Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

2019 GD 28MKS Sway while towing

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • 2019 GD 28MKS Sway while towing

    I bought a 28 MKS last year to tow with my 2012 F-150 Ecoboost using a Reese Steadiflex WD anti-sway hitch. The first trip went ok, but I noticed a lot of minor sway on the tail end. The trailer is not balanced very well because of the rear kitchen, so I assumed that it was normal for the trailer. A few months ago I was towing and caught a crosswind that sent me into a sway that was a lot more unnerving. I had been in the market for a new tow vehicle anyway, so I bought an F-250 with a 6.7 diesel thinking the bigger tow vehicle would muscle the sway a little better. I adjusted the hitch for the new vehicle with the front of the trailer 1/2 inch lower than the rear, so the weight distribution should be right. About 250 miles into my first venture out with the new tow vehicle, I was passed by two box trucks and the trailer went into a violent sway. I had up to that point and had even noticed the ease of towing with the F-250. I have read a few articles about the rear kitchen trailer causing this type of problem. I'm curious what others have experienced with this model trailer and how they dealt with it.

    I ordered the ProPride 3P hitch, which is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. I hope this fixes the issue and will let you know if it does.

  • #2
    Originally posted by bschopf View Post
    I bought a 28 MKS last year to tow with my 2012 F-150 Ecoboost using a Reese Steadiflex WD anti-sway hitch. The first trip went ok, but I noticed a lot of minor sway on the tail end. The trailer is not balanced very well because of the rear kitchen, so I assumed that it was normal for the trailer. A few months ago I was towing and caught a crosswind that sent me into a sway that was a lot more unnerving. I had been in the market for a new tow vehicle anyway, so I bought an F-250 with a 6.7 diesel thinking the bigger tow vehicle would muscle the sway a little better. I adjusted the hitch for the new vehicle with the front of the trailer 1/2 inch lower than the rear, so the weight distribution should be right. About 250 miles into my first venture out with the new tow vehicle, I was passed by two box trucks and the trailer went into a violent sway. I had up to that point and had even noticed the ease of towing with the F-250. I have read a few articles about the rear kitchen trailer causing this type of problem. I'm curious what others have experienced with this model trailer and how they dealt with it.

    I ordered the ProPride 3P hitch, which is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. I hope this fixes the issue and will let you know if it does.
    Give this thread a read--very similar to your issue: https://gdrvowners.com/towing-and-hi...-towing-2800bh

    I'd also suggest getting a Sherline Tongue Scale so you know the trailer's tongue weight. https://www.sherline.com/product/she...-weight-scale/

    Fixing the sway issue will be all about the tongue weight. The Pro Pride is an excellent anti-sway hitch--no doubt about it--but if the trailer's tongue weight is still too light you'll still have problems.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Sherline.JPG
Views:	640
Size:	50.8 KB
ID:	15437
    Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

    2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

    Comment


    • #3
      I don't have experience with the Pro Pride from a retail sales stand point. Their website says it's a "sway control." To me this means that the sway must start, and then the hitch controls it. My experience with BLUE OX SWAY PRO is that it is a SWAY PREVENTER. BLUE OX does not let the sway begin,,,it PREVENTS it.
      Scott M. Barlag, RV Product Specialist, NW Indiana

      Comment


      • #4
        How is the Blue Ox different from the Reese Steadiflex that I already own?

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by bschopf View Post
          How is the Blue Ox different from the Reese Steadiflex that I already own?
          While I respect that Scott has a different opinion than I do, the #1 item you must get right is tongue weight. If tongue weight is correct (and there are no other factors like a wildly mismatched TV to trailer), any decent sway control hitch will do fine. The Pro Pride is the "Mercedes Benz" at the top end of the scale of WD hitches--nothing wrong with that, just pricey.

          To understand why I am so adamant about tongue weight, watch this video:

          Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

          2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

          Comment


          • #6
            That makes sense and the video drives that point home. I have loaded all of the weight I can closest to the hitch. In fact, my last incident was with my freshwater over half full. I think there is a poor design component to this rear kitchen model. My previous trailers never had this type of issue. I'm going to order the tongue scale ($124 of Amazon). Would you get the 2000lb version or just the 1000lb version since my dry tongue weight is 710? Also, I will need to take to a public scale and figure out what percentage of the weight is forward of the axel. I have always been told 12-15% is ideal. Do you agree with that?

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by bschopf View Post
              That makes sense and the video drives that point home. I have loaded all of the weight I can closest to the hitch. In fact, my last incident was with my freshwater over half full. I think there is a poor design component to this rear kitchen model. My previous trailers never had this type of issue. I'm going to order the tongue scale ($124 of Amazon). Would you get the 2000lb version or just the 1000lb version since my dry tongue weight is 710? Also, I will need to take to a public scale and figure out what percentage of the weight is forward of the axel. I have always been told 12-15% is ideal. Do you agree with that?
              GDRV-Megan -- bschopf's VIN is in his profile. Please PM him a copy of the HOLDING TANK HOLE LOCATIONS drawing for his 28MKS.

              bschopf -- yes, I agree on the percentage and more important than my opinion is you'll find that figure on many reputable sites. If you haven't seen all the references I've posted in the past, check out this post: https://gdrvowners.com/towing-and-hi...2771#post12771

              Click image for larger version

Name:	towplanner.JPG
Views:	803
Size:	108.8 KB
ID:	15457

              Regarding adding water: believe it or not adding water to the fresh water tank might make the problem worse. What you'll see when Megan sends you the drawing is the fresh water tank is near or over the axles. That's not going to help with tongue weight. If anything adding water increased the weight of the camper but didn't add to the tongue weight, thus lowering the percentage on the tongue!

              Again, referencing the drawing Megan will send, add water to the gray tank in the bathroom (by running either the sink or shower). I know that sounds silly but just do it and monitor your Sherline scale. Get the tongue at or near 1100 lbs. (At least 1,000.)

              I realize your camper probably doesn't weigh 8495 lbs (the GVWR), but if you get 1100 lbs (~13%) on the tongue, and your WD hitch is set correctly, the camper will tow straight with no to little sway. I recommend also setting up your camper (once the weight on the tongue is right) so that the camper is parallel with the road. I have a long thread on that topic, and I'm not sure everyone agrees with my thought process, but it works for me. See this thread: https://gdrvowners.com/towing-and-hi...wing-a-315rlts

              For the scale--get the 2,000 lb version so your measurement is near the middle of its capability.

              Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

              2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

              Comment


              • #8
                bschopf -- let me add that I've made at least a dozen trips to the CAT scale and have done many, many weighs to dial in the best combination for my truck and trailer. This is normal. If you make a change to the trailer or add more gear, you'll have to check it again. IMHO it is absolutely worth every minute of your time to completely understand what you're doing with your setup and why.

                Finally, if you haven't checked out the CAT WEIGH (Weigh my truck?) app for your phone--it works great. Saves a lot of time since you don't have to go in to get the weigh sheets or pay inside.
                Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

                Comment


                • #9
                  Thank you for all your help. The ProPride hitch adds 190 pounds to the hitch weight so I need to account for that as well.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by bschopf View Post
                    Thank you for all your help. The ProPride hitch adds 190 pounds to the hitch weight so I need to account for that as well.
                    I believe it needs to be accounted for in your truck payload, but does not count as tongue weight. I could be wrong about this, but I had looked into it on my previous trailer, and I recall them stating that due to the added length of the stinger it adds a negligible amount of tongue weight for calculations.

                    Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                    Neil Citro
                    2018 Reflection 28BH Pepwave
                    2019 F350 6.7L Long Bed Crew Cab

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by ncitro View Post

                      I believe it needs to be accounted for in your truck payload, but does not count as tongue weight. I could be wrong about this, but I had looked into it on my previous trailer, and I recall them stating that due to the added length of the stinger it adds a negligible amount of tongue weight for calculations.
                      bschopf
                      I'm not a Pro Pride expert by any means so I watched the video (again) where Marc almost dropped his 312 when he forgot to put down the tongue jack. As you'll see in the video, the "stinger" stays attached to the truck. The rest of the Pro Pride stays attached to the coupler.

                      Pure speculation (and probably wrong!): the items that stay attached to the coupler now become part of the tongue weight. The "stinger" is not. IMO it is worth an email or phone call to Pro Pride to get an expert answer! If you do go that route, please update this thread with the answer. (TIA!)

                      Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                      2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by howson View Post

                        bschopf
                        I'm not a Pro Pride expert by any means so I watched the video (again) where Marc almost dropped his 312 when he forgot to put down the tongue jack. As you'll see in the video, the "stinger" stays attached to the truck. The rest of the Pro Pride stays attached to the coupler.

                        Pure speculation (and probably wrong!): the items that stay attached to the coupler now become part of the tongue weight. The "stinger" is not. IMO it is worth an email or phone call to Pro Pride to get an expert answer! If you do go that route, please update this thread with the answer. (TIA!)

                        Keep in mind Marc has a Hensley, but I think it is similar to the ProPride.

                        That was my initial thought as well, but I remember during my research that while it did add to the weight of the trailer, and the tongue specifically, their official stance was that due to the change in geometry of the trailer with the added length of the system the net change to tongue weight percentage was insignificant. This is old information, and by memory, so I would agree best to get it from the horses mouth.

                        All that said I have no doubt this hitch will make for a much more comfortable ride, but Howson is right, it is best to get everything balanced as good as possible first.

                        Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                        Neil Citro
                        2018 Reflection 28BH Pepwave
                        2019 F350 6.7L Long Bed Crew Cab

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          bschopf I just private messaged you your holding tank location print.

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X