Anti sway question.

Funny.
Unless Ford changed their brochures for 2022, the Ranger has that 750/7500# tow rating without requiring a WDH. With the factory tow package.
Yes, the F150 requires it at 500/5000# with factory tow package.

GD.. Because it basically doubles the tongue weight rating of the receiver on the truck. What's wrong with that?

A new Ranger is not going to have very stiff rear suspension and probably only a 500/1000 tongue rated receiver.

But, I agree.. Additional 'sway control' on the hitch is not always needed.. I don't have any of that.. Just an old EAZ-Lift #1000 bar and chain setup. Been using it for over 18 years on 2 different trucks (both F150's) and 2 trailers.. #5000 GVWR one and the current #7000 GVWR one.

I also figure, if you have to ask, you probably don't have all that much experience towing (not "you" GD.. the OP or other newbs at this RV thing).

I too have been towing various stuff for over 40 years. :)

But, it's the interwebs.. So anyone can say anything they want! ha, ha!

Mitch

MitchF150 wrote:
No... You need a physical WD hitch setup if you plan on towing a #4500 TT with even a 2022 Ranger.. The built in sway control is only when you are totally out of control and if your truck ever gets into that mode, you are not doing well...

What makes a wdh an absolute need in this scenario? Asking for a friend...
And no "you must replace the lost weight on the front wheels to maintain proper steering handling and braking, which we hear all the time on this forum. Care to guess how much weight a, say 700lb tongue weight takes off the front of a truck? Let's just say not enough to matter and certainly less than any other number of factors that could affect handling or braking.

And how/why is the built in sway control only for when you're totally out of control? That doesn't make sense in the least. Or is this just a "don't trust the fancy new technology to work" thing? If so, I agree with that, but moreso, "learn to trust yourself and posses enough driving skills" to not need nannies that many times are just substitutes for basic driving skill and common sense.

I was thinking about the weight cops here, this week when I had a loaner Chevy Colorado and towed a trailer cross state. Around 4-5000lbs. Truck was wound up and pretty poochy up the passes trying to maintain speed limit. It failed there. Well, it got a D+, but only for it's effort!
Trailer towed like poop. Felt like it needed sway control, lol. Then I looked at the tire pressures on the truck and after I added about 15psi to the rear tires, she towed like she was on rails. (Had to let that same 15psi back out + some last night in the snow on the half wore out pavement princess tires it has, lol)

PS, just trying to not scare the RV spirit out of the new guy who is on the cusp of being told that's too much trailer for his brand spankin new Ranger, when it is not.

Get the WDH. I have a 4500# loaded trailer and tow with a 1500. The WDH doesn't make much difference in front end height, maybe 1/2", but it is WAY more stable towing with it compared to without.

Dozer wrote:
If a truck has built in sway control, (2022 Ford Ranger) is anything else necessary regarding a hitch setup? If you're within the guidelines of the manufacturer re: tongue weight. What else needs to be done?
The truck is rated to tow 7500 lbs and I'm only planning to tow about 4500.

Thanks in advance,
Dozer

Not a thing, most likely, unless you have an ill-mannered trailer or need some suspension help.
PS, people towed for a long time without automatic vehicle/trailer built in sway control. (Not that it doesn't work, it does, if needed)
But sway control is either a band-aid for a trailer that is built "wrong" or loaded incorrectly, or it is just not of any other advantage.

The "what if" doomsday conditions scenario folks, speak largely out of fear or ignorance, not experience.
Food for thought, from someone who has been pulling 100s of different trailers with 100s of different trucks in virtually every road/weather/geographical condition our country has to offer, since Gdubya was president.

Sjm9911 wrote:
Im for a wdh with sway controll also. Even if you dont have sway, you never know when something out of the ordinary can happen and it saves you.

..No matter how many "professional" RVers claim that belt, suspenders, elastic waist band and 2 hands firmly grasping your belt loops is required to safely tow a trailer, it’s not magical or mysterious. And if you’re in that OH SHT swerve to save your life, if you swerve hard enough to get the trailer to break loose, a wdh isn’t going to tip the odds your way very much.
Again, sway control is for people who are uncomfortable with how a “normal” trailer feels or who have an ill mannered trailer. And a wdh is for if you don’t have enough suspension, or hitch capacity to do the job without a suspension aide.

Im for a wdh with sway controll also. Even if you dont have sway, you never know when something out of the ordinary can happen and it saves you.

Dozer wrote:
If a truck has built in sway control, (2022 Ford Ranger) is anything else necessary regarding a hitch setup? If you're within the guidelines of the manufacturer re: tongue weight. What else needs to be done?
The truck is rated to tow 7500 lbs and I'm only planning to tow about 4500.

Thanks in advance,
Dozer

Honestly, it's tough to max out most tow ratings as you run out of payload or hitch weight long before you hit max tow rating.

4500 is that the empty weight or the GVWR?
If it's empty, you can expect to be up around 6000-6500 by the time you are ready to roll with a hitch weight of 700-800lb.

Payload is probably OK if you limit it to 2 people in the truck and keep the firewood and other stuff in the truck bed reasonable.

Hitch weight limits are typically 500lb with just the ball and increases to somewhere around 800-1200lb if you use a weight distributing hitch (verify in the manual for the exact amounts).

An added benefit is the WDH can be found with sway control built in. This works better than relying on the truck to detect sway and then take action. The truck's system starts activating individual wheel brakes, so if the trailer is prone to sway, you will lose MPG and wear out your brakes faster...assuming it is able to get it under control.

No... You need a physical WD hitch setup if you plan on towing a #4500 TT with even a 2022 Ranger.. The built in sway control is only when you are totally out of control and if your truck ever gets into that mode, you are not doing well...

Here is what it says about that feature in my 13 F150's owners manual.. (yes I have it in PDF format. :) )

TRAILER SWAY CONTROL (IF EQUIPPED)
WARNING: Turning off trailer sway control increases the risk of
loss of vehicle control, serious injury or death. Ford does not
recommend disabling this feature except in situations where speed
reduction may be detrimental (such as hill climbing), the driver has
significant trailer towing experience, and can control trailer sway and
maintain safe operation.

Note: This feature does not prevent trailer sway, but reduces it once it
begins.

Note: This feature cannot stop all trailers from swaying.

Note: In some cases, if vehicle speed is too high, the system may turn
on multiple times, gradually reducing vehicle speed.

This feature applies your vehicle brakes at individual wheels and, if
necessary, reduces engine power. If the trailer begins to sway, the
stability control light flashes. The first thing to do is slow your vehicle
down, then pull safely to the side of the road and check for proper
tongue load and trailer load distribution. See the Load Carrying chapter
for specific loading information.

So, basically what this is saying is if you experience you don't have your rig setup correctly or at all.

You will see a message flash on your screen when it's being applied, which I have never seen on my rig.

Anyway, get a WD hitch setup and rely on the built in sway control in case of dire emergency.. Not as a replacement.

Good luck! Mitch