Towing without stabilizer bars

[metroplexchl]

Do y'all tow your TT without stabilizer bars?

Long story short...some A hole stole our 30' TT. As I was tracking it down (it has a gps tracker on it) and before the police could go grab it, the A hole threw away the stabilizer bars and took off the welded-on stabilizer bar receivers that were on the A frame area where the trailer hitch receiver is.

We just need to tow it from far north TX to eastern OK to park it on our land.

[fipntdot]

If you are pulling it with the F350 in your signature you are probably ok. May notice the wind a bit more. I am sure others will chime in with opinions.

[metroplexchl]

Originally Posted by fipntdot

If you are pulling it with the F350 in your signature you are probably ok. May notice the wind a bit more. I am sure others will chime in with opinions.

I am still in the F350. It's about a three hour drive total. 1.5 hours north to Atoka then east for another 1.5-2 hours. The roads in OK are weird, but I can take it slow.

[moose074]

You should be fine if it gets bad slow down I see people in West Texas trying to do the speed limit ( 80 mph ) in 25 mph cross winds with that trl just wagging

[D W]

You should be okay for that short drive as long as your 350 is empty and you drive at a reasonable speed, i.e. not 80 mph. I won't ask why the brackets were welded to the A frame.

[bikendan]

Moved thread from the General Community Discussion section to the Towing, Tow Vehicles and Hitches sub-forum since the OP's questions are specific to that sub-forum and are not general community questions.

[metroplexchl]

Originally Posted by D W

You should be okay for that short drive as long as your 350 is empty and you drive at a reasonable speed, i.e. not 80 mph. I won't ask why the brackets were welded to the A frame.

The tow bar receivers were welded to the A frame. That may be the wrong name for them though. The bars attached to my hitch and then would attach to what I am calling the tow bar receivers. Then you sinch them down and everything is super locked in.

[wlfclf2000]

Please share the brand and type of tacking system you used as I would like to have a successful recovery if my trailer is stolen.
Thanks

[Oaklevel]

I too think that you should be fine. But beyond that I would check also for cut wires brakes etc.

[Boomerweps]

When ordering replacements, the term is SPRING BARS, not sway bars.
Depending on the WDH, it might be cost effective just to buy a whole new hitch.

On a side note, my SIL towed a 7500# toy hauler for several years with a Ram 2500 diesel with NO WDH or added sway control, no problems.

[llr]

If you have way issues add more wait in front of the axles, you should have plenty of payload in the truck. Depending on your tank locations filling the tanks are probably the easiest way to add weight.

[redvalk]

Originally Posted by fipntdot

If you are pulling it with the F350 in your signature you are probably ok. May notice the wind a bit more. I am sure others will chime in with opinions.

x2

I tow ALL THE TIME....with nothing but my 2020 F350 and air bags on the suspension. I tow the travel trailer (37 ft 6 inch about 11,000 lb loaded), 36 foot 4 horse trailer with live-in quarters and tack room, 24 foot flatbed with 12,000 pound John Deere tractor, Bulldozers on the flatbed, 100 bails of hay on the flatbed and numerous other trailers with various loads. I'm on a Horse Ranch, we trailer something just about EVERY week..........

And really the air bags are for more demanding things like the bulldozer hauling or 12,000 pound JD with an attachment on the trailer. Air bags for the travel trailer .....may or may not be.....a bit of overkill?

Granted, the F350 has computerized factory anti sway, but I've NEVER seen that activate, so I have no clue if it does or doesn't really work. NEVER needed it.........

Using a one ton truck with dually configuration (and a long bed body) means you likely won't have any issue with just about ANY travel trailer you'd ever tow. Towing safely and easily was one of the main reasons we bought "the beast" back in the day when we upgraded trucks. Once upon a time I had an F250. It was ok, but not enough truck for my needs on the Ranch..........

[Mike134]

The tow police crack me up!!

When someone tows a large trailer they fall all over the keyboard typing you need a 1 ton!!

Now a guy WITH A 1 TON asks about towing and they answer

"you should/maybe be OK"

tells me they have no idea about towing.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by Mike134

The tow police crack me up!!

When someone tows a large trailer they fall all over the keyboard typing you need a 1 ton!!

Now a guy WITH A 1 TON asks about towing and they answer

"you should/maybe be OK"

tells me they have no idea about towing.

I wish people would stop using outdated terms like a 'one ton'. My F150 has just over 2,000 lb payload capacity, so it's a one ton? Wondering why you have a F150, 4 year newer model year, but only half that payload in your signature.

[Mike134]

Originally Posted by NJKris

I wish people would stop using outdated terms like a 'one ton'. My F150 has just over 2,000 lb payload capacity, so it's a one ton? Wondering why you have a F150, 4 year newer model year, but only half that payload in your signature.

who me?? 1903 lbs of payload. Almost 1 ton

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by Mike134

who me?? 1903 lbs of payload. Almost 1 ton

I was half asleep, read it wrong, thought it was half of my 2000+ payload.

[redvalk]

At the core, the differences are simple, the F-150 is a light-duty, half-ton truck, the F-250 is a three-quarter-ton, heavy-duty truck, and the F-350 is a one-ton heavy-duty truck. Of course originally the one ton had some reference to the payload being 2000 pounds....now there are "one ton" trucks out there with a payload of 7000 pounds.

That said , I would think what matters more in this case....is what can your tow vehicle actually tow ( and yes....I STILL continue to spell out what I'm referencing...it's so easy to do....and avoids any confusion as to what I am speaking about...too many multiple meanings for acronyms and abbreviations!).

My F350 one ton....can tow about 36,000 pounds. The travel trailer is nothing. It's when I tow a bulldozer or large backhoe that I have to start watching out!

And I have always said with my F350 dually longbed configuration, I have no use for weight distribution or sway bars. I definitely can see the use for them on lighter duty trucks.....

[redvalk]

....I should add the caveat that of course PAYLOAD does indeed come into play when talking TOW CAPACITY.....as that factors into the equation. With tongue weights sometimes exceeding 1000 pounds, of course....payload is a factor.

Even on my "one ton" F350 dually, when I drop that 1,000+ pound tongue weight on my hitch, even my 4 wheel drive F350 drops down a little. But I have air bags on it and I have them set for the proper psi when towing the trailer to have a nice even load.

I've read the literature and watched the videos talking about the difference of weight distribution systems vs using air bags. I get that.....I'm not arguing the weight distribution system may indeed be a BETTER solution for that issue. But again, on bigger, heavy duty trucks.....like my "one ton", I still haven't found a need for the hassle of hooking up or using a weight distribution system.

And again, I've not found issues with sway on the things I trailer. Admittedly, the gooseneck 4 horse/ live-in quarters trailer does of course trailer better than....and maneuvers better than....my bumper pull 37 foot 6 inch travel trailer. But NOT to the point I've ever had any issues or concerns.

So repeating, I agree PAYLOAD and TOWING CAPACITY are both to be factored in the equation of picking an adequate tow vehicle.....(verses a TV, where things like signal reception, signal to noise ratio, picture quality and other factors should be considered )