trailer sway

One more thing... The RV dealers will most certainly sell you a trailer you can safely tow... Do your own research.

So much can be done to mitigate sway you don't need to give it another thought.
Trailer loading, tire type and pressure, weight distribution, driving style, will all play into sway. Adding sway control shouldnt be thought of as a solution to avoid the afformentioned points but rather a safety device like a fall arrest harness, you hope you never have to rely on it... Until the day a deer walks out on the highway, if you didn't invest in sway control you'll wish you had a straight line or Hensley setup.

mmbrevo wrote:
Hi all!
I am planning on buying an RV to go on the road as a travelling temp worker.
I am a bit apprehensive about towing an RV, don't know muck about trucks/hitches, but I'm trying to learn.
A 5th wheel seems like the best option for me, but I haven't ruled out a travel trailer as it would allow me to buy a more more practical truck.
So, my question is about trailer sway. Can this be mostly eliminated by using a sway control hitch?

NO trailer will inherently "sway". If you load your trailer correctly and learn to drive it correctly so called "Sway" will never be an issue for you. Don't fall for the fear marketing that tells you you must have anti sway bars.

Your trailer will normally track very well if PULLED correctly. Large trucks, high winds and other challenges do move you around slightly. But this is normal. Many people overreact to these normal movements and actually create a problem where none existed.

I like to compare towing a trailer with Flying. (I have a pilots license) When you are first learning to fly one of the biggest mistakes you make is to constantly overcorrect for every push, uplift and drop you feel the aircraft making. With time and experience you realize this is normal and that you should not react to every outside input. It is much the same in learning to drive a trailer.

Relax, Pull the trailer ...dont let it push you, when being passed by large vehicles or in strong winds keep a steady pressure on the accellerator...This is the one thing above all that will make a big difference...many people unconciously let off the accellerator at times that they should not. This action alone will induce a "fish tailing" reaction in the trailer.

Get your trailer, drive it, practice and don't let every movement spook you. You will be fine (assuming, as I do, that you are an intelligent and normally capable driver)

I actually consider driving my trailer in challenging conditions as fun...sort of like the same satisfaction that you might get from driving a Porche 911 Turbo all out on CA Hwy one. (but slower obviously)

Good luck and have fun

An adequate tow vehicle is an adequate tow vehicle, regardless of the hitch type. Heavy duty models make towing great. Some, like the GM HD models, don't even require a Weight distributing hitch. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because it is a "bumper pull" that any and all tow vehicles will be sufficient.

If you get the right TV for the camper, sway will be of little concern. When I bought my first TT many years ago, I used sway bars but soon realized they were not necessary. Just recently, I was on I95 in central Florida running 65mph with 30 to 40 mpg crosswinds. Yes I had some sway but it was only an inconvenience.

I have always preferred the pull behind because with a pickup topper, I get lots of extra storage room.

Using a TT vs. a 5th wheel. Fivers tow solid, but you need enough truck to carry the hitch weight and truck bed storage is minimal.
RE TT : I understand using your trucks bed for storage, just buy enough truck to do the job you need to do . Loading equipment on a 1500 may cause you to be more limited when you add trailer tongue weight and people .
A 250/350 or 2500/3500 series might be a better option offering more payload, better rear axle and tire ratings, bearings, brakes etc .
Conventional TT (travel trailer) can work fine if set up correctly and you learn how to properly weigh your TV (tow vehicle) as well as your TT (hitched and unhitched) That will give you true weights of the trailer, the tongue weight , the weight on each TT axle and the weight on each axle of your TV . Knowing ALL your real rolling down the highway weights is the key to towing happiness.
It can all be weighed at one trip to a certified truck scale ( Cat Scales ) Just let the scale operator know what you want to do and you will charged accordingly. Its not expensive and the operator should be able to offer some help as to how to position the vehicles . There are many youtube video on how to weight a TT .
Know how to do it before you go to a scale.

http://www.rvuniversity.com/staticpages/index.php/Trailer_Sway_101


https://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

msgtord wrote:
Don't worry about trailer sway just yet. Concentrate on what trailer you want and the appropriate tow vehicle.

MORE important than anything else and an issue many newbies don't pay anywhere near enough attention to. :( Proof is in the pudding ... just read through a couple of recent threads here on the forum and you'll have all the proof you need. Here's one, here's another. The lesson - figure out first what you're going to use as a tow vehicle, then figure out what you're going to tow with it. ;)

Don't worry about trailer sway just yet. Concentrate on what trailer you want and the appropriate tow vehicle.

Yes if you have the proper set up with sway control there is no problem. I do not experience any sway when towing my TT.