Sway Bar in the Rain

[Terrib972]

Took my new trailer for a test run this weekend. The helpful guy in the site next to me said that I should loosen my friction sway bar when it's raining. My route home was a stretch of highway heavily travelled by big trucks so I really did not want to disable the sway bar.

My setup is a Tacoma with towing pkg rated to pull 6500lbs and equipped with trailer brakes, a Rockwood 1901 at about 3800 GVWR, weight distribution bars and a friction sway control bar. Reading previous threads, the issue seems to be when turning, that because of slick streets the truck tires can slip due to the weight of the trailer pushing it. I am not an aggressive driver - very careful - but I am a beginner to towing. But it seems with my setup (weight of trailer being relatively low) that my risk from this issue is low. Seems that in the rain, I also wouldn't want the trailer swaying with the big trucks passing either so I'm thinking it is logical to leave the bar engaged.

Thoughts?

[stallsmi]

I always leave mine on in the rain with no issues. I have read, however, to disengage them in ice/snow.

[Terrib972]

Thanks stallsmi, for your response. I really hope to not be driving in the ice/snow! But you never know.

[OldCoot]

The man knows of which he is talking.

We were towing our racecar trailer in Memphis in the rain with the dual friction sway bars tightened and going around a curve, we just about jackknifed due to the sway bars. We stopped and just loosened them a little and continued on with no problems. I never kept them tight in the rain again. Always stopped if we got caught in the rain and loosened them.

[rattleNsmoke]

Damn. Ya' learn something new every day.

[Terrib972]

Thanks for sharing your experience, OldCoot.

[OldCoot]

It sure opened our eyes and closed something else!

[acadianbob]

So, help me out here. Wouldn't the same thing hold true for an Equalizer hitch? How would that be any different?

[TimVWulp]

Hi I always have towed with a WDH and a friction sway control tightened the same dry or wet. Never had have had control problem caused by the friction sway control. I have been dragging a 27' trailer since 1996 with my F350 for a lots of miles. What happens is my driving habits change drastically when the pavement is wet. Or high wind conditions. You need to slow down. Make sure you are looking down the road far enough to try and anticipate what you are driving into. If there is a curve in the road you may want to slow down even more to ensure the TV and trailer have good traction with the road surface. The harder it rains the less traction with the road the tires will have.

Hope this helps drive safe Tim

[OldCoot]

We found the friction sway bars we used (EZ) when they got wet would tighten just like wet brake shoes will grab.

[Tennesseetroy]

I just attended a blue ox seminar on towing TT 5th wheels etc. the guy said that friction sway bars do not work in the rain because water become's a lubricant which I agree with. That's coming from a so called professional from Blue Ox.

[phf]

If you are using a weight distribution hitch and have your trailer level, you have accomplished several things. Tandem axle trailers will have equal weight on both axles. Your vehicle will not have a light front end with poor breaking and steering control. You will have trailer anti sway. I would not adjust those.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by phf

If you are using a weight distribution hitch and have your trailer level, you have accomplished several things. Tandem axle trailers will have equal weight on both axles. Your vehicle will not have a light front end with poor breaking and steering control. You will have trailer anti sway. I would not adjust those.

This is the (Camp) I am in! If you (Disengauge) your (Reese Dual Cam or Equalizer 4Point) you also have released you W/D totally! I leave ours (SET) Rain or Shine! Youroo!!

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by phf

If you are using a weight distribution hitch and have your trailer level, you have accomplished several things. Tandem axle trailers will have equal weight on both axles. Your vehicle will not have a light front end with poor braking and steering control. You will have trailer anti sway. I would not adjust those.

The wdh will give some sway control, but not much and no one is suggesting loosening the torsion bars on the hitch. I found out I needed to loosen the FRICTION SWAY bars when they got wet. But, you can, naturally, do as you want.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Tennesseetroy

I just attended a blue ox seminar on towing TT 5th wheels etc. the guy said that friction sway bars do not work in the rain because water become's a lubricant which I agree with. That's coming from a so called professional from Blue Ox.

Try soaking your brake pads &/or shoes in water and see what happens, I can guarantee you they will grab like crazy! The same with a FRICTION sway bar as the friction is obtained using brake shoe material on both sides of a steel bar.

[RPAspey]

I've never loosened the friction control when i drive in the rain. But, this discussion explains why, on occasion in the rain, my truck feels like it's rear gets "pushed" around corners. Especially right hand corners. I'm definitely going to try loosening the friction control during rain....

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by RPAspey

I've never loosened the friction control when i drive in the rain. But, this discussion explains why, on occasion in the rain, my truck feels like it's rear gets "pushed" around corners. Especially right hand corners. I'm definitely going to try loosening the friction control during rain....

We never did either until our harrowing experience in Memphis, but we sure did after that. It definitely made believers out of us. We were using dual friction sway bars, one on each side.

[Terrib972]

Well, the differences in opinion have totally confused me. I only have one friction sway bar, btw. But it sounds like some think the sway bar will grab which is not good so loosening the tension would be better. Others think the sway bar is further lubricated, in which case it isn't working anyway so loosening tension wouldn't hurt anything.

But I still wonder if style of driving and load on the system - in my case a relatively low load - like I mentioned in my original post helps mitigate the issue. I want to do what makes sense most of the time. But not being experienced in pulling a trailer and maneuvering out of a rare bad situation might also trump all that.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Terrib972

Well, the differences in opinion have totally confused me. I only have one friction sway bar, btw. But it sounds like some think the sway bar will grab which is not good so loosening the tension would be better. Others think the sway bar is further lubricated, in which case it isn't working anyway so loosening tension wouldn't hurt anything.

But I still wonder if style of driving and load on the system - in my case a relatively low load - like I mentioned in my original post helps mitigate the issue. I want to do what makes sense most of the time. But not being experienced in pulling a trailer and maneuvering out of a rare bad situation might also trump all that.

Do an experiment, take your sway bar off, loosen it completely up, pull the bar out and spray both pads liberally with water and re-install and tighten it exactly the same amount as you normally do when it is dry and then go for a drive.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

I found out I needed to loosen the FRICTION SWAY bars when they got wet. But, you can, naturally, DO AS YOU WANT.

As long as you agree with oc.