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2020 Stinger Trailer fish-tails while empty - anyone else? Ideas?
- Thread starter ScottBiron
- Start date
racoon
Well-known member
I haven't towed my Stinger trailer yet, so I don't know how it will handle while empty.
Based on your experience I think I'm going to take it for a test drive before using it to drop off my Spyder at the dealer for service, and then having to tow the trailer home empty.
Google suggests that if a trailer starts fishtailing you should decrease speed by taking your foot off the gas, but do not brake.
I think I would also check the air pressure in the tires to make sure they are inflated correctly.
Based on your experience I think I'm going to take it for a test drive before using it to drop off my Spyder at the dealer for service, and then having to tow the trailer home empty.
Google suggests that if a trailer starts fishtailing you should decrease speed by taking your foot off the gas, but do not brake.
I think I would also check the air pressure in the tires to make sure they are inflated correctly.
TheMariner
Active member
Howdy.
My 2c is that there isn't enough weight on your towball. Most of the Spyders weight is at the front so when it's on the trailer it should put more weight on the towball. Looking at the empty trailer pic there's a lot of steel behind the trailer axle in the form of ramps & the track for the Spyder's rear wheel which might not quite give enough towball weight.
Try adding some weight temporarily to the front of the trailer (some plastic drums filled with water ?) and try towing at speed again to see if there's any improvement.
My 2c is that there isn't enough weight on your towball. Most of the Spyders weight is at the front so when it's on the trailer it should put more weight on the towball. Looking at the empty trailer pic there's a lot of steel behind the trailer axle in the form of ramps & the track for the Spyder's rear wheel which might not quite give enough towball weight.
Try adding some weight temporarily to the front of the trailer (some plastic drums filled with water ?) and try towing at speed again to see if there's any improvement.
This is most likely related to the height of the hitch on your tow vehicle, as an empty trailer of this type has almost certainly has been designed to track true - unless maybe it's been damaged at some stage & the axle or something else has somehow been bent in an irregular way?? :dontknow:
So try this: Hitch up the trailer to your tow vehicle & park both on level ground somewhere you can look at them side-on from at least 20 feet off to one side. The front of the trailer body should be marginally lower than the rear of the trailer. I don't think it's worth measuring anything, your Mark 1 Eyeball should be good enough for this exercise (mainly cos I really don't want to go into the calculations over total length, drawbar length/height, & axle to drawbar length & height et al that determine the ideal hitch height/length/axle relationship, cos that sorta stuff hurts my brain these days
) but you need to have a slight downward tilt toward the front of the trailer body, and the hitch point on your tow vehicle needs to be low enough to cater for that. Generally, a few inches of forward tilt on the trailer body will be fine, but without that forward tilt, the trailer will likely fish-tail unless it's heavy enough/loaded heavily enough to counter the nose-up effect! 
If your hitch height puts the trailer body absolutely level or worse, nose up, then you need to get a hitch extension to drop the tow-ball/pivot point down enough to change that into a nose down attitude. That SHOULD iron out the fish-tailing; an alternative is to carry some weight forward of the axle that puts at least 10% of the total towed weight onto the hitch point... and that might mean fixing a box or some sort of platform to the drawbar in a way that'd mess up the foldability of the stinger trailer.
Ps: Many people do over-inflate their trailer tires needlessly, and that certainly won't help! :banghead: Regardless of the fact that they're trailer tires and need to be CAPABLE of carrying a heavy load; trailer tires still only need sufficient air in them to carry the load that they are actually bearing RIGHT NOW, or they can induce unwanted handling, wear, puncture risk, and stability issues simply cos they'll be causing the trailer to bounce around a LOT!! :shocked:
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PMK
Active member
This video demonstrates how an improperly loaded trailer can be a dangerous situation. Trailer tongue weight is a key factor in trailer stability.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Dgxe584Ss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Dgxe584Ss
LongIsland
Member
I have towed my stinger trailer unloaded but have not had the sway issue nor was I traveling at high speeds. So, I used microsoft copilot and found the following:
An empty utility trailer might sway due to several reasons:
1. Insufficient Tongue Weight: One of the most common causes of trailer sway, particularly for travel trailers, is insufficient tongue weight. Tongue weight must be at least 10-15% of the gross trailer weight for travel trailers, and 15-25% for fifth wheels
2. High Wind and Vehicle Pressures: Trailers can sway when empty because of high wind and significant vehicle pressures on the sides.
3. Under-Inflated Trailer Tires: Under-inflated trailer tires can also cause the trailer to sway
4. High-Speed Driving: Driving at high speeds can generate empty trailer swaying
5. Bumpy Roads and Slopes: Bumpy roads, slopes, and insufficient attachment tools can move the trailer towards one side of the road, causing it to sway
6. Improper Weight Distribution: When trailer tongue weight is applied to the hitch ball and the weight is not properly distributed, trailer sway can occur.
Remember, safety is paramount when towing a trailer. Always ensure your trailer is properly balanced and secured, and adjust your driving to the conditions to prevent swaying. If you notice your trailer starting to sway, slow down and stop if necessary until the swaying stops. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
An empty utility trailer might sway due to several reasons:
1. Insufficient Tongue Weight: One of the most common causes of trailer sway, particularly for travel trailers, is insufficient tongue weight. Tongue weight must be at least 10-15% of the gross trailer weight for travel trailers, and 15-25% for fifth wheels
2. High Wind and Vehicle Pressures: Trailers can sway when empty because of high wind and significant vehicle pressures on the sides.
3. Under-Inflated Trailer Tires: Under-inflated trailer tires can also cause the trailer to sway
4. High-Speed Driving: Driving at high speeds can generate empty trailer swaying
5. Bumpy Roads and Slopes: Bumpy roads, slopes, and insufficient attachment tools can move the trailer towards one side of the road, causing it to sway
6. Improper Weight Distribution: When trailer tongue weight is applied to the hitch ball and the weight is not properly distributed, trailer sway can occur.
Remember, safety is paramount when towing a trailer. Always ensure your trailer is properly balanced and secured, and adjust your driving to the conditions to prevent swaying. If you notice your trailer starting to sway, slow down and stop if necessary until the swaying stops. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
petegtsv10
Member
X10 on tongue weight and level trailer.
canamjhb
Well-known member
Just looking at the trailer... Most of the weight appears to be behind the axle. In addition, you have a very short tongue. Perfect recipe for fish tailing. I'd bet you don't have even 20 lbs. of tongue weight with the trailer empty. Good luck. Jim
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I just bought a used Stringer and had to bring it home empty from Kansas to Oklahoma. About a mile from where I picked it up I got a pretty good sway going. I stopped and folded the three ramps flat and strapped them down and that helped a bunch but still had a sway several times along the way. Hitch weight was the issue. All of the weight on this trailer is behind the axle when unloaded. With the Spyder loaded the problem is gone. Tows really well.
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