Right and Left sway control a myth?
Soooooooo.......just got off the phone with the " sway control experts " Etrailer.com. I've wondered and also because I need to purchase one , why people are telling me there is a right and left sway ...
Forum Discussion
On a fast read of this thread I didn’t see a couple of points worth mentioning.
The shorter the tow vehicle wheelbase or the longer the trailer, the more tendency to sway. I used two friction bars on our Expedition and one on the longer wheelbase pickup—never had a scare.
While proper tongue weight (10 – 15%) is important, I feel that weight distribution set up to return the front axle of the tow vehicle to the same height as unhooked is important. By setting for the same height up front you are applying the same weight as the manufacturer designed for—any other weight reduces steering control. (This assumes a pickup truck/SUV that sits high in the rear and is designed to come down under load.)
Friction bars dampen movement in both directions—you can get them too tight especially with two of them when running on snow, ice, loose gravel, rain, etc. This happened to my son in rain. After a slight loosening he was fine. I ran my double bars fairly tight, but never had any trouble.
My other son drives a crew cab long bed dually. He once loaded up a pole trailer being careful to put the short poles up front to create tongue weight. The trailer swayed and pushed him across two lanes of interstate; after he got under control, it did it again pushing back to where he started. He felt like he had no control at all. He now runs WD and friction SC when pulling a medium sized travel trailer.
The shorter the tow vehicle wheelbase or the longer the trailer, the more tendency to sway. I used two friction bars on our Expedition and one on the longer wheelbase pickup—never had a scare.
While proper tongue weight (10 – 15%) is important, I feel that weight distribution set up to return the front axle of the tow vehicle to the same height as unhooked is important. By setting for the same height up front you are applying the same weight as the manufacturer designed for—any other weight reduces steering control. (This assumes a pickup truck/SUV that sits high in the rear and is designed to come down under load.)
Friction bars dampen movement in both directions—you can get them too tight especially with two of them when running on snow, ice, loose gravel, rain, etc. This happened to my son in rain. After a slight loosening he was fine. I ran my double bars fairly tight, but never had any trouble.
My other son drives a crew cab long bed dually. He once loaded up a pole trailer being careful to put the short poles up front to create tongue weight. The trailer swayed and pushed him across two lanes of interstate; after he got under control, it did it again pushing back to where he started. He felt like he had no control at all. He now runs WD and friction SC when pulling a medium sized travel trailer.
