Trailer Swaying Left to Right Over 50mph...HELP

85TrailRunner

85TrailRunner

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Joined
Mar 16, 2007
Location
Monroe
So I've got a 7'x4' utility trailer that I recently did some fabbing to & put sides on it that are at a 30* angle from the edge on the trailer to make it a 2 four-wheeler hauling trailer. I've seen trailers like this in on Tractor Supply's & Northern Tools website that were 9'x5' but I had to use what I got so the funds were low & I already had a trailer that didn't get used that much. Welded everything up & the two Honda 300 utilities fit perfect.

We loaded up the two wheelers with the 4x4 up front since it was heavier than the 4x2 facing the same way on the trailer & hauled tail to do some work at the hunt property & quickly realized that I couldn't go over 45mph without the trailer swaying side to side, even worse if I hit a pothole/road patch. It would do alright on smooth road though.

On the way back we loaded one wheeler one way & the other wheeler the opposite & it did alot better & I could get 50mph until it swayed a little but not really enough to feel it in the truck like before.

My question is, what can I do to correct this? Right now its got 4.80x12 tires so one thought would be to get wider tires like a 5.30x12 & that possibly help. I checked the tires sizes on the Carry-On trailer website of their side-by-side atv trailer & they list a 175x80r13 tires which is 6.3in wide so that would be a nearly 2in wider tire. Would this help?
 
I am by no means a trailer towing expert, but my first guess would be that you don't have enough tongue weight.
 
The weight is to far forward from the axle.
 
Where is the axle in relation to the ATV's when you load them? I would shoot for having the axle under the center of the rear 4 wheeler. Is there any chance there a lot of play in the steering in the tow vehicle?
 
too much or too little tongue weight will make it sway.. shoot for like 10-20% weight forward vs backward. try loading the ATVs with both motors toward the axle but put the heavier one up front.
 
Tongue weight x2, but also check your wheel bearings. I've had a trailer that would have otherwise pulled fine but swayed because of loose bearings.
 
Also check the angle of the trailer tongue in relation to the hitch. Extreme angles will effect the trailer in a negative way and transfer weight to on and off the axle depending on the angle.
 
Yea I thought about not having enough tongue weight also but when we loaded up the wheelers to come back we loaded them facing the opposite of one another & it did better so that got me thinking about side to side weight more than forward to rear weight. The trailer is just long enough to fit both ATVs on it sideways so I could possibly straps some concrete blocks under the front atv to get more tongue weight & it that helps then I'll extend the trailer forward to allow the ATVs to be closer to the front.

I don't remember where the axle was when both ATVs were loaded. I'll load them back up & try messing with it here in a little while.

The wheel bearings on the trailer are around a year old maybe & I installed those bearing buddy grease things on them & keep a check on them so they should be still good & getting grease.

The truck is lifted a little but I used a drop hitch yesterday & two weeks ago it pulled great with just the one ATV on it.

So in the end I should be looking at forward/rear weight instead of side to side or wider tires? Thanks for all the responses.
 
drkelly said:
I am by no means a trailer towing expert, but my first guess would be that you don't have enough tongue weight.
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i WOULD CHECK THIS
 
How about tire pressures too?
 
wheeler_hauler.jpg


Loaded up the wheelers & took a picture. The trailer is kinda sitting lower than the truck where its at in the yard, when I hauled them this past weekend when the truck & trailer were sitting on level ground everything looked level. The red atv is 520lbs. & the green is 439lbs. The trailer tires are rated 900lbs each. The axle & springs are rated either 2000 or 2500, tagged was scratched so I couldn't read it clearly. So the ATVs alone weigh 959(roughly cause those figures were dry weight from the Honda manual) I had checked the trailer's tire pressures a few weeks ago & they were good but not exact sure of their setting at this time.

I think I am going to lengthen the front by 10 inches & reload the wheelers & road test it just to see if having more weight towards the front is my problem all along & possibly get a drop hitch with more of a drop.
 
I'd say you need more tongue weight from the picture. But from the looks of the shackle angle on the springs you could be getting sway from that too. Can you take a close up picture of the shackles sometime.
 
That axle is way to centered, cut the shackles and and move it back about 12". There is almost no tongue weight with that set up, the wheelers are basically teetering back and forth.
 
Definitely a tongue weight issue. You have several options, but I'd try getting a lower drop ball mount. Possibly a 4"? That should shift the weight forward. If you don't like the look of it then do one of the other recommendations above. (I like the idea of moving the axle back.)
 
Short trailers will sway due to several reasons as previously stated.

But, there is another. Have you ever backed a short trailer and noticed how sensitive it is to steering wheel input? That applies in both directions... forward and reverse. If you could increase the distance between your axle and hitch, the problem will certainly lessen, maybe even go away.
 
Voting with the axle being too close to the truck. Putting the axle back further is what you need to do to fix it. I'd move the center of the axle tire back past the drivers side tire of the green ATV at least. I'd bet you have way less then 100# of tongue weight. I'd aim for like 150-200# on a trailer that size. You can measure it with a household scale, check google for some instructions.

It's always hard to back up a trailer that small but I pull a 4x6 all the time for my wife and while it's squirley backing up because the wheels are so close to the TV it tracks perfectly at any speed no matter how fast I switch lanes. Size isn't what makes it wander at speed.
 
Alright seeing how everyone is agreeing that it is a tongue weight issue do ya'll think I could get by just adding 10in to the front of the trailer & loading the ATVs at the front of the trailer? I believe that the trailer tongue is long enough I could do this & be okay on turning. Is there a rule of thumb for determing how long the trailer tongue should be? Or am I better off relocating the axle towards the rear?

Will relocating the axle closer to the rear of the trail affect it when I only haul one ATV with the ATV loaded facing the tailgate of the truck?
 
If it were me I'd move the axle back. You'll gain more stability all together. A good rule of thumb is to have the distance from the ball to the axle tube on the trailer as close to or longer than the wheel base of the truck.
 
or extend the tounge itself. brace it up good though for strength
 
Am I the only one who thinks that two 4 wheelers may be to much weight for that axle and spring combo? I've never known trailers of that size to be able to carry much weight comfortably. Just what is the weight rating of that trailer?
 
Roughshod said:
Am I the only one who thinks that two 4 wheelers may be to much weight for that axle and spring combo? I've never known trailers of that size to be able to carry much weight comfortably. Just what is the weight rating of that trailer?
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+1 just saw the pic and thought the same thing...

looks to be a 1 ton axle...and Id wager money that you got more than 2k between the 2 bikes and the weight of the trailer....
 
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