I started out towing a 30’ Airstream with a Silverado 1500 max tow package. Like you all was fine except for the “pull” on 4 lane highways when being passed. Not bad but something to be aware of while towing. This rig also “porposed” quite a bit when hitting big bumps at speed. Towed this rig 30000 miles and loved it.

New rig is 37’ 312bhts and Silverado 2500 Duramax. This set up is rock solid. Very little “pull” , no porposing and very little sway even in wind.

If I were to do it over, I would have gone with the bigger truck from the start. And, for towing in the mountains, the diesel is fabulous. And I can get fuel with the big boys in the truck lanes which is a big deal when the trailer is 37’.

All this with a regular weight distribution hitch.

The Pro Pride hitch would likely fix your sway issues but they are expensive. I have no experience with these but owners swear by them.

The advantage to putting your $$ into a 3/4 ton truck, esp a diesel, will fix the “pull” and give you options going forward for many RV sizes and configurations.

Just want to welcome you to the forum. As a long time lurker you should know all about the Welcome Letter (I link to it frequently) so when you get a chance please setup your signature line, one of the many things it references.

An opinion (and worth as much!): there are incremental improvements that can be made to your current configuration. If most travel will be local and/or short hops...why spend the money on a new vehicle? Alternatively, if there are plans to "get out there", when the going gets rough it's is nice to have the right (or too much) tow vehicle.

Howard

Bobby As mentioned there are several things that could be contributing.

1 - Do you have sway control, is it part of the WDH? If so, find the manual and verify the setup as this will alter the ride and handling if it's incorrect.
2 - Maintenance, When was the last time the TV was in the alignment shop? Have you had the shocks checked / replaced lately? You may need a stiffer shock setup (will alter ride quality). When were the ball joints, tie rods, and other front suspension components checked.
3 - TV and TT. Is the TT level, front high, front low? TV, back to above, have you weighed it with the trailer? Improper steer axle loads can lead to issues.
4 - Rear sway bar, does the TV have one? If so, back to Forums If not, can one be added.

I'n not a professional suspension engineer, and these are things I have noted over the years of towing. I ran a BlueOx SwayPro and had no issues as you describe, however I did find that the dealer set the hitch up completely wrong for bar tensions. Learning you hitch is critical. I knew what changes to make based on TT Content and how it "sat" when hooked up.

I agree with Howard and Joseph. It looks like you're probably at the capacity limits of the Expedition. Both Howard and Joseph gave some things you can do to help with sway. a 3/4 ton would certainly make a big difference at a premium cost.

I had a similar issue where the truck suck while controllable was annoying and I found myself not being relaxed while towing. The initial plan was to go with the E rated tires which helped some but was not the answer. If I had to do this again today, I would have chose a D rated LT tire which would provide better ride quality. I air up the E rated tires at 45psi Front and 50 psi Rear to maintain a good tire contact patch for stability. 40 psi when empty.

Since the engines in modern trucks in the light duty category are aluminum, this creates a situation where the front of the truck is far too light so the suction (low pressure) of a passing semi would pull the rear of the trailer over which pushes the rear of the truck to the right. As a result of this initial situation of truck suck, is the front of the truck is steering to the left. In addition, there is a low pressure situation that pulls your entire truck and rig over....as well as the semi to a lesser extent. This high velocity low pressure situation between two vehicles is a function of the Bernoulli principal for the technical answer.
Ok so how to cure it?
I added air bags at 40 psi to set the truck to its unloaded stance while my 2600RB was sitting on the ball loaded for travel. The hitch height and loading of the hitch was readjusted per the manual so the anti sway qualities were still present and while the rig sat level. Very slight nose down is ok but must be minimal. This is important.
What this strategy did was to shift more mass to the front of the truck where today, there is almost unnoticeable truck suck and with minimal wind, I can barely tell the rig is back there. Its that good. I've traveled with 20 mph winds where I can feel it but control was there so I slowed down based on the feedback from the rig. This strategy also increased rear suspension travel and completely eliminated porposing. So when folks say a larger truck is needed, I respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree as long as you are within the yellow tag and tow ratings of your vehicle.

Canting the truck to the front shifts mass as well as adjusting the hitch after air is applied to the bags. Here is a YouTube video in setting this up where I modified this a bit to raise the rear of the truck to shift mass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CAKb18ZXs

Jim

I am not sure what the weight of the 2800BH is, but I imagine you are at the limits of the Expedition. I had a 26' bunk house and a Tundra. Like you it pulled great until passing a semi. I had the blue ox sway and it couldn't combat the pull. I put heavier rated E tires on, put a rear sway bar on....it all help a little but still had the suction. I ordered a 2500 Ram with Cummins and that solved the problem. It pulled that 8K lb trailer like it wasn't even back there. Never weighed the Tundra, but I have to guess the Ram weighed at least 2500 lbs more. That extra weight kept everything straight.

I just went through this again with the 5th wheel. The 2500 was ok, but not perfect. I got a 3500 and it's night and day difference now. This 3500 weighs an extra 800 lbs more than my 2500. Having a proper tow vehicle really makes the drive more enjoyable. I see some of these guys towing with SUVs and the front wheels are almost in the air. I can't imagine how stressful of a drive that must be.

Roy, I've seen this too. LOL. To move mass to the front on a light duty application is key. Its no secret a heavy or too heavy TV will tow nicely but its not needed in some cases as in a 2800BH which in most cases is loaded to around 7K lbs. Now if that expedition is loaded with a person in each of the 6-7 seats with the back loaded to the max with luggage, it may be best to consider a truck. But I would still suggest one of the new half tons that has payloads over a ton and still gets good fuel economy. Fuel economy wasn't a factor two years ago but today its an important consideration if your non-towing is over 80% of use.

Jim

I was pulling my 2800BH with a 2012 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew with the 3.5 EcoBoost engine. Truck had plenty of power, but I didn't like the handling issues at freeway speeds with trucks passing and wind blowing. Truck had plenty of power, but it just wasn't quite enough truck for the task. I was right up near front and rear GAWR and truck GVWR. I added LoadLifter 5000 air bags and Bilstein 5100 shocks to the rear trying to see if I could make it work out but ended up getting a 2017 F250 this month. I have no issues now. Truck and trailer go straight down the road. The trailer no longer seems to be pushing the truck around like it did with the F150 up at speed.

The “trick” to towing a heavy trailer with an F150 is to get the HDPP (Heavy Duty Payload Package). The dealer will claim no knowledge of this. It is kind of fun to open the F150 brochure on his desk and point him to the HDPP information. This is well beyond the “Max Tow” package that they will have on the lot . . . basically a trailer hitch receiver. HDPP adds a heavier chassis, additional leaves to the rear springs, a stronger rear axle, stronger damper (shock absorber) tuning and LT tires rather than the passenger car tires standard on every other F150.

Rob

Another that helped us with the light weight front end on these trucks was to pitch the truck to the front to transfer additional weight there. The air bags inflated to 40-45 psi and the Equalizer hitch adjusted after the bags were inflated did the trick. Our half ton truck towing the 2600RB is barely affected by passing semis. Air pressure was another where the E rated LT truck tires are inflated to 45 psi front and 50 psi rear. This maintains a solid contact patch to the ground on the TV. Having the rig to sit level was another factor to completely eliminate porpoising. I messed with adjustment for some time when I finally realized it was the front of the truck causing the issues rather than the rear.

Jim

Hi Bobby,

Welcome to the forum. I had an Expedition like yours and it was great towing my old Sunline bunkhouse TT. I had to get rid of the Expedition due to severe corrosion of the frame crosspiece under the radiator, this was the only piece that was not galvanized by Ford. My 2015 F150 tows my 2800RB OK at highway speeds. My last trip this fall was different, the truck just did not handle well over 55mph. I later figured out why the truck handling was so poor on this trip. I forgot that I had 200+ lbs of stone in the back to improve wet road traction for normal use. This probably put me at or slightly above the 1800 lbs payload capacity. Truck payload capacity is the key here and NOT the towing capacity, mine supposedly can haul 10,000 lbs which I am sure would place me well over the trucks payload capacity! I have a Blue Ox swaypro hitch that works much better that my old Reese dual cam setup. I have Bilstein rear shocks and I have not added airbags or helper springs because that would not be safe since to increase the GVWR to what the HDDP has requires a thicker frame, different axles, wheels and tires. I am still trying to decide to either go up to a 3/4 ton or order the HDPP, which only is available on base models, I want some of the nice things that middle range models have;-) Long story short a 3/4 ton or a HDPP 150.

Airbags can be used to level a truck or to increase suspension travel in addition to shift mass forward on the truck. Payload limits should always be honored on both TV and RV. There really is no excuse to overload a truck, axles, tires, etc..

Todays half tons can be purchased to handle over 2000lbs of payload and still deliver good fuel economy while unladen.

Jim

... and be mindful of the irony that the weight of any added TV handling "improvements" (heavier tires, helper springs, airbags, etc) subtracts from the factory payload rating.

Mike

Pulling my Transcend 265bh with F150 3.5 Ecoboost, max tow pkg. it is about the same length and weight as your 2800bh. The comments in previous posts are spot on, the only thing I would add is to make sure that your weight distribution hitch (WDH) is rated high enough, probably minimum should be 10,000 lb tow / 1,000 lb hitch wt. I have an E-4 Equalizer hitch and have no sway at all. Fixed porpoising issue with help of uwskier and installed a Roadmaster Active suspension. Helped a bunch, straightforward DYI install. Raised rear end about 1”. Also, my WDH was not set up correctly by the dealer, that also made a difference after I reset to manufacturer specs.
Tim