7400lb trailer causing sway

I have a 2012 Toyota tundra SR5 Crewmax. I was told it will pull up to 10,000 lbs even being just a 1/2 ton pickup. I bought a 34' coleman travel trailer at 7400 empty weight. The truck pulls it with no problem, motor wise. it never boggs down or anything, but once I get over 50-55mph, the swaying gets rough and almost pulls me off the road. I have the weight distribution bars and sway control on it. I have to really hold on to steering wheel at all times with both hands and keep letting off the gas everytime it moves to stop the swaying. Just wondering if I need some other type of hitch, or if a larger truck would handle it better. Im thinking a longer wheel base might help control better, but that also adds more weight. Please , Any suggestions????

 

what is the TRD rear sway bar? i Have a friction sway control on it. is this something different?

 

It is a bar that hooks to fram and axel. I got 2014 TRD with tow has the sway bar pull a 7400 lbs TT pulls no trouble at all post picture tomorrowImage from here's a link to a picture I googled .

 

ok thanks, i may check into that

 

if it is installed on the truck, how does it help control of the trailer?

 

Sounds like you need to either
A) distribute load in the trailer better? Do you have proper tongue weight?
B) Crank down on the trailer sway control a bit harder

 

relentless, are you saying to tighten the friction sway control harder? i am new to all this, and was told to tighten it, then back off 1/4 turn. that tightening it too much would mess it up.?? i also have a weight distributing hitch, should i try another link in the chain maybe?

 

Sounds like you have too much tongue weight. Try loading the trailer different... if you loaded more in the front move towards the back.

 

^ He means not enough tongue weight. This will defiantly unsettle the trailer at speed.

 

ok i may have 1-200 lbs tops stored in the front of the trailer. it also has two propane tanks and a battery mounted on the tongue of the trailer. my water tanks are located right behind the axles but i keep them empty when towing. i've been told by a lot of other people than i need a 3/4 ton or bigger, that the tundra is overweighted and even though its pulling fine, it is too dangerous and a accident waiting to happen. Any comments or advise as to whether a larger truck would help or if its definantly my trailer or setup.??? i hate to buy a bigger truck and it not help or do the same thing. what i do know is, I bought this trailer about 2 hours from my house and it gave me this trouble the first time i pulled it home and it was empty then, so dont really think its my load..... help

 

Here is an excellent article on sway controls and WD hitches.

http://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx#SwayControl

Off hand it sounds like your torsion bars are not tight enough and/or Your trailer is unbalanced. Are both your truck and trailer level when your'e fully loaded? Air springs can help if not, but they are not intended to allow you to overload the hitch. Try going up one link on the torsion bar chains, and shifting weight in your trailer towards the front or back. If you are carrying heavy stuff in the bed, consider moving it to the trailer, centered over the trailer's axels.

Finally, I've heard that friction ant-sway devices are not as effective as active or hydraulic ones. You my end up having to upgrade.

 

TRD sway bar. Very happy with it.

 

Yes that's what I'm referring to. What I will say is that everyones feel and idea of 'tight' is a bit different. What you may think is tight may really not be, I know with my trailer (20ft car trailer w/lifted 4runner on it) when I dont tighten my sway control hard enough I know real quick! A half or full turn on the handle and I'm back tracking solid on the freeway. I've had the truck trailer well into the 80's (in states that allow for it ) without any sway or instability.

 

I'm a little late to the conversation but I tow a 31' 6500 lb ( dry weight) travel trailer and don't have a side to side sway issue as much as I have a front to back bounce going over any bumps in the road. I have the sway control hitch that seems to work good but had to add a set of air bags on the truck to make it a little stiffer in the back. Bounce is gone now and the truck does fine when the trailer is loaded and closer to 7500-8000 lbs.

 

This is exactly what I did , I installed the TRD sway bar and I had no sway at 70 mph ...just testing speed ...but I did install a set of Firestone Ride rites which is awesome because as your trailer weight changes you can change your pressures to match .

 

I'm not OP, bit thanks for the responses, lots of good info!

 

I don't think a TRD sway bar would help much. The sway bar is to keep the TRUCK level from side to side when going around turns. I am no towing expert but a 34 foot trailer is awfully large for a 1/2 ton, regardless of weight capacity.

 

BJ, when you set up your rig, did you measure the ground to fender height before and after hooking up your trailer? It is EXTREMELY important to set up your weight distribution hitch correctly. If not, you could have way too much weight sitting on your hitch causing the front wheels to be light and make the ride feel squirrely.

 

1) is the trailer level? Having a trailer sit nose up will remove tongue weight and cause sway
2) Is the truck level? A sagging rear will pull up on the front of the truck providing mushy steering control.
3) Are the torsion bars tight enough? (contributes to # 2.
4) Do you have enough tongue weight? look for ~12% - 15% of the trailer weight to sit on the ball before torsion bars are connected.
5) If using a friction anti-sway device, is it tight enough? It does no good if it is too loose.

 

I'm towing this hog and yes, I just took this pic! Aaaaaaaah.

 

I just went to Tucson this week and picked up a 30' 6500 lb. TT. I am using an Equal-I-zer WD and sway control hitch. (I highly recommend this hitch). No sway bar on truck. (They don't help trailer sway at all.) Average speed on trip was 70-75. Trailer never moved at all. The weight distribution in the trailer is very important. Most swaying is caused by too much weight in the rear.
Read bobeast post above, it is right on.

 

I would not recommend going by what the dealer claims the weight to be or the tag in the closet. You can drive thru a closed weight station and a lot of the time they have a digital read out. Go thru it without your trailer and then with it and then with only you trailer's wheels only on the scales. Minus the trailer weigh and the truck weight from the combined weight to get your tongue weight. I believe your anti sway is tight enough, but look at your hitch to see if you can run two anti sway bars. I run air bags. Tire pressure can be a factor also(truck and trailer). Check your trailer's wheel alignment. Talk to your RV dealer. I agree with the other post.