Re: [A/S] sway

[j.dandrea@xxxxxxxxxxx]

I just got home and have been catching up on all the topics.  I haul a 31 ft. 
Sovereign with a F250 1987 Ford pickup.  It has the full size bed, extended cab,
the big radiator and the International engine.  My hitch is relatively simple.  
It's a Reese with stabilizer bars.  I bought a dual cam sway control for it, 
but managed to get the wrong bars and never put it it on.  Now, after 
successfully towing with the package I have and learning you really can't 
backup with the dual cam sway control, I am happy.  I do almost all the driving 
and have learned a lot about hauling this year.  We keep the speed down to 55 
for milage considerations and that goes down considerably on a long hill.  Big 
rigs whizzing by don't seems to bother us.  I get a little sway if I move the 
wheel too fast, but otherwise I use the technique of speed up a bit and brake 
the trailer only if I get sway and all has been well.  
I do have questions about loading however.  We haven't weighed our stuff, I 
just figured since most of the cabinets and so forth are in front of the axels, 
that is the place to keep the gear.  We try to use the rule of thumb that we 
unload the trailer when we get home and an unload should take a "reasonable" 
amount of time.  Does any one have a comment on how much weight is ok to carry 
in the back?  We have been trying for 75% front to 25 % rear ratio for the 
inside gear, but our tanks are behind the axels.  We empty out before 
traveling.  It's a pain to dump all the water since the trailer is currently 
running only on the internal pump and not city water and dumping requires the 
pump.  As I recall water weighs about 8 lbs a gallon so it seems a bit much for 
hauling any at all unles going into a primitive area.

Joan in Seattle