Blowing in the wind...

You may have done this, but it's extremely important to have the right drop reciever so the trailer is riding level. It makes a big difference how the trailer tows with a crosswind.

Make sure there is adequate tongue weight.

Also, there was another thread discussing the importance of tires which have more traction than the standard trailer tire.

whizzer182 said:

I do think the tongue weight was part of my issue, as it did get better after we turned the sleds around. I also read through the tire thread, good ideas there.

How level does the trailer need to be? Of course the squat of the pickup changes as it is loaded differently. As it is now, loaded, I would say there is a slight downward angle on the nose of the trailer.

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If you do not have an adjustable hitch, get one. Set the hitch height so that when loaded the trailer is as level as you can get. The levelness of multiple axle trailers is extremely important on how they tow. You want the load shared by all 4 or 6 tires. A trailer that is nose up or down will typically induce sway - you look like a snake going down the road. The faster you drive the more it will do this and also be susceptible to being blown by the wind. I'm taking off the 175/80R13 tires on my trailer and going with 195/65R15 95T snow tires to get more tire contact on the road.

Greetings whizzer182,

Is your half ton a short or long wheel base?
Any idea how much your loaded truck and trailer weighed?
If not sure, looking back do you think you were overloaded?
Interesting your buddies 3/4 ton diesel was being pushed around, short or long wheel base?

Cheapest option to consider:

Verify, the tire pressure on your truck and trailer tires. Compare those numbers with the maximum tire pressure labeled on your truck and trailer tires. You maybe able to increase your tire pressure this will stiffen up the side walls of your truck and trailer tires. And minimize sway.

Spending your Fun $ now!

Consider equalizer bars. The bars are helpful I used them but more than likely not the complete fix.

Verify, the load rating on your truck and trailer tires. If your truck has stock tires I am guessing your half ton truck is equipped with load range C tires your trailer tires the same or less. An improvement would be to run 8 or 10 ply tires on your truck and trailer. There are several 14" trailer tire vendors who have 8 ply tires, available. If interested, I'll get the tire manufacture names for the 8 ply trailer tires that I have used. Others will chime in as well.

The sensation of loosing control of a vehicle is not pleasant.

Truck probably weighs 1,500lbs more than the trailer? That with a short wheel base and not enough tongue weight will make for a scary ride.

My buddy bought his first short bed crewcab 1ton last yr.
He noticed the same trailer he has been towing for 8yrs with crewcab long beds is pushing his truck around a little bit on snowy roads.

My GMC 3500 CC LB towing 7,000lbs feels better than my Chevy 1500 ext cab short bed towing 2,000 lbs.

My 1500 will tow 4,500lbs but i can feel it pushing the truck around on a dry rd without wind.

It wasn't one thing - you were under-tired, under-pressured, at the edge of, or over, the capabilities of a fully loaded 1/2 shorty, tongue weight, maybe hitch height, and what sounds like pretty extreme conditions weather-wise. We've all seen how weather changes everything. Happy face - you didn't wreck, had some luck with traffic. You were smart parking it for abit. You're asking too much of the rig. Limits on a 1/2 ton towing can be easily met, and to push them the setup and tires need to be spot-on. Toss in crazy weather, bad stuff happens. Hitch height and tongue weight on the DMax could easily explain why it struggled a lot, too. And sometimes, the weather just doesn't cooperate.

Personally, I will not buy any 1/2 ton truck to haul my sled trailer to the mountains. I thoroughly enjoy having my big heavy GMC 3500HD 4x4 CC/LB SRW D-max with a topper and 200-250lbs of sand bags sitting between the wheel wells. As I mentioned in my previous post on here that I'm going with new slightly larger tires this season hoping that the fact they are studded winter tires with a wider contact patch on the road will help keep the trailer behind me. As for dealing with the winds, speed is NOT your friend, slow it down.....

Level trailer and not enough tongue weight period, end of story. Poor trailer handing is almost always those 2 things....that's why towing it with the diesel didn't fix the issue. That's why loading the sleds forward helped, but not quite enough....wanted more tongue weight still.

A modern 1/2 ton towing a 4,000lbs or less is not pushing the limits of the truck in any way....that is total BS. We do it every day with our shop F150, in all weather.

Most inline trailers come set-up so you drive in the front and out the back. A lot of people do backwards meaning driving in back to the front. I just makes more room the other way because the tunnel of the sled can sit in the narrowest part of the V all the way toward the front. I always load mine in the front facing back and never had a problem. I load most of the gear and other weight toward the front. What brand is your trailer. I am wondering if they did not place the axles far enough back?

whizzer182 said:

My 1/2 ton is a short wheel base, 4 door, 5 1/2’ Box, 2016 F150, 5.0. Trailer weighs 2,200# empty, plus three mountain sleds, luggage and gear. Maybe total trailer weight of 4,000-4,250#? Three guys in pickup, pickup box empty. I’m thinking that I wasn’t overloaded, but did not weigh trailer tongue weight. The pickup was not squatting significantly. My buddies 3/4 ton is a 4 door 6 1/2’ Box diesel Chevy, a 2016 or 2017.

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At 4k pounds, that's 600 pounds of tongue weight to be at 15% (with 13-15% being the usual range for acceptable handling in RVs and enclosed trailers and numbers below that usually tending to sway badly). Per Ford specs, you should be using a weight-distributing hitch because your tongue weight is over 500 pounds.

Doing two passes over a truck scale (one with the trailer unhitched and the trailer weight all on the "trailer axle" pad, one with the trailer hitched to see tongue weight), both with the truck and trailer loaded to travel (people, fuel, etc) would be informative and may help with setup. You may even want to do additional passes to figure out what the best loading technique for the sleds is. Most of us suck at estimating truck and trailer weights; FWIW, I was more than a thousand pounds over my estimate when I moved, and I had actually weighed a fair bit of stuff and written out a list.

Anyhow, assuming 600 pounds of tongue weight and 250 pounds per each of three guys in the cab, that's 1350 pounds right there. That shouldn't max out any current-gen 5.0L F-150 (or a 3.5L EB), but it may be close (1400-1600 pound payloads are common with the higher trim levels and more options). Add 70-100 pounds for a good weight-distributing hitch with anti-sway, and you'd probably be close to the limits on a better-optioned model and have just a little breathing room on an XL or XLT. YMMV, of course, if your buddies are built more like marathon runners and less like typical Americans, but it's also amazing how quickly payload goes away when you start hauling around people and stuff (including stuff like a tow strap, shovel, tire chains, etc. that may live in the truck).

If you haven't already looked, there's a yellow sticker on the driver's door B-pillar with the payload (it will say something like "Total weight of passengers and cargo should not exceed 1804 pounds" as well as having tire-load data on it; this is in addition to the white VIN sticker).

For handling wind on good pavement, I'd be looking at a good WDH with anti-sway (I personally found the Blue Ox SwayPro really effective towing a 16' enclosed trailer loaded to 7k+ while moving), but I'm not sure how that plays on slippery roads (I've seen some people suggest that allowing sway is preferable because the truck has such a traction advantage if you have good winter tires on it and not on the trailer).

I'm guessing that truck has a curb weight between 5200 and 5600 pounds, again depending on options; Load Range C tires, appropriate inflated for the load, should be more than adequate. Going to LR E tires adds weight, which eats into both payload and MPG.

Even if the truck was over on payload cap, that won't have anything to do with the sway issue. If anything more weight on the truck would be good, as far as handling goes.

I pull a 24' travel trailer (26' overall length), with a 1/2 ton all summer. That trailer weighs 4,200lbs dry....so with a full load of water, generator, food, drink cooler, BBQ, tables, chairs, yada yada... likely close to 5,500lbs. Then ad WD hitch, 3 people + dog in truck, some tools, usually an ATV or dirtbike and some firewood in the bed, etc, etc. I'm sure it's well over all of the payload ratings on the truck.

With E-range tires, airbags, level trailer with good tongue weight....the handling is still great. No power, but handles totally fine. The sway is nothing to do with the weight itself....given that tires and all the other stuff pointed out is in line.

More to it than the vehicle, I've pulled a 5x26 and 7x29 plenty of times with my 15 f150 with no issues. Sure it will sway from time to time, but nothing out of control.

It been my experience that some trailers do not tow as well as other brands. Tires on truck and trailer also come into play as does tire inflation. Made a few trips with a ford van 3500 2 wheel drive with a 460 in the early nineties pulling a 6 place open that was fun times. Newer trucks are very capable slow down use some caution when its windy.

Weight distribution hitch and a GOOD anti-sway bar !!!!

Trailer level when loaded, correct tongue weight, good tires, good working brakes, and anti-sway bar installed.

This will make a huge difference, take the time to get it set-up correctly and you can tow plenty of weight, even in bad conditions.

First off, great suggestions by all of the guys.

I actually run a 29' Legend enclosed with an extra 6" of height and have run into the dreaded sway in heavy winds. I pull mine with a 3/4 ton and would not go back. The extra weight is nice and you can feel the difference on controling the trailer. Now is it a must......no, I do have a couple buddies that pull my trailer from time to time with 1/2 tons. The 1/2 tons works fine too, if the hitch is set correctly!!

The guys are right on with tongue weight!! Basically getting that proper "balance" with an adjustable hitch is key and really a must. Next proper air pressure in the truck and trailer tires will also help but won't cure it alone.

Anti sway bar, torsion bars, equalizer hitch is all good too, but really not a must. Again, just goes back to the basics with getting that right balance point.

Not sure what you are running for a ball mount but I use an Andersen and it works great!

https://andersenhitches.com/Products/3405--6-rapid-hitch-with-2x2516-greaseless-alumiball.aspx

And those times when it's really bad, then a guy just has to slow up and keep it between the ditches.