Sway Control options - help please
We are a 2019 F150 ecoboost with towing capacity of 13,000 lbs. We are pulling a 2015 TimberRidge 28' trailer, 6933 lbs. We have a Reese equalizer hitch system (1000 lbs bars). We are looking to add...
Forum Discussion
So much unknown here...
True sway is where the rear end of the trailer starts wagging back and forth (many times getting stronger with each "wag") and can get to the point of you going totally out of control. Wind, road bumps, deviations in steering, and a host of other things can make it start. The only way to stop it is to slow down (using only the trailer brakes, NOT the truck brakes). It is ONLY due to not having enough weight on the tongue. Fix that, and you fix the sway. All other measures are ways to try and damp it down so it doesn't get started. But with enough energy (speed) it can come back, and at the higher speed, it may be much worse. If using "sway control", the goal is to raise the threshold of where it will start to way above any speed you would be traveling at. Adding tongue weight is far better. You'll hear 10-15% of the weight of the trailer. But in most cases 12% should be your low end. Try loading more stuff up front, more batteries, over the hitch bike racks, etc. to get the tongue weight up.
Side pushes (and "wobbly" handling) due to wind, "truck suck", rough roads and the like can seem like sway (at the beginning). Reducing those can also help reduce true sway from initiating. Sway controls, proper wd bars, better truck tires, better suspension, better weight distribution, bigger trucks and other items can all have a part in reducing/eliminating those issues.
So first is to get to a scale, and find out what everything weights. Then look at your TRUCK load capacities (payload on the door sticker). Report those back. From there you can get more meaningful advice to assist with the issue. Be prepared for possibly some follow up questions - size/kind of tires, additional weight in the vehicle, etc. as people try to assist.
True sway is where the rear end of the trailer starts wagging back and forth (many times getting stronger with each "wag") and can get to the point of you going totally out of control. Wind, road bumps, deviations in steering, and a host of other things can make it start. The only way to stop it is to slow down (using only the trailer brakes, NOT the truck brakes). It is ONLY due to not having enough weight on the tongue. Fix that, and you fix the sway. All other measures are ways to try and damp it down so it doesn't get started. But with enough energy (speed) it can come back, and at the higher speed, it may be much worse. If using "sway control", the goal is to raise the threshold of where it will start to way above any speed you would be traveling at. Adding tongue weight is far better. You'll hear 10-15% of the weight of the trailer. But in most cases 12% should be your low end. Try loading more stuff up front, more batteries, over the hitch bike racks, etc. to get the tongue weight up.
Side pushes (and "wobbly" handling) due to wind, "truck suck", rough roads and the like can seem like sway (at the beginning). Reducing those can also help reduce true sway from initiating. Sway controls, proper wd bars, better truck tires, better suspension, better weight distribution, bigger trucks and other items can all have a part in reducing/eliminating those issues.
So first is to get to a scale, and find out what everything weights. Then look at your TRUCK load capacities (payload on the door sticker). Report those back. From there you can get more meaningful advice to assist with the issue. Be prepared for possibly some follow up questions - size/kind of tires, additional weight in the vehicle, etc. as people try to assist.
