sway control

[dockmasterdave]

I just had to post this one. You won't believe it. I went out this morning to mount my new friction type sway control on our 21' Amerilite. We've had it about a year and use it frequntly for short trips. I figured sooner or later we'd be driving on a windy day, so better to add sway control before I really need it. Looking at the trailer tongue and thinking I got lucky, I'm just going to miss all those bolts on the side of the tongue. Wonder what they are for anyway. Shouldn't be anything there. HEY WAIT there are six of them just like the bracket I'm getting ready to mount. NO WAY YUP a previous owner had sway control, apparently even the same brand. Holes lined up perfect. That became a 5 minute job. How often does that happen. I feel like I should be real nervous right now. It has to be a set up. Oh and a quick question, do most of you use your sway control all the time or only on highways and windy days?

[MM49]

The mechanical sway control devices actually try to control the tow vehicle, not eliminate the sway of the trailer. The real villain in this equation is the lateral movement of the tow vehicle rear suspension.

The new 2014 Ram 2500 has a coil spring suspension with a panhard bar that reduces lateral movement. The bow wave sway performance is greatly improved. Certain combinations of truck and trailers are reporting complete elimination of the bow wave sway.

The 2014 RAM 2500 with the 6.4L gas engine 3:73 will be one of the best performing tow vehicles on the market.
MM49

[mike243]

Huskey recommends 2 sway bars with trls 24' & over, I bought another & mounted it, better to have & not need than not have & need lol. Pulled mine 230 miles 1 way & very little movement when big rigs blew by. I take them off before doing much backing up trying to set up unit.

[boosTT]

I use my friction type sway control all the time. I DO set it looser on calm days and short trips though. When its really tight, you can see the brake pad dust it creates.

[aftermath]

dockmasterdave wrote:
... Oh and a quick question, do most of you use your sway control all the time or only on highways and windy days?

You need sway control for unforeseen predicaments that might pop up. Things like a sudden gust of wind, a large passing Semi, a wet or icy spot on the road and things like that. It makes NO sense to not hook it up. Unless you can look into the future you are taking chances you really don't need to take.

Many people use the "add on" friction bars. Others have anti-sway built into their hitches like Equalizer and Reese do. Either way, make sure you use it.

[jake2250]

I have had a manual sway control bar on my weight distribution hitch for the last three years,, seems to work good.
Just bought a 2012 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD, been reading that I have "Stabilitrak" it works with the brakes of the trailer and truck to control sway, also it has a "hill Hold" feature, Along with the locking 4:10 rear, this system is tied into the suspension and brakes and engine functions to control towing... Must be some sort of "Smart Truck"

[Crazy_2]

We use the Dual Cam also, and it only takes a few minutes to hook up.
So i figure why not use it.
only time I didn't was one time I was repositioning in the driveway for winter.
but if I am on the road the bars are on.

[MM49]

They will be standard equipment on several RV OEM's next year.
MM49

[PierreBois]

I use sway control and have found it effective on my Rockwood 31. I still from time to time feel the suction with a big rig and the lateral winds on open highways. I wondered if I had two, one on each side, if that would be doubly effective, or would it turn my truck and trailer into one solid inflexible mass of moving steel.

[69_Avion]

CavemanCharlie wrote:

69 Avion wrote:

MM49 wrote:
The mechanical system will soon be obsolete. They were never effective anyway.
The new systems will be electronic sway control on the trailer.

MM49
Electronic Sway Control

I certainly like that concept better than a mechanical device.

Me too. Although I forgot to check the price. I wonder how well it will hold up over time and how much acceptance it gets in the long run.

I'll bet as they improve, and the price comes down, they will become somewhat standard.

[CavemanCharlie]

69 Avion wrote:

MM49 wrote:
The mechanical system will soon be obsolete. They were never effective anyway.
The new systems will be electronic sway control on the trailer.

MM49
Electronic Sway Control

I certainly like that concept better than a mechanical device.

Me too. Although I forgot to check the price. I wonder how well it will hold up over time and how much acceptance it gets in the long run.

[69_Avion]

MM49 wrote:
The mechanical system will soon be obsolete. They were never effective anyway.
The new systems will be electronic sway control on the trailer.

MM49
Electronic Sway Control

I certainly like that concept better than a mechanical device.

[dockmasterdave]

Thanks Terry. Good point. I was thinking about winds and trucks on the highways, but hadn't thought about evasive maneuvers. That settled that.

[Terryallan]

Always use sway control, SFTER you adjust the hitch to the point the trailer does not sway. Sway control is made for those times when sway is induced by the driver in an emergency maneuver. Such as dodging a vehicle moving into your lane, or some other road hazard. When you have to jerk the wheel to dodge something. It's then too late to go add sway control.

[Terryallan]

Always use sway control, SFTER you adjust the hitch to the point the trailer does not sway. Sway control is made for those times when sway is induced by the driver in an emergency maneuver. Such as dodging a vehicle moving into your lane, or some other road hazard. When you have to jerk the wheel to dodge something. It's then too late to go add sway control.