I have a question regarding sway control devices. I have a Passport 280BH & been towing with only a WD hitch. Now I want sway control. What is enough for me? I don't really want to add a dual-cam system. Is a simple friction sway system (like Reese #26660) enough? Do I need two like some say?
I'm hauling w/ empty tanks.
TV is a 2010 Titan.
Are you getting sway or just some push/pull from passing semis? If you feel like it's bad then maybe a jump to an integrated sway WD hitch. If it feels fine most of the time then 2 friction devices. Your TT's not heavy but at 31' long could be the problem. I see that it's inherently low on the tongue weight. Do you have enough TW? Have you actualy weighed the whole setup. It's a long TT but it's also light at what maybe 5700lbs loaded. I'm guessing that maybe your too light in the tongue.
I have a 25' TT and had a single sway control bar. After white knuckle towing for 6 hours in 20 mph winds with higher gusts, I put another bar on at the campground before our trip home. Two is way better than one.
Two bars are going to cost you over $200 if you install yourself. An integrated WD system will cost you another $250. If I was starting over, I'd go with an Equal-i-zer or Dual Cam for the safety and comfort.
You are over 25 ft long and it is HIGHLY recommended by every friction sway control manufacturer to use two friction sway bars.
Personal experience with Dual-Cam and Dual Friction sway control netted a similar towing experience for me. Set the WD hitch up properly, and use dual friction bars. I just got back from a 1200 mile trip with my dual friction bars and my rig was extremely stable under all circumstances. There is always going to be a push from passing vehicles and from the wind, but with the WD hitch set up properly and the friction bars on, the rig should not sway.
I have dual cam sway control... sitting in a box in my garage. I have towed with both and after I got honest with myself I realized that the dual friction sway control worked just fine. I had to go back to the friction bars due to ground clearance with my current TT... I am not sure if I will ever go back to the dual cam set up, its very picky about set up and if it's not set up properly it will break something or it will break itself. (destroyed my old WD hitch with dual cam)
The way any friction sway control (yes dual-cam and Equal-I-zer use friction as a sway control medium) controls sway is to firm up the connection between the hitch head and the TT. Friction sway control uses add on friction sliders to create this pressure. Dual Cam uses cam arms to rigidly hold the WD bars, Equal-i-zer uses friction points to do the same thing. The Advantage that Dual-Cam gives is a proactive approach, if the trailer sways the dual cam will work to correct the sway, in theory. In practice I am not sure you can feel any difference. I sure can't.
Anyway, my recommendation will always be fore someone to #1, make sure the WD hitch is set up perfectly. #2, add a second Friction Sway control bar.
Chances are that you will find the tow very comfy. Integrated WD hitches and sway control are great too when set up properly. My point is, any hitch except the premium hitches (Pull-rite, Hensley,and ProPride) use friction to control sway.
So many it seems have a good WD hitch, and a single friction sway control, find there is still some "wiggle" in the trailer and go straight for another 500-700$ hitch. Try the $60.00 second bar first, more than likely it will take the rest of the wiggle out.
So yes, OP I recommend 2 sway bars for your application.
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~
Manufacturers of friction bar anti sway systems recommend that trailers over 25 feet in length should use two bars instead of one. You'd be much BETTER served by the Duel Cam system though. MUCH simpler to hitch up and quieter (not to mention more effective). It only makes sense to add a system that is maximum effective rather than metering out the effectiveness based on your guess as to what you may need. Won't take long to get tired of messing with installing two anti sway devices in addition to your WD hitch instead of JUST hitching up your WD hitch and the antisway is automatic.
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
skipnchar wrote: Manufacturers of friction bar anti sway systems recommend that trailers over 25 feet in length should use two bars instead of one. You'd be much BETTER served by the Duel Cam system though. MUCH simpler to hitch up and quieter (not to mention more effective). It only makes sense to add a system that is maximum effective rather than metering out the effectiveness based on your guess as to what you may need. Won't take long to get tired of messing with installing two anti sway devices in addition to your WD hitch instead of JUST hitching up your WD hitch and the antisway is automatic.
I agree.
I'm running HP Dual Cam. No issues except the initial set up take a lot of time.
Never used the Reese but I do have the Equalizer and am very happy with it. This is another option for you to consider.
Adding a friction bar to your current setup might work as many are using them. I chose to go with a built in sway system as I did not want to worry about unhooking the bars when backing. Of course this was many years ago when they weren't as advanced as they are today.
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