Friction anti-sway device use in rain or wet roads
So; when trailering in the rain while using the friction anti-sway device, should I loosen or tighten this thing?
Forum Discussion
The manufacturer tells you to loosen the friction sway bar when the roads are slippery and where traction is reduced. The sway bar works to resist any change of angle between the TV and TT...think about the screw that holds a pair of scissors together...the tighter the screw is, the harder it is to open/close the scissors. The tighter the sway bar is, the more force is required to change the angle between the truck and trailer. If the bar is tight enough, it is possible for the friction of the sway bar to become greater than the traction of your tires on the road.
Say you're driving on a slippery road and want to turn right. As you turn the truck, the tires need sufficient grip to overcome the resistance of the sway bar to begin to angle the trailer around the corner. It's possible for the tires to lose grip if too much resistance is presented by the sway bar. When that happens, the truck will be pushed into an understeer condition and begin to slide straight ahead. Kind of like being on ice, except you now have the weight of the trailer pushing the truck, so regaining control is difficult if not impossible. Obviously if this happens at highway speeds you'll be in the ditch before you can say "Holy Shift!".
Now, when to loosen it and how much to loosen it? That depends on a lot of variables, like the condition of your tires, how much water is on the road if it's raining (hydroplaning), how deep the snow is if it's snowing, probability of ice, how tight you normally keep the sway bar, etc.
One of the reasons I migrated to the Hensley in 2002...I was never sure if the sway bar was tightened the right amount. I recall a few times making it extra snug because it was a windy day, only to have it start raining with no where to pull over and loosen it. Your only choice is to slow down and hope you don't get surprised by understeer at the wrong time. I worry a lot less about the weather with the Hensley.
Say you're driving on a slippery road and want to turn right. As you turn the truck, the tires need sufficient grip to overcome the resistance of the sway bar to begin to angle the trailer around the corner. It's possible for the tires to lose grip if too much resistance is presented by the sway bar. When that happens, the truck will be pushed into an understeer condition and begin to slide straight ahead. Kind of like being on ice, except you now have the weight of the trailer pushing the truck, so regaining control is difficult if not impossible. Obviously if this happens at highway speeds you'll be in the ditch before you can say "Holy Shift!".
Now, when to loosen it and how much to loosen it? That depends on a lot of variables, like the condition of your tires, how much water is on the road if it's raining (hydroplaning), how deep the snow is if it's snowing, probability of ice, how tight you normally keep the sway bar, etc.
One of the reasons I migrated to the Hensley in 2002...I was never sure if the sway bar was tightened the right amount. I recall a few times making it extra snug because it was a windy day, only to have it start raining with no where to pull over and loosen it. Your only choice is to slow down and hope you don't get surprised by understeer at the wrong time. I worry a lot less about the weather with the Hensley.
