# Sway Bar For Kargoroo



## jermsylu (May 27, 2015)

We are new to camping. We purchased a 2006 Kargoroo and the weight distributing hitch. We get a lot of sway when pulling and being new we were not sure if this is normal. We have been told to purchase a sway bar but there seem to be a large number of them available. It seems at times that the trailer is controlling the truck not the other way around. We would appreciate any help in determining what we need to safely pull the trailer. We also have a 2008 Sierra 1500 4 door truck. We love camping but the "getting there" is not enjoyable.

Thanks for any advice.


----------



## Dave_at_Equal-i-zer_Hitch (Jun 29, 2012)

There are a number of tow vehicle / trailer related things that can cause sway. It can also be a combination of several.


*Ratio of trailer size to tow vehicle size*. The larger the tow vehicle relative to the trailer, the better. This goes for both physical dimensions, as well as gross vehicle weight (GVW). If your tow vehicle is just too small, you will not be able to avoid sway, no matter what else you try to do to remedy it.

*Weight ratings exceeded*. You need to weigh both the total trailer weight or gross vehicle weight, as well as the tongue weight. Your tow vehicle will have maximum weight ratings for both of these, as well as a maximum combined weight rating, which is the total weight of the trailer and tow vehicle added together. It will also have maximum axle weights.

The tow vehicle must not only have sufficient power to pull the trailer, but also be able to carry the additional weight, control it going down the road, and stop it. Make sure you are not exceeding any of these ratings.

*Trailer loading*. Your tongue weight should generally be between 10% and 15% of your GVW. This makes sure the center of gravity is just slightly ahead of the trailer axles, without overloading the tongue/hitch. Any lighter than this, and you will have an unstable load that has a tendency to sway.

It looks like you have a special situation with the Kargoroo being a front end toy hauler. You will most likely be closer to the 10% when towing without your toys, and you may be over the 15% once you're loaded up. You need to pay special attention to this, and make sure you adjust your weight distribution accordingly. Failing to adjust may make you over adjusted when empty, but under adjusted when loaded. Also, you may have to shift other cargo around to compensate.

*Hitch*. Spend the money on a good sway control hitch. I have personally witnessed our engineers test our hitches as well as our competitors' hitches. There really is a significant difference in performance. A good quality sway control hitch set up correctly will far outperform a typical weight distribution hitch with add-on sway bars.

*Hitch setup*. If your hitch came with the trailer, it was (hopefully) set up for the previous owner's tow vehicle. Unfortunately, every tow vehicle / trailer combination requires a slightly different setup because of a thousand different things like coupler height, receiver hitch height, wheelbase, suspension, tire size, etc., etc. You must set up your hitch for your combination. This may require disassembling the head from the shank to adjust the pre-load angle, or even getting a specialty length shank so that the hitch ball is at the correct height.

The guidelines from the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) recommend that a weight distribution hitch return _at least_ half the weight to the front axle. This means you should weigh your front axle loaded as it would be for your trip (cargo, fuel, people, etc.), but without the trailer coupled. Then, you should couple the trailer, and weigh again. The tongue weight of the trailer will cause the rear axle to act as a "teeter-totter", and will counter-balance some of the front axle weight. When your weight distribution is set up correctly, you should get at least 1/2 of this back.

For example, if your unloaded front axle weight is 1,500 lbs., and your weight drops to 1,000 lbs. with the trailer coupled, proper weight distribution would bring the axle weight back up to at least 1,250 lbs.

A fairly reliable substitute for actually weighing the axles, is to measure the front of the tow vehicle instead. We usually recommend to the top of the front wheel well. In this case, you would want to get at least 1/2 the distance back.

*Speed*. Slow down! Speed is a major factor in trailer sway. 'Nuf said.

*Tires*. Do not ignore properly rated and properly inflated tires on both tow vehicle and trailer.

*Other stuff*. Pay attention to the towing conditions. Downhill grades can induce sway, as can wind, passing vehicles, and hard braking.

Good luck with the new trailer, stay safe, and welcome to Outbackers!


----------



## jermsylu (May 27, 2015)

Thank you! We bought the trailer at a camper sales and they installed a new weight distribution hitch for us that matched the truck. I will look into a sway bar now. Thank you. Oh can you recommend a sway bar from your site?


----------



## Dave_at_Equal-i-zer_Hitch (Jun 29, 2012)

jermsylu,

We do not manufacture add-on sway bars. We only manufacture sway control hitches.

Sorry.


----------



## Kelvininin (Dec 27, 2014)

I have the 28KRS, towed with an extended cab 2011 F150, equipped with a 10,000 lbm 4 way Equalizer hitch. Zero sway even without a bike in the garage with a full water tank.


----------



## jermsylu (May 27, 2015)

Kelvininin said:


> I have the 28KRS, towed with an extended cab 2011 F150, equipped with a 10,000 lbm 4 way Equalizer hitch. Zero sway even without a bike in the garage with a full water tank.


----------

