Windy day towing

[Grumpaw]

Really, thats a light trailer. Even if you load it to its max, you'll still be just under 4000 lbs, which is an easy pull for the Ranger.
It's just a matter of getting it set up right.
As a trucker, I'm sure you know the importance of tire psi, and on a single axle trailer it's a very important area.
Don't know what your running on the Ranger, but when towing you might play with raising the rear tire psi. When I had my OE tires the psi was set at 32, but sidewall allowed up to 51. When towing I raised the rears to 40 to get rid of any flex (my tongue weight is right at 700 lbs). I've since gone to E rated 10 ply that I run 50 psi in the rear when towing.
Next time you tow try 40 psi and see if that helps.

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[J Krutsch]

If you want to forever end the worry, buy a Hensly hitch. Yes, they aren't cheap, but cheap compared to a wreck. Best decision I have made. No more need for two hands on the wheel in high winds or passing trucks.

 

[seanellaz]

Took a trip to West VA this weekend. Breezy on Friday, and windy coming home yesterday.
Yesterday was white knuckle the whole way, felt like the trailer was trying to rip the hitch off when we hit open areas.
I have my E2 adjusted by the instructions, but is there anything I can do to help with this?
I don't know the exact trailer weight for this trip, but do know my tongue weight was 460, on what should be less than a 3800 lb camper.

A sway control device would make you so very comfy! If the truck looks squatted with the trailer, consider also a weight distributing hitch. You can drive thru a hurricane with a smile. Ok, maybe not.

 

[ctechbob]

A sway control device would make you so very comfy! If the truck looks squatted with the trailer, consider also a weight distributing hitch. You can drive thru a hurricane with a smile. Ok, maybe not.

He has an E2 which is both weight distributing and sway control, same hitch several of us use, myself included.

 

[drvred]

So I am starting to think I have a hitch problem or something .
Added Sumo springs, reset the wdh, and pumped tires to 40.
Tows fine at 60, anything over that and it sways terribly.
Looking at the bars when I got here, I only have about a 1/4" of shiny area on each bar, so am not getting nearly enough friction.
Guess I will try to shim the L brackets for better contact.

 

[Big Blue]

So I am starting to think I have a hitch problem or something .
Added Sumo springs, reset the wdh, and pumped tires to 40.
Tows fine at 60, anything over that and it sways terribly.
Looking at the bars when I got here, I only have about a 1/4" of shiny area on each bar, so am not getting nearly enough friction.
Guess I will try to shim the L brackets for better contact.

Sounds like you've got the truck and hitch pretty well dialed in. Might be a few tweaks left. Since the issue sounds somewhat speed related. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the trailer and its suspension.

What tire pressures are you running? Soft trailer tires will cause sway to build once it starts. Are they balanced properly? Is the trailer loaded evenly side to side? Not sure of the suspension type, but is it alligned properly so the trailer pulls straight?

Just a few thoughs as it seems you are having trouble dialing it in. Your Ranger should pull that trailer like a dream.

 

[ctechbob]

We just got back from a trip to Disney, ~430 miles each way, mostly I75 and the FL Turnpike.

I'm going to preface this with 'yes, I should drive slower' but

Doing 60-65 on I75 is just not a good idea in my opinion, you're more of a rolling chicane at that point, so I set my sights on 70 and usually stick right there (70 mph speed limit). (Note....gas mileage is HORRIBLE up there...just don't think about it if you choose to do it, just pay the pump and be happy you're camping and not working)

With my long/heavy trailer and the E2 with 800# bars, at 70-80mph, I have absolutely no sway. If the truck/trailer is disturbed, it goes right back to straight and true the moment the distubance is over. Yes, I feel the wind and the 'sucking' from passing 18 wheelers, but a small bit of countersteer and I'm past it and back to dead straight.

It could be the difference tandem axles make, or it could be the heavier weight. You've got to be missing something, that light of a trailer should pull just fine, but bugger if I can think of what it would be other than the things @Big Blue pointed out.

It could well be the crap tires these things ship with. I didn't even go a full 6 months before I sold mine off and replaced them with a set of Carlisle Radial Trails, but I didn't have any sawy problems before I replaced them. Ditto with the Morryde suspension. Didn't have a problem before, but wanted to do the upgaded wet bolts and it cost so little to do the suspension I did it as well, but not applicable to your single axle trailer.

--Edited to Add--

My E2 bars have been living outside on the tongue of the trailer, so they have developed a nice coat of surface rust and I don't have the best contact patch either. They creak, groan, and bump when I'm turning a corner, so there's a decent amount of friction there even with the 'not full contact' (yes the pin is backwards, I store them like that for some reason)

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