Trailer shimmy - why?

[SteveH-CO]

I have a typical 8' x 10' snowmobile trailer (tilt) with very little tongue weight. New tires and I replaced and repacked the wheel bearings. It was made in Minnesota in 1987 - Ridge trailer mfg., and is totally stock in configuration.

When you hit 65 mph, empty, the trailer shakes fairly violently. There are no issues when loaded.

I guess one trick would be to strap down something like a car battery to the front of the trailer just to see if some weight would settle it down. Or maybe attach a spare tire to the tongue?

Any ideas as to whether this is common on such a trailer? I don't see balance weights on the wheels, nor do I know if they can even be balanced.

Thanks - Steve

 

[txvwnut]

Sounds like your getting tail whip from too much tail weight. The best way to correct it would be to slide the axle back but that will interfere with the tilt operation of the trailer.

 

[LXCam]

You already know the answer, more tongue weight or shift the axle back a few inches. It could be the fulcrum is at the ragged edge and with the tires not being balanced puts it over the edge. I have a lot of trailers and the best thing I ever did was move away from trailer tires to truck tires and have them properly balanced.

 

[Robert Haas]

Take it to a welder if you ain't one. Have them extend the tongue by 10 inches.

 

[apollo11]

Tiny tires are not helping either.

 

[Showkey]

The other often over looked issue ........is..........any upward angle of the tongue can cause a vibration and amplify that lack of tongue weight.

The vibration from upward tongue angle is often felt as a harmonic vibration that will rise and fall in regular pattern. Drop the hitch height is the solution.

 

[p_mori7]

Lower your hitch ball 1".

 

[SteveH-CO]

Thanks - great suggestions. I have a super-drop hitch, and will try that, as it will lower the ball several inches. I will post back with the results.

 

[48RON54]

Get drop hitch on truck
or
don't drive faster than 55 when towing
or
add weight to tongue when transporting empty

 

[creativecars]

The frame rails on the trailer should be level, lower the ball to match a level trailer height. Also make sure the axle is not bent and it is tracking right.

 

[f150skidoo]

Did it shake before changing tires? I had a tandem landscape trailer that I switched the tires and wheels and had off brand chinese trailer tires and the trailer would shake like crazy. I mean bad enough were you would feel the shaking in the seat of the pickup but once you put 2000+ pounds in the trailer the shaking would significantly diminish. but the shaking only started after the new tires/rims were installed.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Tire balance will affect a 500 lb trailer quite a bit.
First check the tires are round, then whle its in the air, if one side of the tire always settles down, I'd balance.

I had a double axle non suspension trailer that would ride front wheels sometimes just off the ground empty. I never really felt the vibration unless I stopped, and the goofy wheel was airborne and kept spinning.

 

[racingtadpole]

All wheels can be balanced, that should be your first step, and checking the runout and play of the wheel bearings should be a very close second.

 

[Notgrownup]

Strap down some cement blocks to it when you haul it empty

 

[matt_i]

All good ideas an analysis above, just some ideas...buy a barbell plate(s) and permanently affix to the front of the trailer underneath (please do this responsibly so you don't nuke someone with a large steel plate dropped onto the road). Or, better yet, buy 2 spare tires and affix those to the tongue, removably. I see a lot of people with flat tires on trailers and obviously no spares as they are standing around in groups or on phones trying to plot the next move, on sundays, holidays, etc.

 

[850xpeps]

I have a typical 8' x 10' snowmobile trailer (tilt) with very little tongue weight. New tires and I replaced and repacked the wheel bearings. It was made in Minnesota in 1987 - Ridge trailer mfg., and is totally stock in configuration.



When you hit 65 mph, empty, the trailer shakes fairly violently. There are no issues when loaded.



I guess one trick would be to strap down something like a car battery to the front of the trailer just to see if some weight would settle it down. Or maybe attach a spare tire to the tongue?



Any ideas as to whether this is common on such a trailer? I don't see balance weights on the wheels, nor do I know if they can even be balanced.



Thanks - Steve

Had the same trailer. No issues with it no matter what it’s hooked too. Pulled nicest of most trailers I’ve ever owned. Some tire can be junk right from new. Chinese or not. Might be worth trying a different set. I would say sway or bouncing would be caused by not enough weight but violent shaking I dunno about that.


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[Bigwheels]

I had the same issue on a larger flat bed car hauler. Tires were fairly new but after further inspection i discovered two tires had sidewall issues changed all four tires no more problem.

 

[Chaznsc]

Helpful thread. #stumbleduponit

 

[Outlander]

My son, 10 at the time, learned a few new words from Dad the time my snowmobile trailer nearly pulled us into a ditch. My Honda ATV was on it at the time and I think black ice contributed to the effect of the wobble.

Of course I cautioned him to be mindful of the stories he told when getting home, of course as a 10 year old he was incapable Mrs Outlander "forbade" me to use the trailer again and sent me out to "buy something safe"!

I decided to keep her at that point. No, no .... Mrs Outlander, not the trailer (although I did keep it for the cottage).

 

[m.breen]

Take it to a welder if you ain't one. Have them extend the tongue by 10 inches.

Yup..Short tongue will cause that for sure.

 

[bigguns69]

For a bumper trailer design you want no less than 10 percent of total trailer and load at the hitch point with a maximum consideration of the hitch capabilities of the vehicle. For 5th. Wheel hitch 15 to 20 percent.

If the tongue load is below that, all types of road and trailer dynamics cause the tongue load to go from positive to negative at the vehicle connection point and you’ll get a tail wagging the dog effect. Move the rear axle back to get a better unloaded tongue weight percentage or put a weight on the front of it.

 

[SteveH-CO]

The shake is mostly fixed.

I bought a new set of tires/wheels from ETrailer, after I jacked it up and saw that one of the tires wasn't particularly round. The tires were dated 1997 and 1999 and had some checking, and my spare was junk. The new tires essentially solved the issue - it shakes a little, unloaded, above 70, but I don't typically trailer that fast.

I suspect the new wheels/tires would benefit from a balance job at a tire store, too, so I may try that. Certainly couldn't hurt!

 

[Bretny]

You shouldnt be towing that trailer with tiny tires at 70mph. Those wheels have to be turning real real fast.

 

[Spareparts]

Trailer tires are rated at 55mph

 

[Showkey]

You shouldnt be towing that trailer with tiny tires at 70mph. Those wheels have to be turning real real fast.

Trailer tires are rated at 55mph

Alittle bit of the old school thinking coming through........

Small 10” trailer tires are often rated at:

Maximum speed: 87 mph (speed rating N)


Same applies to 15”-16” trailer with 87 MPH spec.

 

[Bretny]

Alittle bit of the old school thinking coming through........

Small 10” trailer tires are often rated at:

Maximum speed: 87 mph (speed rating N)


Same applies to 15”-16” trailer with 87 MPH spec.

Those clearly are not 15in tires. Your also not taking into account that its a 1987 trailer with unknown maintenance.

 

[trbomax]

Those clearly are not 15in tires. Your also not taking into account that its a 1987 trailer with unknown maintenance.

We used to jokingly call those "100 mph tires" because when the guy pulling them would pass us at 75 the little tires were turning 100,then we would take bets on how far up the road it would be before he was pulled over with a shredded tire or a smoked wheel bearing!

 

[59 wagon man]

load the snowmobiles backwards may help

 

[jhelrey]

I've caught myself at 90MPH with my enclosed snowmobile trailer passing, etc... Oops.

 

[Showkey]

Those clearly are not 15in tires. Your also not taking into account that its a 1987 trailer with unknown maintenance.

No the statement was “don’t over 55 MPH and You shouldnt be towing that trailer with tiny tires at 70mph. Those wheels have to be turning real real fast.“

When the 10” tire typical flat bed snowmobile trailer tires are rated at 87 mph speed rating N.

100% agree if any trailer tire ( any size) is over 5 years old.........your on borrowed time and extreme caution is required..........the tire can go away at any time at any speed.

 

[JoeMcGov]

The other often over looked issue ........is..........any upward angle of the tongue can cause a vibration and amplify that lack of tongue weight.

The vibration from upward tongue angle is often felt as a harmonic vibration that will rise and fall in regular pattern. Drop the hitch height is the solution.

Lower your hitch ball 1".

These ^^^. Get the tongue down to create "tongue heavy" like condition.

 

[SteveH-CO]

Some very good suggestions and observations here - thanks to you all.

Steve

 

[Kevin54]

Aerodynamics and the trailer is light.

 

[ljhhontx]

I had a 5x10 tilt utility trailer with good full size tires that would whip unless you loaded it just right, figured out that tilt trailers are made for tilting not driving, moved the axle back 4 inches fixed that problem. Lots of the suggestions would probably work but it is a problem that is inherent in tilt trailers, great for loading but hell to drive.