Sway bar - do you really need it???

[kbrown1075]

My biggest concern is what will happen when the unexpected happens. How 'bout a wheel dropping off the asphalt and having to correct for it. How 'bout an emergency swerve due to a careless driver. How 'bout an emergency stop.

Please, all readers considering saving a few bucks, do the right thing, get a WDH and sway control. Don't take chances for your families health and safety, along with mine and everyone elses.

[NBhockeydad]

Thanks everyone who has added some input to this topic.
I will never drive without a WDH with sway control again.
And hopefully this helps others in the same situation.

[Terier]

I'm so used to using a sway control that I felt uneasy driving my trailer around a small block of houses so I could back it into the driveway. I had removed it because I was going to be backing up otherwise it would had been on.

Like others I don't think you will regret having one.

[NBhockeydad]

Let me ask you this. I see WDH going for prices between $150-$500+.
Are there ones we should stay away from? Quality wise? Are they mostly the same? Any recommendations on a brand? What kind are you using?
I'm guessing the more you spend the better the WDH??

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by NBhockeydad

Let me ask you this. I see WDH going for prices between $150-$500+.
Are there ones we should stay away from? Quality wise? Are they mostly the same? Any recommendations on a brand? What kind are you using?
I'm guessing the more you spend the better the WDH??

If you have an conventional upright travel trailer, then a WDH with integrated sway control is best, along with being more expensive. Reese Straight Line Dual Cam, Equalizer (brand) 4 pt sway control, or Blue Ox are among the most popular. The Hensley Hitch and Pro Pride are top of the line, but also carry top of the line pricing.....over $2000.

[NBhockeydad]

Thanks... has anyone heard of the "Curt Trunnion Bar Weight Distribution Hitch"??? If so, any good???

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by NBhockeydad

Thanks... has anyone heard of the "Curt Trunnion Bar Weight Distribution Hitch"??? If so, any good???

All that hitch does is distribute weight.....there is no sway control.

[NBhockeydad]

If we got an additional sway control bar, do you think it would be a good one???

[acadianbob]

Originally Posted by NBhockeydad

If we got an additional sway control bar, do you think it would be a good one???

As MtnGuy says, no built in sway-control. But there is nothing wrong with Curt equipement. You would need to add a sway BAR.

[bikendan]

the most popular WDHs are the Reese Dual-Cam and the Equal-i-zer.
the reason these are the most popular is that they offer built-in sway control and are considered the best for the money. you don't have to unhook anything to back up, either.
they control sway better than the cheaper WDHs with friction sway bars and they cost way less than the Hensley or ProPride.
another advantage to the Equal-i-zer is you don't have to drill into the frame of the tongue.

a cheap friction anti-sway bar, on a lower-end WDH like the Curt, will require you to unhook it to back up the trailer.

if you do some reading on RV forums, you see lots of posts of those who had owned the cheaper WDHs, like the Curt, and their reactions to upgrading to a Dual-Cam or Equal-i-zer. they nearly all say that they should have done it in the first place and that the towing experience was way much better than with a friction bar WDH.

i usually point shoppers to RVW for their great prices and free shipping on the Equal-i-zer. but you live in Canada.

[NBhockeydad]

We don't live in Canada - what the website for RVW?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by NBhockeydad

We don't live in Canada - what the website for RVW?

sorry, i assumed because of the hockey dad and the NB(New Brunswick), you lived in Canada.

google rvwholesalers.

[Triathletedave]

This has been a very interesting thread. I've been towing a 29' TT (33' bumper to hitch) with a GMC 1500 Crew cab and WDH for a year now, and I have never had an incident with sway. Now I'm upgrading the TV to a Ford F-150 EB with the Max Tow package, and I'm wondering if I should upgrade from the WDH to a WDH with Sway control.

Anyone have any idea if the new Ford has anti-sway with the Max Tow? I'm only concerned because we do a lot of trips through the Rockies, and we often pass through some of the windiest conditions anywhere in North America. What should I expect to pay to to convert my WDH? Should I go straight to the dual cam? Is there much difference in price?

[campdohbrew]

Originally Posted by Triguy

NBhokeydad,
Looks like you're picking up your trailer today.

I'm late to the party regarding sway control, but let me stress a couple of points made here:

1. Some people talk about sway as being the suck-pull-push from a passing truck or the push from a light wind. This is normal, but is not the sway you need to be concerned with. Real sway is unpredictable and can be best described as a "rapid side-to-side oscillation of the trailer which increases with each swing". It happens for a variety of reasons, but excessive speed and poor match-up between trailer and TV are two of the more common ones. A good WDH with sway control helps minimize it. Driving smart does, too.
2. Don't trust your salesman. Or trust but verify, as Ronny used to say.
3. WDH is required by Ford if the trailer is > 5,000lbs or the hitch is > 500lbs. Even if you are lighter than these values, a WDH will help and sway control is cheap so why not? Don't go cheap on safety.

Anyway, you are probably ready to leave soon for your trailer. Have a great PDI and enjoy. Let us know what you decided to do about the hitch.

x2 and may I add that I have never heard of extra safety practices hurting anybody, but I sure have heard about them saving folks.

[NBhockeydad]

Finally picked up a WDH with a Reese friction sway control bar. Looking forward to using it. I feel much safer now. Thanks to all!!

[sherri330]

Originally Posted by Triathletedave

This has been a very interesting thread. I've been towing a 29' TT (33' bumper to hitch) with a GMC 1500 Crew cab and WDH for a year now, and I have never had an incident with sway. Now I'm upgrading the TV to a Ford F-150 EB with the Max Tow package, and I'm wondering if I should upgrade from the WDH to a WDH with Sway control.

Anyone have any idea if the new Ford has anti-sway with the Max Tow? I'm only concerned because we do a lot of trips through the Rockies, and we often pass through some of the windiest conditions anywhere in North America. What should I expect to pay to to convert my WDH? Should I go straight to the dual cam? Is there much difference in price?

We have the F-150 EB with the max tow package. The truck came with an anti-sway break system. This just means that if your trailer does start to sway, the break system will kick-in to help regain control (and it works!). Idiot driver cut in front of me on the interstate and I had to evade. You will still need an anti-sway hitch system. We have the Equal-i-zer. It works great, but we did have to make some adjustments after the initial set-up from the dealer.

www.equalizerhitch.com

[Taranwanderer]

X2 on the Equalizer. My dealer actually recommended it when I purchased last fall, I didn't think I needed it, I towed it home without it and quickly changed my mind. I took it back in February, the dealer installed it, and it's been night and day. It's a good thing. A very good thing.