Finishing up the first season with our TT and decided to get a friction sway control bar for our next trip. We have the Reese style hitch head with trunion style springbars. The hitch head already had the little sway control ball installed as well as on the TT. My question is about dialing in the amount of friction. How much friction should there be? Out of the box, it's tightened enough to where I can't slide the bar in or out at all. If I loosen the "On Off" lever, pull the bar out and tighten the lever back, if I put all my weight on it, it will barely slide back in. We towed the TT about 1,000 miles this year without much sway at all. Just wanted to add the swaybar for additional safety. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Loosen the friction sway bar so it slides easily by turning the crank handle. After installing on both little balls, tighten the handle crank as much as you can by hand. Give it an extra "umph" and that's good. The tighter it is, the better it helps control sway. But there is a point where too tight is too much, so never use a cheater bar to make it tighter. However, it is OK to use a cheater bar if you need to initially loosen it.Once it slides easily, remove it from both little balls until needed the next trip. I used one for years and years. I had to replace it once with a new one as the old one finally froze in place and I ended up breaking the handle to when attempting to loosen it. That was after 10 years of use too.

Too tight will pop the ball off. Check online sites for proper use. YouTube or etrailer etc

What is your tongue weight percentage?

If you have the trunion style bars, add the dual cam kit to it. Works far better than simple friction.

It sounds like from your description you had it about right. Drive with it a while, if it seems like you need a little more, tighten the bolt on the back a little. If it seems to much, loosen the bolt on the back. Over tightening it will break the balls off.

Reese Sway Control Bar | Good Sam Community

wing_zealot
Explorer
Oct 03, 2019
It sounds like from your description you had it about right. Drive with it a while, if it seems like you need a little more, tighten the bolt on the back a little. If it seems to much, loosen the bolt on the back. Over tightening it will break the balls off.
ScottG
Nomad
Oct 03, 2019
If you have the trunion style bars, add the dual cam kit to it.
Works far better than simple friction.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Oct 03, 2019
What is your tongue weight percentage?
bgum
Explorer
Oct 03, 2019
Too tight will pop the ball off. Check online sites for proper use. YouTube or etrailer etc
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Oct 03, 2019
Loosen the friction sway bar so it slides easily by turning the crank handle. After installing on both little balls, tighten the handle crank as much as you can by hand. Give it an extra "umph" and that's good. The tighter it is, the better it helps control sway. But there is a point where too tight is too much, so never use a cheater bar to make it tighter. However, it is OK to use a cheater bar if you need to initially loosen it.

Once it slides easily, remove it from both little balls until needed the next trip. I used one for years and years. I had to replace it once with a new one as the old one finally froze in place and I ended up breaking the handle to when attempting to loosen it. That was after 10 years of use too.

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