10 things that make your trailer sway

#sway #trailer #towing #snaking #caravan
What makes your trailer sway (snake)? Here's six setup issues, and four driving techniques.
Also see - Trailer Sway - how NOT to fix, and how to fix
• Trailer Sway - how NOT...
Post questions as comments!
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[@tempestv8]

A good reminder regarding the sharing of driving.

[@L2SFBC]

I did that was weight distribution

[@DyslexicLunatic]

Great information. It's a wonder that there are not many more accidents on the highway. See many trailers being towed with a tow vehicle far smaller than appropriate. Too many drivers with larger trailers traveling at 80+ mph.

[@fredio54]

I'm considering building an air-bagged trailer for transporting vehicles and I've been thinking about having the two air bags on each side linked so the pressure in the bags is equal but the volume is not ie, they settle to where they need to be and don't assist with draw bar weight any more than a single axle. This would be a lot like the linked hangers in dual leaf sprung trailers in function. Point 3 has sold me on the idea. I'll probably put it together such that it's modular and can be linked or isolated depending on the purpose/timing as it'd be handy to leave some pressure in the front bags when loading to keep ball weight sane and fully deflate the rear bags. I'm also thinking about how best to build it as light as possible and you've motivated me to pursue that with a passion as minimising the weight of the trailer+vehicle combo is important for a heap of reasons. Finally. I'll carry a set of 4 timber wedges to chock the chassis before strapping down such that load movement isn't an issue on top of all the others to contend with. Cheers :-)

[@markkeifert521]

Thank You! Great info & timely for me. You just helped me decide which trailer I'm gonna get. Thanks again!

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks please share 😊

[@michaelbettinelli8397]

Great Info mate. I'm planning to purchase a caravan and this has indeed helped a great deal. Thanks so much for putting this together.

[@TheDevicemanager]

i have a cravan and i am installing airbags in order to tow my wifes car.

[@carlton997]

Great information

[@youandiryan]

This is a very informative and great video!!! Thank you!

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks please share 👍

[@mitchelldupoux5330]

Thank you for this informative video. Happy to subscribe after seeing the work you put in your video. 👍🏽

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks please share! More on the way

[@TheFastestSrbin]

Very well explained!

[@L2SFBC]

Glad it was helpful! Please share :-)

[@nunyabidness117]

Great video. Thank you.

[@L2SFBC]

Glad you liked it! Please share :-)

[@sunmanav8]

Hitch type can dampen or prevent sway. Examples: Weigh Safe calculates proper weight distribution for a each specific trailer using a built-in load gauge and provides frictional sway dampening. The only hitch that prevents sway is the ProPride 3P (latest iteration of the Hensley style hitch) which mechanically simulates 0 overhang from rear tow axle while also distributing tongue weight. Expensive yes, but not as expensive as upgrading from a 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton truck for stability.

[@shimarlie1]

great video.

[@L2SFBC]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Chris-by8eh]

great info mate

[@L2SFBC]

Glad it helped, please share :-)

[@FOOXX4EVER]

Great video....thanks a lot...

[@L2SFBC]

Glad you liked it! Follow-up coming soon.

[@redwhiteblue7831]

This was very helpful

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks, please share etc!

[@ImVeryBrad]

Good video, thx!

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks please share 👍

[@annettehayes4477]

This should be taught to all new caravan owners. Instead of just loads of words, the graphics are much easier to understand.

[@chronocross7174]

Thank you for this video, I just watched a video with travel trailers fish tailing and flipping down the highway and I wanted to know why and found your video.

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks please share 👍

[@drmarkintexas-400]

🏆🏆🏆👍🇺🇲🙏. Thank you for sharing

[@Workaholic-2]

Great video so it is my brother in laws welding rig back there f fin my truck up making it sway at high way speeds I couldn’t even go past 60 with out swaying pretty scary trucks a 99 ram 1500 5.2 pretty big truck but the rig weight is massive in the back and that must be the problem it’s on the back of my bed by the way I’m not pulling a trailer

[@steveevans1841]

I was following a car towing a dog trailer and it started to sway, we were both traveling at about 80kph. The trailer started to sway, at this point, I backed off and sure enough, the driver hit the brakes in an attempt to slow down. The result was the trailer started to jump from side to side and managed to come off the tow ball and broke the chain, I think the trailer hitch dug into the road, and the jolt was why the chain broke. Well, the trailer did cartwheels into the scrub on the side of the road. the mistake the driver made was hitting the brakes, she should have accelerated as hard as possible to pull the trailer into line and then slowed down. fortunately, all the dogs while shaken, were ok.

[@jonanon8193]

All of the 4 wheel trailers I have seen have leaf springs which are connected by a pivot so even if the trailer is not level, there is equal force on the front and back wheels.

[@L2SFBC]

That's load-share suspension explained in my Bruder video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqi4Zndrq9yFp8U

[@cowboychrisanderson2646]

Good video... I have a 5 by 10 trailer do you recommend a sway bar

[@L2SFBC]

Hopefully not a trailer that small shouldn't need it!

[@myfamilyy]

Thanks very much for this, very enlightening! I bought a cute, SMALL trailer (about 4 X 3) with big wheels (14-15") yesterday! On the way home driving on the highway, it swayed (had nothing in it). Hope the problem can be rectified once I get a short tongue and put weight into it (?) Appreciate your feedback!

[@geoffmooregm]

What kind of trailer is it? What is your tow vehicle?

[@erikgarcia3778]

Yes put weight in the front but sway bars as well

[@L2SFBC]

Glad it helped!

[@barryhall4668]

I am surprized that no one knows what to do if a caravan or large trailer starts to sway, A swaying caravan or trailer will start steering the car in either direction, Do not try to fight this as you will only make things worse, Lock your arms and steer straight ahead take your foot of the accelerator, do not apply the brakes or accelerate the vehicle, You can apply the trailer brakes if you are able. I have used this method and it does work. If the problem persists you will need to proceed at a slower speed & fit anti sway bars to your vehicle

[@radod6147]

So far I haven't had any problem with sway but I'm towing tipper trailer with dual axle. I have LC79 dual cab with 2"lift + 33" tyres which makes ute quite high. I know now from your video that there is more grip on rear axle of the tipper trailer because trailer tips back once connected to tow-ball. Is there any way I could lower tow-ball to make it even? I'm using Toyota tow bar.

[@L2SFBC]

Yes, easy to fix just get a drop hitch like the one linked below, but ensure it is rated for your required tow. The one linked is adjustable, but there are fixed height versions which may be rated higher. www.ebay.com.au/i/133276852001?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=133276852001&targetid=894844051568&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9071477&poi=&campaignid=9772795581&mkgroupid=99377631746&rlsatarget=pla-894844051568&abcId=1145981&merchantid=112592505&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwvvhxs7D6QIVUqaWCh2SighEEAYYBCABEgKRBfD_BwE

[@radod6147]

@@L2SFBC Thanks a lot, I'll look into it.

[@brooksieluke]

Thanks… I just got kicked out of Bunnings. 😐

[@L2SFBC]

😁😁😁

[@celestewilson5377]

You make no mention of trailer wheel alignment. It is critically important for stability that the trailer wheels have a small amount of toe-in, similar to the front wheels of an automobile. Also, consider that the trailer hitch weight that the trailer puts on the tow vehicle when cornering, consists of two components, the downwards weight component and the sideways cornering component. The cornering force component of the trailer total weight divides between the trailer wheels and the trailer hitch in the same proportion as the downward force. The cornering force component at the hitch is ADDED to the tow vehicle's own cornering forces. Thus too much hitch weight can lead to tow vehicle oversteer instability. Trailer "snaking " is really a manifestation of tow vehicle oversteer instability. Thought experiment: Take the tow vehicle without the trailer and attach a weight to it at the trailer hitch equal to the tongue weight of the trailer. How have you affected the stability of the tow vehicle?

[@L2SFBC]

Yes, could have mentioned alignment, thanks. An excellent post, thank you, good way to look at things. I would also suggest that excess ball weight can lead to understeer due to the straight-line stability of the trailer coupled with reduction in load and therefore grip on the front axle. As well as oversteer as you say!

[@erikgarcia3778]

Hate the ones with rear bathrooms lots of weight in the back. Hate one axles as well

[@L2SFBC]

Yep!

[@L2SFBC]

What's your experience with trailer sway?

[@rednecktiek1586]

My 2 experiences were 1 in the dark with a correctly loaded trailer caused by swerving to avoid a cow on the road, the other experience was with a vehicle loaded on a trailer, and was believed to have been caused by bad wheel studs on 1 side of the back axle of the tandem from overtightening (it was a borrowed trailer) trailer stopped swaying after all the studs sheared off on that one wheel, and didn't sway when new studs had been fitted and the wheel reinstalled (vehicle was loaded facing forwards so the extra weight of the engine was at the front of the trailer, extra weight at the front is better than extra weight at the back when there's no option of distributing it more evenly or centrally)

[@L2SFBC]

Great info thanks!

[@Cruner62]

When you have done all of these measures you are still at risk of an uncontrolled sway simply because you have no control system installed on your trailer. Differential Stability is THE ONLY system that you can fit and forget and as yet I am the only engineer that has solved the concept yet there has been no response from the industry as to how this is achieved. The secret is to apply an equal and opposite force at or near the return to equilibrium following the initial sway force of at least 4mm out of line. This requires no electrical intervention and uses the forces already at play in the system by clever use of a multilink and damping arrangement.

[@L2SFBC]

I'm interested in your system John, the electronic versions of trailer and car TSC seem to work well

[@Cruner62]

@@L2SFBC Hi Robert, I'm not sure if I responded to your return comment so here goes - everything you point to in your excellent video is 98% correct but may I add to this by pointing out some points I beg to disagree with. When using the Alko system that brakes albeit intermittently all wheels of the trailer and is used on most European overrun brakes it samples the sway by 4 small or 2 large events and it pulls at the tow vehicle at an angle that can create instability on the tow vehicle. This can also be to late in many cases since it is not proactive and there is a delay that can be the Achilles heel of this system since in just three seconds it can get out of control. The other thing i found was there is only a friction hitch involved with this and that is total nonsense when considering the laws of friction and especially on a 50mm ball against the leverage of a 7m trailer. The Dexter system originated in the US long after I came up with my differential system and though a worthy addition on electric systems that can introduce ABS fails because it does not operate on the basic physics of " when an equal and opposite force is applied at or before the centre of equilibrium" a very crucial point in the prevention of sway proactively and in addition there is no hydraulic intervention in the system to complete the operation. Now my mechanical system for overrun brakes does not require ABS since the loop on good road surfaces instantly takes the braking power off automatically. But in any case wet or slippery roads will impede ABS to function in any of the latter conditions (you get little braking in any event). This is one reason why Dexter did disable the the operation on rough or poor terrain, I'm not sure if this has changed when Bosh took it over. Hats off to Dexter for electric brake solution. However, the Overrun systems are lacking on many fronts in my humble opinion. There are many examples of ATC slowing down the outfit before they can get past and the poor response to activation. I am just in the process of making an offer to release the plans and support on willie [e-mail] for any interested party. May I refer your site for all the other interesting stuff?

[@SphuraPhura]

I swayed and lost control, damaging a hired trailer...only damage to my vehicle was a flat tire. EVERYONE says I'm lucky to be alive

[@L2SFBC]

wow, thanks for that story! glad you're ok

[@educatedredneck3342]

For #3 what if it's a single axle does it matter then?

[@L2SFBC]

The winds? Single axle trailers tend to less directionally stable than tandems so yes.

[@waltertrejo2534]

I wonder how many uneducated families are going on holidays with their young ones and not being aware of the importance of weight distribution?

[@L2SFBC]

Hopefully fewer now...

[@Nic7320]

One more reason: a bent axle on the trailer.

[@L2SFBC]

Good point!

[@cowboychrisanderson2646]

Mine sways from side to side..

[@L2SFBC]

Worked out why?

[@SS-vp4eu]

Differing tire size on left and right side of trailer can cause this . So can a bent or crooked toungue, will cause it to pull a little crooked and it can try to correct itself over bumps

[@charlesbrewer6552]

The example at the beginning was caused by excessive speed and aerodynamics. The vehicle being overtaken is producing a "bow wave" (visualise a boat with a blunt bow). The caravan driver is travelling at excessive speed in a very poor aerodynamic vehicle. The caravan is moving from a high pressure area at the front side of the other vehicle into a lower pressure area in front of the overtaken vehicle. This effect is even more pronounced with trucks. After that initial swing, poor driving accounts for the rest. Caravan drivers typically tow WAY too fast. Slow down.....problem solved!

[@L2SFBC]

Hah I have another video showing exactly this!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHzLlnRrr7Rkpqc

[@mjhmech4903]

Root cause has more to do with excessive and incorrectly distributed mass than aerodynamics. Any van/trailer upset to that extent by "aerodynamics" or a "bow wave" was a ticking time bomb to begin with. Add the extra speed to pass and viola!!

[@L2SFBC]

Agreed!

[@GarretKrampe]

This ONLY applies to Ancient "pig type " trailers not the more modern "dog trailers.

[@davidrayner9832]

The only reason any of this is possible is because they are pig trailers. Why aren't trailers over a certain length, say 5m, dog trailers?

[@skiyalater626]

You need to filter you microphone as you S'S cime across TOOO SSSSHARPPP

[@L2SFBC]

Thanks fixed in later videos I hope

[@oldrudedog]

Your driving on the wrong side of the road!

[@OngoingFreedom]

0:55 terrible explanation. And the deeper I get into this explanation the worse the explanation gets. I ‘get’ what you’re trying to explain but both your graphics and vocal descriptions are simply bad.

[@L2SFBC]

How so?

[@OngoingFreedom]

@@L2SFBC I am a US flight instructor and am reminded of an instructor applicant who I was instructing about how to teach steep turns in an airplane. After his maneuver and explanation I gave him the following critique: He instructed me about all the intricacies of steep turns except how to actually do one, which was the goal of his maneuver. Your instruction about trailer sway failed to teach how it happens from a layman’s point of view.

[@L2SFBC]

Still not very helpful. 'Simply bad' is not feedback that people can do much with.

[@OngoingFreedom]

@@L2SFBC an unsurprising response. Let me try to elaborate. Perhaps this will be blunt enough. You are not good at this. Thanks for trying to help but you should put your efforts into something more effective. Being a teacher is not one of them.

[@OngoingFreedom]

@@L2SFBC once again, not a surprising response. You seem latched onto the “simply bad” portion of my initial response but can’t or won’t react to any of the other parts of it. Therefore I’ll give you an even simpler response. YOU SUCK. Your explanations suck, your graphics suck. You have no clue how to teach what trailer sway is, how it happens or how to mitigate it. You have no clue how to deal with criticism. To be frank at this point I think you’re just a bot. This is my last reaction, bot, so react away. To everyone else still hanging on at this point, ignore this knob and search elsewhere for your needs as there are many other informative vids on the subject.