Yes you are right it is a new product but you know if no one buys a new product they can miss the boat.  Yes, they can be the first to have problems but I would like to think this was tested before put out on the market.

I have spoken to the dealer I purchased this unit from yesterday and they are trying to help me find out what is wrong also.  what my plans are now are to 1.  Dealer feels my tongue weight might be lowering the trailer when I load the horses as the unit sways behind the wheels of the trailer and that could indicate when I load horses it lowers my trailer (nose down) and that could cause the type of sway I get, so I am using a level and if true, I will use a higher hitch and make her level and then try it.  Right now she appears level but I did not check when horses in trailer..only by eye.  Hopefully the dealer hit on something.  wouldn't that be nice.  I personally feel horses in is taking the weight off of the tongue but I have to start illiminating things.

2.  My company is going to put this trailer on a lift Monday and check tires and frame work to make sure I do not have a crack, bad weld or rotation of tire problem.  This is a good thing they are doing for me.  I guess they want to keep me around a little longer.

I think one thing that was wrong is that the dealer should have been specific about the truck I was towing with was not sufficient.  I learned that the hard way.  the dealer just found out I purchased a new truck and am having this problem and hopefully they will help me find a solution.

The Manufacturer says I need to use my sway bar and a weight distribution kit that should b e installed on my trailer????????

My question is....If I used a Semi to tow this would I need a distribution kit then too.....My goodness this truck is made for towing.  Plus they are asking me to spend another 1,000 on this problem that nobody seems to know why it is happening.

What was your outcome with the Lakota.  Did you ever find a solution? or did you just test drive one?

I finally did call the dealer....see reply below

And they are working with me...problem is they are 5 hours from me.

 I will promise you this...When you load your horses, your trailer tongue weight gets... LIGHTER. The first horse is on top of the second axle and the second horse is behind the axles, that's why you have the sway when the horses are on board. You seem to know more about the trailer and what it will do, than the people that built it!!

A young lady on here a while back had a bumper pull steel, three horse trailer with a dressing room, The company that had built it, had the dressing room wall moved back to the area between the first and second horse. This now made it a two horse trailer with a large dressing room. But the deal was that the two horses were pretty much behind the axles which unloaded the tongue and she ended up jack knifing her 2500 Dodge truck and trailer. The mfg. had moved the dr wall back, but hadn't moved the axles back to compensate for the new "center of gravity". This was a trailer that was designed and sold by a trailer company that builds and sells trailers everyday. I can't remember the trailer make, it wasn't a Lakota, it was a cheaper steel plain jane trailer. I've looked for the thread, must have been more than a year ago, wish I could find it. I don't remember what ever became of this girl and her mis-"fortune".

I found literature on this trailer that says I have (this is with dressing room....not living accomodations) the following:

7,560 GVWR and 7,000 GAWR =- Shipping Wt 3,380 and 560 itch Wt.  Now I have to find my model and the weights.

As TOWFO has indicated, your truck is designed to tow a large trailer quite safety.

They have sold you a trailer that is not properly designed, and are attempting to make you pay for band aids to cure their mistakes. A trailer that is correctly designed and towed by an adequate vehicle, should not need additional equipment to go down the road in a straight line.

I currently own several different types of trailers, and over the years have had many more. None of them have needed any add on equipment to tow correctly.

You and your vehicle are not the cause of your problem. Use this knowledge to your advantage in your negotiations.

BOL  Gard

I agree with Retento.  The axles look to be to far forward.  Looking at the pic. of truck & trailer it does have some tongue weight. If you are loosing tongue weight with horses loaded I wonder if WDH will help. It seems they are made to relieve tongue weight. The only way to know 4-sure is to have the tongue weight checked.(with horses & without) Don't forget about water tanks & gear, will change TW. 

Thank you.  What made me sign onto this chat was that I felt just as you just described...bandaids....they do not fix they cover up problems.

I have been trailering for over 30 years (yes I am an old person) ha ha and have never never had this problem.  I have mostly used bumper pulls as we like to keep one available for emergencies if we need to get a horse to a vet and their is not a truck available to pull our gooseneck.

We used to own tractor trailers, milk rigs, dump trucks of all sizes and flat beds to move heavy equipment so believe me between my husband, son, son=in-law we know there is a major problem here.

I will continue to find a solution but yes, I have contacted my attorney and asked him for his opinion. 

I guess no one can imagine the feeling you get after a trailer sways......knowing you could have been hurt, killed and/or involved other innocent people on the roads.  the sad thing is everytime there is a fix, I have to test this and when it happens again I cringe....and cry.

I will do anything if the mfg or dealer can prove to me it is safe as I have enough people who have driven this with their own vehicles and experience the same problem.  Unfortunately I didn't ask others to try it until my new truck didn't work right.  Can you  imagine the expense I have gone through.  Had I known I was going to purchase this FORD I might have considered a gooseneck with living accomodation.

I cannot sell this trailer with this problem.

Teri,

Perhaps the dealer and manufacturer would consider taking their trailer back in a swap for a comparably priced Gn with LQ. You've paid a large amount for an unsuitable trailer that you cannot resell. You need not spend more good money after bad, in an effort to correct their design flaw.

With your lawyer reminding them of the liability issues involved, if ever there were any injury to yourself , family or equipment, and the negative press this thread has caused the manufacturer, they might take the opportunity to make this issue go quietly away.

Hey, "old" people, like us have rights too.

Gard

When I heard from the mfg yesterday I responded with that request.....All I want is a trailer that functions properly.  Would they like t6o sw3ap- even up a Gooseneck L/Q, I think the entire delimma could be solved.

I agree with you...no bandaids....respect my experience.  If in doubt I have asked them to have their own people test this unit or send me to a dealer that they authorize to check this out.

this weekend I went camping....locally....no highway driving.  I put another (new) hitch on the trailer.  My husband wanted to try a 4" drop as my truck tires are 20" and the trailer tires ar 16".  I also checked the pressure in the trailer tires and they were different amounts but are now all at 65 psi the requirmeent of the trailer mfg.

I brought it into work today where they are going to look at everything underneath for me.

I can say I measured the step into and the fenders with a level and my trailer is right on.  I put the level on the hitch and she is a little lower but I need to see if this is the way it is supposed to be.

Now I have to load 2 horses and re-measure for levelness.

I feel all I can do at this time is illiminate all variables.  I have thought of following my trailer and video to record when this happens but then why do I want to ask anyone to risk having an accident.  But it might be my next step.

Julibee.

   You stated that you thought the shipping weight was about 3300Lbs. I hope the dealer or Lakota didn't tell you that. On the Lakota web site it says the that shipping weights vary from 4,445 lbs. to 6,220 lbs with hitch weights of 950 lbs. to 1,405 lbs.  I could see how two horses, stuff and water weight could get you up around 10,000 lbs. or more. I think that the seller has a responsibility to be up front with how these weights can play out in the real world. Seeing they are the only one's that I know of that make a trailer like this ( you have to ask youself why that is) it is even more important.  I also feel that the buyer has responsibilities to know what they are buying by asking question's.  After all is said and done they are your horse' you are pulling down the road. The answer here could be it just was not put together right at the factory, or something you are doing is contrubiting to the problem (I don't know what that could be but it can't be ruled out either).

I don't have the actual #'s but my trailer weight is approx 5,500 lbs as displayed on the trailer and with the horses it is under 8,000 lbs.  Yes I agree the seller should have been more up front with me about this trailer.  It was a new model but I did test it on the highway and had no problems...empty.  I did not shop with my horses and did not feel there would be a problem other than the truck I was driving but have since purchased the appropriate vehicle for this weight.  I did question the placement of the wheels but was assured they were ok.

If I load two horses their front legs (slant load) are over the two wheels, but their hind legs are over the back wheel (front horse) and no wheel (second horse).  It appears my horses are over three wheels only.

I am having the under carriage looked at to rule out structual problems (welds etc) and then to a custom hitch and trailer company in town to ask their opinion of this problem.

I have to rule out all avenues.  I have visited my doing something wrong but I have been trailering with bumper pulls for over 30 years and I think that experience is what kept me from causing a serious accident and my experience tells me to stay off the roads until this is fixed correctly.

Keep in mind the truck I have will tow this weight I just have to find out why and if weight distribution bar and/or anti-sway bars are needed to tow this design of a trailer and if so why they didn't come with the trailer.

I am sorry to tell you, but the single rear wheel 250 and 350 models are not made to pull heavy weights! The weight distribution is a lot different with a gooseneck than bumper pull. Go look at bumper pull rv's. They are designed to be pulled with a sway bar. I do not think that there is much difference in a bumper pull rv and horse trailer. I think the lq in the bp will work. However the optimum vehicle will have to be a dually. Hopefully this might help!

Here's the Super Duty towing numbers...

http://www.fordf150.net/2008/2008-ford-f250-superduty-specifications.php

Conventional weight carrying 5000# Maximum

Conventional weight distributing 12,500# Maximum

So pulling any weight above 5000# from the "bumper hitch", they recomend using a weight distributing devise, and I would guess some type of anti-sway devise also. The two do complement each other.

These numbers have nothing to do with fifthwheel or gooseneck towing, just from the rear "bumper pull hitch".

I agree but my daughter pulled this with a 350 dually and it swayed with her also.

I am on my way to a custom hitch place to visit my options.

You are right.  I just found out that my tongue weight is 1,200 lbs......this much weight has to have weight distributing and anti-sway.  Everything I read said tongue weight was around 600#'s.

I put a level on my truck and then lowered the trailer and it showed how my trailer was sitting down which is an indication of needing weight distributing help.

Still a shame this did not come with this bar with that much weight on the tongue.  Also, why did a reputable dealer sell it to me and let me drive off with just an  anti-sway bar.

I guess my experience towing is why I am here to tell this story.

Now, onto costs and hopefully a solution to this problem and a future of happiness towing again.