I have 2 ultras in a 26ft sportster sportsman toy hauler.
Going to take to sturgis. loaded the bikes today, strapped them down, and went for a test drive.
Trailer started to sway alot above 45 mph. the hauler is rated for 2500 lb max weight in the garage. the bikes about 1700 lb.
how do i get more tongue weight and stop the sway?

Thanks kevin

 

Move the bikes forward or pony up for a sway bar set up.
Will tongue weight help?

 

You need to have at least 10% on the trailer weight on the tongue. I have a 27' travel trailer and I've found that the sway isn't too bad when I put some heavy items in the front of the trailer. With the 2 Ultra's you have allot of weight aft of the trailer axle. You can also add a sway bar. They are not too expensive. Any place that sells campers should be able to help.

 

When I bought my 8x12 Haulmark lowrider I set the hitch height right where the trailer info said to. It pulled ok (loaded) up to seventy. As soon as I went ANYTHING over seventy it would start to sway pretty bad. I don't normaly drive that fast but sometimes while driving down to Fla you get in a situation where it happens. ANYWAY, I called Haulmark and told them and they said change the hitch height (down an inch or two I believe) but it's been ten years and wouldnt swear it wasn't up an inch or two. I did what tthey said and now the trailer can be towed at any speed no problems

 

Guessing it's a bumper pull...It would be better to know the tow veh. and setup to make a more accurate diagnosis.

That said, I tend to concur with the above..
Sounds like you are running light on the hitch..heavy aft of the axles.

If this be the case you need front trailer weight..

1- Buy and properly install a weight dist. hitch.
2- If the on-board water supply is in front, fill it. Fast ballast.
3- If the on-board water is in back, empty it.

Sway bars work, but only to a point. They are primarily designed to help control small amounts of sway. If the load is fundamentally unstable, they will ultimately only prolong the inevitable wreck.

If budget is a concern, spend the coin on a load distribution hitch, then a sway bar assist.
Properly loading the distribution hitch is paramount. Using it wrong can be worse than not having it at all.
Spend extra time listening to the hitch specialist concerning setup and use.

 

Buy an Equal-i-zer hitch and be done with it. If you have a tralier, it will act as both your weight distributing hitch and your sway control. If you are running a toy hauler, you are going to be very heavy on the back end compared to a regular RV. If you cruise over to the RV sites, you'll find that the Equal-i-zer has a top notch reputation.

Another thing you didn't mention, what truck are you pulling it with. If the truck is too small and the wheel base is short (even if the max weight of the RV is within the truck's limits), you'll get a tail wagging the dog affect. Again, a good weight distributing hitch and sway control should help out.

We've RV'd a lot and are now up to a 5th wheel. I have an Equal-i-zer hitch just sitting in the garage. If you were closer to MO, I'd consider selling it to you. They don't go bad, they are made really solidly.

 

Kevin,

You didn't mention whether or not you had a sway control but I'll assume you don't. YOU MUST have some sort of sway control pulling a 26 foot trailer.

What brand/type of hitch do you have and what are you using for a tow vehicle? Is the hitch load-leveling??

You can get decent sway control setup through Camping World for about $80.00.

Another consideration is getting high quality wheel chocks for those Ultra for the trip to Sturgis.

I have a 2007 Jayco Octane 26 ft. toyhauler, Reese sway control and 2 Condor wheel chocks. Chocks were about $260.00 each but worth it.

That sway contol is the friction type and is adjustable. It's nothing fancy but I've had the sway control back when I had a 2000 Holiday Rambler TT (just swapped it out).

I've towed the Jayco in 40-50 MPH wind gust with both bikes in the back at highway speeds with no issues. Done almost 5K miles with this toyhauler and sway bar setup; no problems and that includes drving through a snow storm (high winds) through the Poconos in Feb. on the way to Daytona 2008!

Keep us posted on your progress. PM me if you need anymore info.

 

I trailered mine from minnesota to utah and back a month ago...the things I know are these.......the correct tire pressure in all wheels .......the bikes need to be balanced correctly nnorth south and east and west.....the hitch on your truck should be at a height where the trailer is level when hooked up.....weight build-up should be equal on both sides ....hope this helps

 

Exactly...

 

+1 on the wdh. I had a similar problem with swaying and a good wdh solved a majority of the problems.