Electronic sway control trailer option?

[Sharopete]

I noticed a trailer option on the Jayco site for electronic sway control. Is this some sort of sensor that monitors the trailer for sway, then applies some braking? Does it reduce the need for sway control on a weight distributing hitch? Has anyone here used it? Was it effective? 🙂

[raydf]

I wonder if there is any incompatibility between a weight-distribution hitch, such as those manufactured by Reese and an electronic sway control unit (such as the "Hayes Sway Master Electronic Sway Control System")? I seem to have read somewhere that the two cannot be used together but I don't recall where I read it. Is it so?

Thanks!

[Jayco25E]

I was looking into one of these to ad to my current Jayco. But wow until the price point comes down I will not be adding one.

[taken]

mikebte wrote:
I recently watched a video on this new technology. Jayco is the first to offer it.
Kind of like abs for trailers. Safety is of the upmost importance. This is the first year it's offered.
my opinion is to never buy an idea the first year it's out. Let them work the kinks out.
still looks super cool.

Jayco is not the first to offer it. XLR had it a year ago.

[mikebte]

I recently watched a video on this new technology. Jayco is the first to offer it.
Kind of like abs for trailers. Safety is of the upmost importance. This is the first year it's offered.
my opinion is to never buy an idea the first year it's out. Let them work the kinks out.
still looks super cool.

[taken]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
Tell you what. Load your trailer 9% or less tongue weight and see how often your electronic sway control comes on. The reason your trailer acts the way it does is because it's designed and loaded correctly.

My trailer is designed and loaded correctly and I don't need any sway control.

I'll say it again, get the trailer correct the first time and don't Band-Aid things.

You can always have sway with any % of pin weight. I have a 5th wheel not a TT and the recommended pin weight is 25%. Mine loaded with the garage full is pushing 20k and it's pin with that weight is about 2650#. That is by your definition, not "set up" correctly and yet I have zero sway with very little intervention from the sway control. When it does kick in, it's not life saving, just nice to have. No one said it's curing cancer so let's not get all excited here. I just said it's nice to have just like the remote on your TV or any other "option." People have gotten by without it for years and could continue to. This doesn't mean it's not nice to have. If you don't like it, don't buy or use it. I do and am glad I have it.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

taken wrote:
It wasn't Forest River that offered the Tuson Sway Control but rather the XLR line specifically. On the need thing, it isn't needed. It's just a nice option. Options aren't needed or they wouldn't be "options"... they'd be a "standard." My last hauler, a Heartland Road Warrior, didn't have any sway control like most and while I never felt any was "needed" I do notice now with the XLR that under some of the same circumstances, the XLR has much better manners even with it being a longer trailer with a lighter pin. The third axle likely helps in this regard too though.

By the by, it didn't sell very well as people didn't understand what it was all about so XLR dropped the option a couple months back.

Oh, and to address one other post above, they system is certainly not active 50% of the time LOL. Not sure where that came from but it's not even close. It may kick on one or two times over the course of a trip if at all. They rest of the time it's just monitoring and doing nothing. It takes a good deal of being out of line to engage. For example, going over a bridge with big expansion joints during a curve while passing a semi. Something that sucks the back end out after a good bounce. A situation like that isn't crash inducing, just takes a moment to recover. With sway control, before you could do anything to recover, the brakes are already pulsed on one side or the other to straighten you right back out and then its shut down again. Very seamless experience. So, the whole brake use/overheating and fuel usage thing is not the case whatsoever.

Tell you what. Load your trailer 9% or less tongue weight and see how often your electronic sway control comes on. The reason your trailer acts the way it does is because it's designed and loaded correctly.

My trailer is designed and loaded correctly and I don't need any sway control.

I'll say it again, get the trailer correct the first time and don't Band-Aid things.

[taken]

It wasn't Forest River that offered the Tuson Sway Control but rather the XLR line specifically. On the need thing, it isn't needed. It's just a nice option. Options aren't needed or they wouldn't be "options"... they'd be a "standard." My last hauler, a Heartland Road Warrior, didn't have any sway control like most and while I never felt any was "needed" I do notice now with the XLR that under some of the same circumstances, the XLR has much better manners even with it being a longer trailer with a lighter pin. The third axle likely helps in this regard too though.

By the by, it didn't sell very well as people didn't understand what it was all about so XLR dropped the option a couple months back.

Oh, and to address one other post above, they system is certainly not active 50% of the time LOL. Not sure where that came from but it's not even close. It may kick on one or two times over the course of a trip if at all. They rest of the time it's just monitoring and doing nothing. It takes a good deal of being out of line to engage. For example, going over a bridge with big expansion joints during a curve while passing a semi. Something that sucks the back end out after a good bounce. A situation like that isn't crash inducing, just takes a moment to recover. With sway control, before you could do anything to recover, the brakes are already pulsed on one side or the other to straighten you right back out and then its shut down again. Very seamless experience. So, the whole brake use/overheating and fuel usage thing is not the case whatsoever.

[Ron_Gratz]

Interesting that Forest River is offering electronic sway control as an option of their fifth wheel trailers.

I thought sway control was never needed on a 5er.

Ron

[taken]

Lots of reviews from those who don't have the system. I do so some actual perspective here. I ordered the option when we ordered our rig. It works 100% as advertised with no negatives whatsoever. It is non obtrusive, not over sensitive, and in almost ten thousand miles has made my very long trailer with an unusually light pin, tow like an arrow. I would recommend it to anyone either as an OEM option or as an easy add on. It has nothing to do with "setup." In the right situation any RV can sway. Toy haulers like mine more than most with all that weight behind the axles.

[BenK]

Sharopete...you've got it right in my book !


IMHO...there is nothing 'wrong' about most of these automated systems...issue see
is that folks will become overly reliant to then forget the HOW2's...if they
ever learned them...

Stuff like TV's Survivor series...how silly that the person on the street can NOT
make fire...or shelter...or forage for food n water...

Darwinism in the works....

[Sharopete]

Interesting and pretty thorough sounding replies. I guess I always focused on trailer balance and good equipment for the job. I previously had a Nissan Pathfinder towing a Jayco 23b which was at the upper limits of weight for the Pathy and quite long for the TV's wheelbase. Rear airbags, a good WD sway control hitch and a good brake controller did the trick last time. Never exceeded 65mph and always felt comfortable with the tow.
The basics worked last time so I will view the electronic anti-sway as a possible further safety feature and focus first on the fundamentals. Proper balance, proper gear, proper towing habits.

Thanks for the input!

[BenK]

IMHO...on 'poor setup'....more and more of these things are going to come out and
become the defacto 'standard' solution to a poor setup

Too many are not willing, maybe don't understand, HOW2 choose well and trying to
make do with the lowest class TV out there based on weighted preference for 'car'
attributes over towing metrics

Therefore the proliferation of 10% tongued trailers vs higher tongue weight trailers

[Ron_Gratz]

Lippert's Sway Command™ Tow Control Technology press release states:

"

It’s not complicated, it works in conjunction with mechanical sway control equipment, and we were able to take it to market at a very affordable price point.

"

and

"

LCI VP of Electronics Rob Ford explained that Sway Command, coupled with a good weight distribution hitch system, can greatly reduce trailer sway during emergency maneuvers to avoid traffic accidents or other road obstructions. “Using a weight distribution hitch with sway control bars will handle minor sway events, but that alone isn’t enough to handle extreme sway events that can send the trailer into a potentially dangerous situation,” said Ford. “These systems may give drivers a false sense of security, causing them to overcompensate when an extreme sway event occurs and make the situation even worse. Sway Command helps drivers by sensing a sway event before they can, operating the trailer brakes to deter a potentially dangerous situation.”

"

It sounds to me as though Lippert does intend for Sway Command to be used with a WDP plus sway bars (or integrated sway control).

I do not imagine that "overheated" trailer brakes would be a problem.
The mechanical sway control system should be able to damp any frequent small-amplitude yaw excursions.

This Lippert Video indicates, to me, that the Sway Command is programmed to respond to yaw excursions which are outside the effective zone of the WDH/SC.

Since the Sway Command uses differential (left/right) braking (as opposed to the brute force method of using the manual control on the brake controller), it should be able to provide adequate sway control with relatively low levels of braking force.
I think it is unlikely that yaw excursions which cannot be damped by the WDH/SC would occur over long enough duration to cause brake overheating.
If they do, you need to find the cause(s) of the sway (low tongue weight, bad tire pressure, axle alignment, etc.) and eliminate it(them) ASAP.

No sway control system should be expected to compensate for a poor setup.

Ron

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

There is several problems with "depending" on electronic sway control to control sway.

One is, as Bryan already mentioned is overheated trailer brakes. If you have a poorly designed or poorly loaded trailer that wants to sway and you have one of these systems on it, it can turn on the trailer brakes several times a second. I think you can imagine what that is going to do for trailer brake heat.

Two is trailer brake wear. If you have your trailer brakes on 50% of the time I think you can also imagine what that will do for trailer brake wear. :E

Three is horrid fuel mileage. Yes, you have your trailer brakes on 50% of the time you can imagine what that is going to do for you mileage. :E

These systems are like being fat and going to a doctor and wanting a pill to make you thinner. It's best just to fix the problem that causes the sway in the first place rather than go with Band-Aid systems.

[carringb]

Hopefully its the system developed by Tuscon brake, which has now been licensed to Lippert.

It's essentially electronic stability control that can apply brakes to one side of the trailer at a time to counter yaw. It will be more effective at countering sway in some situations than any hitch, and appears to work better than the OEM stability/sway control on pickups. However, the yaw has to happen first for the system to even turn on. Preventing sway is still your best option. Proper balance and weight distribution should achieve this.

As for hitch-based mechanical sway control vs electronic.... I think it all depends. Mechanical options can continue to dampen sway almost forever. Electronic systems potentially could overheat the brakes. But, electronic sway control will actively help keep you pointed straight. Most mechanical sway hitches (i.e. friction hitches) resist returning to center as much as they resist sway, so on icy roads those hitches can make it harder to regain control.