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Old 01-21-2014, 07:51 PM   #21
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I had a scary sway experience too, back in the late '80s. Just a little 4x8 utility trailer, but I had a heavy steel part sticking out the back end. Just goes to show that the trailer size doesn't matter so much as the loading.

With your experience, not only was it loaded rear-heavy to start, the incline probably made stuff want to crowd farther backward with every bounce and vibration, possibly making it worse.

I don't think Parkliner would produce a trailer with insufficent tongue weight, but you could always take a bathroom scale with you and check the weight for yourself.
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Old 01-21-2014, 08:08 PM   #22
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Back in the 60's My dad was towing a 16' lightweight Shasta with his 61 Ford Galaxy on a paved highway that was under construction. There was about a 6" drop off at the pavement edge as no shoulder gravel had been added yet. He was distracted for a sec and the rig drifted toward the shoulder and the passenger side trailer tire slipped off the pavement as my dad yanked on the wheel to get it back into the lane. It did bring the trailer wheel back on hard surface but the action caused a violent sway. Luckily it all straightened out and all was fine. He used an Equalizer WDH.

For the pass 10 years of towing the 23', 1st the Nissan Mini Van and now the G35 sedan we have never had the hint of sway, even after an aggressive emergency maneuver.
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Old 01-21-2014, 08:10 PM   #23
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Huck a couple of things to know to avoid such a situation again are:

1) ask the trailer manufacture what the height to the top of the ball should be before you buy a hitch draw bar. Without the trailer present no hitch installer is not going to know how much of a drop you need on the hitch to get the trailer level or slightly down on the tongue.

2) A great way to cause more sway is to use the tugs brakes. The good news is that brake controllers have a switch you can pull that will activate only the trailers brakes helping the trailer to coming back into line without you touching the tugs brakes.
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Old 01-21-2014, 11:23 PM   #24
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I'd roll with just a regular hitch, the trailer will be unloaded when you pick it up. Then if you need one then get one. Having a regular hitch won't be a waste either way. (Good for bashing shin and cut down on tailgating people ) I have and use a Anderson hitch... my T.V. is a Wrangled Unlimited I get blown all over the road by large SUVs when towing, due to me not going 90 + mph. With my XJ I've towed a steel flatbed trailer with a second XJ on it without a WD hitch or swaybar without a problem. That load was probably way over 4 tons.
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Old 01-22-2014, 06:56 AM   #25
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Huck, as you have read the information you are getting is all over the map. Some of the info is very good, and some is very bad. The tough part for you now is figuring out how to safely optimize your rigs connection.
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Old 01-22-2014, 12:16 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MC1 View Post
Huck, as you have read the information you are getting is all over the map. Some of the info is very good, and some is very bad. The tough part for you now is figuring out how to safely optimize your rigs connection.
don't know why but have a hunch such vagueness as to good and bad is not doing much to help the OP decide what is safe.
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Old 01-22-2014, 04:05 PM   #27
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Good advice vs bad advice, how to tell which is which:
1. flip a coin
2. play eeny-meeny-miney-moe
3. pull flower petals (like "she loves me not...")
4. post the bits of advice on a board, then throw a dart
5. have the wife tell you, she's always right

LOL
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Old 01-22-2014, 04:50 PM   #28
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I tend to like the pulling of flower petals approach myself!
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Old 01-22-2014, 04:59 PM   #29
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just to through out some numbers...
Our tow rig is a lifted 135" WB chevy awd van that weights ~7000lbs at the scales loaded with supplies for two weeks at all times.
Our Parkliner #35 weights 2300lbs fully loaded and has a ~220lb tongue weight.

We use only a ball hitch.

At ~60mph we have only noticed "sway" in gusty situations and with the break controller set to engage the trailer first a simple tap on the brakes has brought things back in line.

The only what-was-i-thinking sway situation came when i passed a class A going up a hill on the coast range and accelerated to over 75 mph to pass. Yea, i know...silly boy. Won't do it again but wowzer was it a rush seeing those white knuckles grabbing the wheel !! and the look on the driver of the bmw behind me when i bolted to pass
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Old 01-22-2014, 05:53 PM   #30
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I ordered:
  • a Hayden Automotive 678 Rapid-Cool Plate and Fin Transmission Cooler with mounting kit and transmission line fitting kit.
  • Reese Towpower 33021 33 Series Class III/IV 2" Square Tube Professional Receiver with Hitch Plug Cover
  • Tekonsha Engineering 90885 Prodigy Brake Control
I need accessory parts to go with these, but the vendors make it hard to figure out exactly what is needed. I'm hoping my mechanic can sort it all out for me.



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Old 01-22-2014, 06:43 PM   #31
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Huck.... you made some good choices with your hardware selection. Good to see you went with the HD 2" receiver. I'm using the Hayden 679 Rapid-Cool in our car and it has worked great for the last 8 years. Well done.
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Old 01-22-2014, 07:24 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Huck View Post
I ordered:
  • a Hayden Automotive 678 Rapid-Cool Plate and Fin Transmission Cooler with mounting kit and transmission line fitting kit.
  • Reese Towpower 33021 33 Series Class III/IV 2" Square Tube Professional Receiver with Hitch Plug Cover
  • Tekonsha Engineering 90885 Prodigy Brake Control
I need accessory parts to go with these, but the vendors make it hard to figure out exactly what is needed. I'm hoping my mechanic can sort it all out for me.



All good stuff! You will also need a wiring harness for your truck - to plug the trailer into and if it wasn't prewired for towing you may also have to have a line installed for your trailer brakes (maybe one for the battery charge as well). You will also need a wiring harness designed for your truck for the Tekonsha brake controller as well.
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Old 01-22-2014, 08:54 PM   #33
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All good stuff! You will also need a wiring harness for your truck - to plug the trailer into and if it wasn't prewired for towing you may also have to have a line installed for your trailer brakes (maybe one for the battery charge as well). You will also need a wiring harness designed for your truck for the Tekonsha brake controller as well.
This is one area that has me stumped. If it was a newer SUV, I could just buy the wiring kits and plug them in. I'm hoping the mechanic can get what he needs locally to install everything. If not, he can tell me specifically what else I need.
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Old 01-23-2014, 05:22 AM   #34
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My Jeep i just had to buy the wire harness, run the wires and installing by plugging in. A few wires to the engine compartment to the battery and to brake controller. Factory wiring harness was complete.. 2005 year vehicle.
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Old 01-23-2014, 11:08 AM   #35
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This is one area that has me stumped. If it was a newer SUV, I could just buy the wiring kits and plug them in. I'm hoping the mechanic can get what he needs locally to install everything. If not, he can tell me specifically what else I need.
Huck if you search online you will probable find an owners group for your vehicle. Mostly likely to find someone has posted the details on what you need and how to do it. Or do a search for hitch install on the make and year of your vehicle and you may even find a youtube video on it.
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Old 01-23-2014, 03:00 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Huck View Post
This is one area that has me stumped. If it was a newer SUV, I could just buy the wiring kits and plug them in. I'm hoping the mechanic can get what he needs locally to install everything. If not, he can tell me specifically what else I need.
You think yours is problematic- I had to start from SCRATCH when I got my Kia wired up...biggest obstacle was convincing the wiring guy that I seriously intended to tow something with the car.

It's really not that complicated if you look at it in its separate parts. (In my case the hardest part turned out to be where to physically locate the controller.) Specialized wiring harnesses aren't really needed, though convenient if available. The job can be done using parts from any autoparts store if they don't already exist in the bottom of your mechanic's toolbox.

If you're confident in your mechanic's wiring ability he'll figure it out just fine.

One thing I remember having to ask for specifically was related to the 12v trailer battery feed line. Some, but not all, such installs include a solenoid like this one that isolates the tug battery from the trailer when the vehicle's shut off. This prevents the trailer draining/using the power in the tug battery when parked. I think this an essential part of the install.
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Old 01-24-2014, 10:05 AM   #37
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I know why I was confused about hitch, ball mount, and ball.

The way to figure out what ball mount you need is to install the hitch and measure the height. Then measure height of receiver and subtract the ball size. Subtract this from the hitch height and then you know what ball mount you need.

So I either needed to have the height of the installed hitch from some source or I needed to install it and measure it myself. Then I can buy the correct ball mount.
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Old 01-24-2014, 10:15 AM   #38
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Some things to keep in mind while you are going through the process.

Get the ball as close to the back bumper as possible and when it is all done ready for travel the trailer should sit level or nose slightly down.
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Old 01-24-2014, 11:05 AM   #39
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I know why I was confused about hitch, ball mount, and ball.

The way to figure out what ball mount you need is to install the hitch and measure the height. Then measure height of receiver and subtract the ball size. Subtract this from the hitch height and then you know what ball mount you need.

So I either needed to have the height of the installed hitch from some source or I needed to install it and measure it myself. Then I can buy the correct ball mount.
You have it! I have found its always best to have the hitch installed and then measure it before pick out the right receiver. Ever hitch brand sits a little differently - have had 2 different brands of hitches on my previous tow and they were very different in regards to how the fit the vehicle and how high or low they were. Nothing stopping you from buying the correct ball now though.
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Old 01-24-2014, 02:53 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Huck View Post
I know why I was confused about hitch, ball mount, and ball.

The way to figure out what ball mount you need is to install the hitch and measure the height. Then measure height of receiver and subtract the ball size. Subtract this from the hitch height and then you know what ball mount you need.

So I either needed to have the height of the installed hitch from some source or I needed to install it and measure it myself. Then I can buy the correct ball mount.

You can buy a ball mount at any Walmart/Uhaul etc. I'd wait until the receiver's installed to get true measurements based on your vehicle specifics. Even tug tire size can make a difference!

A very critical bit of information is coupler height of the trailer. Ideally it should ride level. Sometimes dead level isn't achievable, so slightly low is next best. You ought to be able to get that information from Parkliner.

Ball choice is simple- Parkliner has a 2" coupler, so any 2" ball will do....though I'll here say that we have several trailers and really love our interchangeable ball sets. Link
The set allows for quick changes of ball size- one permanently mounted shank, three ball sizes that fit over it.
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