Trailering Sway Control

[jg9546]

I tow my MacGregor 26M with GMC Envoy twice a year through the mountains of Utah and going downhill with passing big trucks is always very uncomfortable. I feel like driving on an icy road. I am thinking about installing an equalizer on the trailer made by http://www.equalizerhitch.com Unfortunately it is very expensive around $450. Do any of you have installed it on your trailer and if yes did it improved trailaring a lot.

Thank you.

Jacek

ModsNote: moved to T&T forum ~fc

[Jedaro]

I had the same feeling of being on an icy road especially when going down a gentle hill with a curve near the bottom at speeds around 80kph or 50mph. The boat and trailor would begin to sway and I would feel like the boat was driving the Explorer. I also had the lugs shear off at 80kph and the wheel fall off. I was fortunate and in all instances I was able to regain control and come to a stop. One of the major issues I believe is that the MacGregor 26X with the Honda 50 as well as bedding, gas and other items in the boat bring it close to the weight limits for the trailer thus making the balancing at the tongue extremely critical.

The problem was solved by adding another axle and wheels. The difference in trailoring is incredible. See my comments on the trailering discussion boards.

Mike Purdy
Jedaro

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

You can't use an equalizing hitch like those you linked to with a trailer that has surge brakes as ours do. They work great for travel trailers with electric brakes, but not for surge brakes. They do not let the coupler slide.

We actually for the first time in 7 years with the boat had a brief trailer sway episode on out last trip. And we tow with a 6000lb Suburban.

My mistake was giving into my wifes complaint about the smell of transporting the full gas tanks in the truck rather than in the boat. That put 27 gallons x 6lbs (162lbs) extra in the tail of the boat and moved the 90lb dinghy from it's normal location on the bow of the boat to the back of the truck (trying to reduce the overall load on the trailer). This made a big reduction in tounge weight which is bad news.

With these boats and trailers you want the trailer level (get a height reducing receiver if your's slants up) and the tounge weight heavy. You need at least 350lbs tounge weight to tow safely, 400lbs would be even better.

With empty tanks and the dinghy on the bow, the same loaded boat was rock solid on the way home.

While a second axle is much safer in my opinion, even that will sway if you do not get enough tounge weight. Likewise with enough tounge weight the single axle will work perfectly well. To me the second axle is not about sway control. It is about total load on each tire and about redunancy if you loose a tire or wheel.

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

With these boats and trailers you want the trailer level (get a height reducing receiver if your's slants up) and the tounge weight heavy. You need at least 350lbs tounge weight to tow safely, 400lbs would be even better.
With empty tanks and the dinghy on the bow, the same loaded boat was rock solid on the way home.

Ive found this true also. In addition, any personals we pack inside the boat are kept forward for more tongue weight.

I noticed that JEDARO's post mentions that he sheared off lug bolts too This occured with our Mac X also at 50 MPH. I torque those lug nuts before every trip now

[Frank C]

True facts! ... re weight distribution! Ample tongue weight and leveling the tongue-to-hitch are the answers to tail-wagging. It's also useful to get the boat's bow fully forward into the v-block.

Before buying my pickup, I tried to have empty fuel tanks for towing. Whenever stuck with a full 6-gal tank, I'd stow it in the cabin, at forward center sole, vent closed, carpet removed. Now, of course, fuel tanks can go in the pickup's bed. Here's another example, towing, where 4 six-gallon fuel tanks trump the 12s.

[Harvey]

I use the Equal-I-Zer hitch you cited when towing my X with my Honda Odyssey. It spreads the tongue weight over the 4 wheels of the tow vehicle, and subues sway tendencies. My trailer is very stable even when buffeted by the bow wave of an 18 wheeler. This hitch is the only one I have found that works with surge brakes. I am reassured by the pull on the Odyssey when the trailer brakes activate. Compared to towing w/o the Equal-I-Zer, there is a slight delay in brake activation, but it does work.

Harvey

[Chinook]

Ditto to Duane's comments on second axle, which we've installed on our trailer. Awfully nice to have 4 wheel back there when one goes flat. Glad to know I'm not the only one who's sheared lug bolts. I'm repainting the trailer right now, and noticed that there are idiot reminder decals on each fender, recommending that lug nuts be torqued down before each trip. That's something I now pay attention to.

[Night Sailor]

In addition to loading the trailer so it has more tongue weight, make sure your trailer tires are filled to the maximum psi and be sure your rear vehicle tires are also filled to the maximum psi to help prevent sway. On downhill roads use engine braking (taking out of overdrive or downshifting to a lower gear) instead of foot pedal brakes where possible, this helps prevent sway also.

[jg9546]

Thank you very much for your info.

Jacek

[Currie]

Just another thought...

I towed my new '04 M from Illinois to Michigan (9.5 hours) with a Tahoe. I took my brother-in-law, Steve, with me because he has a lot of towing experience with heavy machinery. The M towed really well, but was sensitive to certain road conditions and would threaten our sense of security with an occasional oscillation. In our case either a faster or slower speed would put an end to it. One thing Steve said to me was "This trailors really nice - but I can tell you've got soft-walled tires on your truck. Next time you buy tires, you might want to consider stiffer walls". He's right - I have nice-riding, Firestone Wilderness LE soft-rubber tires. I won't get as nice a ride out of stiffer tires, but I will consider it after I trailor the M a bit more on these.

~Bob

[Gerald Gordon]

I was launching the other day and saw a guy at the wash stalls. He had a 17'-20' fishing boat. He had a dually trailer. Had a chat and he explained that this was part of a 1 ton truck system. He said that his bearings were way larger that the conventional dual axle setup. Very creative.

[jg9546]

How much it cost you guys to add a second axel to the trailer?

Jacek

[waternwaves]

half the cost of a new galvanized tandem or 1/3 the cost of a new aluminum tandem

[Frank C]

Yeah, it's not cheap to upgrade Roger's trailers. That's especially true of the 26X trailers that had 14-inchers with drum brakes. I think we like to fool ourselves with underpricing this package. Parts list & est costs to upgrade to tandem rig:

$300 - Spring & Axle kit
50 - Spring Connectors
50 - Fenders (2)
250 - Disc brake kit (2)
200 - Disc brake actuator
50 - Brake lines
150 - Alloy Wheels (2)
200 - Radial Tires (2)
750 - Labor to move factory axle & install all above
--------
$2,000

Once done, you'll still have 2 old rusty wheels, 2 crappy Titan tires, 2 old drum brakes that you've hopefully disabled, and 2 sets of old bearings. Add $500 to bring everything up to snuff.

I elected to stick with a single axle, while upgrading to 15-inchers & disc brakes. That means I only saved about $400-500 from the top list. SWAGGED, then, it's $2,500 for the tandem, $1,500 for the single axle w/15-inchers.

That still excludes general maintenance for rust, bunks and lighting.
For us in Calif, Roger's aluminum trailer at say $2,500 is a much better investment,
even though it requires customizing to fit the 26X!

[bscott]

Installed air bags and rear tire pressure @ 44# on my Jeep GC, tow lots of different trailers, no problems so far. Switching to 15" and raise the bunks and fenders.