Hi, I have two questions regarding a friction sway control I just bought. I am embarrassed to ask these questions, but here goes:
1. After I have hooked it up and put the safety pins on both ends, it does not seem tight. Not sure how to describe this best, but I can wiggle it up and down. Is that normal?
2. When the lever is pointed to 'On', it seems the bar can go in and out, but when the lever is pointed to "Off', the bar is will not move in and out. Just wanted to make sure that is correct?
I have searched for a good setup video, so if anyone knows one, I would appreciate it.
Thanks for all the help.
Rich
Rich and Jen
4 Children (16, 13, 10 and 6)
2009 Keystone Springdale pulled by 2000 Ford Excursion (V 10)
rcosta wrote: Hi, I have two questions regarding a friction sway control I just bought. I am embarrassed to ask these questions, but here goes:
1. After I have hooked it up and put the safety pins on both ends, it does not seem tight. Not sure how to describe this best, but I can wiggle it up and down. Is that normal?
2. When the lever is pointed to 'On', it seems the bar can go in and out, but when the lever is pointed to "Off', the bar is will not move in and out. Just wanted to make sure that is correct?
I have searched for a good setup video, so if anyone knows one, I would appreciate it.
Thanks for all the help.
Rich
Hi Rich,
I run 2 Friction sway control bars and I believe I can answer your questions accurately.
1) after you install the friction bars on the mini balls and you install the pins you will have some play between the mini balls and the friction bars. you can wiggle it and it does feel sloppy. This is perfectly normal.
2) The "On/Off" label is simply a directional indicator. You spin the handle in the direction of "on" to turn the sway control "on" I get it as tight as I can and then I back the handle off so that it is parallel with sway control. (the handle ends up pointed towards the trailer)
Good luck with your rig and your sway controls. I love mine.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
TT: 1995 Layton 2910
Tow Vehicle: 1999 F-350, v10, 2wd, Crew Cab, Dually
Hitch: Draw-Tite Trunnion WD Hitch
Sway Control: Valley dual friction sway control
Brake Control: Tekonsha Voyager
"It's Kind of Fun To Do The Impossible"
~Walt Disney~
Thanks so much for your response. As I have been learning how to drive this setup safely, I have practiced first, but tomorrow we go on our first long trip, so I just wanted to be sure it was set up correctly.
rcosta wrote: Thanks Todd. Just so I understand, why do I want to loosen the bar on rainy/wet roads? Rich
Basically, in wet conditions the amount of friction on the bars could be greater than the amount of friction generated by your tires. If so your trailer may not return to center. I have never heard of this actually happening but I could see the potential.
All you need to do in wet conditions is back off about half a turn. You don't want to lose sway control in the wet.
Something I like about friction sway control is that it is removable and it is independent of the WD hitch. If you get in a position where traction is reduced (such as a gravel road) you can remove the sway control without losing the benefit of weight distribution.
skipnchar wrote: If you don't tighten it ALL THE WAY you might as well toss it in the ditch
This is also accurate. If the friction sway bar is too tight it may not slide and it can bend. This is why I tighten the bar all the way down then I back the on/off lever off until its parallel with the bar and pointed at the trailer.
Friction bars are basically a dampener they have to slide in order to function correctly.
I agree with Jeremiah. Use common sense when using the sway control bars. Saying they are worthless with less than maximum friction is like saying your brakes are worthless unless they are fully pressed to the floor.
Thanks for everyone's help. One last question if that is ok? For the bottom screw that adjusts the tightness, does anyone have a rule of thumb for its tightness. I read somewhere tighten until you feel some resistance and then one extra quarter turn. Any thoughts?
rcosta wrote: Thanks for everyone's help. One last question if that is ok? For the bottom screw that adjusts the tightness, does anyone have a rule of thumb for its tightness. I read somewhere tighten until you feel some resistance and then one extra quarter turn. Any thoughts?
Thanks again.
No problem, ask all the questions you can, we are glad to help where we can. For your new bars the bottom screw is preset from the factory. You should not need to adjust it for at least a couple thousand miles.
Now, what is the purpose of the bottom screw if it is preset from the factory? Keep in mind that your friction bar is a wear item. It is composed of a slider bar and two plates of friction material. Basically, you have a slider bar and two brake shoes on either side. As the brake material wears down you may have to tighten the bottom screw some. By some I mean 1/4 turn at a time.
When you pull your trailer with the friction bar, if you feel like there is some "wiggle" still and you are uncomfortable try doing two things, 1) make sure that your WD hitch is set up correctly and then 2) add a second sway bar. Many RV'ers are perfectly happy with one bar. I prefer two because my trailer is 31 ft long and all sway bar manufacturers recommend 2 bars for trailers over 25 ft.
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