About wind, stabilization bars, etc.

[Uncle Cereal]

A friend told me he bought a Trillium way back when and he sold it after his first trip because the wind freaked him up when he would drive with it.

Just came home from a drive on a windy highway and couldn't help but wonder "How would it be to be pulling my Boler?"

Do most of you use a stabilizing system or not? Do you stay home on windy days? How about windy days at the campground?

Thank you beforehand!

PS: Tomorrow, I'll be vacuuming my trailer and washing the inside for the first time since getting it last week. My wife hasn't seen the inside yet! I'm hoping to get to it before her...

[Glenn Baglo]

You can start by loading your trailer properly and knowing how much it weighs and what your tongue weight is.
This guide will help a lot.
Trailer Loading and Towing Guide

[bpfick]

As stated, load it properly, hitch it properly and it tows beautifully, with no sway.

[Raz]

I've never experienced any stability issues with my Trillium. I have nothing other than the ball hitch on the trailer. As others have suggested, I suspect your friend had less than adequate tongue weight. Raz

[Uncle Cereal]

So most of you own a Sherline scale?

Good advice indeed! Made me smile when I read not to take the road when it's windy as it was a tongue in cheek question when I started this thread.

[bpfick]

Whenever I see these small trailers not ball mounted properly I shudder a bit. The trailer should be ever so slightly "down hill" from level. This is as important as the 10% tongue weight ratio to trailer weight. At least it is in my view.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Uncle Cereal

So most of you own a Sherline scale?

Good advice indeed! Made me smile when I read not to take the road when it's windy as it was a tongue in cheek question when I started this thread.

I suspect most do not. Most folks just go to a local scale and weigh the trailer.

I personally never add any anti sway devices to a trailer until I am sure I have it well balanced and level & riding with adequate tongue weight. I will do lots of trips with it to make sure it is. If the trailer is at all wiggly in windy conditions or passing trucks I try to figure out the reasons for it.... i.e not enough tongue weight or trailer not level or with tongue slightly down, unevenly loaded inside etc.

An anti sway bar should not be something that is being called upon to keep the trailer from swaying every time your pulling it - it should only be used as an extra safety item that is only needed in those one off situations that we all hope actually never happens.

[Dudley]

My first tow with the Casita was from North Dakota to Alberta in a windstorm with winds so strong I had to push my drivers door with both feet to get it open. No sway or stability problems with a standard hitch, no sway bar. I have since added a weight distribution hitch for leveling. I was driving behind some stickies and was amazed how much they were dog tracking down the road and the casita was rock solid, that really sold me on how the curved body helped.

[Perry J]

Carol's correct if you NEED a sway control you have a problem that needs to be corrected.

I'm an old guy who's been towing something all of my life and have never used a sway control or felt the need for one.

The rounded contours of the average egg lessens the effect of wind.

John

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Uncle Cereal

So most of you own a Sherline scale?

I checked mine with a bathroom scale.

[redbarron55]

Saturday I saw a perfect example of a poorly loaded rig.
It first caught my eye because it was doing about 45 mph. on the interstate.
Then I noticed the Harley on a rear motorcycle mount on the back of the trailer.
There was a very slowly moving (actually the same speed as the trailer and Harley) 3/4 ton pulling this rig.
It looked like the hitch was pulling up on the rear of the truck!
Equipped with stabilizer bars and WDH.
I would guess that even at 45 -50 mph this was a white knuckle adventure!
It goes to show that even with money for a nice big truck and nice trailer and Harley this does not guarantee enough brains for safe towing.

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

I checked mine with a bathroom scale.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-...ue-weight.aspx

[Rzrbrn]

I tow a 17' Casita. It has the high lift axle, and raised another 3" by Little House Customs, with with a 2011 Toyo Tundra. I follow Carol H's regime.

However I have towed with and without the Anderson WDH, and notice a slight difference. I do have a Sherline scale and use it, because I mess around a lot, adding this and that, taking things off, etc. I have been in some very strong winds and storms, with nary a problem.

[Kai in Seattle]

Our '73 amerigo FG-16 was an amazingly smooth pull at up to 70 mph (TV--Dodge Grand Caravan, limit 3500, 350 tongue) -- even when being passed by triple semis. In fact, the ride in the caravan was much better with the trailer than it has ever been without it. Seemed to act as a sea anchor or something, smoothed it out, stabilized it. Cannot wait until it's all back together and we can get it to a scale and find out what it weighs before we load it (and after).


Years ago we had a sticky and it did nothing but jerk and buck and rock and sway...I never did get used to the feeling, towing with a Ford F-150. After towing the amerigo, I began to wonder if maybe we had loaded the sticky back-heavy...it's possible.


We have a stabilizer bar, and didn't use it or feel the need for it once in hundreds of miles towing, uphill and down, tight curves and banked curves, crowned roads, country roads...
Neighbor wife told us we had better get it attached pronto! -- Neighbor husband told us, "no way!" So it's YMMV, I guess. We'll probably bring it when we tow...just in case.


The amerigo does, however, have very low ground clearance, and we hit the heck out of a curb when pulling off to get burgers. What a noise! Ouch!

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

Saturday I saw a perfect example of a poorly loaded rig.
It first caught my eye because it was doing about 45 mph. on the interstate.
.

I followed a 13' Boler being pulled by an older truck here in North Vancouver a couple of months ago. When a semi went by him it wiggled noticeable. It was not a big wag but way more than I would feel comfortable towing with. It looked to me that a good wind blow at a higher speed would have it wagging fast.

We both took the same exit and as I came up along side him at a stop light, I noted the trailers tongue was sitting WAY to high and it had no propane tank on it to boot....... unlevelled trailer and lack of tongue weight a good combo for sway.