Backing up with sway bar intact

Years ago, when I owned a TT, I'd back up with the sway bar in place, and never had a problem.

It ain't a problem until you turn the trailer past the reach of the sway bar and it either bottoms out and bends or comes apart ... then you got a problem..

If I'm just backing straight or not making a tight turn while backing I don't worry.. If I see I'm gonna get tight then I'll stop and disconnect it.. no big deal.

It may depend on the make & model of your hitch. With Equal-I-zer, you have to keep the sway bars on when you're hitched.

Yes, it's an Equal-I-zer!

Yes, it's an Equal-I-zer!

Are we talking the Equil-i-zer brand? Many people confuse this and call weight distributing hitches equilizers. You don't have to remove bars on an Equil-i-zer brand hitch to reverse. Doing that refers to the separate friction type sway bars that can bottom out if you turn too sharply.

With Equal-I-zer, you have to keep the sway bars on when you're hitched.

?? The Equil-i-zer has spring arms, not sway bars. The spring arms act to prevent sway at the same time. You don't have to keep the spring arms on when you're hitched, only when towing if you want the weight distribution and sway control function. I used my hitch head without spring bars all the time.

It doesn't do anything different going backwards than it does going forward so no, it isn't a problem backing up with them. I think the issue is just urban legend stuff.

Here is my experience with this issue.

if your sway bars were installed correctly you generally will not have much of an issue backing up. However if you get into a situation where you are having to do a near jackknife maneuver you may get into a binding issue.

Also, if your sway bar was installed incorrectly you can get into an issue where the sway bar crashes into the miniball on the hitch head. It's easy to verify if the miniball mount is installed on the trailer correctly...just measure 24 inches from the coupler back to the miniball. It should be at 24 inches, At least that is what my Husky instructions said. Mine was at about 22 and was obviously installed incorrectly.

Here is a few pics to show what can happen to the mounts.... My sway bar didn't bend, but my sway bar mount on the trailer bent.





Thanks!

Jeremiah

There were some older model Curt anti-sway bars that you shouldn't back up on, but those are the old style. Newer stuff you shouldn't have that problem.

WoodGlue

I have a friction type bar that never gave me a problem for years, then one day it did. Now if I am backing at much on an angle, I take it off. Under certain conditions and angles that friction pad can get quite a bite on the bar resulting in damage.

redwingnc wrote:
I was told by the salesperson of my new TT NEVER to back up with the sway bar attached...others say that's not true. Even the documentation didn't say anything about it -- thoughts?

Thanks!

If this sway bar is a friction type add-on, ie; not part of the weight distribution hitch itself, removal prior to backing up, depends on both brand and how is was installed.

On some installations, there may be obstructions on trailer frame and the sway bar must be mounted in a location where a tight turn while backing up, will force the sway bar to bottom out. Thus, possible damage to sway bar, trailer frame, or hitch head.

The pictures posted above, would reflect this type of damage. Been there, done that. It ripped the plate and ball out of the trailer tongue and bent the hitch head.

Instruction manual for a Drawtite sway bar says "after install, do a test backing operation, with an observer watching for sway bar bottoming out. If it appears to be a problem on tight turns, you should remove the sway bar, prior to backing up."