Weird Steering While Towing

[Ghamilton]

I'll try to describe this as best as I can and hope it makes sense.

I towed our 6500# camper for the first time yesterday. During everyday driving the steering wheel is nice and straight (not ****ed off to one side, 11 or 1 o'clock position) until yesterday. While coming down the canyon after rounding a corner the steering wheel would go from center to 10 or 11 o'clock postion and stay there. Then, after rounding another corner, I swear the wheel would end up at the 1 or 2 o'clock position on the straight away I saw it do this several times.

What is going on? Anything to worry about? Do I need to get this thing back to the dealer? This truck has 3900 miles on it and I haven't owned a Ford for a long time and I know my Dodges didn't do it. If they drove with the steering wheel ****ed to the 11 o'clocl postion, that's where it stayed towing or not.

[skanj0]

Sounds like a steering box problem. I would take it to the dealer before it causes you to have an accident.

[mor4wd]

Depends on how much tongue weight your trailer has. If it's heavy on the back it will lift the front which results in the axle moving slightly to the left or right depending on which way the track bar is mounted. The weird thing is that it shouldn't be switching from one way to the other.

[BlueF350]

Not that I wouldn't have the steering checked just to be safe but it sounds to me like a tongue weight/trailer balance issue to me. Maybe the trailer is pushing your truck around and the steering correction is needed to compensate?

[Ghamilton]

The trailer weighs 6500# loaded, and has a 650-700# tongue weight. The trailer has a equalizer hitch on it that was set for the Dodge. Maybe the hitch height is different enough that it's making it act squirly????

[SuperCrutyPS]

6500# shouldn't be pushing your SD around. And I would think with the PSD under the hood, your front end shouldn't be lifting too much. I used to pull a 7500# trailer and didn't get that affect.

When you have the tongue on the ball, Equilizer hitch all hooked up, does the trailer set level? How much, if any, does the truck squat with the weight on?

[Ghamilton]

The trailer sets level, pretty close anyway. I didn't step back and look it real close but it looked good when hooked up to my son's pickup and his hitch height is very close to mine (both F350s). Like I said, this was the first time this pickup was hooked to this trailer. I didn't take a measurment before and after with my truck but my son's F350 only squatted an inch after everything was hooked up before he headed to the hills with it Thursday.

I think I may be on to something. I just called my son and he said his 2000
F350 done the same thing (steering wheel changed) when he pulled it up the mountain. It's got to be from the equalizer hitch. It must be in a bind since it was set up for the Dodge and I know both of our trucks sit higher at the hitch.

[ultramag1]

I would like to know what you find, my truck is kind of doing the same thing. It pulls to the left I think "brain fart". I am towing around 10k toy hauler bumper pull. the truck is a 2010 F250 PSD, I have adjusted the bars fairly tight I have 800lb bars and they are real tight the truck still squats and seems squirly. The trailer sits level or slighly low toward the front.
I know this has something to do with the hitch but can't seem to find the sweet spot for setting it up. If the truck squats in the back the front end goes up and this causes the alighnment to change if think. But would this cause the truck to pull to the left or right.
This drives me crazy when towing.
Thanks

[mor4wd]

Originally Posted by ultramag1

I would like to know what you find, my truck is kind of doing the same thing. It pulls to the left I think "brain fart". I am towing around 10k toy hauler bumper pull. the truck is a 2010 F250 PSD, I have adjusted the bars fairly tight I have 800lb bars and they are real tight the truck still squats and seems squirly. The trailer sits level or slighly low toward the front.
I know this has something to do with the hitch but can't seem to find the sweet spot for setting it up. If the truck squats in the back the front end goes up and this causes the alighnment to change if think. But would this cause the truck to pull to the left or right.
This drives me crazy when towing.
Thanks

Yes, if your truck is squatting in the back it's also lifting the front throwing your axle center off, in turn adjusting center on your steering wheel. It does not throw off the actual alignment of the tires though. I would look into getting a more heavy duty load equalizer. They make different ratings on the weight and it sounds like your's is a little too weak to actually distribute the weight on both axles. Once you get it, you need to drop the ball height so that when you lift it with the bars both the truck and trailer are level.