For Trailer Sailors and those who want to be one.

[George H260]

I Pull my H260 with a full size Ford van set up for a 12,000GVW with 5.3-liter engine. Van 5200lbs; boat 5400lbs; 600lb tongue wt. On smooth roads you don't know the boat is there. Still, I often get sway between 55 & 60mph. This occurs on bumpy roads, with gusty winds and when dueling with 18-wheelers. This problem has been discussed in this forum before but I've slow-rolled the solution 'til now. I'm taking the boat to Key West in April. The most common solution for trailer sway is the equalizer-type hitch used for travel trailers. Used one in the past, but the Equal-i-zer company is the only mfgr that certifies their hitch to work with surge brakes. Hitch is also available at a discount at RVwholesalers.com. I'll let you know how it works out. Better pics of the setup are at: http://www.kobernus.com/Equalizer/index.html I've also included a link to the Equal-i-zer company.

 

[John Scharer]

Have you tried raising the hitch?

I had the same problem when we first got our 1999 260. We pull it with a Ford Expedition. Our hitch connection is not a straight piece of metal. The ball of the hitch can either be lower or higher depending on how you set it up. When we first used it was in the lower position, we spoke with a local trailer person and he recommended that we put it in the higher position. This made all the difference in the world. I can travel at 65 to 70 miles per hour with little sway when big rigs pass me. The trailor expert also told if that switching the ball height did not work we might want to add air bag in the rear of the truck which would stabilize the trailer. The 2-3 inch difference in the hitch height made all the difference in the world.

 

[Dick1505]

Let us know

I'm considering taking my 26 to Florida next winter instead of leaving it shivering in the barn. Hope to hitch up with CFYC for some of thier 4 day cruises and leave it in a storage yard in between.

 

[Mark]

Big rigs???

Can't work out why you guys in the states need such big rigs to tow your 260's.For long distance trips I tow mine with a little diesel landrover discovery. Can "safely" cruise between 50-55 mph.And around town getting her to the boat ramp and home again I tow the 260 with a little ford ute. Four cylinder petrol. Does it with ease.

 

[Vern]

4.6 or 5.4 V8's

I've got both engines in my 5000 lb. Ford vehicles and I've got real problems towing my H260 up and down hills in the Mississippi River valley on the way to the marina. You guys must really live on the flat.Just a word from an ex-trucker: Be very cautious when towing at those high speeds. If you've never jack-knifed with a trailer, you haven't experienced true vehicular panic. When you get that heavy trailer pushing the tow vehicle sideways, you lose all control and heaven help you. There's a platitude that rings true here: Never get into a situation where you have to rely on your brakes to stop you. Now I know that can't be taken literally but there's still some good advice in there somewhere.I'd love to know how that 4000 mile round trip works out. I've thought of it myself. Watch out for freezing drizzle around the southern boundary of the snow belt. It literally gets so bad that your car will slide sideways in a parking lot.

 

[Ranger Paul18580]

Anti-Sway Bar

I used to tow travel trailers a lot and I had one that was quite unstable that I spun out while avoiding an accident on an interstate. Once it started to go there was absolutely no control. We ended up off the freeway in a field with only spilled coffee...thank God. Whew! I added an anti-sway bar to the hitch and it totally took care of the problem. When we got our large travel trailer, I actually put two anti-sway bars on, one on each side of the hitch.I cannot recommend these anti-sway bars enough when hauling a lot of weight. They are marvelous. I personally think they should be mandatory.

 

[Ted]

Move weight forward

We pull our 260 with an Expedition, and had sway problems. Tried air bags and raising the hitch, but what solved our problem was taking the engine off the boat and moving other weight forward. We have a very heavy 4 cycle engine and putting it in the Expedition took care of the problem with out trying an equailizer hitch.

 

[Brigg]

Motor on trailer steps

I moved my 4 cycle, 125 pound, 9.9 outboard onto the trailer steps forward of the boat and took all the sway out of towing. When it sat on the stern motor mount it was quite scary on the highway. I tow with a 2003 Toyota 4runner, six cylender and haven't had any problems towing up into the mountain lakes in Washington.Brigg

 

[George H260]

Motor on trailer steps

Thanks everyone for all the comments. I'll let you know how it works out. A final observation:Moving a 125lb motor and tying it to the ladder each time you trailer, then putting it back again - what fun!Most experts recommend 8-10% tongue weight, mine is slightly over that. Looks like what you did is increase the tongue wt. by 125lbs. Why not shift the load to achieve that goal?. Moving the ladder is fairly easy. I know one guy that tied cinder blocks to the tongue. What a mess - they kept falling off!The trailer hitch needs to be adjusted to insure the load is level when trailering.I checked with suspension experts who say that stiffer rear springs/shocks won't fix the problem. The equalizer hitch anti-sway bars force the load forward to the front wheels of the tow vehicle to level the vehicle and stiffens the side-to-side connection between the vehicle and trailer.RVers know all about this stuff, I've still got a lot to learn I guess.

 

[Rick Webb]

Moving the Motor

Taking #150 off the stern and putting it on the ladder is more like adding #300 to the front of the trailer.

 

[Frank Ladd]

Moving weight forward

I agree that moving weight forward really reduces sway. In every case where I've heard that folks had a problem, moving weight forward helped or so1ved the problem. When I'm going on a long trip I moved everything heavy under or on the v berth and sometimes I still have to move the motor if it is really windy. 10% weight on the hitch on your rig is about 500 to 6oo pounds when the boat is fully loaded with cruising gear.

 

[Brigg]

Moving the 125lb motor

To move my motor from the trailer steps, I have a harness and small block and tackle which I attach to the mast above the steps while it lays horizontal. I then transfer the motor onto a two wheel dolly I modified to hold it and wheel it to the stern. I then use the same rig on the mast at the stern to raise the outboard to the motor mount. I can do this by myself with no strained muscles. It's a whole lot more fun than driving a rig that fish tails across the road. :{Brigg

 

[Ashley]

That's pretty neat

I was wondering how one might move it without having to recruit bystanders. Are you worried you might bend the mast?

 

[Steve Kamp]

Towing and sway

Another factor involved in sway is the tow vehicle wheelbase. Many popular 4x4 SUV's are rated with a tow capacity which meets the trailer weight of our boats with gear but when we get them out on the road the tail often wags the dog due to the short wheelbase of the tow vehicle. Best options are a 3/4 or one ton pick-up with a super cab or crew cab and full length bed specifically equipped with a tow package including trans cooler, heavy duty oil cooler, extra capacity radiator, suspension, rear end, and engine bigger than necessary. Of course then you have a vehicle which you would only use for towing or hauling a heavy load due to fuel considerations and not one for typical suburban family chores.Steve Kamp