Swaying Scamp 16' - HELP

[Dsironi]

We hit the road today, first time , Madison, WI to Grand Rapids, then UP. Wow, the trailer began to sway crossing Fox River bridge I90 S.

I tried to load trailer evenly. Two bikes are on the back.

Is there a driving technique to eliminate sway?
Will pick up family of 5 in GR with luggage. I plan to add it to the front and middle of the trailer.

Get a sway control on the way? Where?

Help

David

[Dsironi]

Forgot to say that we are towing with Toyota Highlander 2012, Limited Ed with tow package.

[frank_a]

Sounds like not enough tongue weight. Try and load the heaviest stuff up front in your Scamp. You might need sway control if that doesn't work. Maybe a U-Haul or big RV place around? Sway is very dangerous. Good luck!

Frank

Originally Posted by Dsironi

We hit the road today, first time , Madison, WI to Grand Rapids, then UP. Wow, the trailer began to sway crossing Fox River bridge I90 S.

I tried to load trailer evenly. Two bikes are on the back.

Is there a driving technique to eliminate sway?
Will pick up family of 5 in GR with luggage. I plan to add it to the front and middle of the trailer.

Get a sway control on the way? Where?

Help

David

[Thomas G.]

The bikes on the back are making it worse. Get more weight forward in the trailer.

[frank_a]

The other thing you can do is get a dual hitch reciever like this Curt Dual 2" Receiver Tube Adapter, 8" Extension Curt Accessories and Parts D-192 and put your bikes on the top receiver. We got one for just that purpose.

Frank

[mary and bob]

Dual receiver moves the load back and puts more stress on the hitch. It has been previously discussed here and general opinion seems opposed to it. I have one and won't use it. David may not have the correct ball mount for proper towing angle, trailer level or slightly nose down.

[frank_a]

Bob, with 350# tongue weight capacity, and maybe 200# tongue weight on the trailer, I don't think having a dual receiver is a bad thing. Of course, I've been wrong before, just ask Gail...

We do use it with the boat trailer and it seems to work fine. Haven't dragged the Sunline anywhere since we got the dual receiver, probably put it up for sale this weekend. New ParkLiner in the future that has a bike receiver right in the back, engineered for it!

Frank

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Dual receiver moves the load back and puts more stress on the hitch. It has been previously discussed here and general opinion seems opposed to it. I have one and won't use it. David may not have the correct ball mount for proper towing angle, trailer level or slightly nose down.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Dual receiver moves the load back and puts more stress on the hitch. It has been previously discussed here and general opinion seems opposed to it. I have one and won't use it. David may not have the correct ball mount for proper towing angle, trailer level or slightly nose down.

My 16 ft Scamp SD with bath used to sway when crossing a bridge in high winds . I was towing the trailer using an old hitch I had on hand . The hitch had too much rise and the trailer was running nose up . I purchased a new hitch with less rise resulting in the trailer running slightly nose down and my sway problem got a lot better . If your trailer has a front bath adding water to the black water tank and running with almost empty fresh and grey water tanks may also help

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Dsironi

We hit the road today, first time , Madison, WI to Grand Rapids, then UP. Wow, the trailer began to sway crossing Fox River bridge I90 S. ..............

I'd fix it before I crossed the Mackinac bridge

Semi-truck blown over on Mackinac Bridge; is that the beginning of our severe weather? | MLive.com

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Dsironi

Is there a driving technique to eliminate sway?

Yes, drive more slowly, because stability decreases with speed.

You can try to avoid sudden steering movements, but you can't eliminate sway by counting on being able to do this, any more than you can eliminate the need for proper brakes by driving carefully - stuff still happens on the road, and you need to be ready for it.

Everything else in sway reduction is all about the trailer, and to a lesser extent the hitch.

Originally Posted by Dsironi

I tried to load trailer evenly. Two bikes are on the back.

Evenly is not enough by itself. Having the masses at the extreme ends (such as those bikes on the back) makes the trailer more of a pendulum, increasing tendency to sway.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by frank_a

Bob, with 350# tongue weight capacity, and maybe 200# tongue weight on the trailer, I don't think having a dual receiver is a bad thing

Capacity for 350 pounds near the bumper may not be enough to handle 200 pounds a foot further back. The distance really does matter, to the hitch structure, to the vehicle structure, to loads on the vehicle axles, and to dynamic behaviour.

[RogerDat]

I had my TV in the shop the weekend I was going camping. The only loaner they had with a hitch was much taller. I picked up a hitch bar with as much drop as I could find, hitch was maybe 2 inches higher than my hitch.

With my TV trailer has no stability issues and is easily towed at 60 mph, that extra 2 inches made the trailer hula dance at 55 mph. Had to keep it around 50 and that was with every bit of gear stowed in the front and no water in the tank. fortunately it was a local campground so a short trip.

Just that extra 2 inches made a huge difference.

[glamourpets]

Its worth mentioning tires. Car passenger tires have softer sidewalls than trailer ST tires. The softer sidewall can make the trailer prone to sway.

[Carol H]

I have a 16' and no sway control additions on it . As others have indicated the tongue weight on the trailer is most likely to low (the bikes on the rear are not helping with that). The trailer should be sitting level or slightly down on the hitch when hooked up. Take the trailer loaded up with your bikes and gear and weight it and weight the tongue weight. When you weigh the tongue make sure the height of the tongue is where it is when it is attached to the vehicle. If the tongue weight is 10% or lower than the total axle weight you need to add some weight forward of the axle. - if you have front bath or side bath add water to the toilet. Stow some heaver items in the front hatches or cabinets. I have a large tote box I carry with all my trailer hoses, power cables, leveling blocks etc that I will move forward in the trailer to contour balance any additional weight I may have in the rear (such as the few times I travel with water in the tank or grey water in the holding tanks).

[Ken in Pa]

I have the same problem. Our 16 is the same model. Ours starts to sway around corners when there is a dip in the road. Hitch is correct and weights are right. I ordered a Andersen wd sway control even though I do not need the wd it will help with sway and bounce
Ken

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Ken in Pa

I have the same problem. Our 16 is the same model. Ours starts to sway around corners when there is a dip in the road. Hitch is correct and weights are right. I ordered a Andersen wd sway control even though I do not need the wd it will help with sway and bounce
Ken

You would be better off with just a sway control like this:

Curt Friction Style Sway Control System Curt Weight Distribution 17200

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ken in Pa

Ours starts to sway around corners when there is a dip in the road.

I don't see any reason for a properly loaded Scamp 176' to sway under these conditions. Our 17' Boler doesn't... without any sway control device.

Originally Posted by Ken in Pa

Hitch is correct and weights are right.

Even if the fraction of weight carried by the hitch is suitable, weight distribution can still be bad for stability if the mass is out at the ends of the trailer - a bunch of stuff on the rear bumper or under the back of the dinette playing teeter-totter with a bunch of stuff stacked on the tongue is balanced, but not well distributed. I'm not saying this is your rig, Ken, just that what many people think is properly loaded is not.

Another factor, of course, is the tug. If the tug allows the ball to move side-to-side to easily, the trailer could sway in conditions which a more stable tug would not have a problem with. The FJ Cruiser is strong, more than heavy enough (2 tons) to handle this size of trailer, and has a good chassis; however, it's not very long in wheelbase, and typically has tall mushy tires.

[Mike Magee]

Wow, I don't recall hearing a peep about any sway issues with Scamps until this month. But someone from MN posted a thread on rv.net about their brand new Scamp 16 swaying. Now this thread comes up, and several people with 16s are talking about experiencing sway. This is weird!!!

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Wow, I don't recall hearing a peep about any sway issues with Scamps until this month. But someone from MN posted a thread on rv.net about their brand new Scamp 16 swaying. Now this thread comes up, and several people with 16s are talking about experiencing sway. This is weird!!!

It is like UFO sightings. They come in waves.

[Ken in Pa]

We have tried packing differently some ways worst than others. We can not carry any water at all. The bed is made up all the time with bins under but all light stuff. The FJ squats about an inch when the trailer is hooked up and handles and ride like no trailer on the back. The trailer rocks and sways mostly on turns and uneven roads. All air psi are correct. I had a 1976 Scotty 15 ft with original suspension that just floated like a dream. I miss that. I will get this worked out. We only picked the Scamp up in Backus 7/5/13 but already put a lot of miles on her.
Ken