I am told that some people have both a weight distribution hitch and a sway bar for their travel trailer; while others have told me that you only need one or the other. I just purchased a new trailer; GVWR 9k and it fish tails when I tow on the highway. What is your opinion on weight distribution hitches verses sway bars?I sold my 5th wheel and downsized to a 30 ft. travel trailer. With a 5th wheel trailer you do not need sway bars or weight distribution hitches, so this is all new to me. Thanks in advance for your input.:)

Some weight distribution systems like Equalizer also have sway control built into the design, some are simply weight distribution and you need to add on a sway control bar.That said if you fishtail down the road then you have something fundamentally wrong and need to fix that BEFORE adding weight distribution/anti-sway as those systems should help with occasional problems like bow wake from a passing semi or a sudden gust, not try to correct for problems like too little tongue weight or overloaded rear axle tires.

I have both a WDS and 2 friction sway bars on my 37' TT. It weighs close to 10,000 lbs.If you are fishtailing, you are probably too light on the tongue weight. Be careful, as that (light tongue weight) can get you into trouble VERY quickly. You want your tongue weight to be between 10-15% of your overall trailer weight.

Thank you for your replies. Question: How do you increase your tongue weight?

Larryzv7 wrote:Question: How do you increase your tongue weight?You don't, at least not until you weigh your trailer loaded and ready to camp so you know what's it's average gross weight is. Once you know that and knowing you want an average 13% to 14% of gross tongue weight you can then determine what that gross tongue weight should average. Only then would you then decide if you need to come up with a method of increasing or decreasing gross tongue weight, or leave it as it is. Don't do this and you'll only be guessing. Weighing the trailer to determine it's average GVW is easy - just take it to a scale. To determine gross tongue weight some of us use a Sherline tongue weight scale but you can also use a bathroom scale and tongue weight beam. If your calculations do indicate you need more tongue weight it's time to move more cargo from behind the axles to in front, perhaps add more weight to the trailer tongue - another battery for example, or if the tanks are located on the aft portion of the tongue move them closer to the coupler. If your spare tire is hanging off the bumper perhaps move it to the front pass through cargo compartment, as I have. FWIW, with a properly balanced trailer I tow with weight distribution but no sway control as I find it's not needed. Every towing combination is different though so you really need to find out what you're dealing with before making any adjstments.

As previously said you need to get 10-15% loaded to camp tongue weight.Then you need to get a wdh and equalizer. I now use a Reese Dual Cam which has the sway control built into it because of the cams. Best hitch I have ever used.

Weight Distribution vs Sway Bars | Good Sam Community

jim1521
Explorer
Nov 09, 2017
Airstreamer67 wrote:
Friction anti-sway bars were the original solution to trailer sway, and they remain one of the most popular systems on the market today.

Why?

Because the friction anti-sway bars are the most economical to buy, effective to use and last a long time. This is a rare combination in today's world. I'm in my 70s now, and I still use a pair of them on my trailer.

Ditto.
Hannibal
Explorer
Nov 09, 2017
Bobbo wrote:
Personally, I opted for WD/Sway combo. I got the Reese Strait-Line (1200#) system. I have sway control anytime I am towing and never have to remove it to back up. Others have different systems that work just as well. (I didn't get the Equalizer only because of all of the posts I have read that talk about the noises it makes.)

I grease the sockets on my Equalizer 4 point per the owner's manual. When I hitch up, I put just a dab of grease on the L bracket to keep it quiet. The manual for the Reese states the same if noise is bothersome. My Reese HP trunnion and Equalizer 4 point run quiet.
Airstreamer67
Explorer
Nov 09, 2017
Friction anti-sway bars were the original solution to trailer sway, and they remain one of the most popular systems on the market today.

Why?

Because the friction anti-sway bars are the most economical to buy, effective to use and last a long time. This is a rare combination in today's world. I'm in my 70s now, and I still use a pair of them on my trailer.
Bobbo
Explorer II
Nov 09, 2017
Personally, I opted for WD/Sway combo. I got the Reese Strait-Line (1200#) system. I have sway control anytime I am towing and never have to remove it to back up. Others have different systems that work just as well. (I didn't get the Equalizer only because of all of the posts I have read that talk about the noises it makes.)
SoundGuy
Explorer
Nov 08, 2017
lawrosa wrote:
I can cruise all day at 75 mph..

All my opinion of course so dont flame me!!!!!

No intent to flame but if you're towing "at 75 mph" all day then you're the guy I'd just as soon stay as far away from as I can. :W At that speed when things go wrong they go wrong really quickly. :E
lawrosa
Explorer
Nov 08, 2017
My opinion is the friction controls dont work.. If you can turn with it how can it possibly help sway. That little friction thing aint stopping a 6000 lb trailer from moving..

All weight distribution hitches have sway control inherently built into them.

Of all the trailers ive owned with my simple chain round bar system I never had sway issues.. I can cruise all day at 75 mph..

The push from semi's and others passing on my old truck was caused by 31" LT tires on 15" rims. Airing up to 50 psi max solved most of that issue.. Short wheel bas was the other factor. And also a 9% TW..

So there are many factors involved and many sway issues can be fixed once the issue is found..

Friction control is a band aid that dont work and a sales pitch for the dealers...

All my opinion of course so dont flame me!!!!!
aftermath
Explorer III
Nov 08, 2017
I want to state once again that the add on sway control friction bars are used by many and do the job just fine. I never said they were junk I simply stated my position that I prefer the built in sway feature of some leading WD hitches.

My brother probably did not read the directions. My comments came from watching him hook up one day. He attached the sway control and turned the crank handle. I asked him how much he had to turn it and he gave me this response that let me know it was sort of a guessing game. If he had read the directions he probably would have said something all together different.

There is no adjustment on my Equalizer. All of the fine tuning comes in setting it up to get the trailer level and to return weight to the front axle. The pressure on the bars to level and then transfer weight is sufficient force to help prevent/mitigate sway.

I am not saying that this is a better system it is just a better one for me. I really do feel as though they all work. Go with what you like the best.
Huntindog
Explorer
Nov 08, 2017
aftermath wrote:
I am not a fan of the add on sway bar. Many use them and they do the job but it is just one more piece of equipment that I would rather not deal with.

If you haven't got a hitch yet, consider one with built in sway control. I hook mine up and I am done. Nothing extra to add on and I know it is always there. My brother uses the add on sway bar. I asked him, "how do you know how hard you should crank it down, and how often do you have to remove it before backing up?" He told me that he removes it when backing up involves any tight turns. He cranks it down based on "whether or not I will need more friction". How would you know? He sometimes leaves it off saying that he won't need it on this trip. What? Again, too many extra things to think about.
If all else fails... Read the instructions.

Mine said something like this:
If after turning, you let go of the wheel, and the TT-TV want to keep turning, it is too tight.

I don't presently use a friction based sway control, But I have nothing against them, and would certainly use one again. They actually have some advantages over the integrated SC hitches.
LarryJM
Explorer II
Nov 08, 2017
Lynnmor wrote:
aftermath wrote:
I am not a fan of the add on sway bar. Many use them and they do the job but it is just one more piece of equipment that I would rather not deal with.

If you haven't got a hitch yet, consider one with built in sway control. I hook mine up and I am done. Nothing extra to add on and I know it is always there. My brother uses the add on sway bar. I asked him, "how do you know how hard you should crank it down, and how often do you have to remove it before backing up?" He told me that he removes it when backing up involves any tight turns. He cranks it down based on "whether or not I will need more friction". How would you know? He sometimes leaves it off saying that he won't need it on this trip. What? Again, too many extra things to think about.

If you read the instructions you would know that they are not adjusted by cranking it down.

How do you adjust the steel on steel friction of the Equalizer hitch? (Hint, you can’t.)

Yep aftermath's brother obviously hasn't read the instructions for his friction sway or he's ignoring them. Sometimes it amazes me what strange things people come up with that goes against all logic. I used an add on friction sway system for 27yrs, but for the last 10 have used an integrated system (Equal-i-zer for me) and prefer the integrated system mainly for it's simplicity. Both IMO work well.

Larry
Larryzv7
Explorer
Nov 08, 2017
I previously thought that maybe the fish-tailing was due to speed, as my trailer, which only has a ball and no WD hitch or Sway bar, only fish-tails when I drive over 50-mph, otherwise it is straight and does not fish-tail. I never considered the tongue weight, etc.

In California the maximum speed when towing is 55-mph regardless if there is a higher speed posted for vehicles that are not towing. So I am thinking if I go into Nevada or some other State where people tow at 65-mph or higher speeds, I will need a weight distribution hitch, sway bar, or both.

But I agree that I need to weigh my trailer and also determine the tongue weight. I am a full-time RV'er so this is important to me because my RV is my home and I camp 24/7/365. Thank you all for your advice; I will look for a weight distribution hitch that has sway control.