"The trailer started whipping..."
I saw the aftermath of this accident while driving out of the mountains near Pine Mountain Club, California. There were gouges in the pavement where the truck (It might have been a Chevy Avalanche)an...
Forum Discussion
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
