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Trouble towing

2759 Views 21 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  Briggs
I've already posted a couple of questions but I'm wondering if anyone else has had problems towing with the Titan.
I've got a 2007 Titan LE - CC with every option except DVD player - Tow package the lot! I love the truck, sounds sweet, rides great, more power than any other I looked at. I've put the K & N cold air system in it as well (sounds wild by the way) and, a few cosmetic goodies.

Anyway, I took a Jayco Eagle,, 30 ft trailer for a haul before buying and found it had me all over the road after about 50 MPH! I've taken the trailer out twice. First time the wind was wild and the dealer told me that they hadn't set the trailer up right ( no tanks on the front etc.). The second time, everything was set to spec. I checked the tire pressure the load on the hitch, ( 1000lb eq hitch ) etc etc - wind was normal .. same story trailer all over the road at about 50 MPH. I don't have anti sway system on the hitch but NISSAN tells me I don;t need them - Anyone have the same problem or ideas? Oh Ya - Trailer is 6500lb Empty and pin weight 651lbs... well within limits
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The trailer will tow smooth with a torsion bar set. That will transfer the load to the rear axle, and pushes the front wheels down. That will make it much more stable, even in the wind.
I see you have the correct hitch. I have a couple of things that I do with my 29ft TT (8000lbs)

1. I have dual sway bars - this really helps when you are passing a big truck
2. I added airbags not only for lift but also stability.

One thing that you need to check is the "true weight" and tongue weight fully loaded. Including what you carry in your truck. I am betting that you have a lot more than you think weight wise.

After that take your TT and have someone who knows how to rig a hitch take a look and see if you are really setup correctly.

I can tell you that I tow all over the place with the Titan and gave my V10 ford EXC to my Dad cause I would rather tow in the Titan.

Hope this helps.
Your hitch must not be set up correctly...My trailer is slightly bigger than the one you test drove and it is absolutely fine under 65 mph. After that, it can sway a bit as I don't have any sway control on the WD hitch. If I put on a dual cam sway control system, or bought the equilizer system, I know it would be great at speeds over 65. Then again, you shoulnd't be pulling a trialer that big over 65mph.
Thanks folks, I think I'm going to try both the torsion bars and an anti sway WD hitch, and you may be right about the weight on the trailer, I'll take it over to the weight station and get a legit GVW on the unit and truck. I was towing with the Titan unloaded and nothing in the trailer, but you never know!
Briggs said:
Anyway, I took a Jayco Eagle,, 30 ft trailer for a haul before buying and found it had me all over the road after about 50 MPH! I've taken the trailer out twice. First time the wind was wild and the dealer told me that they hadn't set the trailer up right ( no tanks on the front etc.). The second time, everything was set to spec. I checked the tire pressure the load on the hitch, ( 1000lb eq hitch ) etc etc - wind was normal .. same story trailer all over the road at about 50 MPH. I don't have anti sway system on the hitch but NISSAN tells me I don;t need them - Anyone have the same problem or ideas? Oh Ya - Trailer is 6500lb Empty and pin weight 651lbs... well within limits
First- that's crazy that Nissan is saying you don't need an anti-sway system for a 30' trailer! You do and shouldn't pull this large of a trailer without one. I tow a Jay Flight 29BHS which is a 30'er and around 7500 lbs loaded. I have an Equali-z-er WD hitch. The anti-sway is built in and my bars are 1200lbs.

Second- you said you have a 1000 lbs eq hitch. What's the brand of the hitch? Is it something like Reese or Husky or is it a Equali-z-er hitch?

Third- You need to be aware of how you pack the trailer...distribute the weight evenly. A lot of people put the weight towards the rear instead of evenly through out the trailer. You also need weight up front too on the hitch, not enough weight on the hitch will cause some sway. I usually have at least 1/3 of fresh water in the tank.

Forth- as you already said you checked the tires, trailer tires need to be at there max pressure, mine is set at 50 psi and then I also put more air in the truck tires then normal driving...my BFG T/A KO I set around 45 psi.

Also make sure you have a good brake controller like the Prodigy.

Hope this helps
DJ
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It looks like from your post you do have the 10,000 Equalizer hitch but you are not using the load bars.

Use the load bars and make sure the hitch is setup properly as explained in the instructions or the video on their WEB site:

http://www.equalizerhitch.com/productinfo/weight_distribution.php

You can also download a copy of the instruction manual from their WEB site if you don’t have them. If you are using the Equalizer hitch and it is setup properly you should not be having any sway control issue at 50mph.
Not sure on the brand name on the hitch, it was provided by the dealer - but I will check, positive it wasn't a Reese hitch. I'll be doing some checking around to see if we have a Reese or Husky dealer in Edmonton.
Shooooot Throw a friction sway bar on it for a hundred bucks, Tighten that baby down good, and never look back. End of story!
TitanicDJ said:
First- that's crazy that Nissan is saying you don't need an anti-sway system for a 30' trailer! You do and shouldn't pull this large of a trailer without one. I tow a Jay Flight 29BHS which is a 30'er and around 7500 lbs loaded. I have an Equali-z-er WD hitch. The anti-sway is built in and my bars are 1200lbs.

Second- you said you have a 1000 lbs eq hitch. What's the brand of the hitch? Is it something like Reese or Husky or is it a Equali-z-er hitch?

Third- You need to be aware of how you pack the trailer...distribute the weight evenly. A lot of people put the weight towards the rear instead of evenly through out the trailer. You also need weight up front too on the hitch, not enough weight on the hitch will cause some sway. I usually have at least 1/3 of fresh water in the tank.

Forth- as you already said you checked the tires, trailer tires need to be at there max pressure, mine is set at 50 psi and then I also put more air in the truck tires then normal driving...my BFG T/A KO I set around 45 psi.

Also make sure you have a good brake controller like the Prodigy.

Hope this helps
DJ
Don't mean to jack the thread, but I have this exact same trailer (it is 32.5' from bumper to hitch) and I doubt the loaded weight would be 7500 - closer to 8000-8250 would be my guess as it is 6700 dry. I also have the KO tires and air them up to 50lbs when towing. The difference is I have a Husky WD 1000lb hitch and I have one friction sway control (which I don't use as it doesn't make a difference). Does your Equalizer hitch stop all sway? I was thinking of changing my hitch but I am not sure if I should..

Oops - I reread and realized I have the 29'FBS which is heavier. - Sorry
I forgot to add something! ... The Firestone tires are not good for towing they are squishy and will help cause sway problems. When I went to my new tires it also made a difference.
I don't know how you stayed on the road in wind without a sway control set-up!
My trailer for work is a 16' Cargo trailer weighs around 6500lbs with my tools in it. Just that short little thing gets me a bit tail happy when passing s semi- or in a decent cross wind! I give props to nissan for not putting a rear anti-sway bar on a tow-package equip'd truck, doesn't make much sense to me, but then again there is alot of things they do that don't make sense to me! Good thing I love my truck as much as I do!

Anyways, i would def get a sway-control set-up if I were you. I have towed my brothers 32' travel trailer with W/D hitch and Friction sway bar on it and it towed pretty decent. Really helps!
when you guys say sway bar are you refering to a rear suspension sway bar that connects left and right shocks together or some sort of trailer mounting device?

Just checking because I am not sure if 'friction' is a brand or type
A sway set up is a must! I have the Jayco 31 BHS and it tows great. The trailer and hitch have to be properly set up so when hitched, the trailer is level. Experience will also tell you that anyone claiming they can completely rid their rig of sway is lying. High winds will make ANY rig sway. Trucks passing you at high speed?....you're gonna have some sway.
How you pack stuff in the RV, how many links your WD bars are set at etc....all have an effect on how your rig will tow. I found that experience, along with trial and error, will get you to a comfortable set-up. Starting out with a shorter RV first is a good start. My first was a 26' Sunline and the two rigs tow much differently.
ericgst said:
when you guys say sway bar are you refering to a rear suspension sway bar that connects left and right shocks together or some sort of trailer mounting device?

Just checking because I am not sure if 'friction' is a brand or type
No. A sway set-up is something added to the hitch to minimize trailer sway. I think you're refering to a rear swat bar for the truck itself.
5
Looks like this:





I use one on each side.

I also have something like this:



Hope this helps
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RobKar said:
Looks like this:





I use one on each side.

I also have something like this:



Hope this helps
Nothing to add to the topic but...I have to say, those two little girls are absolutely adorable. My wife happened to be passing by and went ga-ga over them....lol.
HudsonValleyTitan said:
Nothing to add to the topic but...I have to say, those two little girls are absolutely adorable. My wife happened to be passing by and went ga-ga over them....lol.
Thank you HVT ... I think so too but I am bias .. :teethmast
Thanks for all the great feed back - I'm going to get the dealer to order the parts for the hitch - but since the trailer had little if any impact on the rear end of the truck (she sat level) I think I will try it first without any mods to the rear end. If it still doesn't work then I will add the air bags etc to the rear - sound reasonable ?
Ok I have to add to this now that I have had more experience with the product. The RAS I installed has greatly improved the handling of any sway. I also have a friction style bar added to my WD hitch like pictured above but felt some sway when I brought the trailer home from the dealer. Well I added the RAS and when towing through a pretty bad FL afternoon storm, I would feel the onset of the sway and feel the trailer start to move just a hair and then the back end would suddenly just correct itself without so much as movement of the steering wheel. It was a little unsettling at first but once you are used to it it really is amazing!

Just figured I would offer some input on a possible solution for when you decide to add something to the rear.
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