Toad seems to be in control

BR

Brian515

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2025
Posts
13
I have a 2023 Chateau 22b 24'. I have flat towed a small auto (2,200 pounds) for a few years with no problems. I am now tow a pickup truck (4,400 pounds). This truck is pushing my rig all over the lane while driving. Is it just the weight difference? Any remedies?
 
The weight should do the opposite during normal towing - help keep the rig straight.
Looseness in the hitch/tow bar/base plate connection?
Level tow bar?
TOAD steering wheel unlocked?
TOAD properly aligned?
Recreational Towing Procedure for the TOAD properly followed? (electric power steering deenergized)

What are you towing?
 
16ACE27 said:
The weight should do the opposite during normal towing - help keep the rig straight.
Looseness in the hitch/tow bar/base plate connection?
Level tow bar?
TOAD steering wheel unlocked?
TOAD properly aligned?
Recreational Towing Procedure for the TOAD properly followed? (electric power steering deenergized)

What are you towing?
Click to expand...
2023 Ford Ranger 4 wd with neutral tow.
 
Super Steer Trac Bar may be helpful for your issue. Our motorhome had a very noticeable "tail wagging the dog" that begin when we started flat towing. When we remove the flat tow, the movement disappears.

The Trac Bar does not eliminate this wagging from happening, but it reduces it.
First check to know you are within the specified towing weights. Then double check your tires and air pressure. Also re-checking your tow bar is to eliminate any simple problems. Be sure your basics are covered.
 
Brian515 said:
Demco plug and play
Click to expand...
I tow a 6,000 vehicle (SUV). I had to adjust the settings to a Medium sized RV on my RVi3 Brake so it would not stop as hard. The opposite of your problem as I wanted just a tad push to feel it back there. Can you tow trailers with no issues? Rent a U haul trailer that is close to the weight of your towed. Add what you need so weight is the same. Let us know what happen.
 
dkoldman said:
I tow a 6,000 vehicle (SUV). I had to adjust the settings to a Medium sized RV on my RVi3 Brake so it would not stop as hard. The opposite of your problem as I wanted just a tad push to feel it back there. Can you tow trailers with no issues? Rent a U haul trailer that is close to the weight of your towed. Add what you need so weight is the same. Let us know what happen.
Click to expand...
First of all, braking is not his issue:
Brian515 said:
This truck is pushing my rig all over the lane while driving. I
Click to expand...
Second, the dynamics of pulling a trailer is completely different than pulling a TOAD.

Third, should he go ahead and install a brake controller for this "test"?
 
His hew toad is 1/3 the weight of his coach. What is the towing capacity of a 12,000 pound RV? What is the GCWR of his coach? Is his tow bar height in spec? Seems like he may be pushing the limits towing 4k# with a 12k# rig.
 
16ACE27 said:
First of all, braking is not his issue:
Click to expand...
Maybe not, but OP states "This truck is pushing my rig" I didn't see how anything being towed could actually PUSH the vehicle in front unless that towed vehicle was at a greater speed than the vehicle doing the pulling? The only way I was thinking it could occur was if OP got off the gas, was braking, or transmission was auto shifting with something like "tow haul". If so, the braking system should have detected those subtle changes and slowed the tow vehicle down so it could not push.
 
Back in the day, I towed a first gen Isuzu Trooper behind a 26 foot Class C. The Trooper didn't always track well behind the camper. It's not that it pushed or pulled the camper, but it added some side to side tail wag. Once I moved up to a bigger, 30 foot, Class C that tail wag went away.
 
Lt Keefer said:
His hew toad is 1/3 the weight of his coach. What is the towing capacity of a 12,000 pound RV? What is the GCWR of his coach? Is his tow bar height in spec? Seems like he may be pushing the limits towing 4k# with a 12k# rig.
Click to expand...
Depends on what chassis he has:

1750120463105.png


Maybe he'll tell us.

Maybe he'll confirm if he has checked other items mentioned in this thread.

Maybe he'll continue to lurk.
 
Last edited:
We tow a 2021 Ranger with our Geneva 24VT. Scale weights about 1k under GVWR and 1500 under combined, depending on trip length. Coach drives OK under reasonable conditions. Turns into a wrestling match with the Ranger. Ranger has new tires and fresh alignment. We added the steering stabilizer and made it manageable in light wind. Higher wind is still tough. Being in Kansas we don’t see a lot of light wind.

I think a track bar is the solution, but there are none made for the E350 with a V8. For now I’m trying to learn how to ignore the wandering until it hits the stripe, then correct. It’s less tiring. And cheaper.

Please post if you find the answer.
 
Tha
16ACE27 said:
Depends on what chassis he has:

View attachment 1320113

Maybe he'll tell us.

Maybe he'll confirm if he has checked other items mentioned in this thread.

Maybe he'll continue to lurk.
Click to expand...
Thanks everyone. I believe my tow set up is within specs. I had a professional do the install. The braking is not the issue. What I did notice is the hitch (Blue Ox) has a considerable amount of free play, both at the rv receiver and where the tow bar fits into hitch receiver.
 
My motorhome is very similar... 25' long E-350, but with the legacy V-10. I tow a 3,800# Jeep Wrangler TJ using a Blue Ox tow bar. I have an InvisiBrake setup.

I am right at the weight limit when fully loaded for travel... so anything heavier would bust my GVWR. I have towed the Jeep from Ohio to Colorado and back, and all over West Virginia mountains. After I got the InvisiBrake dialed in I can barely tell the Jeep is back there. There's no side to side wagging and no "pushing" that I can detect.

Are you CERTAIN the truck drivetrain is completely disengaged per the towing setup procedure in the manual? The only thing I can think of is some sort of drivetrain resistance, or the truck is wildly out of alignment. Have you done a "walk test"... someone walk alongside the towed while you pull it slowly for about 50 yards? Swerving serpentine will also verify the front wheels are turning/tracking (verify steering wheel isn't locked). It will also help the tow bar arms to lock into place. That is part of our towed hitch routine.
 
I always confirm the neutral tow is engaged. Since the key is always inserted and in the acc position the steering wheel is unlocked. I also confirm the yow ba aemrms are locked. I have never noticed any alignment issues with the truck when driving it. In a previous post I was concerned about the free play issues with the hitch.
 
Brian515 said:
I always confirm the neutral tow is engaged. Since the key is always inserted and in the acc position the steering wheel is unlocked. I also confirm the yow ba aemrms are locked. I have never noticed any alignment issues with the truck when driving it. In a previous post I was concerned about the free play issues with the hitch.
Click to expand...
How have you confirmed this? Have you ever done the exercise I described? Just because you went through the motions doesn't necessarily mean it's ACTUALLY disengaged and steering unlocked. Weird things happen... put eyes and ears on it to be CERTAIN. 🙂

And... carry an IR temperature gun... they're cheap now. Do a walk around at stops and shoot the wheels/hubs looking for above average temperatures that your TPMS might not detect.
 
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