Trailer sway on a home built trailer.

[blaz]

Looking for some input.

I built a trailer from an old truck bed and frame. It is an s10 ZR2 frame and spring set with a long bed box with a cap. The problem I am having is at hi way speed the box sways on the leafs. The wheels do track properly behind the blazer I tow it with. I guess the best way to discribe it is body roll that oscillates until I have to slow down. I have put shocks and a track bar on the trailer, both have helped mildly but I need some input regarding the next step.

The options I have considered are;
1) Sway bar
2) stiffer springs
3) adding more weight lower down in the trailer...

Let the input fly.

 

[Martyinco]

I would be interested to see how the weight is distributed

 

[Kohburn]

what is the tongue weight?
I built a trailer using an S10 bed but welded up my own frame and used trailer torsion axle.

for what you describe if the weight is distributed well then a sway bar might fix it.

 

[lawtobi]

I had this problem with mine. Get a couple bags of sand or concrete mix, whatever is cheaper and lay them on the tongue close to the truck bed. If there is not available space there you can lay them in the truck bed against the front wall. You’ll want about 150lbs. Test drive it You could use water jugs, Jerry cans, etc.


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[TripLeader]

Lowering the tire pressure can sometimes help.

 

[quickfarms]

Empty or loaded?

If it happens empty

Do you still have the spare under the back?

It sounds like your tongue is to light

 

[blaz]

Glad to know that everyone has the same initial thoughts as I did.

Tongue weight is in the 100-150lb range.

Loaded only includes a cooler a spare tire mounted up front and a sleeping bag and sleering pad. Total load is only 300lbs of cargo. I should try putting 300lbs in front of the axle and see what happens. The trailed is pretty light for the springs I believe.

Let's see if photobucket is working again.

 

[SoCal Tom]

A picture helps. IMO at speed the wind resistance of the cap is eliminating the tongue weight causing the sway.
Tom


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[ottsville]

Lowering the tire pressure can sometimes help.

I find that lowering pressure often makes sway worse as the sidewalls flex.

 

[calicamper]

Open bed with tailgate inplace? The air drag on the tailgate can reduce the tongue load and also generate enough turbulence to further the sway effect. My uncle built a few pickup bed trailers I remember him telling me the tongue length played into the stability factor some also. Probably by moving the balance forward some along with added tongue weight via the steel used for the longer tongue. All of the trailers Ive had that were rock solid seemed to have a longer distance from tongue to axle vs aft axle ratio.

 

[Matt.H]

Looking for some input.

I built a trailer from an old truck bed and frame. It is an s10 ZR2 frame and spring set with a long bed box with a cap. The problem I am having is at hi way speed the box sways on the leafs. The wheels do track properly behind the blazer I tow it with. I guess the best way to discribe it is body roll that oscillates until I have to slow down. I have put shocks and a track bar on the trailer, both have helped mildly but I need some input regarding the next step.

The options I have considered are;
1) Sway bar
2) stiffer springs
3) adding more weight lower down in the trailer...

Let the input fly.

I had a friend who almost lost his motorcycle due to it being too far back on the trailer.