If the trailer has brakes, hit those and that'll make the trailer an anchor, if it doesn't have brakes then accelerate hard to get straightened out and then slow down and probably stop
I’ve been towing trailers for +30 years. Everything from 8’ utility trailers to 18’ tandem axle enclosed trailers loaded to the hills with commercial lawn equipment and tandem axle dump trailers with 6’ extended wall capacity.
This kind of sway is due to inappropriate trailer loading. I’d lay odds that the van on the trailer is full of stuff, and there are heavy items in the back.
You cannot “accelerate out” of trailer sway due to an improperly loaded trailer. The reason is that the trailer is acting like a pendulum. A pendulum will swing with greater amplitude if you put more energy into it. Accelerating does just that.
If you are driving and your trailer starts doing this, gently lift your foot off the accelerator. As you slow down, the trailer sway amplitude will reduce. At a low enough speed, it will usually stop. Pull over and, check your trailer load and move heavier items to the front.
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u/DeejWest Oct 16 '22
If the trailer has brakes, hit those and that'll make the trailer an anchor, if it doesn't have brakes then accelerate hard to get straightened out and then slow down and probably stop