What trailer sway looks like

mowermech wrote:
"However, the statement "simply should not sway" is incorrect."

I have to wonder, how did we tow trailers all those years before WD hitches and sway control gimmicks were invented?
It is amazing that we lived to tell the tale!

I'll tell you what I think. The WD was invented around 1961 or a bit later. The vehicles at that time were not capable of towing at the speeds that we find today and the trailers were much smaller for the most part. Sway may have been not so much of a problem mainly because of speed.
We need WD hitches now because trailers are much longer, heavier, and speeds are much greater.
In addition, there were most likely many sway events and/or accidents that people never knew about because we didn't have the communications capabilities that we have now.

My opinion is that there were probably just as many problems then as now but they were not publicized. People just did what they had to do to get the job done. I know I towed my parents 27ft Avion all over the state of Michigan with a Reese WD hitch and friction sway bar in the late 60's and they traveled all over the U.S. while full timing in the rig for about 8 years. Their tow vehicle at the time was a Suburban and before that a Chev that was 1/2 car and 1/2 pickup (can't remember the name of that thing!) but I'm sure it was very overloaded.
Barney