Enough sway control?

waynefi wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
If it ain’t moaning it ain’t working!! Tighten the adjustment bolt 1/4 turn at a time. You can also tell If you start getting some wiggle between the TV and the TT when vehicles pass you. When the hitch is dialed in and the sway control is working then the rig should feel rock solid together.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Well, mine ain't moaning anymore, so maybe it ain't working anymore. It was noisier when it was new, so maybe it has worn down. But the rig still feels fine when a semi goes by.

I've tightened it up a quarter turn, we'll see how it does. Then maybe I'll try a swerve test, with one hand on the brake controller.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Actually it should only moan when it is wet.

Honestly. IF you are depending on a sway bar to keep your TT from swaying. You have lots more problems than how tight it is. A TT should not sway WITHOUT a sway bar. IF you have sway. Fix it, Either with tires, or adjusting the hitch, or balancing the TT. Once you have fixed your sway problem. Then, and only then add sway control.

Sway control is only for those times that sway is induced by the driver in an emergency maneuver, or blown tire. It HELPS control sway once it starts. It does NOT prevent sway.

Mine has no sway without the sway bar. I know because I forgot to install it a time or two. There was no difference in the way it towed. But I use it. Just incase I need to dodge, a deer or accident.

waynefi wrote:
If I don't have enough sway control, how would I know (before I get in trouble)?

I have friction sway bars which I have not adjusted since they were new. I wonder if they have worn down enough to need adjustment. But how can I tell, short of finding a deserted road and deliberately doing some swerving?

We towed our 2017 32.5' overall length travel trailer for a year with a Reese HP trunnion style WDH with no sway control. It felt floaty but nothing scary. Passing trucks with a crosswind could be annoying but no white knuckles. Then I spotted a local listing on ebay for an Equalizer 4 point hitch barely used for a song. Even with a dab of grease on the L brackets for noise reduction, I could tell the connection was stiffened as in, no floaty feeling and no wagging with passing trucks. I would think if your friction bars weren't working, you'd feel that floaty feeling as well as wagging from passing trucks. I don't think I'd be making any slaloms with the truck and trailer for a couple of reasons. Be safe out there!

Lynnmor wrote:

KD4UPL wrote:
If the rig starts to sway you need to keep on the gas an apply the trailer brakes. This will "stretch" the rig a bit and stop the sway. Stabbing the brakes is the worst thing you can do. I think if more people understood this you would see far fewer flipped over rigs.

Of course, but this thread is about adjusting a friction sway control mechanism.

Of course, but it's about the most important thing to know if you're towing a trailer, and given the OP is clueless about towing, it's a very appropriate tidbit.

jerem0621 wrote:
If it ain’t moaning it ain’t working!! Tighten the adjustment bolt 1/4 turn at a time. You can also tell If you start getting some wiggle between the TV and the TT when vehicles pass you. When the hitch is dialed in and the sway control is working then the rig should feel rock solid together.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Well, mine ain't moaning anymore, so maybe it ain't working anymore. It was noisier when it was new, so maybe it has worn down. But the rig still feels fine when a semi goes by.

I've tightened it up a quarter turn, we'll see how it does. Then maybe I'll try a swerve test, with one hand on the brake controller.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Lynnmor wrote:
Snip...
Disregard the advice about tightening the handle extremely tight, that will do nothing. I think that this is the reason that folks need to move to a system that takes their actions out of the equation. Adjust the bolt just like the sticker next to it says. Snip...

That sticker will say to tighten the handle as far as it will go and then back it off to be parallel with the A frame. Doing that will put maximum pressure on the device and the setting will be consistent every time you use it. The handle is, as already stated earlier, an "on/off" device.

The adjustment of the pressure is done with the small bolt located beneath the handle. That should be adjusted in 1/4 turn increments until the desired amount of sway control is accomplished. This advice is also printed in the manual and, if necessary, I can copy/paste the actual language from it.
Hope this helps a bit.
Barney

KD4UPL wrote:
If the rig starts to sway you need to keep on the gas an apply the trailer brakes. This will "stretch" the rig a bit and stop the sway. Stabbing the brakes is the worst thing you can do. I think if more people understood this you would see far fewer flipped over rigs.

Of course, but this thread is about adjusting a friction sway control mechanism.

If the rig starts to sway you need to keep on the gas an apply the trailer brakes. This will "stretch" the rig a bit and stop the sway. Stabbing the brakes is the worst thing you can do. I think if more people understood this you would see far fewer flipped over rigs.

waynefi wrote:
If I don't have enough sway control, how would I know (before I get in trouble)?

I have friction sway bars which I have not adjusted since they were new. I wonder if they have worn down enough to need adjustment. But how can I tell, short of finding a deserted road and deliberately doing some swerving?

That is how you do it and like many (most?), you never did a proper adjustment. Watch in the mirror for the amount of over travel and adjust till that is controlled. There is no need to do a crazy amount of swerving just enough to see some swing out. You cannot remove all the over travel because some of that will be tires and play in the suspension, but you will be able to see when you have marked improvement. The manufacturers do not put this kind of information in the manuals for obvious legal reasons.

Disregard the advice about tightening the handle extremely tight, that will do nothing. I think that this is the reason that folks need to move to a system that takes their actions out of the equation. Adjust the bolt just like the sticker next to it says. Also, some friction bars make some noise and others do not, just like brakes on a car. You should pull the bar out and clean it from time to time using steel wool and hot soapy water.

If it ain’t moaning it ain’t working!! Tighten the adjustment bolt 1/4 turn at a time. You can also tell If you start getting some wiggle between the TV and the TT when vehicles pass you. When the hitch is dialed in and the sway control is working then the rig should feel rock solid together.

Thanks!

Jeremiah