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'2017 F250 Swaying bad pulling Travel Trailer

25K views 40 replies 20 participants last post by  2017f350ab 
#1 ·
My 2017 F250 Crewcab has a terrible sway pulling my 36' Travel Trailer. I pulled this same TT with my 2016 Chevrolet 2500 loaded the same way with no problems. Has anyone experienced this ?
 
#2 ·
Time to check the basics like angle of trailer, is it level or nose down a bit? Is the rear of the truck higher than the old truck? Ball height, etc...
 
#4 ·
Are you using a equalizer hitch?

Try rearranging the load in the trailer, a little more on the tong.
 
#8 ·
Is the trailer level? Check the springs/shocks/tire pressure on the trailer. Hitch not properly mounted or adjusted. The trailer should not care what is pulling it. If trailer running gear is good, I would Look at ball hight/hitch adjustment as the cause. DRW is great but trailer should not sway if set up correctly.
DENNY
 
#9 ·
Has anyone had luck correcting this with tires? I have head that tires can induce trailer sway. The fact that DRW trucks are less susceptible to trailer sway kinda leads me to think there is some truth to this. Maybe a tire with a higher load range rating would be a little stiffer?
 
#12 ·
YES... tires play a huge part in sway as does spongy suspension. His truck is new and would have come with E rated tires so tires should not be an issue (assuming he is towing within the limits the truck is designed for which I'm sure he is if his chev 2500 pulled it fine).

Air pressure in the tires could be playing a part in it though. I always run my tires within 10lbs of max pressure. With the 4 new 4 SD's I've had, I've never had to deal with any odd tire wear issues or mishandling trailer issues (other than pulling a POS from time to time that wasn't balanced right from the factory due to design)

Also, I don't know about the current generation of SD's but of my 4 that I have bought, 2 of them came with the overload helper springs on the rear leaf pack and 2 didn't. There was a HUGE difference in how well they handled a trailer. I added air bags to both of the trucks that did not come with the helper springs. My current '07 has them, the bags have been laying in the basement since I got it.
 
#11 ·
I'll bet it's the hitch setup...mine was bad from the get go so I think camping world did it wrong and under spec'd it to boot. When I got new stuff, and set it up myself, I could see how easy it would be to just throw it on and get it wrong. There are very specific directions to be followed to get it right.
 
#13 ·
Why would you NOT run the rear tires at the full specified inflation pressure especially when towing?
 
#14 ·
Believe me, I've seen it...people have told me the ride is too rough when empty and they don't want to adjust the pressure every time they tow, so comfort wins out. I was told when I bought my first SD back in late 99 that I needed to run even the front tires at close to max due or I would have tires wear issues due to the weight of the Diesel. It might even have been here that I read that way back then.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I have some friends & fellow park volunteers who insist on running maximum psi in their E rated tires (80#) because that’s what is on the tire. While that assures that the tire will carry the load for which it is rated, all of the tires on their DRW truck are worn slick on the center of the tread. This indicates that the tread is crowning in the middle and the contact patch is greatly reduced. This causes much more problems than just tire wear. The reduced contact patch sets up a dangerous condition when driving on wet roads or snow, especially when the tread wears like this.
On my previous truck, an SRW F-350, I ran 65 psi when solo & 80 psi (maximum for E rated tires) when towing the 5th wheel. With my present DRW F-350, I keep 75 psi in the front & 65 psi in the rear duals whether I’m towing or solo. This way I don’t have to air up or down & the tire wear looks good to me at 50,000 miles. I have carefully checked the tire temperatures with an infrared thermometer while towing &the rear tires look normal, not at all low.
I’m certainly not saying that this is what everyone should do. I’m just saying that it works well for me.
 
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#15 ·
It sounds like the experience I had back in July with my first tow. I posted a thread after that trip .I did install a Ford rear sway bar but I have not been able to tow my trailer any more due to work to see if that helped.
Like you I never had a problem with other tow vehicles and the same hitch setup.
Very interested to see what you come up with.
 
#16 ·
Was 2017 the first year of the lighter gauge but boxed frame?

Both issues here are on 2017's, I wonder if there is a connection?
 
#18 ·
If you haven't already done it, I would take the a look at the weight distribution hitch and start from scratch with the install as if it just came out of the box. Understanding you have already lowered your hitch ball to compensate for the additional height of the Super Duty, you may also have to re-visit the trailer tongue side of the equation and make changes to how much tension you are using. These new Super Duties have a fairly light rear axle weight compared to any brand of older pickup because of the aluminum box construction and the new frame technology. Could it be possible that, if you are using the same tension in your hitch as you used to use on the old Chevy, you may be redistributing too much weight forward and not have sufficient rear axle weight to control the trailer? If you have a Cat Scale near by it may not hurt to pay a visit and get your axle weights loaded and unloaded to see just how the weight is being distributed, may help figure out which direction to go from there. Just a humble opinion, hope it helps.
 
#19 ·
I was under the impression that trucks with the trailer tow package had trailer sway control.
 
#24 ·
From what I have seen it's more of an emergency braking system for when it goes really bad...
 
#26 ·
Nothing learned here...how do you explain it? How are the suspensions different, etc.?
 
#22 ·
If they set the tires at max cold, then they heat up while driving, they will be over that pressure and cause center center tread wear issues. That is why I stated "close to max" which I guess is pretty ambiguous. My point was that I've talked to people that should be driving a half ton and want the ride of a 1/2 ton so they try running much lower pressures to soften the ride. Even though they may not load the truck, they are still carrying that diesel engine around in the front.

I usually run about 75 all the way around SRW weighing in just over 9000lbs bobtail when when the fuel tanks and toolbox are full. I've never had wear issues. We also don't see nearly as many stupid hot days up here as you would in the south so tire wear is probably less of an issue. I don't adjust when I hook up to something but I'm also never exceeding 10K trailer weight.
 
#23 ·
I don't know a whole lot about weight distribution although had to make a post here the other day about it, I know my boss just went through this with his 2018 he had to ditch the weight distribution and just keep the anti sway due to the truck needing the tongue weight, anti sway was necessary but the truck I believe had no weight rating difference between conventional and weight distribution and he has not had an issue since I feel his problem was a light back end
 
#25 ·
To properly set up a WD hitch download the instructions from the manufacturers website. Most people don't understand the process.

In regards to tire pressure, you should use the vehicle manufacturer's label on the door jamb, not the sidewall of the tire. Often, the manufacturer has a lower pressure recommendation than the tire sidewall. This is done to keep within the correct capacity of the truck as designed.

Tom
 
#27 · (Edited)
I hate to say it but it seems to be a common issue with FORDS newer designed trucks. I went from an 06 F150 to a 15 F150 and my 28 foot 7,400 pound TT pulled great on the 06 and like crap on the 15. I spent all kinds of time and money and could only get it to feel ok, not great like the old f150. We are now looking to upgrade to a F250 but I am seeing all the same sort of posts on sway issues for 2017 f250's and up. Seems like FORD is screwing up the stability by putting in softer backends. So I guess I'm going to look for a 2016 F250 or go to a different manufacture.

Sorry for your issues, and I know this doesn't help.
 
#29 ·
You are spot on! I had the exact same issue. Towed my Coleman 274BH with a 2014 F150 2WD with 3.15 gearing up and over the Ike Gauntlet, from Rockford IL to Bryce Canyon Utah and back using a cheap Husky roundbar WDH with a single friction sway bar. Towed great. Same trailer, same hitch, and a 2016 F150 4WD FX4, towed like crap, all over the place, twitchy, swaying. Went out and bought a Blue Ox, tamed it, but didn't cure it. Truck itself had issues, mainly an issue with the truck wandering when loaded in the back which contributed to the sway, so replaced it with a 2018 RWD Platinum. That one tows better, but still not as good as the 2014 was and that is with a high end WDH and not the cheap Husky.


Same trailer, 2012 F350, and it's like there isn't a trailer back there. It was the most relaxing tow I have ever done.



My guess, that aluminum body and whatever they did to the suspension is the culprit. Now if the 17+ Superduty is also having sway issues, I am so glad now that I got the 2012.
 
#28 ·
From experience with this issue on my 2015F150 I would advise you to get to the max tongue weight that the owners manual says you can have. That helped the most with my F150. It still isn't great but it's way better. Newer designed fords are way to picky in my opinion. You would think with all this new tech they would be more forgiving, but they are worse.
 
#30 ·
I am sure there are a ton of people out there that will argue and say it's not setup right, but the point I want to make is this. The older trucks were never this hard to get dialed in. They were way more forgiving if weights changed. People shouldn't have to be constantly rechecking weights and measurements to make sure they are still in the sweet spot. If you pay $50K or more for a truck to tow, it should tow like a dream and be hassle free. I think it's just way to hard to get in the very tiny sweet spot now.
 
#33 ·
You are not wrong. I can tell you for a fact the F150's are exactly this way. My 2014 towed my Coleman with ease with a simple Husky round bar with a single friction bar, but neither a 2016 nor a 2018 would tow it well with the same setup. It was all over the road. I stepped up to a Blue Ox which helped, but even with that it was still not the same as the 14 was. Now with the 12 F350, it tows wonderfully. If the 17+ super duty is having issues with handling, I can believe it. If I bought a 17+ SD and had issues towing with the tail wagging the dog, I would not be happy at all.
 
#31 ·
I have seen on another thread that for 2017's and up a good idea is to get the Camper package because it gives stiffer springs and a factory tuned stabilizer bar. They say that this may help with the sway, or suck and throw on the highway above 55 mph. I have no experience myself so I don't know for sure. I do know that if I end up with a 2017 I will look for that option.
 
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