"The trailer started whipping..."

Nvr2loud wrote:

Larry C wrote:

Nvr2loud wrote:

The_Barbarian wrote:
My wife's statement: "OMG, I bet they had did not have sway control bars." As we drove by, I could not tell either way.

Taft Midway Driller

I wouldn't have sway control bars if you paid for them. Mine came with one bar, but I gave it away the first time out.

Brake controller with manual (and accessible) lever is all I need.

Let us know how that works out for you in some of the 50 mph crosswinds across Kansas, and Nebraska sometime. Hopefully, I'll not be close to you...

If I drove past you in the same situation and noticed an anti-sway friction bar on your rig, I would move away from you also.

So no worries... the feeling is mutual.

I have been pulling travel trailers on interstates for over 10 years with a single friction sway bar and have never come close to having a trailer control issue. That includes a trip to the Grand Canyon with a strong cold front blowing in with really strong cross winds. I saw one fifth wheel and one tractor trailer on their sides but we and our friends also with a friction sway control had no issues. The simple design works very well contrary to what you may read on this forum.

Dick

I called the California Highway Patrol office to ask about the cause of the accident. They said they would not release the details of the accident unless I was a party in the accident.

I am enjoying the conversation on "whipping." My wife has never expericenced sway - we have had the Hensley-Arrow since day one. She looked at that the truck and trailer upside down and could not imagine why it was rolled over facing the wrong direction.

Jayco254 wrote:
I use two sway bars and am a firm believer in them, any thing that can help reduce or eliminate sway for what ever reason is a good thing.

Very sensible reply. I used both DC and dual friction bars on my last trailer at different times. I can assure you that they both made a great handling combo.

They key is to start with a properly loaded trailer, proper TV, properly adjusted WD.... Then and only then will "sway control" devices compliment the rig.

There is way way way more to safely pulling than sway control. If this is your only metric then you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Thanks

Jeremiah

Sure the driver can get control of the sway... if conditions are favorable.

The accidents happen when conditions are not favorable. You can't always accelerate, you can't always manually apply trailer brakes, you can't always hold the wheel straight or even steady.

Sway control may not prevent all sway but does help control some of the sway in all conditions allowing the driver a better chance at recovery.

I use two sway bars and am a firm believer in them, any thing that can help reduce or eliminate sway for what ever reason is a good thing.

Nvr2loud wrote:
Have you ever had serious sway?

It takes very little time to realize that problem, and the reaction should be almost instant.

Knock-on-wood, but I have not had serious sway with the TT. I have however had some scary loads for work behind me, and the brake controller has saved my butt more then once.

When I have transported machinery to job sites, sometimes it is impossible to get the right tongue weight due to trailer design or load characteristics... and add a 40 foot trailer to the mix and you can get some serious sway going. I have even had a fifth wheel trailer (not a camper) loaded with about 18,000 lbs nearly pull my truck over on top of me. It didn't have brakes, and luckily I was driving a one ton with a big diesel engine... I slammed my foot down on the gas and held on. For those of you who believe a 5th wheel can not sway, you're wrong. It takes a lot of force, and a lot of towed weight, but you can make a 5th wheel trailer sway (not likely a camper, too light)

At work, I never had a choice of load size, equipment, tow vehicle, ect. I was just expected to do as instructed. In hind-sight, I should have refused most of the loads. We had equipment that was grossly inadequate for the loads, and my drivers license was not valid for the length or weight of some of those loads, but hey... I was young and dumb. I did however, learn how to tow properly. Now that I'm older and have a choice of what to tow and how to tow, I am very conservative with my towing, but I still don't like friction anti-sway bars. I don't trust them above their safe threshold, when it is too late to manually correct the trailer. I have stated over-and-over again that friction sway bars work, but only to a certain threshold, then they are junk....

Sorry, missed your question earlier.

Yes, I have had serious sway and the oh-shoot as an equipment trailer alternates between trying to jackknife and shove you over top of the vehicle in front of you- usually from some numb-nutz who decides to steal your 'braking distance cushion' and whip in front while you are trying to get stopped for a sudden accident or inclement weather.

Your experience sounds much like the ones I have had and I have to give you respect for that. The unexpected benefit of which is the ability to tear a vinyl seat with your buttocks :E

One time loaded with a heavy horse trailer in the rain, had a sudden event happen and I was on the brakes hard. A cage whipped in front and I went into full emergency braking and manual controller while slumped around the steering wheel using the controller with my left hand and downshifting with my right. To be fair, I think it was the verbalizations that helped the most :R

I got out and spoke to the driver. I told him he just about had that hood ornament tattooed on his backside permanently! I politely explained the challenge of stopping short with a trailer, what I had to do and how I could hear the horses sliding into the front of the stalls.

I *think* he understood, but he kept staring up at that hood ornament and how it seemed to be hovering over his car as the bumpers were mere inches apart ;)

So I certainly DO AGREE with your idea that manual braking control is a skill that can be invaluable and wish everyone could learn and benefit from it.

But I wouldn't recommend REFUSING to use sway control any more than I would suggest eliminating the safety chains, break away cables, hitch locking pins, etc.

One example to consider...what do you think would happen if you have to brake suddenly and your trailer brakes FAILED? As the trailer starts to jackknife just before the TV roll, I bet you'd be wishing for ANY help that could slow down or stop the jackknife/sway :E

At the end of the day, that's what it's really about. Preparing our rigs in the most reasonable way to provide the most resistance to accidents, whether it be from weather, road conditions, other drivers, or whatever.

Nothing we do will guarantee no accidents. No equipment, no skillsets, nothing. They all can help avoid or reduce accidents, which is really the goal.

Have a great day!

Very interesting thread. Not that there is any shortage of opinion, but I'll add my thoughts:

- It really helps to have the trailer loaded properly (somewhat nose heavy) with a proper sized tow vehicle, properly inflated tires, etc.
- If (for whatever reason) the trailer starts to fishtail, the proper response is to immediately put on the trailer brakes and to go lightly (if at all) on the tow vehicle brakes. Even if one doesn't have lightning fast reflexes, this is a good paradigm to follow

FWIW, while I don't agree with the logic/reasoning, I would never use fricton sway control bars either. When towing a trailer, I used a Reese Dual Cam HP hitch. It not only distributed the weight, but it reduced/eliminated sway.

To me, the most telling advantage of the Reese hitch was that, when being passed by a semi or when being hit by a crosswind, it did not feel like the wind was pushing the truck and pushing the trailer: it felt like the wind was pushing a big, long, single 50' vehicle....and if I was to simply go with the flow, both my truck and trailer would move together as the wind pushed. Alternatively, if I used the steering wheel to maintain position, both truck and trailer maintained position in unison.

I'm sold on Reese Dual Cam HP and suspect that other WD/Anti-Sway hitches are just as good. I won't use friction anti-sway bars. I will jump on the trailer brakes if I start to lose control.

Nvr2loud wrote:


I won't argue that it can't be done, clearly some people can get control back again. However, you have personally witnessed that there is enough force to overcome the friction style anti-sway bars. My entire point has been that it isn't safe to rely on them. Too many people just let their RV dealer install a system and flat out state "You will now have no sway, no problems" and those drivers then never learn to control their rig. I don't blame drivers who use tools like friction bars, they can and do work, but everyone needs to know how to correct a problem manually, and everyone needs to know how to load a trailer properly... and that is being ignored as my point is lost in all this bantering back and forth about anti-sway devices.

Can't argue with that. Kinda like tires. How many folks REALLY know their trailer's actual travel weight and have that weight properly distributed..................

CarnationSailor wrote:
Regarding the claim that when a friction sway control is overcome by wind, it is too late to correct the problem manually, this is simply not true - based on my personal experience.

I had a single friction sway control bar that seemed to adequately control sway for over 10,000 miles of towing. It didn't eliminate sway totally, but did control it under normal circumstances ("truck suck" and moderate wind gusts), and I stay off the road when severe wind is predicted.

Then when we were within 150 miles of home following a 3000 mile trip, we got hit by a freak wind gust that overcame the control. The rear of the trailer went hard right, then back hard left, and was starting back right by the time I got to the manual slide on my brake controller. I'm talking 3 seconds tops between the gust hitting and the trailer breaks coming on.

The trailer straightened out just like everyone said it would and we avoided a disaster. So you can get a sway situation under control AFTER a friction control is overcome.

However, the event scared my wife and myself sufficiently that we bought a Hensley Arrow as soon as we got home! I feel much safer on the road and no more white knuckle driving.

I won't argue that it can't be done, clearly some people can get control back again. However, you have personally witnessed that there is enough force to overcome the friction style anti-sway bars. My entire point has been that it isn't safe to rely on them. Too many people just let their RV dealer install a system and flat out state "You will now have no sway, no problems" and those drivers then never learn to control their rig. I don't blame drivers who use tools like friction bars, they can and do work, but everyone needs to know how to correct a problem manually, and everyone needs to know how to load a trailer properly... and that is being ignored as my point is lost in all this bantering back and forth about anti-sway devices.

(not directed at you)
It isn't as simple as....

Anti-sway devices = safety
non Anti-sway = disaster

aftermath wrote:
Wow, what a thread!


Strangely, I agree with a lot of what Never2 had to say about the friction bar thing and the advice to hit the trailer brakes while accelerating. I do not have his keen ability to maintain constant intense focus for hours at a time and lack the lighting fast reflexes to respond to an emergency. I am sure glad he is super human in this regard, it will make me feel better when I see him go around me on the highway.

LOL... You have a good sense of wit to make an insult feel like a compliment, very well done. :)