Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Jayco RV Owners Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-07-2015, 08:29 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 2
2014 28BHBE doesn't tow well

I have a 2014 28BHBE trailer and I tow it with a 2014 Ford F150 ecoboost. I have added Firestone Air Bags, Nitto Grappler G2 LT tires, and use a Reese round bar WD hitch with dual cam sway control. I went to the scales and the tongue weight of the trailer is 12.6% (960 lbs) according to my calculations. It seems to push the truck around and is really bad in the wind. Anyone have suggestions or similar experience on what to do or adjust to make this tow better?
Yetti76 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2015, 08:34 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Tulsa
Posts: 170
The answer you are going to get from this forum you will not like. That big of a trailer is too much for a 1/2 ton truck.
Treatcg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2015, 08:39 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
BigJohnD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Florien, LA
Posts: 1,872
I wasn't going to say it, but... You see what we're towing with in signature. Gotta look at it as mass vs. mass. By tow ratings, you're probably ok. But, when you look at mass vs. mass, that trailer can make a rag doll out of a light truck on a windy day.

Welcome to the forum Yetti76. Wish I had a magic answer.
__________________
John and Rebecca Dickson
Emma-13 / Little John-10 / Iva-7
2013 Ford F-350 Lariat FX4, CC LB PSD, DRW
2015 Jayco Jay Flight 28BHBE (#8)
BigJohnD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2015, 10:14 PM   #4
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 2
Thanks for responding. Have to upgrade the truck or downsize the trailer
Yetti76 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2015, 10:17 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
BigJohnD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Florien, LA
Posts: 1,872
That's a nice trailer, nice truck too, but think I'd upgrade the truck before downsizing the trailer.
__________________
John and Rebecca Dickson
Emma-13 / Little John-10 / Iva-7
2013 Ford F-350 Lariat FX4, CC LB PSD, DRW
2015 Jayco Jay Flight 28BHBE (#8)
BigJohnD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2015, 11:24 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
milw156's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Redmond, WA
Posts: 311
I was pulling the Eagle version of the trailer along the Columbia River last month with a terrible sidewind. The trailer was swaying, but I was sure glad to have my sway control as well as a 1 ton tow vehicle up front. If felt under control the entire time. If you have the ability to go up to a 3/4 or heavier, I would seriously consider it.
__________________
2020 Ford F350 SRW Platinum CCLB 6.7
2022 Jayco Eagle HT 28.5RSTS
milw156 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2015, 12:52 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
mmwhit's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Boise
Posts: 123
F150 Towing - Properly set up

Sorry for this long post and I’m sorry to hear of your sway problem. I have a 2014 F150 Ecoboost, Maxtow with Firestone Air Bags, Michelin LTX/ MS/2 E rated tires and Blue Ox WD hitch/sway control. My trailer is shorter than yours but probably similar in weight. I pull a 27RLS which is 30 feet long and I haul about 8,000+ lbs with a tongue weight of around 1,000+ lbs. I do not over load the truck or the trailer. I stay within the GVWR and the GCVWR and the axle ratings for my F150 and trailer. I have owned two F350 diesel and one F250 gas trucks and they do tow nicely. However, there are reasons I own and tow with the F150 Ecoboost, Maxtow – such as much better fuel mileage in town and on the road when not towing. Yes, the F250/350 will tow better, but the F150 Ecoboost, Maxtow does a fine job of towing. For me the F150 Ecoboost does a pretty good job of towing. Strong cross winds can be a challenge though.

If you are going to stay with the F150 Ecoboost, and assuming you are not overloaded, it sounds like you might need to better adjust your WD system, air bags and tire pressure to help correct your problem.

This is how I dialed in my setup. This works for me and I provide it for informational purposes only. However, I recommend you get and follow qualified professional help in getting your system dialed in and to make sure your truck is capable to haul your trailer and load. You might need to upgrade your truck as others have said.

This is how I determined the correct PSI for the air bags and the correct WD hitch set up for me. It may or may not work for you. It worked well for me. I tow with 20 PSI in the air bags. I determined that by hooking up the trailer to the truck without the distribution bars and then leveling the truck using just the air bags to level it, making sure the front end of the truck was at the same height or no higher than ½ inch of the unhooked height (never lower than the unhooked height though). The PSI in the air bags at this point is the PSI to use in the air bags (20 PSI for me) when fully hooked up using the WD bars. I also made sure the front end of the trailer was slanting slightly down. On mine, after final adjustments to the hitch, the front end of the truck was within ¼ inch (higher than) of the unhooked measurement of the truck and my trailer slanted slightly down (I’ve towed with the trailer level but for me it works best with the front of the trailer slanted slightly downward). I then hooked up the WD system and double checked to make sure the front of the truck was at the correct height and the front of the trailer was still slanted slight down. I had to lower my hitch ball height one notch in order to end up with the right height of the front of the truck and the front of the trailer slanting slight downward, after airing up the bags and hooking up the WD/sway control.

Now, when I’m ready to hook up and go, I pump up the air bags to 20 PSI, hook up the trailer and the WD system and I’m ready to go.

I run a tight WD/sway control set up. I tried loosening the WD by lowering the chain by one link to make it easier to hook up. That was okay for no wind and light traffic conditions, but I prefer the tighter WD/sway control to avoid problems if I run into cross winds, wind gusts, and large vehicles that pass. So I normally do not lower the chain by the one link.

As for the tires, I run 48.5 PSI in the front and 50.5 PSI in the rear tires on the F150 when I tow. The Michelin LTX MS/2 E rated tires have a max PSI of 80PSI. I called Michelin after installing the LT tires to find out what PSI I should run in their tires on the F150. After about 10 minutes of them doing calculations they came back and told me to run 45 PSI in front and rear to obtain the equivalent of the OEM P rated tires. I asked if that would ruin the LT tires to run them so low and their response to me was “not at all!” They assured me it was perfectly okay to run these E rated tires at 45 PSI on my F150. I’ve determined through trial and error to run 48.5 in the front and 50.5 PSI in the rear when towing. I’ve tried running higher PSI but that is like riding a skidder down the road – rough ride and there seemed to be a bit less control of the vehicle at a higher PSI. I recognize there are others who will run their E rated tires on their half ton at higher PSI.

On the air bags, I tried running them at a higher PSI but that seemed to introduce a feeling of less control of the vehicle. I run mine at 20 PSI as determined above. However, sometimes if I’m on a very rough bouncy road I will add some air to the bags using my remote control and on board air compressor while I’m going down the road and this will help smooth out the ride. I will return the bags to the 20 PSI using the remote control as soon as I can for the best ride and seemingly better control.

Strong cross winds can cause problems for any rig, including large tractor trailers. The heavier duty F250/F350 trucks will fare better in those conditions, but they can also have problems in sever wind conditions. My experience is to slow down to a safer speed during the strong cross winds, or just pull off and park so the wind is not directly hitting the truck and trailer broadside and wait for the winds to die down if they are very strong. There seems to always be some wind and that should not pose a major problem. It’s the 20-30 plus MPH cross winds that create a challenge for me. Then if they hit 40 – 50 MPH I am very careful, slow down, and if they persist I will find a place to park and wait out the storm (that has only happened once to me in the F150 for 250 miles of 20 – 30 MPH winds with gust up to 45 MPH – very exciting ride).

I do not drive faster than 60 MPH. I can drive faster, but it’s not worth it to me. With my set up I seem to have much more control and very little sway when I drive at 60 MPH or slower. Plus, I get the best gas mileage at that speed. My last trip I got 12 MPG at that speed – no major grades to cross. The trip before that I got between 11 and 12 MPG at that speed with some grades to cross. In the mountains with lots of steeper grades (6% or higher) that mileage goes down to around 8.5 - 9 MPG.

My experience is that the F150 Ecoboost, Maxtow has plenty of power and is very capable of towing. In my situation I just needed to get the air bags, WD, and tires properly set up and adjusted to handle the load, even though I was within the GVWR and GCVWR and axle rating for the truck. Once I accomplished that the towing experience was fine.

Good luck in correcting your sway issue.
__________________
2017 F150 3.5 Ecoboost, screw, Max Tow, Blue Ox Sway Pro, 2017 Jayco 24MBH
mmwhit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2015, 12:55 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 202
Agreed, not enough truck. Nice truck, good thinking on tires, bags to level... Just not enough mass.
__________________
2012 Ram 2500 CC CTD
2015 Jayco Jayflight 28BHBE
RUSSELL5000 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2015, 09:50 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Calgary
Posts: 885
You need to visit a CAT scale and see if your WDH is setup properly and if you are within weight limits for your truck.
If you have any payload leftover you can transfer some weight in your trailer to increase the tongue weight a bit. I find trailers a bit more stable around 13-15% tongue weight.
Side winds still affect 3/4 and 1 tons as well but it is more comfortable with a heavier truck!

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...v-tt-3871.html

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...wdhs-3873.html
__________________
2014 Jayco Swift 281BHS, 300W Solar!
2015 F250 XLT 4x4 Crew Cab, Short box, 6.2 gas
Subaru297 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2015, 09:58 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: OKC
Posts: 403
Man I have the same trailer. Just traded the F150 ecoboost. I was getting pushed and pulled on the highway by passing traffic. Big cars and small SUV's would pull me in. That truck make rv camping possible for us, but after towing I did not want to go very far with my family. Just didn't feel safe.

A bigger truck will help. With my current TV, towing is like night and day. This is where camping really gets expensive....
__________________
2016 Road Warrior 355
2015 Ram 3500 Cummins SRW 4x4 MegaCab ShortBed
2011 F150 ecoboost - Traded
2015 Jayflight 28 BHBE (sold)
2009 Jayflight 26 BH (sold)
hboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2015, 10:09 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Camper_bob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: South Texas
Posts: 7,207
I own the same trailer, and I just upgraded to a RAM 2500. Granted, my GMC Sierra 1500 was not as capable as your F150 with EcoBoost, but they're still 1/2 T trucks. So I agree that it's just a little too much trailer for the truck.

I was within all the numbers on paper, but reality caught up with me. Especially when my son was born and DW said she wanted to start taking longer trips. My GMC was okay in the flats with just the two of us, and it could handle SOME hilly terrain, but it was never very confidence inspiring.

Now with the RAM 2500, I've got all the power and capacity I'll ever need, and the combo is just perfect for us, with plenty of room to grow. Only thing I'll complain about is my FastWay E2 WDH; it's not quite up to the job IMHO, but it's also no longer an emergency to replace it because the bigger truck handles the load A LOT better.
__________________

-2018 Greyhawk 29MV
-2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (JLU) (Primary Toad)
-1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ (Secondary Toad)
-2014 Jay Flight 28BHBE & Ram 2500 6.4L CC 4x4 (sold)
Camper_bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2015, 10:12 AM   #12
Member
 
rgchak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Jamul
Posts: 97
I tow a 2015 White Hawk 27DSRL (7000 lbs.) with my 1991 Ford Bronco, 351W engine (105" WB). We drove 4000 miles this summer including the Eisenhower Tunnel, 11,138 ft. My two suggestions, 1. Look into the Pro Pride hitch it's expensive I know but I swear by it. Even in a strong crosswind I never had trailer sway. 2. Change your rear differential ratio. My factory gearing was 3.55 and I changed to 4.56 I easily do the speed limit and tow up mountains between 45 and 55mph. I know that everyone on this forum will tell you to go out and buy a $70K superduty to tow your trailer but I'm proof that you can tow comfortable and safely with your truck. Good Luck
rgchak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2015, 01:57 PM   #13
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Carmel
Posts: 30
We just traded 'up' to a 2016 Whitehawk 28RBKS, 6582# UVW, 760# hitch (per spec), and tow with a 2010 F150, 5.4L, 3.55 locking, with tow pkg, RoundBar WD hitch, LT tires and the Firestone bags. I culled many other TT choices because of the high UVW and hitch weight that many RV manufacturers and dealers designate as 'half-ton towable'. This new Whitehawk actually tows better/straighter/more stable than the 5000# Keystone we sold. I agree with both mmwhit's comments, as well as the more popular recommendation of getting a 3/4T truck. For us, we mostly camp around home, 2 or 3 day weekends, within a couple hours drive, on pretty good roads (I65 and I70 in Indiana being roads to avoid, by the way...). For that purpose, our set-up is just fine and I'm comfortable towing (been towing farm trailers since I was a little feller) at slightly below posted speeds with plenty of cushion between me and the *&^%-$#@ in front of me.

We just made a trip from Indiana to eastern Pennsylvania and the F150 performed like a champ, towing strong up the mountains in northwest MD and in WV, and using the factory engine-brake feature, when needed, coming down. Never felt out of control or unstable. HOWEVER, if I were going to make that sort of a trip more than once a year, I'd be doing it in a Super Duty.

I drive the truck for work every day, and having the F150 for an every day driver makes more fiscal sense. If I bought a Super Duty for just one out-of-state camping trip per year, I'd sort of feel like I built a church just for Easter Sunday ;-)

As I write this post, however, I have another tab open on my browser searching for used Super Duty trucks on Autotrader.com... I'm so conflicted...
Fastalker64 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2015, 02:37 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Utah
Posts: 892
I have to tow mine a little nose down to get the best tow out of it. That raises the tongue weight, and would put a hurting on the payload capacity of a half ton. I totally agree with Camper_bob. With the Titan I would get blown all over the place. In the RAM, I just set the cruise control and drive.
__________________
2014 Ram 2500 Mega Cab Laramie 4x4 6.4L HEMI 4.10s with antispin
2014 Jayco Jay Flight Swift 287BHBE
Equal-i-zer 90-00-1200(new 90-02-4900 shank)
2x Honda 2K
NewBlackDak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2015, 05:58 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Fulton, NY
Posts: 958
Before trading in a great truck and losing THOUSANDS, I will second rgchak's recommendation of getting a ProPride 3P or Hensley hitch. I get absolutely NO sway of any kind and easily out-tow my buddy who has an 04 Cummins 2500 stick, 28BHS and a Reese friction bar WDH...in the wind only. He definitely pulls the hills better, at speed (cruise on) and gets much better mileage.

I went from a 2003 Ram 2500 QC 4x4 Hemi to the Tundra and the Tundra handles the 26BH just as well and even better since getting the ProPride hitch. The Tundra has way more pulling power, better gears and a much better transmission. I can easily cruise down the interstate at 70+ if I wanted to. I normally run around 65 though except when I need to pass a semi. I then throttle down and get by them. Absolutely NO sway involved.
__________________


2017 28BHBE Kitchen skylight, remote control and Aluminum wheels hitched by ProPride 3P
2017 Ram 2500 CC LB 4x4 Big Horn Cummins
LiftedAWDAstro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2015, 06:49 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Houston
Posts: 222
Also, check the trailer tires, are they bias ply? I have a Tundra 1/2 ton and 27bh and it tows like a dream even when semi's are passing me, but I'm running radial TT tires. I have hit cross wind but not like I have driven in SD or WY with it, so I can't say equivocally but has worked for me. Its stock truck except I added a rear sway bar for general handling, although it probably helps the towing as well. I just added a WDH after a year and didn't even use that the year before and it towed great. It came with an anti-sway add-on, but I don't even use it.
__________________
New to me 27BH towed by 4.6 Tundra
Dirkdaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2015, 08:09 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
ecoboosteagle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: western
Posts: 112
I tow a little heavier and longer with a 14' Ecoboost Super Crew, Max Tow, 3.73 gears and E rated tires. I have no issues with my 1400 Equalizer 4 point Sway WDH. I recently upgraded from the dealer installed Fastway E2. I did not like the way it towed and got lots of sway even with the "2 point sway". Equalizer was night and day, I also added some washers as the dealer set it up to light. As other have mentioned, double check your WDH / Sway control set-up. When you are pulling a 30'+ bread box behind you there are going to be times you are going to feel the push from a cross wind, slow down and take it easy. However that is not the same thing as trailer sway which can be corrected.
__________________
2015 Eagle 324bhts
tv. 2012 F-150 s/c lariat ecoboost 3.73 max tow
ecoboosteagle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2015, 12:22 PM   #18
Lost in the Woods
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 339
"Before trading in a great truck and losing THOUSANDS, I will second rgchak's recommendation of getting a ProPride 3P or Hensley hitch."


I will third this opinion, having towed an Eagle 294BHBE for the last two years with a 2010 F150 and I would not want to do it without a Propride or Hensley hitch. I have felt the sway, you are referring to, on rare occasions when I was pulling my 4,000 lb trailer with the same TV. With the Propride and a trailer that is nearly twice as long and nearly twice the weight, at or below the speed limit, it is very steady with no sway. A brand new one-ton diesel truck with a properly set up WDH with anti-sway will also fix the sway and climb hills faster. I believe Hensley and Propride both have money-back warranties but I leave it to you to look at the terms and conditions.
Ottawasteve is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2015, 02:49 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: St. Clairsville
Posts: 225
You did not say what your wheelbase is either. Given roughly the same vehicle, a longer wheelbase has more stability than a shorter wheelbase (at least in my experience). There is also no need to buy a brand new truck. I tow just fine with my 2000 1 ton Powerstroke. I don't have some of the new doo-dads, but it's paid for and I am building it as I go. Speaking personally I would probably move up in truck, especially since you have done all of the common mods already.

The Reese dual cam can also cause sway if it is not set up right, as the bars will keep trying to settle into the saddles. Try this. Stop in a rest area with the trailer loaded where you can park straight and level(ish). Take a look at your bars and the weight distribution and make sure that the ends of the short bars are in the saddles. Mine weren't (after the dealer set it up) and it caused wicked bad handling. Here's how I fixed it, but it is not "by the numbers". I loosened both bolts so that the round parts could slide, put the jack down to take just a little weight off, then used a hammer to knock the short bars into the depressions on the long bars from the hitch. Then tighten up the giant nuts and you would be good to go. I had a world of difference after doing this, and your problem sounds a lot like what I was having happen. Good Luck!
__________________
2000 Ford 4x4 Crewcab Dually 7.3 PSD
2015 Seismic 3712
2013 Jay Flight 32BHDS (sold)
2009 Jay Flight 31BHS (sold)
2005 Jay Flight 27BH (sold) - probably my favorite
djtho1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:35 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.