New owner of a 2014 29rk

[ChefMikeDFW]

Hi all

My wife and I are now new owners of a 2014 29rk. I felt we did well with the unit and overall feels like a great fit for us. We are using a new 2016 f150 with the 3.5 eco as the TV.

Our drive out of the dealership was harrowing as, being this was our first trailer, I found out what sway was all about almost immediately. The trailer came with the weight equalization and one sway bar on the right. Once I hit 55 mph, it felt like it moved around a ton. And at 65, the truck hit the brakes on the trailer and yelled at me to slow down.

What I'm curious about is whether or not I should add a second sway friction bar or switch to the Reese dual cam sway control? Thanks in advance!

 

[Manzan]

Pay attention to the way the trailer is loaded--put more weight on the ball. I have use the Reese Dual Cam sway control for about 25 years on three different trailers. Works extremely well. There are others out there but I have not compared any since what I have works so well. Remember also that ST trailer tires have a speed limit of 65 mph.

 

[JohnD]

Did the dealer fill the fresh water tank for the PDI?

If so . . . try emptying that and then travel with only enough water in the tank to use basic facilities while on the road.

By the way, we had a 2013 Heartland Trail Runner 22RK (RK = rear kitchen), which made that trailer heavy in the rear already before adding water and all of the other stuff.

We had sway issues until we figured it out!

I tried to look at the specs of your Trail Runner, but it seems the Heartland website is broken this morning.

You may be at the limits of your truck with that trailer, but will have to wait for the website to work again before we can look at the numbers.

 

[TxCowboy]

HL website seems to be working OK.

 

[JohnD]

HL website seems to be working OK.

When I tried going there this morning the Trail Runner page wasn't loading any photos (just blank icons), and when I clicked on the link for the 29RK, it took me back to the home page.

Did you find out any numbers on that trailer?

 

[TxCowboy]

HL Website is working fine for me. Here's the specs from the 29RK page:

GVRW 9,000 lbs
Dry Weight 6,793 lbs
Hitch Weight 614 lbs

Width 8' 0"


Height 11' 2"


Length 33' 11"


Sq. Ft. TBD


Tires ST205/75R15-D


Fresh Water 42 gal


Gray Water 70 gal


Black Water 35 gal


Electric 30 AMP


LP Capacity (2) 30 lbs


Sleep Capacity 5-6 People


No. of Slide Rooms 1 Slide

 

[ChefMikeDFW]

HL Website is working fine for me. Here's the specs from the 29RK page:

GVRW 9,000 lbs
Dry Weight 6,793 lbs
Hitch Weight 614 lbs

Width 8' 0"


Height 11' 2"


Length 33' 11"


Sq. Ft. TBD


Tires ST205/75R15-D


Fresh Water 42 gal


Gray Water 70 gal


Black Water 35 gal


Electric 30 AMP


LP Capacity (2) 30 lbs


Sleep Capacity 5-6 People


No. of Slide Rooms 1 Slide

The dry weight on the trailer based on the tag on the unit itself is 5860. One of the reasons we picked this guy was it was within our f150 config we got (11800 tow capacity on the 3.5 eco with a 3.55 axle)

Mike H

 

[ChefMikeDFW]

Did the dealer fill the fresh water tank for the PDI?

If so . . . try emptying that and then travel with only enough water in the tank to use basic facilities while on the road.

By the way, we had a 2013 Heartland Trail Runner 22RK (RK = rear kitchen), which made that trailer heavy in the rear already before adding water and all of the other stuff.

We had sway issues until we figured it out!

I tried to look at the specs of your Trail Runner, but it seems the Heartland website is broken this morning.

You may be at the limits of your truck with that trailer, but will have to wait for the website to work again before we can look at the numbers.

No we ensured all tanks were empty, even with the low drain.

Mike H

 

[CaptnJohn]

Seems very lite at the ball. I pulled 7000# ++ with a 2015 F150 with no problems but used the Equalizer 1000/10,000 with sway control. Had those friction bars in the past. They did the job with some inconvenience but I think the Equalizer does a better job. Check the recent article in Trailer Life where Equalizer, not Reese, comes in as best WD hitch.

 

[ChefMikeDFW]

Seems very lite at the ball. I pulled 7000# ++ with a 2015 F150 with no problems but used the Equalizer 1000/10,000 with sway control. Had those friction bars in the past. They did the job with some inconvenience but I think the Equalizer does a better job. Check the recent article in Trailer Life where Equalizer, not Reese, comes in as best WD hitch.

I'll be looking into that one ...thanks

Mike H

 

[JohnD]

The dry weight on the trailer based on the tag on the unit itself is 5860. One of the reasons we picked this guy was it was within our f150 config we got (11800 tow capacity on the 3.5 eco with a 3.55 axle)

Mike H

Look at the yellow sticker on the inside of the rear entrance door . . . not the white one on the outside front corner.

The yellow sticker is the real weight from the factory . . . but to really know the real weight of the trailer you will have to get it weighed yourself!

Despite what the new 150/1500 trucks say they are capable of towing, I still think the 150 will always be too light for that size of a trailer.

Doesn't matter what they can pull . . . but what can they stop!?

Pull it once with an F250 or 2500HD and you'll see what I mean.

Been there . . . done that.

That is the real issue . . .

 

[ChefMikeDFW]

Look at the yellow sticker on the inside of the rear entrance door . . . not the white one on the outside front corner.

The yellow sticker is the real weight from the factory . . . but to really know the real weight of the trailer you will have to get it weighed yourself!

Despite what the new 150/1500 trucks say they are capable of towing, I still think the 150 will always be too light for that size of a trailer.

Doesn't matter what they can pull . . . but what can they stop!?

Pull it once with an F250 or 2500HD and you'll see what I mean.

Been there . . . done that.

That is the real issue . . .

Yup that's the one I quoted, 5860#. I'll get it to a scale soon but that's what I went off of when choosing the unit.

As far as stopping, one neat feature the 2016 has now is sway "control" which is to say it monitors yaw and pitch and when it exceeds tolerance, it will automatically apply the trailer brakes...and I learned that one the hard way. But I do know exactly what you mean.

Mike H

 

[CaptnJohn]

Had Ford sway control in the 2015 F150 as well. The Equalizer WD with sway control was still one of my requirements. If you were close I'd let you try it ~~ after being used twice it just sits in the garage now.

Yup that's the one I quoted, 5860#. I'll get it to a scale soon but that's what I went off of when choosing the unit.

As far as stopping, one neat feature the 2016 has now is sway "control" which is to say it monitors yaw and pitch and when it exceeds tolerance, it will automatically apply the trailer brakes...and I learned that one the hard way. But I do know exactly what you mean.

Mike H

 

[ChefMikeDFW]

Well I discovered disabling the onboard sway control helped considerably. Also I added a 2nd friction sway to the trailer and its changed how it tows big time. Now my biggest issue is how much bounce it has when I hit the big bumps in the road. Time to look at suspension upgrades.

Mike H

 

[ChefMikeDFW]

Well I discovered disabling the onboard sway control helped considerably. Also I added a 2nd friction sway to the trailer and its changed how it tows big time. Now my biggest issue is how much bounce it has when I hit the big bumps in the road. Time to look at suspension upgrades.

Mike H

And here I am

Mike H

 

[justafordguy]

Your truck has plenty of capacity for that trailer. What you need is a good WDH with built in sway control like the Equalizer. You also need to make sure your hitch weight is right, if it's to light it will cause more sway.

 

[caissiel]

I have an F250 and in no way I would pull that trailer with 625lbs on the ball.
Load the front and get rid of the friction sway bar.
I mostly tow without sway bars and have no problems with at least 15% to 20% ball weight.
Just don't overload the tires and the truck will be stable.

 

[ChefMikeDFW]

I have an F250 and in no way I would pull that trailer with 625lbs on the ball.
Load the front and get rid of the friction sway bar.
I mostly tow without sway bars and have no problems with at least 15% to 20% ball weight.
Just don't overload the tires and the truck will be stable.

So why would you not? I'm still new to this so I'd like to hear why.

GVRW of the 150 is 6800. After the truck weight, I've got 1763 to play with. After the tounge weight, I'll have 1000 for passengers and cargo (though I could add it to the trailer).

So with those numbers, I'd like to hear why you'd say no