So; when trailering in the rain while using the friction anti-sway device, should I loosen or tighten this thing?

I've never had an issue with towing in the rain with the sway bar tightened as I normally have it. But my understanding is that you should loosen it - and reduce your towing speed.

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.

Read the directions. As I recall they weren't supposed to be used on slick roads.

It is as Burbman stated above. That said, I used a friction sway control for many years before purchasing my Hensley and never once loosened it up for rain or pulled over to adjust it. The few times I towed in snowy conditions, I did not use at all. Never had a single problem with understeer with it on. It may well have something to do with how well your WD hitch is adjusted and how much weight you are putting on the front axle of the truck.Barney

Good point Barney! Although I would say not how much weight you put on the front axle, but how much weight you removed from the front axle....with daelb's Chevy, a correctly adjusted WD setup should be restoring the front axle to it's unloaded weight...if it's not, and the front axle is less lightly loaded while towing, that would also increase the chances for understeer.I agree with you that "normally" if your tires have adequate tread, the interstate is in good shape and there isn't a lot of ponding on the road from rain, and your WD hitch is adjusted correctly, there shouldn't be any need to loosen the tension on the sway bar.

Friction anti-sway device use in rain or wet roads

camperforlife
Explorer
Dec 04, 2014
As others have said, the manual says loosen it in the rain. I have used a pair, right & left for 12 years and have never felt the need to loosen it in the rain. Never quite understood what situation other than snow or ice that would require loosening it.
jerem0621
Explorer II
Dec 04, 2014
at least you can remove the sway control if you ever get caught in the snow. Integrated WD/Sway Control guys don't have the option to remove sway control and retain WD like a 'standard' WD hitch can.

I used two friction sway bars on my 31ft TT. Never had a problem. I never adjusted it either. I just bottomed out the on off bar.. then a little more..then I was done. Never had any sway or wiggle.. or anything with two bars.

When I buy another TT it will be a standard WD hitch and two friction bars again... and I will NOT be taking them off in the rain. I did that once while towing in the rain.. let me tell you, if there is a time you need them its when the wind is blowing during a rain storm.

I am a HUGE proponent of sway bar ... or Hensley.. Nothing in-between. The reason is because I want to have a choice with standard WD hitches and friction sway controls.

1) Weight Distribution and Sway Control
2) Weight distribution with no sway control
3) No Weight Distribution and sway control (Ever heard of losing a WD bar? Happens pretty often... with a standard WD hitch and sway control you may lose some WD but you get to keep sway control.)

A Hensley doesn't use friction to control sway.

Thanks!

Jeremiah
mkirsch
Nomad II
Dec 04, 2014
"how much you loosen it?"

Aren't friction sway controls either ON or OFF?
Bedlam
Moderator
Dec 04, 2014
Friction sway devices can be adjusted by tightening the other clamping bolt as the material wears. The handle can be loosened while the device is still connected if you want disable or lessen the affect of the device.
BurbMan
Explorer II
Dec 08, 2014
Ron Gratz wrote:
The most commonly sold FSC is factory-set to produce a yaw-axis torque of about 500 lb-ft.

Ron, great explanation, and as always, thanks for doing the math for us!

I am curious how you got the above number...is that the maximum value if the handle is tightened all the way?
shum02
Explorer
Dec 08, 2014
Only when I'm in snow do I loosen it. In my mind and experience rain/water does not count as slippery. In those cases slow down and drive for conditions, you should not have any issues with a frictions sway control or driving for that matter system if you follow that advise.
Ron_Gratz
Explorer
Dec 08, 2014
BurbMan wrote:
Ron Gratz wrote:
The most commonly sold FSC is factory-set to produce a yaw-axis torque of about 500 lb-ft.
I am curious how you got the above number...is that the maximum value if the handle is tightened all the way?
Some of the friction sway control instructions used to state that the "tension adjustment bolt/screw" was preset to produce a bar friction force of 1100#.
That amount of force, combined with an estimated 5.5" lever arm (perpendicular distance from center of ball to line projected through axis of friction bar), would generate a yaw-resisting torque of 1100*5.5/12 = about 500 lb-ft.

The amount of friction force is determined by the tension adjustment bolt or screw located near the bottom of the bar assembly.
Tightening the bolt/screw increases the force. I don't know how much force can be generated in excess of the preset 1100#.

The handle at the top of the bar assembly is intended to turn the friction force "on" or "off". It is not intended to be used for adjusting the amount of force.

Ron
Tvov
Explorer II
Dec 09, 2014
Hmm... thanks for the explanation, Ron. I've never tightened my friction sway bar ALL the way, just a couple turns. It just seems like if I tightened it all the way, it would be so tight that the ball connecter on the hitch would just break off. Then again, my TT size and weight is half what my truck is rated for, so I'm not too worried about sway. I'll have to check this out... in the Spring!
SlowBro
Explorer III
Jan 28, 2015
So I have one question: If I must loosen or turn off anti-sway during rain, doesn't that make friction control a bad choice? After all, I'd think the very worst time for a trailer to sway would be in the rain.
Bedlam
Moderator
Jan 28, 2015
I don't worry about rain, but with snow or ice I disable it. In these conditions you should be driving slower so sway is less of an issue than when you are driving at full speed when it is dry. Even in rain, I hope others that are towing reduce their speed too...