to leave Friday morning. Well all went well, we got to the CG about 2 hours away, with some interstate, some back roads, some 4 lanes, and some pretty good grades up and down. When I went to unhook the sway bar. I realized I never tightened it (turned it on). It was just hanging there doing nothing. Y'all know I always say fix you sway first, and no TT should sway in normal driving. Well, mine don't. It tracks just great, no sway, no wiggles. I never knew it wasn't working, until I unhooked.Pretty good I think.

Reminds me of a friend who purchased a new TT. He kept saying the sway bar didn't work. Every time he encountered a semi, he'd get some sway. Finally one day, I looked at his sway bar set up. Even though he had the crank down handle tight, the adjustment bolt was loose as could be. The sway bar was there, but not engaged. I tightened it up correctly for him and no more problems. It's probably a good idea to have a written checklist when you hook up so you don't miss anything like this in the future.

I have a standard routine I follow when hooking up. I don't want anyone around talking to me. I always do it in the same order. Seems to work for me. I know others want to help but they usually get in the way...B.O.

Me. I'm just glad the TT tows so great, that the Sway control in not needed. And that no one did anything stupid in front of me to cause ME to induce sway.Except for that one IDIOT that passed us on the interstate, and then slammed on brakes when the saw the speed cop sitting on the side. I nearly ran all over him. and I wasn't speeding, or even close.

Nothing like a pre-trip inspection, saves lives and money, try it you'll like it.

path1 wrote:Nothing like a pre-trip inspection, saves lives and money, try it you'll like it.Trust me, at no time were we in any danger because of the lack of a sway bar. As I said. I have taken great pains to make sure my TT tracks the way it should. I have -O- sway.

Y'al Know I hooked up late | Good Sam Community

HJGyswyt
Explorer
Sep 04, 2013
B.O. Plenty wrote:
I have a standard routine I follow when hooking up. I don't want anyone around talking to me. I always do it in the same order. Seems to work for me. I know others want to help but they usually get in the way...B.O.

I so agree with your method. I got my routine broken once when an Uncle of mine asked how our dual cam hitch worked while I was hooking up and I pulled our trailer from Idaho to home in Buckley WA, about 300 miles with out the hitch pin in the receiver (it was still on the bumper). I wouldn't have done that on a dare for a million dollars, but I'm happy to report the hitch only slid back about a 1/2 inch and because there is so much friction from the equalizer bars it doesn't want to come out under tension.

Many times some one comes over to say goodbye just as I'm hooking up and I politely tell them I'll be with you in a minute, but this is important I do this without interruption. And not because I'm an amateur, I've made my living on the road for 32 years now, see my link in my signature.

I once spotted a semi pulling doubles and the converter dolly wasn't secure because the driver forgot to close the pintle hitch. I was able to flag that driver over.

Does anyone else out there check out other peoples hitches when they go by? I do. It always gets my attention when another RV goes by and its too heavy or not dialed in correctly.

Thanks for your post. Hans
Terryallan
Explorer II
Sep 03, 2013
DiskDoctr wrote:
Terryallan wrote:
When I went to unhook the sway bar. I realized I never tightened it (turned it on). It was just hanging there doing nothing. Y'all know I always say fix you sway first, and no TT should sway in normal driving. Well, mine don't. It tracks just great, no sway, no wiggles. I never knew it wasn't working, until I unhooked.

Pretty good I think.

At least you take your own advice! :B

You are right. Fix the sway as much as possible first, then use sway control for the changing conditions while traveling- including emergency maneuvers or other road hazards.

Glad you didn't have any ill effects from your oversight. When I put the bar on, I tighten it right then, almost always goes to the same spot, though I've noticed some rust at the bolt, so maybe time to do some maintenance.

But it only takes a second to get distracted and miss something ;) That's why I like to always hitch it myself. Routine. DW hands me the pipe and such so I don't climb over the hitch and rummage in the storage area.

I do a pre-flight check, too. Look at hitch, all straps, door latches, steps, vents, windows, hoses and cables, stabilizers, wheel chocks, etc. I ALWAYS look under the camper to make sure nothing is still connected or dangling or whatever.

I've started having everyone looking around for anything laying on the ground, anything attached, any trash (if leaving the site), etc.

I did forget the pin in the ball latch this Spring. It's laying along the road somewhere. Fortunately, like you, we didn't have any issues with it, but we replaced right away.

Happy trails!

Yep. always fix the sway first. A sway bar is not designed to fix, or stop sway. If it sways with out the sway bar. You have real problems. Fortunately. Mine does not. But I do use the sway control for emergencies. That is of course IF I don't forget to tighten it.

Funny thing is. I tightened it for the trip home, and I felt the trailer more with it tight, than I did with it loose.
DiskDoctr
Explorer
Sep 03, 2013
Terryallan wrote:
When I went to unhook the sway bar. I realized I never tightened it (turned it on). It was just hanging there doing nothing. Y'all know I always say fix you sway first, and no TT should sway in normal driving. Well, mine don't. It tracks just great, no sway, no wiggles. I never knew it wasn't working, until I unhooked.

Pretty good I think.

At least you take your own advice! :B

You are right. Fix the sway as much as possible first, then use sway control for the changing conditions while traveling- including emergency maneuvers or other road hazards.

Glad you didn't have any ill effects from your oversight. When I put the bar on, I tighten it right then, almost always goes to the same spot, though I've noticed some rust at the bolt, so maybe time to do some maintenance.

But it only takes a second to get distracted and miss something ;) That's why I like to always hitch it myself. Routine. DW hands me the pipe and such so I don't climb over the hitch and rummage in the storage area.

I do a pre-flight check, too. Look at hitch, all straps, door latches, steps, vents, windows, hoses and cables, stabilizers, wheel chocks, etc. I ALWAYS look under the camper to make sure nothing is still connected or dangling or whatever.

I've started having everyone looking around for anything laying on the ground, anything attached, any trash (if leaving the site), etc.

I did forget the pin in the ball latch this Spring. It's laying along the road somewhere. Fortunately, like you, we didn't have any issues with it, but we replaced right away.

Happy trails!
Hoppypoppy
Explorer
Sep 03, 2013
Heish wrote:
Terryallen, I think he knows at this point that it was a good lesson learned. Rubbing his nose in it constitutes rudeness. Why post a response like that when it is sure to cause animosity? His post was to remind people to do a through check, not tempt others to mock him.

If you will kindly re-read the OP, he was pointing out that his rig trailed perfectly even without the sway bar properly attached. There was no mention of a "reminder" or anything remotely resembling a safety concern for himself or others. By his own admission he failed to properly set the sway bar. My point, and my only point, was to reinforce the importance of a detailed pretrip so things are caught before we hit the road. Is that so terrible? It's getting so I wonder about every rig I see on the road. Seems more and more are willing to run and gun, and if slowing down and being sure is mentioned, it is criticized. Personally, I don't want anyone in my family or anyone else being injured or worse so I could brag about how things worked perfectly even though I skipped an important safety feature. That's just me. Sorry if I offended you or the OP. I will continue to pretrip.
CT_WANDERER
Explorer
Sep 03, 2013
We all make errors, I think it is great that someone points out when they make one. I would think it make us all think a little, so maybe, we don't do the same thing. Thanks Terryallen for the reminder and that is what he was trying to do.
Heish
Explorer
Sep 03, 2013
Sorry Terryallen...I meant to address that to Hoppypoppy.
Heish
Explorer
Sep 03, 2013
Terryallen, I think he knows at this point that it was a good lesson learned. Rubbing his nose in it constitutes rudeness. Why post a response like that when it is sure to cause animosity? His post was to remind people to do a through check, not tempt others to mock him.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Sep 03, 2013
Hoppypoppy wrote:
Terryallan wrote:
path1 wrote:
Nothing like a pre-trip inspection, saves lives and money, try it you'll like it.

Trust me, at no time were we in any danger because of the lack of a sway bar. As I said. I have taken great pains to make sure my TT tracks the way it should. I have -O- sway.

Not to be a jerk but THIS time it was the sway bar and you got away with it. Next time it could be the tongue pin or some other vital detail. Pre-trip. For our sake if not your own,

Quite a bit of difference between a hitch pin, and a sway bar. Sway bar = optional. Much like forgetting the ketchup. IF your hitch is correctly adjusted. IF it is not. A sway bar is not the answer any way, and you shouldn't be towing.

I do things in order of importance. That's why the sway bar goes on last. Always. And it was on. Just not turned on, That is why it wasn't caught, as I just checked to see that it was there, as I did everything else, during the morning walk around. And I do a walk around at every stop. But I don't check the sway bar tightness at every stop, just that it is there, and the pins are in it.
nohurry
Explorer
Sep 03, 2013
Equal-I-zer hitch, sway control is built in. Nuff said.
TucsonJim
Explorer II
Sep 03, 2013
Pilots use check lists, and they aren't even towing anything...