webster twinfisher bouncing on trailer!?!

[snapperback]

i own 4.6 Metre webster twin fisher, towed behind a 1999 toyota camry v6. When i tow my boat it knocks the back of my car around pretty badly esp on bumpy roads.ive tried everything fro moving the axle, moving the boat, stiffer springs in the rear of my car, heavy duty tow bar but it still knocks the back of my car around.its got me stumped!!! i know the rule of thumb for downward pressure on a towball is between 5-10% so im beginning to think it may be the trailer springs (possibly too stiff????) or the trailer itself, could that be possible?? ive towed my cousins 5.25 metre savage osprey which is a heavier boat than mine, and although i can feel the extra weight on the car it feels alot more stable to tow. any help or suggestions would be great or if anyone has the same boat, how much weight do u have on ur towball? thanks :)

[Dan5]

Hey bloke of always tried to have about 30 odd% on tow ball but i've had 4wd's for the last 15yr's so you don't really notice it that much.I've built a few trailers for mates and my own and we've pretty much made a copy of an existing trailer and have never had any issue's with towing maybe the spring's are a bit heavy like you say but it's a bit of a stuff around to change them on a guess try stickin a bit extra weight in it and try it out. Cheers Dan......

[joeT]

Sounds a bit obvious, but hows the tyre pressures on the trailer?

[SunnyCoastMark]

Snapperback,
What kind of springs do you have under the trailer - how many leaf?

Is your spring/axle assembly on a sub frame that can be moved back a little - putting a bit more weight on the drawbar. - This is a good thing as more weight on the drawbar stops fishtailing at highway speeds. (As well as making for a quieter tow)

Mark

[BigE]

could the wind be lifting in the tunnel of the boat ..... after all that is what cats are designed to do. try a cover over the front of the tunnel when towing & lock the bow down with a turn buckle.

E

[FNQCairns]

Do you mean noisy tow ball rattle?? If so adjust the tow coupling to accept the ball correctly and it will quieten right down.

cheers fnq

[finga]

What's the weight of the boat and how many leafs in the springs??

[Why Not]

Have a look at the height of your towing hitch (at the ball) in relation to the level of the trailer itself. Ball weight is one thing but if the tow ball is too low or too high it could push the trailer around.

I also found a trailer that have the axle bolted so that one wheel was a shorter distance to the ball than the other. The damn thig was like a cork screw.

Dex

[DR]

Do you mean noisy tow ball rattle?? If so adjust the tow coupling to accept the ball correctly and it will quieten right down.

cheers fnq
that sounds like a possibility..

i have a 4.3 & it tows like it is on rails, but in the beginning it did make a lot of noise until i adjusted the hitch to fit the towball properly, now it's as quiet as a mouse..

[snapperback]

sunny coast mark,
i have a single spring trailer suspension and it is on a separate sub frame. i have tried moving it back (and forward for that matter). but it hasnt seemed to help the problem. my boat/trailer/motor weigh a total of around 1 tonne and i have approx 90 kgs of weight on the towball at the moment so im guessing thats about right. i might try a little more weight and see how that goes, just worried it will take too much wieght off the front wheels of my camry as its front wheel drive. thanks for ur help mate :). anyone else had a similar problem as me ur thoughts /suggestions would be fantastic cheers!!

[gone_fishing]

check your tyre pressures i tow around the 1500 kg mark at work and find some trailers pig r**t bad all i have been doning to rectify this is pump the tyres up to 35psi instead of 25 makes towing a lot smoother dont get out feeling sea sick
this is a solution i have found
hope it helps

[harlequin]

i have the similar set up as you snapper i tonne boat trailer on single springs came in 3 sizes 600kg,900kg & 1200kg bloke recommended pair of 600kg for me worked well adjusted it for 100kg on the ball it tows no worries i do ratchet strap it down front and rear i think dr/why not, might have the best advice good luck

[snapperback]

thanks guys for all ur suggestions and help regarding my trailer boucing round like a bat out of hell .today i replaced my parabolic single leaf springs with multi leafs after searching the forum for more info and OMG, what a difference!!! its like driving a mercedes compared to what it towed like before. cant believe it took me four friggen yrs to solve the problem!!..im stoked :) happy fishing people :)