Sway Control options - help please

[Janie_Ryan]

We are a 2019 F150 ecoboost with towing capacity of 13,000 lbs. We are pulling a 2015 TimberRidge 28' trailer, 6933 lbs. We have a Reese equalizer hitch system (1000 lbs bars).
We are looking to add some sway control but there are many options.
We could add the Reese sway to our existing system; We could add just add a different brand of sway control; or we could get a whole new system (Camco eaz lift and Fastway E2 hitch systems have been recommended by friends) Looking for opinions to guide us. TIA

[bid_time]

Lynnmor wrote:

bid_time wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

wing_zealot wrote:
The only thing that matters is you get the proper amount of pressure on the bar from the friction pad. Doesn't matter how you get there.

So then you can do a complete setup every time you connect if you play with the handle rather that follow the instructions? Tighten the handle and do the adjustment with the bolt, good grief!

It's really pretty simple, back the handle off one turn, take the sway bar off; put the sway bar on, turn the handle one turn.

One turn from where? Is it from the point that you bumped it during storage? One turn from where it rotated during driving? Or is it one turn from a guess? Tightening the handle and adjusting the bolt seems simple, but having two things that turn is way too complicated.

I believe that is why many have gone to hitches that have integrated sway control, because of this extreme complication and never understanding how to adjust, and then blaming the product for poor performance.

Yes, I agree, it seems to be way to complicated for you.

[Lynnmor]

bid_time wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

wing_zealot wrote:
The only thing that matters is you get the proper amount of pressure on the bar from the friction pad. Doesn't matter how you get there.

So then you can do a complete setup every time you connect if you play with the handle rather that follow the instructions? Tighten the handle and do the adjustment with the bolt, good grief!

It's really pretty simple, back the handle off one turn, take the sway bar off; put the sway bar on, turn the handle one turn.

One turn from where? Is it from the point that you bumped it during storage? One turn from where it rotated during driving? Or is it one turn from a guess? Tightening the handle and adjusting the bolt seems simple, but having two things that turn is way too complicated.

I believe that is why many have gone to hitches that have integrated sway control, because of this extreme complication and never understanding how to adjust, and then blaming the product for poor performance.

[bid_time]

Lynnmor wrote:

wing_zealot wrote:
The only thing that matters is you get the proper amount of pressure on the bar from the friction pad. Doesn't matter how you get there.

So then you can do a complete setup every time you connect if you play with the handle rather that follow the instructions? Tighten the handle and do the adjustment with the bolt, good grief!

It's really pretty simple, back the handle off one turn, take the sway bar off; put the sway bar on, turn the handle one turn.

[Lynnmor]

wing_zealot wrote:
The only thing that matters is you get the proper amount of pressure on the bar from the friction pad. Doesn't matter how you get there.

So then you can do a complete setup every time you connect if you play with the handle rather that follow the instructions? Tighten the handle and do the adjustment with the bolt, good grief!

[wing_zealot]

Lynnmor wrote:

nickthehunter wrote:
They both will do the same thing provided you know how it works and what you are doing - regardless of what the directions say.

As always, folks can't follow simple directions. You loosen the handle so that the sway control can be removed or installed. You tighten the handle when you want the sway control to work. There is no need for extreme tightening, it will work the same regardless of the torque applied. You use the bolt to adjust the amount of control. This device is so simple, but rarely are they adjusted correctly with all the misinformation out there.

The only thing that matters is you get the proper amount of pressure on the bar from the friction pad. Doesn't matter how you get there.

[Lynnmor]

nickthehunter wrote:
They both will do the same thing provided you know how it works and what you are doing - regardless of what the directions say.

As always, folks can't follow simple directions. You loosen the handle so that the sway control can be removed or installed. You tighten the handle when you want the sway control to work. There is no need for extreme tightening, it will work the same regardless of the torque applied. You use the bolt to adjust the amount of control. This device is so simple, but rarely are they adjusted correctly with all the misinformation out there.

[nickthehunter]

They both will do the same thing provided you know how it works and what you are doing - regardless of what the directions say.

[Lynnmor]

badsix wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
How about this one?

I don't have sway problems but I did install one of these, for the price why not. I did tighten it up coming across the desert in east Oregon with about a 30-40mph side wind. I think it helped a little, again I don't have much problem.
just a side note I have a friend one of those that thinks if a little is ok then a lot is better. anyway I ask him how tight he sets his. he said you just have to play with it. he then said he tightened it real tight the first time and he couldn't turn the tow vehicle.
Jay D.

What are you guys tightening, the handle or the bolt?

[badsix]

Lynnmor wrote:
How about this one?

I don't have sway problems but I did install one of these, for the price why not. I did tighten it up coming across the desert in east Oregon with about a 30-40mph side wind. I think it helped a little, again I don't have much problem.
just a side note I have a friend one of those that thinks if a little is ok then a lot is better. anyway I ask him how tight he sets his. he said you just have to play with it. he then said he tightened it real tight the first time and he couldn't turn the tow vehicle.
Jay D.

[Slowmover]

Ron Gratz did this up years ago, I borrowed his Three Pass Scale Method and have pushed it heavily as it gives an unparalleled picture to the operator and all others who wish to help.

On the same day, consecutively:

1). Loaded for camping. Max fuel. Full propane & fresh water. All passengers aboard. Cross the CAT SCALE (get phone app) with hitch adjusted (tensioned) as at present.

2). Cross scale second time, EVERYTHING the same; EXCEPT all tension removed from hitch (don’t remove).

3). Drop trailer. Return to scale third time. Solo truck where all is as in (1).

See CAT website for any directions you may need. At end, go inside and get the three paper copies of the scale tickets. Post the four lines of info from each as above.

Also, from the TV door sticker: the axle limits Steer & Drive (front & rear).

Me, I’d start beforehand by using Andy Thomson's HITCH HINT column, “How to Set Your Torsion Bars”, from the RVLife article as my way to get the hitch roughed in at home. That, with the hitch manufacturers instructions. (Hitch bead tilted as far back as possible, one example)

Then, before setting out, get the cold overnight tire pressure readings. Once at the scale the actual load on each TV axle (with any hitch corrections) gives me the COFRECT basis for tire pressure (trailer tires are ALWAYS to maximum).

The result here is a start. A baseline.

We’d like to see the STEER AXLE weight in #1 & #3 to be the same. If they aren’t, adjust the hitch until it’s close.

This is where one makes evaluations which can be repeated. The highway feel is (will be once you’re finished) as if on rails.

Braking will also be improved. To the point you stop faster than the loaded tow vehicle while solo.

Get the tools. Borrow a friend (many heads make confusion more pleasurable) to do the rough-in. A SHERLINE Scale is a tool many of us like. The Dual Cam is the original, and still the best of the obsolete hitches. (A Hensley-patent hitch superceded them all more than 20-years back).

At the end, the WD is traditionally 1/3-1/3-1/3. Not perfectly, but enough that set is a rule of thumb.

And it’s why an 1,100-lb TW is the province of cars. It’s not a problem and hasn’t been since the latter 1960s.

Do the work. Get the numbers as above.

.

[Flapper]

So much unknown here...
True sway is where the rear end of the trailer starts wagging back and forth (many times getting stronger with each "wag") and can get to the point of you going totally out of control. Wind, road bumps, deviations in steering, and a host of other things can make it start. The only way to stop it is to slow down (using only the trailer brakes, NOT the truck brakes). It is ONLY due to not having enough weight on the tongue. Fix that, and you fix the sway. All other measures are ways to try and damp it down so it doesn't get started. But with enough energy (speed) it can come back, and at the higher speed, it may be much worse. If using "sway control", the goal is to raise the threshold of where it will start to way above any speed you would be traveling at. Adding tongue weight is far better. You'll hear 10-15% of the weight of the trailer. But in most cases 12% should be your low end. Try loading more stuff up front, more batteries, over the hitch bike racks, etc. to get the tongue weight up.

Side pushes (and "wobbly" handling) due to wind, "truck suck", rough roads and the like can seem like sway (at the beginning). Reducing those can also help reduce true sway from initiating. Sway controls, proper wd bars, better truck tires, better suspension, better weight distribution, bigger trucks and other items can all have a part in reducing/eliminating those issues.

So first is to get to a scale, and find out what everything weights. Then look at your TRUCK load capacities (payload on the door sticker). Report those back. From there you can get more meaningful advice to assist with the issue. Be prepared for possibly some follow up questions - size/kind of tires, additional weight in the vehicle, etc. as people try to assist.

[ttavasc]

I'm assuming you have an Outdoors RV trailer from the Timber Ridge family line. Which specific model is it? ORV trailers are known to be somewhat tongue heavy which is why we went with a 3/4 ton instead of a 1/2 ton for our recent Timber Ridge upgrade. Our 23DBS is about 900lbs heavier as delivered compared to the published full featured dry weight. Lightly loaded at around 8000lbs the tongue weight is 1180lbs which is close to 15%. We are using a Blue Ox SwayPro 15K hitch with 1500lb bars. Excellent sway control, easy to hitch up and pulls very nicely.

As others have suggested you should get everything weighed so you know exactly what your weights are and what your actual tongue weight/percent is. That will help to make an educated decision about which hitch and sway control to use.

[opnspaces]

I would add about 1,200 lbs to the UVWR so it would be 8,133 lbs loaded. This gives you a potential tongue weight of 1,200 lbs at 15% of the loaded weight. It looks like the manufacturer is calculating only 10% tongue weight which is the minimum recommended percent of tongue weight.

[Janie_Ryan]

Lwiddis wrote:
What is your TT’s wet and loaded weight? What is your TT’s tongue weight wet and loaded?

These are the numbers I can see on the trailer
hitch (dy) 683 lbs
UVW 6933
NCC 1567
GVWR 8500