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chuckb1
louisville,co usa
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Joined: 07/24/2002
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Just purchased my new travel trailer and had dealer install Reese WD hitch and Prodigy controller. The hitch expert at this very reputable dealer said with this small trailer and my particular tow vehicle that I would NOT need sway bars. What do you think??
Trailer
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20' Splash (built by Nat'l RV)
4000 lbs dry weight (I'd guess 5000 lbs loaded)
450 lbs tongue weight (less second batt. and filled dual LP tanks)
Dual axles
Tow vehicle
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1998 Chevy HD 3/4 ton (6 leaf springs) 4x4 pick up
7.4L (454 cubic inch)
4:10 diff. gears with locker
Trany and oiler coolers
Heavy duty torsion bars
Rancho adjustable schocks
Standard cab/long bed
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EDucator
location: Allegheny Forest
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Joined: 02/02/2002
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Your tow vehicle will certainly whip that around like a tin can behind a Just Married sign! I guess you'll know if sway is a problem once you hit the road. I once pulled a 19' with a full size Chevy Blazer with no sway problems and that's a short chassis.
I followed a setup last weekend of a full size 3/4ton Ram hauling a 23'-24' TT swaying all over the place. I put a great distance between us both after seeing no WD system or anti-sway on his setup. Even made the wife nervous and she's usually more calm about things than me! This happened in Ohio and he was heading home to New Jersey, according to his lic. plate (I presume).
ED
I'm the lucky one; my wife is the one who married the idiot!! ">
2002 Ram 2500HD Quadcab 4x4 - 8L V-10 - Fisher MM plow - Tekonsha Prodigy
2001 28' Hornet Reese Dual Cam
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PullToy
USA
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Joined: 09/24/2001
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I put a sway bar on the rear of my truck and it made a huge difference in handling. Unit came from the factory with only one in the front.
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MitchF150
Puyallup, WA
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Joined: 07/13/2002
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So, do you have the WD bars? They are the ones with the chains attached to them. If you do, that’s all you should need. I don’t feel you would need the actual “sway bar” that attaches to the little tiny ball on the hitch for that size of trailer.
Now, that being said, IMO, sway is usually caused (in any length trailer) because the trailer is not balanced or weighted correctly. I say this because I used to tow a lot of car hauler size trailers with various size and heavy turf laying equipment (with no WD setup and therefore, no sway control). One time, “someone” else loaded up my trailer. They put the heaviest piece over the axles, but towards the back too. That thing was all over the road. I stopped and spent an hour re-loading the entire load with that piece of equipment all the way up front. It squatted the rig more (still didn’t have the WD setup…..), but it towed 100% better. No sway at all.
Later, the company got some enclosed utility trailers AND the WD setups. What a much safer setup and much easier to tow all around.
I tow a 22’ TT with an F150 and only have the WD setup. I’ve got good balance to my TT and the axles are a good 2/3 of the way back, so that helps too. I don’t have any sway problems, even passing or being passed by the “Big Rigs”.
It’s a personal choice, however. If you feel more comfortable with a sway bar, then get one. That’s the whole point of all this fancy hitch equipment in the first place. To make the driver comfortable (and safe) while driving. Obviously if your trailer is swaying, for whatever reason, that’s not very comfortable, or safe for that matter. If a piece of “fancy” equipment solves your problem, great. But, there could be other factors as to why you are swaying in the first place.
Good luck and be safe out there……
2013 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab Max Tow Egoboost 3.73 gears #7700 GVWR #1920 payload. 2019 Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S.
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chuckb1
louisville,co usa
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Joined: 07/24/2002
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I do have the WD bars with the attached chains. I guess I'm good to go. Thanks for your help.
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TXiceman
Bryan, TX
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Joined: 11/17/2000
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You do need the sway control on the trailer for safety. While it may be stable in 95% of the traveling, all it takes is one blast from a passing truck under the right conditions and youwill have a swaying trailer on your hands. Look at how much moneyyou have invested in the truck and trailer, so why get cheap on a proper hitch.
It really helps if you have a hitch that is properly set up and the trailer balanced, but yo still need a sway control.
Sway control can be a friction type or a Reese Dual cam type or a Hensley Arrow. A sway bar is what you usually find on a car or truck and is really called an anti-roll bar. Some folks call the weight distributing bars sway bars but this is not correct.
You have plenty of truckand might do without the WD bars, but still need a sway control
Ken W
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Kusani
Tennessee
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Joined: 10/12/2001
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Chuck:
No, the chains, by themselves are only part of the WD system; unless you have the dual cams, in addition, to the wd system; you are not 'good to go'. You need, at a minimum, a friction bar sway control, and since your hitch weight is over 400 lbs, you really need the dual cam setup. Good luck
Happy rv'in.
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MitchF150
Puyallup, WA
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Joined: 07/13/2002
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Why would you need a $2,700 Hensley Arrow hitch for a 20' trailer being towed by a 3/4 ton truck?
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PullToy
USA
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Joined: 09/24/2001
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[Waves hand in the air saying...."pick me!"] For the same reason I tow with an "expensive" PullRite even though I have a F-350 CC LB PSD. I like a relaxed, smooth, easy towing day and the peace of mind of knowing that I will never find myself, my family and $70K's worth of gear in the ditch because I bought a $500 hitch to save $1,500. I will be upgrading my old PR to a new PR next year and the decision is much easier than the first one was. The last one I bought because I understood the theories... now I know how truly nice they are.
Note: Due to invalid formatting, all formatting has been ignored.
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Kusani
Tennessee
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You don't need the Hensley for Chuck's setup...but definately need either the Reese Dualcam (which Txiceman mentioned also) or the Equalizer.
Happy rv'in. ![[emoticon]](http://www.rv.net/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile")
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