Brand new

[mdd0006]

About to purchase first small travel trailer. 16ft Starcraft. Do I need to purchase sway bars?

[TXiceman]

double post

[TXiceman]

My opinion is YES. Also, I presume you are actually asking about the weight distributing bars. The sway control is a different animal. I would have a decent weight distributing hitch with a friction sway control.

In a perfect world with a perfectly balanced trailer, a sway control should not be needed. But, we do not live in a perfect world. If you happen to get the wind from a passing truck or at a road pass, the trailer could sway and you could not recover from it.

A W/D hitch and sway control is a cheap insurance policy for safer towing.

Ken

[Tom_Diane]

mdd0006 wrote:
About to purchase first small travel trailer. 16ft Starcraft. Do I need to purchase sway bars?

I was going with a no and would have replied to the post until I saw the post about wind and passing semis or meeting large vehicles! My first experience years ago was with out a sway bar on, although I had one but didn't know what it was, much less how to use it then. I pulled with an old Chevy van. You will know the first time you hit highway speeds and on flat ground or going down a hill! You will feel the sway!
I didn't even have a brake controller so the only way I could straighten out the swaying was to speed up and every time you do that the sway come back when you let off the gas! I found myself traveling at higher than desired speeds trying to stay ahead of the sway until I got to a hill to hold the trailer back!
Better safe than sorry! What's it going to hurt if you have one and not needing it as a opposed to not having it and getting into a hairy situation? When the neighbor showed me what that sway bar was for, a whole new world of towing opened up for me!

[Schlat_11]

New to the RV world as well. Had the RV (Keystone Challenger) delivered and picking the truck up this weekend (2014 Ram 2500). I was going to get an Andersen Hitch but does in matter if I get the aluminum or the steel with an offset. What does the offset do?

[bsinmich]

You might want to change your sign in name. You won't be "brand new" very long. Welcome to our forums.

[mdd0006]

Great info. Can u recommend one. I'm going to go on side of caution.

[bikendan]

Too little info to give a good answer.
Need tow vehicle's specs, TT's specs

[skipnchar]

Receiver on your tow vehicle is rated with two weights. One for using a weight distribution system (many come with built in anti sway systems) and a second for load carying only (which is a smaller number). Your fully loaded tongue weight and your tow vehicles specifications determine if you MUST have a weight distribution hitch. IF it is determined that you need a weight distribution hitch, you would be best served to purchase one that has integrated anti sway. It'll be a lot more fun towing with one than without.
Good luck / Skip

[spoon059]

Do you NEED to have one...? Maybe, tow it and find out.

Does it hurt anything to have one...? Not at all. If it was mine, I would invest $400 and get an Equalizer WDH. It won't make the ride worse and you can easily remove it and install it on your next RV too.

[ChooChooMan74]

Welcome to the forum!!

Are you talking about Friction sway control or a weight distribution hitch. If your tow vehicle is big enough where you don't need a weight distribution hit, I would put on a friction sway control just to help in the wind and the wake of passing trucks. If you need a Weight Distribution Hitch, I would get one with integrated sway control. Just my 2 cents.

[Trackrig]

I'd pull it for a couple of short trips first to see how it handles. You might even have someone else drive your TV pulling the trailer with you following behind so you had see what it's doing.

From some TTs I've seen going down the road, either people can't tell looking in their mirrors that their trailer is swaying badly or they never look in their mirrors. You have to either speed-up or slow down to get further from them in case they cause an accident.

Bill

[Dick_B]

What are you pulling it with and what is the tongue weight?