Sway Control That Allows Reverse for Pop-Up?

Just to let everyone know that I have had my first camping experience using the Andersen Hitch. I am *very* pleased with it. Even hitting 70 mph, you can't even tell you're pulling the camper -- no sway at all. It was a lot of money, and takes a few extra minutes (just a few!) to hook up, but the reduced stress in pulling it is so worth it to me.

Thanks to everyone that offered advice ...

CraigJConrad wrote:


This camping stuff had better be as good as we hoped it to be -- it is certainly getting more expensive than we had expected :-)

We bought kayaks yesterday, found a good deal on them. Another $100.00 for paddles, $18.00 a piece for registration plus AAA fees to do it for me, I still need some hooks to hang them in the garage, plus I may buy a rack to free up the bed space in my pickup, etc, etc, etc..... Even the garage needs re-arranged to make room...more money :E

It is always the add-ons that seem to ADD UP the fastest. Do NOT let this hamper your trailer buying experience. You bought that PUP because you wanted to enjoy it...enjoy it.

Buying your 1st trailer is like buying your 1st house. Lots of things you find out you don't have. Buy a second one....you'll wonder how you managed to collect so much stuff :R

You CAN shorten/lengthen the chains (to a limited degree) on the Anderson to position the brackets differently ... Perhaps not possible on the PUP, but just a thought.

Follow-up. I just left my trailer at a local Camping Center for installation of the Andersen Weight Distribution hitch. It is $450 plus tax, plus another $95 for installation. HOWEVER, upon looking at it, they said that the batter is in the way so the only way to install it is to move the battery to behind the LP tank. Welding, etc -- another 1.5 to 2.0 hours of labor -- :-(

I'm obviously not happy about that, but I was too committed (the hitch was special ordered, so there was to be a significant restock fee, plus the other hitches they suggested that wouldn't need trailer mods were even more expensive, anyway).

This camping stuff had better be as good as we hoped it to be -- it is certainly getting more expensive than we had expected :-)

When I go to pick it up, I think I'll ask if they are able to weigh the trailer and the tongue weight, so I know for sure.

My thanks again for those that offered suggestions.

CraigJConrad wrote:
However, the salesman told us that we must disconnect it before ever going into reverse.

It would be at this point in the sales process where I begin ignoring everything the salesman says. Why?

How does the sway control know which direction the truck and trailer are moving? Hint: It doesn't. All it knows is that there is relative motion between its two ends and its sole purpose in life is to resist that movement. It doesn't matter if the rig it's connected to is travelling forward, reverse, vertically, or sideways; IT DOESN"T CARE.

If the sway control has been installed properly, and there are no clearance issues with items like safety chain mounts, or breakaway switches, there is absolutely no reason the sway control can't be left on at all times.

I'm pretty sure this is one of those 'someone once said...' tales that has been parroted by salesmen for generations. There is a *slight* possibility that, when fully-extended, with the vehicle jack-knifed to the trailer, there *may* be enough friction on the sway control to cause it to buckle. There is also a *slight* possibility that some installations may cause the sway control to contact other items (like the chain mounts I mentioned earlier) on *some* trailers.

The bottom line: Install it properly, verify the function at the extreme limits of turning, respect those limits, and don't worry about it after that. :)

Having towed a PuP with a Sienna with no weight distribution or sway control, as well as a small TT (see signature) with an Equilizer, I would definitely install a good hitch on the PuP. My current trailer tows far better than the PuP ever did, which is very much against the common intuition. I attribute this mostly to the good hitch.

Equilizer makes a light weight trailer version. The Anderson would also be good, and weighs less.

You'll likely find that after you load the PuP the tongue gets quite a lot heavier. (Many have the dinette at the front, and the booths are used for storage, and some have a box right at the tongue for storage.) Be wary of water, and the location of the water tank. My old PuP didn't have enough CCC to tow with a full water tank.

Very often trailers are really like on the tongue when empty. I think it's built that way so when you load it up it won't be too heavy. This will cause that slight or severe swaying back and forth. I wouldn't worry about much of this until you load the trailer up ready to go and then check it again. You will be surprised how much weight you will add.

I recommend the Andersen if you need control. You will have no sway bar--read the info at the website--but controls sway and equalization in another way. You can jack knife it with it hooked up with no ill effects.

CraigJConrad wrote:
The Brake Controller is a Prodigy P2 ... is that good?

I bought it used from a lady that bought it from our local dealer. So, I didn't really have regular dealer support. I did go to them for the brake controller and asked about sway control. One person told me I didn't need anything, while another said I must have it. Hard to know who to trust, so I turned to all of you!

I think the first thing I need to figure out is what the ball height should be, as I would expect that to have a lot of effect on the weight distribution.

P2 is good to go.

The Brake Controller is a Prodigy P2 ... is that good?

I bought it used from a lady that bought it from our local dealer. So, I didn't really have regular dealer support. I did go to them for the brake controller and asked about sway control. One person told me I didn't need anything, while another said I must have it. Hard to know who to trust, so I turned to all of you!

I think the first thing I need to figure out is what the ball height should be, as I would expect that to have a lot of effect on the weight distribution.

Sure sounds like lack of tongue weight. Before spending money on a good hitch with built-in sway control, such as a Blue Ox Sway Pro, make sure your trailer isn't tail heavy.

The ball may have to be lower and or weight distributed forward. You'll get it working like you want with a little experimenting.

Doesn't sound like your dealer was much help. What brand brake controller did they sell you?