Thread: Sway control
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Old 11-16-2008, 05:07 PM   #12
Bill
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
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As Chap says, 300 pounds of tongue weight is much too little. Expect more like 450 or 500. The standard 10% rule that I suspect you are using isn't appropriate for TMs. In addition, it sounds like you are using 10% of the advertised dry weight, not 10% of the loaded weight, so it is doubly in error.

As for tire pressure, the door sticker in the tow vehicle lists a "comfort / cushy ride" inflation. If you use it while towing, you are underinflated. A good rule of thumb when towing is to inflate to the maximum pressure stated on the sidewall of the tire. I know my Explorer feels a bit squirrelly when inflated to the cushy pressure, but very stable at the max sidewall pressure.

Finally, if you are unsure about sway control, I suggest you buy a "dual cam" WDH. Draw-Tite and Reese are good manufacturers, but there are others. These have a little bend in the end of the spring bars that lets you add sway control later, for little money, if you decide you need it. Rocky Mountain Ray mentions dual cam in his article on sway control in the TM Reference Library (aka TM Info You Won't Find Anywhere Else).

Bill
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