pappcam
Saskatchewan
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I posted this in the "Towing" forum but there isn't much traffic there. Mods, you can remove one of these if double-posts aren't allowed.
I'm looking for some assistance or insight into these things. I picked up a couple of these on sale last week. I haven't installed them yet and now I'm confused on how I should adjust them.
This first pictures show it from the front and it says to bottom out the bolt when turning it on:
This next picture shows how much thread is left when I have tightened it pretty good by hand. I might be able to get another turn and a half out of it but that's it:
So... what's the deal here? I'll never be able to bottom out that nut without breaking something. Should I just go as tight as I can or should I be adjusting the bottom nut so I can bottom out the top one?
Thanks in advance.
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RedRocket204
Colorado Front Range - Got Elk?
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If you go to this link, there is a video available that might help you, but it doesn't fully address the lower bolt on the friction bar. The second link is a Q&A that directly addresses the lower bolt and there is downloadable instructions available:
etrailer.com - Pro Series Friction Sway Control Installation
etrailer.com - Instructions for a Reese ........ Bar (downloadable instruction link too)
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fla-gypsy
North Florida
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The bottom bolt controls how much friction is being applied and must be adjusted to the comfort level of the operator based on the handling characteristics of the trailer and is labeled "more" or "less" to indicate the amount of friction applied. The top handle is for simply engaging the system is labeled on and off and should be turned as far as it will travel when turning it on. Over tightening the handle in the on position will not add more friction, the bottom nut is for that function. Over tightening the "on" handle will only accomplish bending the handle, ask me how I know? BTW, friction sway control works best on trailers 25' or less. Larger trailers do better with an integrated sway system like the Reese HP Dual Cam or the Equalizer brand hitches. I hope this helps.
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pappcam
Saskatchewan
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fla-gypsy wrote:The bottom bolt controls how much friction is being applied and must be adjusted to the comfort level of the operator based on the handling characteristics of the trailer and is labeled "more" or "less" to indicate the amount of friction applied. The top handle is for simply engaging the system is labeled on and off and should be turned as far as it will travel when turning it on. Over tightening the handle in the on position will not add more friction, the bottom nut is for that function. Over tightening the "on" handle will only accomplish bending the handle, ask me how I know? BTW, friction sway control works best on trailers 25' or less. Larger trailers do better with an integrated sway system like the Reese HP Dual Cam or the Equalizer brand hitches. I hope this helps.
I'm no engineer but looking at my sway bar, to me the top and bottom nuts do the exact same thing as it's just a piece of metal being forced on to the bar.
My whole point is that I will never be able to bottom out the top lever as there are way too many threads left when I tighten it pretty snugly. To me either the instructions are incorrect or the bottom nut is not set properly. Adding to the confusion is that the actual paper instructions don't mention bottoming out the top nut.
Anyway, I think I'll just tighten it very snugly and back it off to level the handle off if necessary.
Also, I don't need any advice on getting a "real" sway control system as my rig is stable without the sway bars. I'm adding them on for a safety factor in case conditions are ideal for creating sway someday.
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Jayco254
Eastern Missouri
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The way my two are set, is I tightened up the bottom bolts until it was comfortable with the top bolt tightened all the way down. I'm not saying you should change yours because the directions say not to move the bottom bolt more than a 1/4 turn. But I'm using two of them on a 27 ft. TT and it took quite a while to get them set right, but they do work great now.
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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pappcam wrote:My whole point is that I will never be able to bottom out the top lever as there are way too many threads left when I tighten it pretty snugly. To me either the instructions are incorrect or the bottom nut is not set properly. Adding to the confusion is that the actual paper instructions don't mention bottoming out the top nut. Perhaps there's supposed to be a short tubular spacer on the top bolt between the friction plate and the welded-on nut?
Ron
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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ON mine I've always tightened completely then back off the handle to align it with the bar. The explanation was "TIGHTEN COMPLETELY the back off if necessary to align the handle."
The bottom nut is to increase (beyond the factory settings) the amount of friction achieved by tightening completely. It will RARELY need to be adjusted unless you have used the bar for many thousands of miles or are towing a very large trailer (usually friction bar is recommended for 25 feet or under).
Basically what they are saying is that the handle is NOT an adjustment. It is an "off/on" control. tightened ompletely is "on" and anything less is "off". If you feel you MUST adjust the amount of friction the means of doing that is the other nut and adjustments should be made about one "face" at a time because a LITTLE bit goes a long ways.
Good luck / Skip
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JJBIRISH
Butler, PA, USA
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pappcam wrote:fla-gypsy wrote:The bottom bolt controls how much friction is being applied and must be adjusted to the comfort level of the operator based on the handling characteristics of the trailer and is labeled "more" or "less" to indicate the amount of friction applied. The top handle is for simply engaging the system is labeled on and off and should be turned as far as it will travel when turning it on. Over tightening the handle in the on position will not add more friction, the bottom nut is for that function. Over tightening the "on" handle will only accomplish bending the handle, ask me how I know? BTW, friction sway control works best on trailers 25' or less. Larger trailers do better with an integrated sway system like the Reese HP Dual Cam or the Equalizer brand hitches. I hope this helps.
I'm no engineer but looking at my sway bar, to me the top and bottom nuts do the exact same thing as it's just a piece of metal being forced on to the bar.
My whole point is that I will never be able to bottom out the top lever as there are way too many threads left when I tighten it pretty snugly. To me either the instructions are incorrect or the bottom nut is not set properly. Adding to the confusion is that the actual paper instructions don't mention bottoming out the top nut.
Anyway, I think I'll just tighten it very snugly and back it off to level the handle off if necessary.
Also, I don't need any advice on getting a "real" sway control system as my rig is stable without the sway bars. I'm adding them on for a safety factor in case conditions are ideal for creating sway someday.
I think you answered your own question…
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Cedarhill
Deep South
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If you tighten the handle too much, it makes this awful loud groaning noise every time you turn the tow vehicle. I Can't believe that is correct, regardless of what the label on the bar says. I do have a small (21 foot) trailer but the bar does its job just fine when I tighten it considerably less than what I could if I used all my strength.
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JJBIRISH
Butler, PA, USA
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Friction sway bars have served RV’ers well for many years… but they like other anti sway systems need set up correctly… proper friction is done with the bottom bolt and it has been that way for many years… the top bolt is only a locking bolt and assures that once set correctly you achieve the same friction every time by locking the top bolt…
While some may not agree with the instructions, they are correct as is the label shown above…
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