Good and Bad about Blue Ox Sway Pro

Why is it that Blue Ox and Sway Pro haven't taken off and have a bigger market? I would really like to place this on my new trailer however I'm going with Equalizer since few dealerships around me carry this, don't want to order it or if they do carry it they state they don't sell any since they don't like the design.

I don't want my vehicle to be the test subject for the dealership so I'm going with Equalizer just because they are more well known and if there are problems any dealership can help.

I also ended up getting a Sway-Pro, with 1500 pound bars. The new trailer is 39' tip to tip and is about 10,500 empty.

Color me impressed. I was most impressed with the ride. With other hitches I've had, applying enough WD-tension always resulted in transmitting harshness from the trailer. No so with this hitch. It's the best riding hitch I've had. It pulls great, and get zero push even with entering tight curves. I also have not noticed any bow wave push from semis.

That all said.... It is a new trailer, so it's hard to decide how much credit the trailer it due. It has a much more substantial frame, so that probably helps with some of the shudder I had before. It also has shocks on all 4 corners.

BTW pulling w 2013 F250 PSD and 33ft Palamino Solaire 292QBSK

Nothing like bumping a year old thread but I have a blue ox sway pro and have pulled about 12 times back and forth since getting our first TT back in april. So the issue for me is one of expectations.
I have no base line of what is a terrific setup.

I currently have the WDH set on 8 links and it appears to be doing well but I wonder if I am missing something about a true clean driving experience. should there be no flutter in the trailer? I still get some movement when being passed or wind. No fish tail but the just a push left or right.

Hi Rescue,

Good for you!! Great. I knew that F350 could be set to ride well.

Thanks for reporting back

John

Well I finally figured out the issue with the Blue Ox Sway Pro I was having and the last trip I did was a very enjoyable I handed trip. If you have been keeping up with the thread you will remember I was complaining that I was having a real rough ride when using the sway pro. Well after talking to Blue OX and reading some of the responses here I came to the conclusion that I was transferring to much weight to the front wheels. I am now only using 7 links instead of the 9 links I was using and the ride has smoothed out. I also had a right rear brake caliber that was stuck on the F350 which was compounding the issue and now that problem has been identified and fixed I am having a enjoyable combination and the 8.5 mpg towing I was getting has now been increased to 12.0 mpg towing.

Mike Up wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:
Mike,
You CAN use a standard 1-7/8 socket to torque the ball, I just did it on my Equalizer. You put the bars in the sockets and pivot them a bit and the standard socket works just fine.

Problem is finding the socket as you mentioned. A buddy has a repair shop and I just took it over to him and he torqued the ball after locating a dusty 1-7/8 socket he hadn't used for about 20 years. Call around to RV repair shops and they can probably do it for you for a small fee. If you buy your hitch locally, the shop will usually install it for free.

Well I did get my Reese Dual Cam fixed so for now, I'll be using it.

The sockets weren't the deal. I found them pretty much everywhere from $20 to $25. The problem is that they don't use a standard 1/2" drive rachet, but an expensive and harder to find 3/4" drive rachet. I have all kinds of 1/2" drive sockets and rachets and even a 1/2 drive 250# torque wrench. What I don't have is an expensive 3/4" drive torque wrench or any 3/4" drive rachets. As I said, I found a 3/4" drive breaker bar for $33. It can use the 1 7/8" socket that is a 3/4" drive but I can't get a torque spec with it.

It's not an issue now as I have the Reese but if it ever breaks again, I now have a back up plan.

Thanks

I have a 1/2 to 3/4 socket adapter so I can drive the socket with my 1/2" breaker bar.

Ron3rd wrote:
Mike,
You CAN use a standard 1-7/8 socket to torque the ball, I just did it on my Equalizer. You put the bars in the sockets and pivot them a bit and the standard socket works just fine.

Problem is finding the socket as you mentioned. A buddy has a repair shop and I just took it over to him and he torqued the ball after locating a dusty 1-7/8 socket he hadn't used for about 20 years. Call around to RV repair shops and they can probably do it for you for a small fee. If you buy your hitch locally, the shop will usually install it for free.

Well I did get my Reese Dual Cam fixed so for now, I'll be using it.

The sockets weren't the deal. I found them pretty much everywhere from $20 to $25. The problem is that they don't use a standard 1/2" drive rachet, but an expensive and harder to find 3/4" drive rachet. I have all kinds of 1/2" drive sockets and rachets and even a 1/2 drive 250# torque wrench. What I don't have is an expensive 3/4" drive torque wrench or any 3/4" drive rachets. As I said, I found a 3/4" drive breaker bar for $33. It can use the 1 7/8" socket that is a 3/4" drive but I can't get a torque spec with it.

It's not an issue now as I have the Reese but if it ever breaks again, I now have a back up plan.

Thanks

Mike,
You CAN use a standard 1-7/8 socket to torque the ball, I just did it on my Equalizer. You put the bars in the sockets and pivot them a bit and the standard socket works just fine.

Problem is finding the socket as you mentioned. A buddy has a repair shop and I just took it over to him and he torqued the ball after locating a dusty 1-7/8 socket he hadn't used for about 20 years. Call around to RV repair shops and they can probably do it for you for a small fee. If you buy your hitch locally, the shop will usually install it for free.

CHD Dad wrote:
Following up on this - I have not received a response to two emails back to them. Site claims email reply within 3 hours which was the case when I got the canned response the first time. When I got more specific they have ignored me so far. I then placed two phone calls, 3 days apart (Mon and Wed). Both times the rep could not answer any of the specific questions that were brought up earlier. Both times the rep told me an engineer would be happy to call me back to explain how their sway control works vs. any other manufacturer with head tilt, angles of deflection needed between TV/TT, etc.

Still waiting on that call...

They were very responsive with me and friendly. Perhaps you questioned their design and they had no other answer to say except that they feel it controls better than other systems.

I was just disappointed as I thought there was more to the bar angles.

The way the engineer explained it to me in the email, I thought it had the standard down tilt, but also twisted outward with offset so that the bars would swing up and down at greater angles when out of a straight line alignement. I actually pictured the bar catch trunnion with the pin not being straight up and down, but twisted a bit sideways, at a predetermined angle. I just misunderstood and see that they simply made that predetermined angle on just the downward tilt, that almost all trunnion bar systems offer.

The bad thing about the Blue Ox Sway Pro, is that if the built in sway control turns out to minimal and poor, there's no way of adding additional friction sway control arms, like on a basic (no Dual Cam) Reese trunnion or round bar chain pull up WDH.

BTW, the engineer did personally call me and I talked with him. However it's obvious that his explanation didn't clearly detail the sway control action as I came away with the same thought as I did with the email.

Live and learn.