Friction Sway Control - How do you Adjust?

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Gary has admitted that he has never used one. I have.

If I admitted that, I lied. Used to own a 24 foot travel trailer and the WD hitch had a Reese friction bar on it.

It's just my opinion and worth every penny you pay for it. Caveat emptor.

 

[Frizlefrak]

I have one, I use it, but whether or not it works remains a mystery, because I've never had my trailer sway.

Leading causes of sway.

1. Too little tongue weight. 12% is ideal. Load the trailer ready to camp and have it weighed. Keep heavy cargo in the front and on the floor.

2. Towing with an undersized vehicle, or too short of a wheelbase.
3. Towing too fast.
4. Improper hitch setup.
5. Faulty tire, misaligned axle, or mechanical issue with the trailer.
6. Towing in heavy crosswinds.

If my trailer DID exhibit even the slightest amount of sway, I'd troubleshoot and correct the issue rather than dinking with the "friction sway control".

 

[John From Detroit]

I had a reese anti-sway friction type.. worked great
I ran it tight as I could.... (And let me tell you the trailer really swayed without it. not a bit with it).
There is the handle you tighten/loosen during hitch and unhitch.
Opposite that on the friction plate is a nut.. that's the adjustment. the nut.
I ran mine tight as I coudl (Way tighter than they suggested cause that trailer really loved to wiggle around back there without it.

 

[Kirk]

Used to own a 24 foot travel trailer and the WD hitch had a Reese friction bar on it.

Sorry about that. I guess memory failed again!

 

[Kirk]

I have one, I use it, but whether or not it works remains a mystery, because I've never had my trailer sway.

One thing that plays a part in this is the weight of the RV in use and the type of hitch being used. Weight distributing hitches have some antisway qualities built into them because of the design of the tension bars and such so are less prone to sway anyway. With an ultra-lite like we tow there is no weight distributing hitch so sway ia more problem and especially in a high sidewind situation. In my experience sidewind can be a major problem with light weigh trailers because they move about more easily and a simple ball hitch does nothing at all to inhibit such movement. Our current travel trailer is 20' long and only weighs 4,000# and use of a weight distributing hitch would void that structural warranty.

 

[Frizlefrak]

One thing that plays a part in this is the weight of the RV in use and the type of hitch being used. Weight distributing hitches have some antisway qualities built into them because of the design of the tension bars and such so are less prone to sway anyway.

That makes sense. The bars themselves would seem to mitigate sway to some degree, as they are essentially springs. Some other things I do....

1. If your fresh tank is mounted in the front, keep it full. Not only do you have spare water in case you need it, but the added weight helps handling. Dump the rear tanks if you can before leaving. Also keep my heavy tools and gear in the front storage compartments, lighter stuff in the back.
2. I tow at 55 mph. Yeah, yeah, it takes longer to get there. Get up an hour earlier and leave an hour earlier. At 55, I set the cruise, crank up Ozzy's Boneyard, and relax. I barely know the trailer is back there. And in 30 years of doing this, zero problems and zero blowouts too.
3. I use a 2500 to pull my trailer. Could a properly configured 1500 do it? Maybe...but the 2500 has plenty of capacity to spare, and it manhandles the trailer. And out here in the high country, spare capacity is your friend.
4. I set up my own hitch. The dealer did it, and I wasn't happy with how the trailer sat and tracked. I took an afternoon, and tweaked the setup to my liking.
5. If it's seriously windy, I wait it out. Yep, missed a couple of trips here and there. Once or twice, had the trailer loaded, hitched, and ready to go.....and aborted the trip at the last minute because the weatherman got it wrong. Not worth risking our lives and scattering my equipment all over the highway.

I've heard people say "Those big trailers always sway a bit...it's normal". No, they don't, and no it isn't. Do everything right, and no white knuckles.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Sorry about that. I guess memory failed again!

It was ancient history, back in the mid 1970's. But back then, I didn't know much of anything about the physics of towing and just did what the dealer told/showed me. Plus my opinion is probably colored by the out-of-control sway that wrecked the trailer (rollover) while my wife was driving. I now understand the why & how of that "accident".

I also owned a couple of PUPS that didn't use WD or sway devices. One swayed easily and the other not at all. I realized that the sway began after I altered the tongue weight to make it easier to move the trailer by hand in my driveway. Shifted the weight balance back the way it had been and sure enough the sway problem was alleviated. The beginning of my education!

 

[Kirk]

Plus my opinion is probably colored by the out-of-control sway that wrecked the trailer (rollover) while my wife was driving. I now understand the why & how of that "accident".

That could well influence the opinion of most anyone. There is nothing that I know of that can totally eliminate the problems that one of us can create from a lack of knowledge or misuse. I put a lot of responsibility for beginner problems on the sales organizations in the RV community who downplay the needed knowledge and skills for safe RV travel.