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joeyg's avatar
joeyg
Explorer
Jun 22, 2020

Tuson electronic trailer sway control

Hi Guys.
For a long time I search for information on people's experience with Tuson electronic Anti-Sway and I could not find any, so I bought it and installed it myself.

https://tusonrvbrakes.com/products/tuson-sway-control-tsc-1000

The Tuson Anti-sway is an electronic device that is wired into your left and right side brake wiring to activate only the brakes needed in a sway event.

I have a 33ft Keystone Passport with a Reese Dual Cam anti-sway and weight distribution bars, but being such a long trailer, it can always use a little help.

Install took me about 5 hours, but if I did it again it would probably take 2 or 3 (most of my issues were identifying Positive vs Neg brake connections on dual axles)

Here is my impression. I took it on a trip from CT to Cape May New Jersey in high winds 20 - 30 MPH winds. Felt very stable at 57 MPH, still didn't love 60-65, so i held it at 57. I never really felt the trailer braking behind me, but this is the cool part, I never realized when tractor trailers were passing me. I never felt pulled into them, I never felt wobbly from there passing. I kinda didn't know it was working until I was in NY and saw a large fast moving trailer coming up on me, I braced for the pull and ...nothing. So that was pretty impressive. Truck and trailer moved much more together.

General brake proportioning was a bit quicker and grabby-ier than before the install, so I had to lower the gain a bit from the prior settings.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with it and was glad I installed it.


- That's it, that's the post

Joe
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Jun 22, 2020
    Thanks for sharing, but imo it’s another solution looking g for a problem.
    IF you actually get trailer sway, real trailer sway (and I can’t imagine you’re not running sway control already if you were swayed into buying this device), then just hit the trailer brakes manually and swaying will cease.
    This is another gadget to suck money out of paranoid TT haulers.
  • APT's avatar
    APT
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2020
    Interesting product! Do you know when it activates either side's brakes from the driver's seat? I am glad you found a comfortable solution for your needs.

    I have had Reese Strait Line for 10 years. It is really picky about centering the detents on the bars over the cam lobs. I have used two tow vehicles with same behavior. When adjustment is off, 60mph is scary. When adjustment is good, 75mph is rock solid.
  • joeyg's avatar
    joeyg
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2020
    From the drivers seat it was pretty transparent, I could not feel the brakes activating side to side.

    Spoke with tech support on the phone and new firmware will flash a dark green light when sway control is activated.

    I actually drove home from NJ and found that the pin had come lost and dropped one of my sway bars. I did not lose the bar, but it wasn't doing anything.

    Joe
  • carringb's avatar
    carringb
    Explorer
    Jun 24, 2020
    Grit dog wrote:
    Thanks for sharing, but imo it’s another solution looking g for a problem.
    IF you actually get trailer sway, real trailer sway (and I can’t imagine you’re not running sway control already if you were swayed into buying this device), then just hit the trailer brakes manually and swaying will cease.


    I bought it as well, but haven't installed it yet. What convinced me was getting sway doing a hard stop with only one side of the trailer on ice, because I was on heading eastbound over the cascades, so the right half of the lane never got sun. That got it swaying pretty good, and manually braking did NOT help one bit. Basically just had to steer out of it. The Tuson controller brakes each side individually based on yaw angle.
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Jun 29, 2020
    ^ Makes sense, I suppose? At least more sense than the other 99.9% of RV travel which generally happens NOT in snowy weather.
    But then again, I don't understand alot of things. I've towed thousands of miles on snow/ice packed roads and don't ever recall trailer sway starting if one side was on wet and the other side on frozen. I'll keep an eye out for it next winter.
  • Mike134's avatar
    Mike134
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2020
    Thanks for the review. I put the Hayes Sway control on my rig. 2200 miles and so far have not felt it, but I put it on as another another layer of sway control. Like you it's insurance for that one time you're holding a cup of coffee and you get a sway event.
  • Lynnmor's avatar
    Lynnmor
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2020
    Mike134 wrote:
    Thanks for the review. I put the Hayes Sway control on my rig. 2200 miles and so far have not felt it, but I put it on as another another layer of sway control. Like you it's insurance for that one time you're holding a cup of coffee and you get a sway event.


    The Hayes activates all the brakes, the Tuson chooses left or right as it decides.

    Jayco offered the Tuson sway control under the Lippert name about four years ago. They were all recalled due to incompatibility with some integrated brake controllers. I don't know if their issues have been resolved.
  • Mike134's avatar
    Mike134
    Explorer
    Jun 30, 2020
    Lynnmor wrote:
    Mike134 wrote:
    Thanks for the review. I put the Hayes Sway control on my rig. 2200 miles and so far have not felt it, but I put it on as another another layer of sway control. Like you it's insurance for that one time you're holding a cup of coffee and you get a sway event.


    The Hayes activates all the brakes, the Tuson chooses left or right as it decides.

    Jayco offered the Tuson sway control under the Lippert name about four years ago. They were all recalled due to incompatibility with some integrated brake controllers. I don't know if their issues have been resolved.

    You are correct, if the sway control activated it "backfeed" the braking voltage into the integrated controller so the truck thought there was a problem with the trailer wiring and disabled itself. Hayes has come up with an updated controller so there are no more conflicts with OEM brake controllers.
  • joeyg's avatar
    joeyg
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2020
    Mike134 wrote:
    Lynnmor wrote:
    Mike134 wrote:
    Thanks for the review. I put the Hayes Sway control on my rig. 2200 miles and so far have not felt it, but I put it on as another another layer of sway control. Like you it's insurance for that one time you're holding a cup of coffee and you get a sway event.


    The Hayes activates all the brakes, the Tuson chooses left or right as it decides.

    Jayco offered the Tuson sway control under the Lippert name about four years ago. They were all recalled due to incompatibility with some integrated brake controllers. I don't know if their issues have been resolved.

    You are correct, if the sway control activated it "backfeed" the braking voltage into the integrated controller so the truck thought there was a problem with the trailer wiring and disabled itself. Hayes has come up with an updated controller so there are no more conflicts with OEM brake controllers.


    There is a list of Makes and Models that are compatible with the Tuson system and most Automakers integrated Brake controllers have no problem with it. I have a Ford and there are no issues.

    I spoke with Tuson tech support, they are very helpful and even offered to update the system to the latest software (although that requires removal and sending back to factory.
  • joeyg's avatar
    joeyg
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2020
    Mike134 wrote:
    Thanks for the review. I put the Hayes Sway control on my rig. 2200 miles and so far have not felt it, but I put it on as another another layer of sway control. Like you it's insurance for that one time you're holding a cup of coffee and you get a sway event.


    It is easier to notice times you should have sway , but don't (like a big rig passing), than it is to feel the brakes pulling.

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