Looking for better Sway Control

Hensley Arrow. Completely eliminates sway, not just control it. www.nosway.com

dmcf wrote:
Just bought a new to us 2006 KZ Frontier 2405 TT, and I am towing with a 2007 Nissan Armada. Before this TT I was towing a Antigua 215SSO, which was about a foot shorter, and 1200 lbs lights. It towed great, but I do not enjoy towing the new trailer. I get some sway, and we are bouncing all over the place. Currently using basic WD bars, and a simple friction anti sway bar. So, I am looking for a new set up with much better sway control. I just watched a video on the Anderson Hitch, and I like the setup, but not sure how well it works. Anyone have suggestions of systems I should be looking at?

Thanks,
Darren

IF you are getting sway. Your trailer is not properly balanced, and or your hitch is not properly setup. Tire not properly inflated, Ect. A fancy sway control system will just hide the problem. That is very dangerous. Fix the problem.

Your new TT is 1200lbs heavier. Have you adjusted the hitch to compensate for the added weight? If not, you have unloaded the front of your TV, causing sway.

Terryallen above is correct.

The Anderson Hitch really interests me...but I have no experience with it and have not talked to anyone who has one..(I keep looking when we are at campgrounds but haven't seen one yet)

Other choices..Having had both Equal-i-zer and Reese Strait Line Dual cam..by choice hands down between these is the Reese.

I'm happy with my Equal-izer four point but my suggestion would be that you spend some time correctly adjusting the hitch you have.

You say your trailer is heavier and longer than the previous one but did you use the same WD BARS and hitch? If so it would be a good idea to check the bar strength to be sure they're correct for the new tongue weight. Bars that are not stout enough can make for a lot of bouncing and poor performance. I recommend sizing the bars at 15% of the trailers GVWR which is the maximum the tongue should ever weigh. Size them for that weight (close as possible) but not under it.

You can likely add a duel cam system to your standard weight dist system and that's about as good as a reasonably priced system gets. Sigle friction bars are adequate for smaller trailers (usually below 25 feet) but not for longer and heavier units. Even adding a second friction bar applies FAR less force than the Duel Cam or the Equ-al-izer. Been using my Reese for the last 80,000 towing miles with no problems. Do remember though that correct adjustment of the hitch is just as important as having the correct size.

Good luck / Skip

The one foot length and 1200 lb weight difference, shouldn't make that much difference to your TV. If majority of that extra weight, is up front, could be, you need more air pressure in TV tires.

Not enough tongue weight, low air pressure (sidewall flex) in TV tires, or, hitch height being too high, can cause those symptoms.

Too much cargo behind TT axles?
Tires properly inflated (both TT and TV) and balanced?
Hitch head too high?
Holding tank locations?

My tongue weight drops 200 lbs when I fill the fresh tank. It is located behind the axles. When traveling with full water, I try to load heavier up front.

I have an Andersen hitch. It does help with bouncing and sway (from bad roads), but, if you have a loading, tire, or hitch height issue, it won't make your problem go away.

One of my problems is that KZ has no information available on my camper. I have emailed them for any specifications, but they say they do not have any. I am not sure what
the tongue weight is suppose to be. I do know that when I drop the trailer on the Armada the ball does not drop much at all. Maybe a few inches. And even without adjusting the WD chains my setup looks pretty level.

Hensley design.

dmcf wrote:
One of my problems is that KZ has no information available on my camper. I have emailed them for any specifications, but they say they do not have any. I am not sure what
the tongue weight is suppose to be. I do know that when I drop the trailer on the Armada the ball does not drop much at all. Maybe a few inches. And even without adjusting the WD chains my setup looks pretty level.

But what does the front do? I'm betting it raises up. You got to get it back down.

BTW. Only way to know your real tongue weight is to weigh it. But if you can get the front of the TV back down real close to where it was unhooked. You setup would be pretty close.

Get weighed and come back with your numbers for some meaningful advice. Without that, all we can do is guess and that "might" get you in trouble. I have an Andersen hitch and it certainly has its critics from those who don't own one. It is quiet, clean, light, easy to hook and unhook, and controls porpoising, but it probably won't help you much, as you need to transfer a lot of weight forward to your front axle. That is where the Andersen is lacking. For those that need good sway control and "some" weight shifted from the rear axle to the front and trailer axles, it is great