable as more than capable tires.

In short, I'm in the same camp as many of the original posters- the tires aren't meant for what they are being used for and are very likely the cause of the "twitchy" steering.

 

[txaggie]

What I meant was that it was brought up that the tires in question should be up to the task as far as the ratings go. But sufficient tires are never as comfortable as more than capable tires.

In short, I'm in the same camp as many of the original posters- the tires aren't meant for what they are being used for and are very likely the cause of the "twitchy" steering.

Driving it home tonight even without a trailer I can feel the light twitch in the steering. It’s almost like it tracks and darts quickly from one side to another in a short amount of steering wheel turn but drives straight down the road. Maybe I need to look at my alignment.

 

[bucket]

Driving it home tonight even without a trailer I can feel the light twitch in the steering. It’s almost like it tracks and darts quickly from one side to another in a short amount of steering wheel turn but drives straight down the road. Maybe I need to look at my alignment.

It's possible. You said you installed a quick ratio steering box? Both of those can amplify the effects of overloading tires when towing.

 

[txaggie]

It's possible. You said you installed a quick ratio steering box? Both of those can amplify the effects of overloading tires when towing.

Yessir. Borgeson:

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