Heavy trailer

[ddezuriik]

I have a 2012 Sub LTZ 1500 w/ all trailering options. I pull a 30' TT @8000 lbs. Have a EAZ Lift WDH w/ 1000# bars. Sub has Stabiltrak & Traction Control & factory air shox. On prox 20% of roads, the TT & truck weave a lot, and is hard to drive. Also porpoises badly on some concrete roads. My 2008 Sub 2500 towed this setup perfectly. Is the Traction control & Stabiltrak & air shox an unstable combo? I've tried 3 to 7 inch lift load settings on the bars, and no difference. What will make this combo stable?

 

[Studeclunker]

First of all, keep your speed below 65. Slower if you can manage it. That trailer weighs WAY more than your tow vehicle! What do you have in the back of the trailer? In cases like this weaving and road buck are caused by too heavy a rear. When you are driving and the trailer hits a bump, expansion joint, or some other obstacle in the road it acts like a see-saw. Then it will wag its tail because it has become unstable. Semis passing you will first push the trailer away than draw it in, causing the trailer to REALLY wag its tail! Move everything you can forward. No boxes, no coolers, no cargo in the rear of the trailer. Stow it forward. If this trailer is a toybox, the heaviest vehicle in the back should be all the way forward. That is why your dinette folds up. If all you haul is motorcycles, then as many as possible should be, again, all the way forward. I don't care how many axles you have.

Your Suburban is not a truck, it's a heavy-duty stationwagon. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's the truth. A Suburban is built to ride and handle nice for the wife and kids. If you want it to behave like a truck, it must be equipped for it. Air shocks are not the solution for a heavy trailer. They are for a heavy load in the Suburban. Heavier shocks would likely help considerably with stability, front and rear. The car should be level, if not a touch tail high, before attaching the trailer.

As to your WDH; you might need heavier bars. Particularly with a toybox. An anti-sway bar works wonders as well. I have a '54 Spartan that's 43' long and the old tart flirts with every semi that passes me. The anti-sway bar calms her down considerably!

Here's a hint from Heloise: Trailers have two weights: dry and maximum load. Load your trailer as if you are going for a big weekend. You can put the coolers in with some dumb-bells in them to approximate the weight of being full. Take it down to the local scales and weigh it. Then you know for sure what it weighs. You would be surprised how much your 'stuff' weighs! Kind of like when Lucy and Ricky took the New Moon over the Continental Divide. You may not be planning a trip like that, but you still need to know what your liability is.

Rent/buy the Long, Long, Trailer. Listen carefully to Ricky (Nicky Collini) because he hilariously goes over this with Lucy (Tracy Collini) numerous times. Provided of course you Love Lucy.

 

[Studeclunker]

I have a 2012 Sub LTZ 1500 w/ all trailering options. I pull a 30' TT @8000 lbs. Have a EAZ Lift WDH w/ 1000# bars. Sub has Stabiltrak & Traction Control & factory air shox. On prox 20% of roads, the TT & truck weave a lot, and is hard to drive. Also porpoises badly on some concrete roads. My 2008 Sub 2500 towed this setup perfectly. Is the Traction control & Stabiltrak & air shox an unstable combo? I've tried 3 to 7 inch lift load settings on the bars, and no difference. What will make this combo stable?

Okay, here's another hint from Heloise:
Trailer Brakes... you can activate them to eliminate problems before they start. If you are coming up to a bridge, reach down and just put a slight load on your trailer brakes, stay off the car's brakes. This will forestall sway and possibly bucking. If you are suddenly getting a side wind, again use the Trailer's brakes to slow down. I didn't think of that earlier. Whenever you are activating the trailer's brakes manually, stay off the tow vehicle's brakes! Particularly on downhill grades.

Forgive me if I am going overboard on this a bit. I have been driving since 1967 and have seen horrific accidents. Largely since I have lived in holiday-destination areas all of my life. People are nearly at their destination, are tired from a long drive, and then things like this occur:

If you can get past the Aussie accent, this is a great video. There are also more excellent videos in the description:

You would not believe how many of these I have seen. The trailer towards the end with the carrier on the back was just asking for it. They would have been better off with a rack or box on the roof of the tow vehicle.

Again, sorry if I'm being verbose.

 

[ddezuriik]

Thanks for the reply. I've changed to 10 ply "E" tires, and they seem to help with the sway. I use 2 friction type sway controls. TT is not a toy hauler, and does not have a heavy back load. I'm going to further evaluate the Tuson sway control. We drove this rig from WI to CA & back last winter. It was manageable, even with some big winds. I know it's near max for the Sub, but I think it will work. I've been towing with Subs & 30 ft TTs for 20 yrs; this 1/2 ton sure isn't like a 3/4 ton.

 

[Studeclunker]

Thanks for the reply. I've changed to 10 ply "E" tires, and they seem to help with the sway. I use 2 friction type sway controls. TT is not a toy hauler, and does not have a heavy back load. I'm going to further evaluate the Tuson sway control. We drove this rig from WI to CA & back last winter. It was manageable, even with some big winds. I know it's near max for the Sub, but I think it will work. I've been towing with Subs & 30 ft TTs for 20 yrs; this 1/2 ton sure isn't like a 3/4 ton.

Yeah, one can tow with the lower range vehicle, my parents and grandparents did. I have done so as well. The difference is that they drove a LOT slower than people seem to need to nowadays. If you are at that higher range of load, slow down. Bad things tend to take longer to get you in trouble at slower speeds and you can spend that much more time enjoying the scenery too.