# Sway Bar Help?



## Jay r (Mar 29, 2010)

We just upgraded our bars up to 1000lb bars to ensure we have enough weight distribution.

all of your help on here is great.

now. I just bought 2 sway bar/control kits to add to the matching WD system.

Here is my question.. does adding the two sway control bars have anything to do with the steering radius with towing the camper, compared to without them? I was reading this and they state something like this?

just curious how this may effect the steering radius with the camper attached? I see that when backing it up they say you may have to remove them?

just curious with some input.

I have the camco eaz- system.


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I hate to say it but that type of sway control bar is not recommended for a trailer of the size you have. Rule of thumb is not to use friction sway bars when over 25'. That said the towing turning radius should not be changed just by the addition of the sway control bars, if properly installed. Backing is a slightly different beast in that you can turn the trailer sharper then the the tow vehicle and jack knife to the point that you can over compress or over extend the friction bars depending on which side they are installed. So disconnecting them prior to backing when a tight turn is expected is a good idea. Getting a better sway and WDH combination would be an even better idea.


----------



## marker (Aug 14, 2009)

CamperAndy said:


> I hate to say it but that type of sway control bar is not recommended for a trailer of the size you have. Rule of thumb is not to use friction sway bars when over 25'.


Never heard of this before. Can you quote the source? Wouldn't any type of sway control be better than none?


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

marker said:


> I hate to say it but that type of sway control bar is not recommended for a trailer of the size you have. Rule of thumb is not to use friction sway bars when over 25'.


Never heard of this before. Can you quote the source? Wouldn't any type of sway control be better than none?
[/quote]

Sure something is better then nothing but there is a limit to more or less everything.

As for quoted sources, there are no better ones then what you will see here, so take it for what you paid for it.

Now for a technical response. Pure friction sway control is passive and it may help prevent sway but it also prevents the trailer from coming back into line behind the TV and this added time with an out of alignment trailer of over 25' adds to the difficulty in maintaining directional stability and control of the TV.

A dual cam or Equal-i-zer (or one of the other more high dollar hitches) are active control hitches that applies a progress response to sway and the response is also to try and straighten the rig behind the TV.

As the wheel separation between the trailer wheels and the TV wheels grow the forces are dramatically increased. So for longer trailers you want an active response from your sway control system to put the trailer in line behind the TV anything less is not desirable.


----------



## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

We don't send anyone out with a trailer over 22 foot with a friction sway control bar.

Everything over 22 foot gets either a Reese Straitline or Equalizer hitch with built in sway control.

Friction bars do not have the capabilities to stop a long trailer from swaying.

Steve


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

huntr70 said:


> We don't send anyone out with a trailer over 22 foot with a friction sway control bar.


Is that box length or hitch to bumper?


----------



## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

I've towed my set-up (see signature, below) for over 35,000 miles in the past four years. Plus my OB has an extended, by three feet, bumper which holds my large Onan-Cummings P4300e generator and extra oil and fuel. I'm guessing I've got an additional 250 lbs. tacked on the back of the OB and it's trailering just fine, thank you.

I use weight distribution bars and a friction sway bar, and I've never had a problem. I seriously doubt if there's much luck involved.

Having a big, heavy truck and a longer trailer helps in the prevention of sway.

If you have sway, then quite frankly, there's something wrong with your set-up, either your trailer doesn't have 10-15% of its gross weight on your trailer ball, it loaded in correctly, tire pressure is incorrect, or even your TV is too small for your trailer. Fix the cause of your sway BEFORE utilizing an anti-sway bar.

My friction bar doesn't prevent sway, but it dampens the amount that might occur due to wind or a big rig passing us on a windy day.

Ford just released a video for their 2011 F-250 with built-in sway control. They purposely loaded a trailer incorrectly (way too much weight on the rear of the trailer) and then started driving down the highway. The Chevy and Dodge trucks were all over the road with their sway towing this trailer, but the Ford which controls both the trailer and truck brakes automatically was able to practically eliminate that sway.

In a week I'm getting ready to head out on a 12,000 odyssey once around the U.S. for three months. I'll keep everyone posted on my progress.


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

raynardo said:


> I use weight distribution bars and a friction sway bar, and I've never had a problem. I seriously doubt if there's much luck involved.


There are exceptions to every rule, even "Rules of Thumb".


----------



## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

CamperAndy said:


> We don't send anyone out with a trailer over 22 foot with a friction sway control bar.


Is that box length or hitch to bumper?
[/quote]
That is overall length.....ball to bumper.

We have way too many people come in looking to upgrade from a friction sway bar to a dual cam setup because someone sold them the cheap way out.

Steve


----------



## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

raynardo said:


> Ford just released a video for their 2011 F-250 with built-in sway control. They purposely loaded a trailer incorrectly (way too much weight on the rear of the trailer) and then started driving down the highway. The Chevy and Dodge trucks were all over the road with their sway towing this trailer, but the Ford which controls both the trailer and truck brakes automatically was able to practically eliminate that sway.


Yeah, and I'm sure that the stunt wasn't pulled off strictly for the Ford commercial. I'll wait for real world reports before I'll believe a video tape showing how great one brand is over the next.


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

huntr70 said:


> Ford just released a video for their 2011 F-250 with built-in sway control. They purposely loaded a trailer incorrectly (way too much weight on the rear of the trailer) and then started driving down the highway. The Chevy and Dodge trucks were all over the road with their sway towing this trailer, but the Ford which controls both the trailer and truck brakes automatically was able to practically eliminate that sway.


Yeah, and I'm sure that the stunt wasn't pulled off strictly for the Ford commercial. I'll wait for real world reports before I'll believe a video tape showing how great one brand is over the next.
[/quote]

Well I like the teeter-totter commercial showing all the power and then how good the brakes are!!







Isn't that real world?


----------



## navycranes (May 29, 2008)

Well since you haven't bought anything yet, I would go for the right set up. I am using round bars and a friction sway control with a 28' trailer. I'd love to upgrade, but this set-up is working just fine for me and I can find about 100 other things I'd rather spend that kind of money on.


----------

