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? 🙂

[Airstreamer67]

The Tuscon electronic sway control system looks like a winner to me. It will be installed next time I buy a new trailer or tinker with the one I got.

[BarneyS]

Grit dog wrote:
taken,
I understand your justification for it. No worries there.
And yes if I was pulling as big a trailer as yours with a pickup that is maxed out, couldn't argue that I'd probably want every option available to me to control it in the age er situation arises.
And since we're both repeating ourselves ad nauseum, I'll repeat that my question is, in general, what makes these systems more needed on rvs than all the other trailers out there?

The reason has already been explained earlier. Travel trailers usually have the axles positioned nearly midway under the trailer body/frame. This is done to keep the tongue weight manageable in most cases. Most cargo trailer have them more to the rear and most boat trailer have them almost all the way to the rear. Commercial truck/trailer combinations have the trailer wheels well past the mid point and most are able to slide them to balance axle loads. Often people do not realize how close they are to having an unmanageable trailer until they load it wrong, try to travel with some tanks full, or bump up their speed a bit more than normal and find that "sway point".

They also have more side area than most other types of trailers so are more susceptible to wind forces. They are also often built with axle loading near the limits and with higher CG than many other types of trailers.

For all these reasons, the travel trailer has more tendency to sway at higher speeds than utility, cargo, boat, commercial trailers and should, in most cases, utilize some type of sway control. It may never be needed but is too late to get if needed and not installed.
Barney

[taken]

They aren't. The Tuson is marketed to all trailer types.

[Grit_dog]

taken,
I understand your justification for it. No worries there.
And yes if I was pulling as big a trailer as yours with a pickup that is maxed out, couldn't argue that I'd probably want every option available to me to control it in the age er situation arises.
And since we're both repeating ourselves ad nauseum, I'll repeat that my question is, in general, what makes these systems more needed on rvs than all the other trailers out there?

[taken]

See Grit Dog, that's where you have it completely wrong. Well, in my case anyway. Number one, my dealer didn't even know about the option until I told them. I researched it myself and XLR had just started offering it when I ordered. No on sold me on it as a requirement for safety. I found out about it, thought it was a decent idea, so I added it to my order. Number two, it's a 5th wheel. It has very little to no sway at all by design. That is why folks like 5vers over TTs. Tractor trailers, wind, groves in the pavement, etc. have zero effect on my setup. I had an 16' enclosed aluminum sled trailer that got a lot more squirly from that type of input. However, no setup in the world is immune to a crazy situation like I experienced this summer. As I said, it's rare and you'll likely never need it. However, I am gad I had it. So, in the end, it would appear we're talking about two totally different things. Your talking about traditional sway. They type that sway bars on a TT are designed to mitigate. Of course, I don't have any of that at all. It's a fifth wheel. I'm talking about sway caused by a random and rare driving event that could hit anything from a popup to a tractor trailer. However, for some reason you can't seem to accept that that type of situation can be helped or controlled by a fancy dancy, bling, wasteful, hardly ever needed, crazy snake oil tech option. I've owned 4 RVs in the last 8 years. Stared with a 28' TT then a 36' TT, then a 40' 5th, and now my 44.5' monster. It's also 8.5' wide, 13'4" tall, and does indeed approach 20k fully loaded. In about 40k miles towing these 4 RV's (none of them small or light) I've only really felt this system would/could have helped once. (Yes, it's kicked in other times but nothing my ego/driving skill couldn't have straightened out.) So, no, it's not a "requirement." But since it was such a relatively cheap option that could be factory installed, I figured why not. The difference between it and other options like a third TV or or blue LED accent lighting is that those are indeed bling. No one knows this one is there except me and on the way to Myrtle Beach this summer, I really knew it was there. I also am not on here to brag about it as implied by Hannibal above. I didn't start this thread. I answered it when the OP asked about folks with experience with an electronic sway control system.

[Hannibal]

I think there's some bragging rights, show and tell, bling, uniform requirement, and mine wins the turkey aspect of it too. Nothing wrong with that. It's part of the RVing lifestyle.

[Grit_dog]

taken, I'm not excited over your decision, and probably should have said it up front, you have a ridiculously nice setup that anyone should be proud of.
I used your setup as an example because you posted here and have about the biggest 5ver/smallest pickup combo, as I'm figuring that trailer, loaded with toys, water, fuel, supplies for a week, etc could be near 20klbs.

I can also appreciate your use of the system when it was truly needed.
What I'm questioning is the seemingly no questions asked need for various sway control systems with about every pull behind rv larger than a pop up.
Given the proliferation of theses systems seems to be almost mutually exclusive to RV trailers and no others, I can't help but surmise that this phenomenon gets started most times at a rv dealer ship with someone coming in and buying a trailer bigger then they've ever towed before, and telling the sales man "set me up with everything I need to pull my new castle on wheels" and they leave with everything they need and some things they don't.
Then while motoring down the hiway, everytime a semi blasts them and shoves the trailer, or it gets a little wiggle in some pavement grooves, or a little to quick jerk on the steering wheel make the trailer wave back and let you know it's there, the driver thinks, "OMG, my trailer's swaying! I need something to pin the thing to the back of my truck like its welded on."

[Hannibal]

LOL! I have to warn you. Ah never mind. Just crack a window. I'll be there in a day or two. :B

[taken]

Alright, forget the video and come for a ride with me when two road raging idiots come to a virtual stop in the middle of the highway for a first hand experience...LOL.

[Hannibal]

I watched the video. I think your ego is due a pat on the back. :B

I would love to know what this guy has for sway control if any. By the looks of the stickers on the back of the trailer, I'm going to assume this is not a brand new trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABg20TEfY-8

This one is bull biscuits too but you can see just how out of line you can put one and it falls right back in line when properly designed and loaded. Watch closely and you can see the ever so slight snatch in the steering while towing the stick and tin TT as apposed to the smooth slalom with the Airstream. Not a slam on Airstream. I'd love to have one but the test is very biased and controlled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cMg42sW6NU

[taken]

My ego almost wants to go over your list of possible reasons we made it and assign myself the kudos...LOL. 🙂 Really though, the Tuson system was designed after aircraft systems that auto correct based on an algorithm. It's pretty clever but as I said, something that likely will never be needed. Anyone interested should go to their website and check them out. They have videos and details on how it works. The ever annoying Mr. Truck even review it in a video that is linked from their site.

Tuson Sway Control

[Hannibal]

Whether it was the system, your driving ability or good luck, glad that one worked out for you and hopefully never happens again. I've only had one panic brake moment at 50mph. Hit the brakes so hard when a pickup truck from a side road ran the stop sign crossing in front of us so close his passenger put his arm and hand up over his face as we must have missed him by a foot or two. I thought sure we had bent the hitch or pin on the 5th wheel at least. That was back in the days of the old Hayes hall effect brake controller.

[taken]

Grit dog wrote:

taken wrote:
In my application, it certainly isn't a placebo as suggested above. In a few situations where I never touch the brakes and a bit of sway starts, the system pulls me right back in line. It can be felt and when the system gets aggressive enough, you can briefly smell the brakes. It's not a gimmick. That said, it's also not a requirement. People have been running without a system like this since the dawn of RVs. For it's extremely low price, I'm glad I ordered it on mine though.

In your case I'm sure it's not. Takes one look at the pic in your sig to tell me that trailer will walk that little truck all over the road. I'm not the weight cops as everyone on here knows and I wouldn't want a 40' fiver behind a short box short cab srw truck. (Not saying I wouldn't do it, I just wouldn't consciously over estimate my tow rigs capability for long term service)
You fall into my severely overloaded category.

I still maintain, if you have the right weight bias on the trailer and aren't pulling the space shuttle with a Tundra, sway control is a placebo for not knowing cause/effect and the proper reaction while towing.

I am under on GVWR, GAWR, and tire ratings so not severely overloaded whatsoever but nice try at armchair engineering. I'm over on GCWR but when my 2017 lands, (still SRW SB) I'll be under that too with the new 28700# GCWR. That said, ratings have nothing to do with it. My truck tows my RV like an arrow until a rare panic situation occurs. (Which would have the same effect on a DRW.) This summer I was cut off and had to go full brakes at 70. The trailer started to walk side to side. I couldn't possibly do the "straighten out the noodle" routine by moderately accelerating and applying the trailer brakes at the same time as I needed to stay on the brakes hard. The system kicked in and saved my arse. Something your trailer brake control method or DRW could NOT have done. So, while 99% of the time you never need the system and I have no sway at all while towing during that 99% of the time, during that 1% that just so happened to occur this summer, it likely saved my truck and RV. Possibly the family too.

On a positive note, I'm hoping that was a once in a lifetime experience but even if it was, the system paid for itself.

Now the good news is, you don't have to buy it. Life is about choices and you choose not to try it because you've never needed it. Good on ya. I, on the other hand had the option to have it factory installed for under $400. I thought, hey, cheap insurance on a 70k rig. Turns out it was quite the value. I don't judge you for thinking it's unnecessary and get all excited over your decision. I don't see why you feel the need to get excited about mine?

[Hannibal]

My first experience with real sway was in the late '70s when I was about 16 years old. My dad didn't know and I was clueless. We got the bright idea to move the boat back on the trailer so we could set it on the ball by hand. Worked great from the house to the ramps and back. First trip on the interstate, those britches never did dry. We were extremely lucky we didn't lose it. We didn't even know why it was swaying until someone told us about it. Nothing beats a properly designed, built and loaded trailer and TV for eliminating sway.