Trailer Sway

For the sake of discussion.

If a 5th wheel has some sway to it, will moving the hitch / pin further towards the cab help or hurt the situation? I ask for obvious reasons and as you can see in my Avatar, I have the room and the B&W has about another inch of adjustment forward. I am also wondering what it would do to my turning radius. The camper already does not follow well in a turn since the axles are mounted further back than on our old Wildcat. I appreciate any thoughts. Thanks

I got these numbers off the Cameo web site. If they apply to your unit your GVWR on the trailer is near 15,000 lbs they way i read it. This would yield an estimated pin weight near 3,000 lbs. Does your TV have the GVWR to handle that weight? Asked another way, could the weight be the cause of the sway?

Approx. Dry Axle Weight (lb) 9,640
Approx. Hitch Weight (lb) 2,590
Approx. Total Dry Weight (lb) 12,230
Approx. Average Load Capacity (lb) 2,769

I have added a leaf to the springs and had them re-arched and the truck now has the capacity of a 1-ton SRW and I have air bags that I blow up to 40#'s to keep things level, so I don't think that is the cause of the sway. It is very mild, nothing major, just like I said earlier, "just for the sake of discussion". I have pulled the Cameo over 12,000 miles in the past year and a half with no problems, just always looking for improvement.

Your weights are about right, but I do have the 5500 Onan in the front compartment that adds a little to the pin, I am actually just over 3,000 on the pin. Yes, I know that is over weight for my truck.

How much of that sway would you say is from gusty wind ?

Actually, the wind doesn't touch this heavy beast. I used to get so nervous in a side wind with the Wildcat because I could barely keep it on the road and I have actually stopped early while traveling due to wind. With the Cameo, I have had 30+ winds (Tropical Storm Lee) with no problems. I have had the very rare occasional gust out west that I am sure was well over 40 MPH that made things sway, but it was a very controlled motion, not a "whipping" feel at all.