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Good and Bad about Blue Ox Sway Pro

Rescue16
Explorer
Explorer
I just purchased a 2013 Cougar 32RBK travel trailer and I am towing it with a 2006 Ford F350 Crew Cab With the 6.0 Powerstroke. I am looking at getting the Blue Ox Sway Pro and would like to here the good and bad about this WD/Sway control. With my previous RV and vehicle (21SS Shamrock Hybrid and Ford E250 Conversion van) I used the Equalizer and all the experience was great it was really noisy.

Thanks in advance for taking a moment to tell me the good and bad!!
Rescue 16 - United States Navy Retired and Proud
Lovely Wife Carla 🙂
The Crew Alicia and Johnathan :B
The Camping Dog Kamp Chaos 🙂
2013 Keystone Cougar 32RBK
2006 Ford F350 Crew Cab Lariat 6.0 PowerStroke
103 REPLIES 103

CHD_Dad
Explorer
Explorer
New design is terrible. There is no adjustment to sway in the head. The old design had one bolt per side on the bottom so you could adjust the torque setting for more or less sway control. Those bars swing freely in the new design. Where your arrow is pointed is just the catch for the trunion bar. The hard tilt used to be adjustable with a thumb screw now its cast in. Need more or less tilt - out of luck. Those brackets on the A-Frame are attached with one bolt. It threads into the back of the bracket. Its not pointed, just a standard bolt. I do seem to recall zerk fittings for grease on the new design. You do not grease where the bars go in, they call it a "clean" design.

When I spoke to them on the phone multiple times about this new design (I had ordered what I thought was the old but all they had was this new one) they kept telling me that all the sway control was in those hanging chains that are wrapped around that bracket. The way the bracket wraps around the chain was supposed to supply control. I asked it they were joking several times and they sounded serious...
2012 FR Surveyor Sport 295
2015 Nissan NVP 3500 SL 5.6L
Tekonsha P3 / "New" Blue Ox Sway Pro

BenK
Explorer
Explorer
Finally curiosity has me look at that setup

They do say there is friction built into the trunnion bars and assume in the
socket end, but do NOT see any adjustment methods, as with 'most' friction materials,
it is a consumable, therefore needs adjustment (think of your brakes)

If there is an adjustment, it is not clearly visible here and must be on the
bottom side of the trunnion socket



Blue Ox Sway Pro wrote:

Built-In Friction Sway Control

The SwayPro offers four points of built-in sway control. Within the head assembly, the trunnions are designed to hold the spring bars securely in position, placing just enough tension on them to cause them to constantly force your trailer in line. At the other end of this weight-distribution system, the rotating brackets ensure that the lift chains are pulled as taut as possible. In addition, the basic design of the brackets keeps much of the length of the lift chains wrapped up inside of the brackets. Typically, only a couple of links hang down from each bracket. So each chain is held more stable than in traditional weight-distribution systems, where more than twice as many links are exposed. This tight, stable design limits the movement of the spring bars so that they can exert more force on your trailer to effectively keep it from shifting side to side. Furthermore, unlike other friction-style sway controls, this system allows you to back up your trailer without having to remove or disengage the system.



Do like their chain tensioning system, but there is a potential weakness


That is the over the top clamp bracket does not seem to have any fastening method
other than the down force from the chain tension. Anyone know if there is a
fastening system not seen in this image above?

How is it held in place from sliding along the tongue member? A few
have reported that their Andersen brackets to the tongue moved either
from just towing or encountering a bump or some such...they had lost
lots of their WD'ing when that happened

Otherwise can see a potential for it to come off during a who'd-doo

Their castings seem much cleaner than most other brands I've seen, but this too
has small cross sections and wonder how stout over time

Don't see any provision to grease the moving joints and wonder how they are
greased, if at all

Think rust catcher in this shank, as that gusset welded on has voids that will
catch and hold H2O to rust. Maybe they dunked it into a anti-corrosion whatever
after welding that has that stuff protecting the non-welded areas


Since this hitch head has a cast in tilt, wonder how many links are left showing
and that maybe part of their sway control...holding or resisting side to side
movement

After checking it out, am not interested...
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...

uprighter
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks!

BarneyS
Explorer III
Explorer III
uprighter wrote:
I too am considering the blue ox sway pro. Anybody out there able to explain the difference between standard vs. underslung coupler?

Types of couplers.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch (Sold)
Not towing now.
Former tow vehicles were 2016 Ram 2500 CTD, 2002 Ford F250, 7.3 PSD, 1997 Ram 2500 5.9 gas engine

OH48Lt
Explorer
Explorer
Francesca Knowles wrote:
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.

Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!

As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...


Until you get into a 30mph crosswind.
2017 Ford F-150 Crew Cab 4x4 3.5 EcoBoost
2014 Cruiser RV Fun Finder 215WKS
2015 Harley Road Glide Special in Amber Whiskey
2019 Mustang Bullitt
Yamaha Grizzly 660 (his)
Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O.(hers)

uprighter
Explorer
Explorer
I too am considering the blue ox sway pro. Anybody out there able to explain the difference between standard vs. underslung coupler?

coolbreeze01
Explorer
Explorer
I have the "old" style Sway Pro. Clean, quiet, simple, and effective. The head is heavy. I use the electric jack to raise the pickup and set the chains by hand, no strain. Been happy with it for over 5 years. Good luck.
2008 Ram 3500 With a Really Strong Tractor Motor...........
LB, SRW, 4X4, 6-Speed Auto, 3.73, Prodigy P3, Blue Ox Sway Pro........
2014 Sandsport 26FBSL

Ozlander
Explorer
Explorer
Francesca Knowles wrote:
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.

Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!

As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...


What he said. True.
Ozlander

06 Yukon XL
2001 Trail-Lite 7253

BarneyS
Explorer III
Explorer III
Francesca Knowles wrote:
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.

Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!

As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...

For the new members who are just getting into trailering, just about every word in the above quote is in error. Please do not take what was posted as the anything close to the truth.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch (Sold)
Not towing now.
Former tow vehicles were 2016 Ram 2500 CTD, 2002 Ford F250, 7.3 PSD, 1997 Ram 2500 5.9 gas engine

CHD_Dad
Explorer
Explorer
Be aware they changed the design recently. The head no longer has any sway control and the head tilt is no longer adjustable. It used to be a very nice design, I think they really messed it up with the "new" design. From talking with them it was to simplify things for the consumer, I think it was to save money on their end even though it costs the same. I sent ours back when I couldnt find anyone with the old design in stock.
2012 FR Surveyor Sport 295
2015 Nissan NVP 3500 SL 5.6L
Tekonsha P3 / "New" Blue Ox Sway Pro

ReferDog
Explorer
Explorer
Cons Heavy, cost a lot. Equi-lizer unit should work fine with your rig.
ReferDog 2008 Chevy 2500 HD Dura Max
Artic Fox 30U

Equlizer Hitch

Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
Explorer
A w/d hitch with chains doesn't have sway control- for that you need one like the Equalizer or Blue Ox, which has rigid bars where the chains would be.

Of course, with properly sized/inflated tires, the correct load distribution, and the correct speed one doesn't need mechanical sway controls at all!

As is well known throughout most of the trailering world EXCEPT in North America...
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien

lots2seeinmyrv
Explorer
Explorer
We have the Blue Ox Sway Pro 1,000 lbs bars, 10,000 lbs rating. Have used it almost 2 years now with no problems. Very easy to set up, hitch head is very heavy though, solid. Locking the bars in is a lot easier that any other system we used. You just use the wrench they give you, easy. Very quiet while towing and backing up. No noise at all going over bumps or bridges or making turns. We have had no sway with semi's passing. Very easy to take off. Stable under hard or quick braking. The hitch head part is reversable...so you can flip it over if it needs to be higher or lower off the ground for level. Read the directions on this. Worth the price and would buy it again. Got it through PPL in TX free shipping.

You will get comments from people who have never used it. We have it and do use it. We used the cheap w/d set up before with the chains hanging off the pin, big difference.

carringb
Explorer
Explorer
I don't see how it controls sway at all. The hitch head is greased for low friction. The video claims the tension on the bars is the sway control. However every conventional WD hitch does the exact same thing, which really doesn't do anything for sway.
2000 Ford E450 V10 VAN! 450,000+ miles
2014 ORV really big trailer
2015 Ford Focus ST