improving sway control

[stevemorris]

we're towing 5500 lbs of tt with a ram 1500. performance is great in general but our sway controller is one of the typical made in china friction slide gadgets, not the greatest im sure. there way too much slack in just the ball mounts for example.
there must be better systems available without going to megabuck total hitching systems
tt and truck are very carefully set up, hitch is a basic husky square spring bar with chains and that's almost new and has 1100 lb bars
sway is not a big issue, but we broke one of those cheapie gadgets last year so I don't have much confidence in the new one

[Hannibal]

LarryJM wrote:

Hannibal wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
First, don't go backwards if you are using any friction stand alone sway bar. They potential to bend and break when backing and especially when turning and backing.

Going backward isn't a problem. The friction bar doesn't know which direction it's going.

I disagree .... the at which the bar goes in or out of the friction pads can be much higher than when going forward and if you go fromn one extreme angle to the opposite one backing too quickly that is when you can run into problems.

Larry

Which part do you disagree with? If you're backing in a straight line, how does the sway control bar know which direction you're moving? It's not the direction of travel. It's over extending or bottoming out the friction sway control bar that's the problem. Yes it is easier to do this while backing. However, moving in reverse doesn't break a sway bar. The post that I replied to implies that it may. Even with my current Equalizer and previous Reese HP, I pull way forward of where I'll be backing into and arc the trailer in at as close to the arc I would make while pulling out so as to avoid contact with the bumper or tail light with the trailer. Far more expensive than a friction bar.

[myredracer]

Once you've addressed the WDH itself, there are some other factors that affect sway. The trailer should be level to slightly nose down. Tires on the TT should be at the max. sidewall psi. Running higher pressure on the TV tires can help when towing. If you don't have LT tires, they will help and running higher pressure on those too will help. Heavy duty shocks on the TV will help keep the TT + TV more stable. On a 10 year old TT, you might want to inspect the suspension. I think at the least you will find worn out spring bushings. Not sure what an '08 Spree has but you might benefit from installing some good equalizers like Dexter EZ-flex (and their wet bolts) or the Mor/Ryde CRE3000.

It looks like the Spree 260 you have has a dry weight of 5500 lbs but the GVWR is probably 6800 lbs. Always ignore dry weights. We have a newer version of the same Spree TT. It weighs close to the GVWR with camping "stuff" for the two of us and with empty holding tanks and the tongue wt. is close to 1000 lbs. I highly recommend going to a scale to get the actual gross TT and tongue wts. If you switch to another WDH, you want to ensure you have the right bar rating for it. You may find that the Ram doesn't have enough payload capacity for the actual TW + camping stuff in the bed + passengers.

I think a step up in WDH type/design like Equal-i-zer, Reese dual cam and Husky Center Line will help a lot for the Spree 260. We have the Reese DC and I love it and have zero sway. Semi trucks come and go on the freeway all day long and have no effect.

FWIW, shocks on the TT will help. We installed them and they really helped the overall control of sway and also improved handling on bumpy & twisty roads.

[BarneyS]

Larry,
I think you may be misinterpreting what he said. I believe he is saying that he does tighten his handle down all the way but that the pressure result depends on how the adjustment bolt is adjusted - and his is done correctly. That is how I interpret his post and have no problem with what he said. I should have included the adjustment bolt information in the post I made but didn't because it had already been posted.

Actually, there is nothing wrong with your statement either. You are both saying the same thing.
Barney

[LarryJM]

troubledwaters wrote:

BarneyS wrote:
You are supposed to tighten it up until it bottoms out against the threads and then back it off till it is parallel with the A frame. Doing this way will get consistent application of sway control with no guesswork as to how much sway control you have applied. No, you do not gorilla tighten it.
Barney

I agree with one caveat. Tightening the handle down until it bottoms out depends on the adjustment screw being adjusted correctly to begin with. If the adjustment screw is to tight and you bottom out the threads on the handle something is going to break or bend (I've seen both). You need to read and understand the directions that come with the device fully. Partial answers that talk about the handle without talking about the adjustment screw are a recipe for failure.

Mine is adjusted perfectly. When I take it off, I loosen the handle 1 full turn. When I put it on, I tighten the handle 1 full turn. When I need a bit more or less friction, I turn the adjustment screw accordingly.

I disagree, if you can't bottom out the lever bar then you don't have the hitch adjusted properly. How you are supposed to operate the lever bar (i.e. handle) is not dependent on the adjustment screw if you have followed the directions and have the sway bar adjusted correctly and are using it for the correct sized trailer.

Larry

[LarryJM]

Lynnmor wrote:

Hannibal wrote:

Are you sure about tightening it as tight as you can get it?

That statement about tightening the handle as tight as you can is total nonsense and demonstrates the complete lack of knowledge about such a simple device. The friction bars work OK but the poor or nonexistent adjustments force people to buy hitches that can’t be user fouled up.

Hmmm, I not sure who is talking nonsense and demonstrating a lack of understanding of these friction sway devices. As Barney has correctly stated you are supposed to completely tighten down the lever bar and there is IMO a good adjustment system via the "adjustment nut".

I successfully used one for over 25 years and actually both bent one and wore another out.

Larry

[LarryJM]

Hannibal wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
First, don't go backwards if you are using any friction stand alone sway bar. They potential to bend and break when backing and especially when turning and backing. (you didn't say how you broke yours). And yes, if you have to go backwards, you have to get out of the tow vehicle, walk to the hitch, and un-connect the sway bar. Then when you are ready to drive forward again, you put it back on.

Second, tighten it down as much as you can. Put all your weight into the final "umph". Then back it off about 1/4 turn. They are suppose to be tight. The greater the friction, the more effective they are.

Going backward isn't a problem. The friction bar doesn't know which direction it's going. The problem is either over extending or bottoming out the friction bar by turning too tight in either direction. Granted, forward might be tough to get it that close but with a short wheelbase truck and long trailer, it's possible.
Are you sure about tightening it as tight as you can get it? I've broken lug nut lugs before and I'm far from a brute lol!

I disagree .... the at which the bar goes in or out of the friction pads can be much higher than when going forward and if you go fromn one extreme angle to the opposite one backing too quickly that is when you can run into problems.

Larry

[troubledwaters]

BarneyS wrote:
You are supposed to tighten it up until it bottoms out against the threads and then back it off till it is parallel with the A frame. Doing this way will get consistent application of sway control with no guesswork as to how much sway control you have applied. No, you do not gorilla tighten it.
Barney

I agree with one caveat. Tightening the handle down until it bottoms out depends on the adjustment screw being adjusted correctly to begin with. If the adjustment screw is to tight and you bottom out the threads on the handle something is going to break or bend (I've seen both). You need to read and understand the directions that come with the device fully. Partial answers that talk about the handle without talking about the adjustment screw are a recipe for failure.

Mine is adjusted perfectly. When I take it off, I loosen the handle 1 full turn. When I put it on, I tighten the handle 1 full turn. When I need a bit more or less friction, I turn the adjustment screw accordingly.

[BarneyS]

You are supposed to tighten it up until it bottoms out against the threads and then back it off till it is parallel with the A frame. Doing this way will get consistent application of sway control with no guesswork as to how much sway control you have applied. No, you do not gorilla tighten it.
Barney

[Lynnmor]

Hannibal wrote:

Are you sure about tightening it as tight as you can get it?

That statement about tightening the handle as tight as you can is total nonsense and demonstrates the complete lack of knowledge about such a simple device. The friction bars work OK but the poor or nonexistent adjustments force people to buy hitches that can’t be user fouled up.

[Hannibal]

DutchmenSport wrote:
First, don't go backwards if you are using any friction stand alone sway bar. They potential to bend and break when backing and especially when turning and backing. (you didn't say how you broke yours). And yes, if you have to go backwards, you have to get out of the tow vehicle, walk to the hitch, and un-connect the sway bar. Then when you are ready to drive forward again, you put it back on.

Second, tighten it down as much as you can. Put all your weight into the final "umph". Then back it off about 1/4 turn. They are suppose to be tight. The greater the friction, the more effective they are.

Going backward isn't a problem. The friction bar doesn't know which direction it's going. The problem is either over extending or bottoming out the friction bar by turning too tight in either direction. Granted, forward might be tough to get it that close but with a short wheelbase truck and long trailer, it's possible.
Are you sure about tightening it as tight as you can get it? I've broken lug nut lugs before and I'm far from a brute lol!

[RedRocket204]

stevemorris wrote:
sway is not an issue and I have full confidence in my setup
its the quality or lack of in the generic friction sway controller that concerns me.

That is exactly what you want concerning a good setup. A sway control device is there for a well tuned setup where an outside force, strong side wind after exiting under an overpass or tractor trailer bow-wave, is controlled better by having sway control. It is there in the event that outside force impacts you and your trailer. Sway control should not be used as a bandaid to correct a constant sway issue.

I personally hated the friction sway bars and come to find out, many recommend having two of them if your trailer exceeds 25' as a general practice.

mkirsch wrote:
Seems like a simple solution to me: Rather than getting another generic one, get a name brand like Reese.

Yep. I got rid of my friction bar and went with an integrated WDH with sway control... a Reese Dual-cam. I've been running it for years and it has worked very well. It did take a bit of fine tuning in the beginning, but once set, I've been very happy with it. Husky, along with other manufacturers, also make a WDH with integrated sway control. That etrailer link above has examples of different ones available and they are not overly expensive like the ProPride or Hensley.

[mkirsch]

Seems like a simple solution to me: Rather than getting another generic one, get a name brand like Reese.

You don't need a Propride or Hensley for a 5000lb trailer behind a 1500-series pickup unless the trailer is beyond hope as far as the sway goes. If it's that bad, though, I'd recommend getting rid of the trailer...

[ScottG]

I drive off a curb every time we leave for a trip. One time I drove off just a little too fast and the back end came down further than usual with a hard thunk. It cracked the head of my hitch.
So it could have been something as simple as that.

[stevemorris]

sway is not an issue and I hae full confidence in my setup
its the quality or lack of in the generic friction sway controller that concerns me. I don't know how the preious one broke, one eyeend broke off last year, found it broken during a regular fuel up/check everything stop