Sway Control really needed ???

I had the opportunity to follow a small TT down the road. It was a rental and was hooked to a large enough TV. This thing was swaying back and forth like mad. I backed off and watched for a while and noticed that as long as he was going below a certain speed it was fine. As he sped up it started wagging again.

That impressed me to get a hitch with built in SC when we purchased our 21ft. hybrid. I was towing with a 4Runner and it was plenty strong enough and even the tongue weight was fine. I wanted some weight distributing properties so I went with an Equalizer that does both.

If a trailer is properly set up and the weight is distributed as it should be and if your TV is strong enough, you probably could get by without either and just put it on the ball. Too any "ifs" in there for me. Having a huge 1 ton might help you avoid the need for WD but I really don't think it will stop a trailer from swaying when it happens. Better safe than sorry is my idea.

I am pulling with a chevy avalanche and seems to be fine on the highway. Not any significant dancing as of yet. Weight is about 3500 max. I think the main factor is keeping the tow vehicle straight and the trailer has to follow. May wiggle but it will correct if you keep the wheels straight and slow the speed gradually. Many drivers over correct a wobbling effect and end up putting it in a back and forth tizzy. Once you start correcting then you get in trouble.. Hold it straight. On a curve it can be a challenge so stay alert .

We have a 98' Dodge Ram 2500 , and our TT weighs about 4000# - 20'. I don't think we are asking too much of the truck to pull this set up. The Dodge is pretty tall so we had the axles flipped on the trailer and we tow as level as level gets now.

I've felt this trailer do the "hula" a few times under a couple different driving conditions (big rigs, and high winds). That was not working for my psyche. The anti-sway bars keep it feeling solid when big rigs go flying past. I don't even feel that push/pull anymore. The anti-sways are used WITH load levers hooked up too.

Yep.. anti-sways could just be my security blanket, but using them gives me a huge piece of mind.
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A lot of good advice above and everyone has a different opinion that they gain from their experiences. I suggest that you use what is required for your needs. I've been building equipment trailers on and off since 1975 and I have yet to put a WDH or sway control on any of them. These can run from single axle to triple axle and also includes tandem duals with slipper springs. A lot really depends on the tow vehicle and if it is heavy enough for the load that it is pulling. It also depends a lot on the quality of the trailer. A light tow vehicle with a heavy trailer isn't a good combination, which make the WDH and SC more important. As far as the trailer length goes, I would much rather pull a trailer that is 20'+ from the center of the axles to the coupler than one that is 8'. The shorter coupled trailers can get real squirrely. The shorter trailers really need to be well built because imperfections in the alignment of the frame and axle(s) can affect the handling much more so.
The quality of the trailer and the proper tongue loading is also very important.
Equipment trailers are different in a couple of important ways. Usually, they are pulled with a heavy vehicles and they are also not shaped like a big box that catches the wind. Some folks think that equipment trailers also have a lower center of gravity, but that isn't always the case, expecially on the tandem duals with a backhoe on top of the deck which is above the tires. When was the last time you saw a large backhoe trailer (24,000 GVW+) being pulled by a dump truck with a WDH and SC?
I pull my RV trailers with a Ford F-350 and when I'm pulling my 34' Avion, I use the WDH, but I don't use the SC. The trailer has it, and it has been a pain so I only used it one time. Besides, the trailer with my TV absolutely doesn't need it. This is my experience from pulling it across the western US from southern AZ to Canada over a dozen times. Someone pulling it with a different vehicle may have a different experience. Someone pulling a 34' "box" trailer with a F-350 may need sway control. When pulling my 19.5' RV trailer which weighs over 6,000# I don't use the WDH or SC. It works for me, but it may not work for other folks with different combinations. I'm glad my smaller trailer doesn't require the WDH because I would hate to have to disconnect it every time I take it off the paved road. The WDH can put tremendous strain on your equipment when it is over articulated.
As stated above, you need to find out what works for your rig. Some folks have had issues with short trailers like the small pop up trailers getting squirrely. They put SC on it and it seems fine. I would be very careful with a setup like that because the issue with the trailer not towing properly hasn't been resolved, it has just been masked.
Happy camping to everyone.

We pulled a 22' TT with a 3/4 ton Dodge for years without any SC. I never felt the need for it.

Never leave the driveway without it. Previous to our new TT we had a ROO 23SS HTT. Don't know why they gave it that number....box only was 20'10", bumper to ball was 24'. Maybe just wanted something in the middle. Fully loaded it was 5000# on the nose. Because it is smaller and lighter weight, seems like we felt semis, gusts, etc more than with a slightly larger trailer. Our new TT is 26'4" box and 29' bumper to ball. It definitely has a different feel and you notice the extra weight, but still would not consider going without. Some folks will argue the point forever, but consider it extra insurance....that 10% you likely will never need until you need it.

My hub is disabled so I do allll the driving/towing. I put on load levers AND Anti-sway bars. I can feel the difference when towing - and it feels GOOD and solid! The only hard lesson we've learned is to put on the anti-sway bars AFTER you get out of your housing area (if it's a lot of tight turns) or done making that last stop at the store (navigating a tight parking lot). Once we are out on the open road we just do a quickie pull over, takes 3 min to put them on and off we go. I won't haul without them.

I for one will never tow even a cargo trailer without a sway bar !!! I was towing a 16 ft TT and going thru a curve in the road when I met a Semi coming in the opposite direction. The TT started swaying and was completely sideways before I got it under control. Another time I was towing a cargo trailer loaded with dirt and it started swaying all over the road. I never tow any kind of trailer without a sway bar whether its my enclosed MC trailer, cargo, TT or whatever in the last 55 years of towing

Absolutely. We pulled a pop up and without the sway bar, the thing would walk. I'd never pull any type of camp trailer without one.

As stated before, it's only necessary 10% of the time. But it REALLY is NECESSARY that 10% of the time! Towed a 24' TT with our F150 6'bed pickup and found out why it was necessary!