Milton6001

The guy I passed over the summer that rolled his truck and trailer with his family in it on the way down a moderate sloping grade didn't have it either. Was that the final cause..I don't know but I know how I would feel if I cut corners and somebody got hurt. I hope you continue to have success, but it is not worth a family members life to save a few $$. I stand by my statement that I consider additional sway control a requirement.

zx12-iowa

Ive never used one either but I dont tow over 8k pounds v\for more than 50 miles or so. I do tow 8k lbs for hundreds of miles at a time on the interstate at 70. No issues.

BUT, I have seen others sway and crash and can only figure it was loaded wrong or too heavy for tow vehicle, etc. None the less a WD hitch would undoubtedly reduce the risk....

xcntrk

Dude I'm with you. No way I would tow a TT without sway control.

Keep in mind we're talking sway control separate from load distribution here. It really has nothing to do with weight; it has to with frontal area, trailer length, and drag coefficient. I could see where Dirttracker18 might not need sway control on a small enclosed car trailer. After all they're generally short (18-20ft), and not very tall. However when you're pulling a 30ft TT that's 11ft tall, you definitely need sway control. Taking corners at highway speed, passing enclosed semi-trucks, and those damn class-A RVs & Busses are the worst! The amount of wind shear and vacuum you get from those road obstacles makes that huge brick you're pulling into the wind sway regardless of tow-rig capabilities. The only way to counter that is with sway-control built into your hitch system.

Dirttracker18

My last race trailer was 32' enclosed and was just under 10000# loaded. My current TT is 31'.

I also stand by my statement that with a properly set up trailer and tow vehicle it is not needed. Sway mostly results from either an incorrectly loaded trailer or improperly equipped truck. As I said if you have it great, use it. But nothing can overcome inadequate preparation or driver error.

The guy that flipped on a moderate slope had way bigger issues then a sway control device.

I am not advocating against them. I am advocating for correct loading, tow vehicle prep and driving knowledge/skill. Add in a sway device too those and you are golden. I have personally never needed one but I spend a lot of time prepping prior to any heavy tow, use an appropriate tow vehicle and feel confident in my skills.

If I bought a trailer that came with a sway equipped hitch I would use it.
I learned my lesson as a young driver towing a cheap home built race trailer that I got in a deal. I almost lost it as I got to highway speed. I always prep right now and have never had an issue since.

xcntrk

^ Have you ever used Sway Control? Maybe you just don't know what you're missing and therefore think it's unnecessary?

If you're such an advocate for proper towing and setup, why would you not use one of the most common and well proven safety features for large enclosed trailer towing? It's an industry and safety standard these days.

That's like saying; I don't have ABS and never need it because and I'm a real good driver and know how to use my brakes without locking up the tires. Therefore ABS is unnecessary!

Dirttracker18

I would argue that you're saying that if you don't have ABS you are being unsafe and need to upgrade to ABS.

I think I noted that it is a good idea and would use it if I had it. I have hauled other guys equipment with sway control however I have never needed it so noticed no difference.

The issue I see is when someone goes through an issue with sway and runs out to purchase a sway control device. This is only masking the true issue. Sway is a symptom of a problem and running sway control does not fix the problem.

It is a good idea but should not be used to solve or mask a problem. Personally I think you should test tow without it to ensure your set up is right, then hook up the sway control.

I can recall 1 time in recent memory when I experienced anything close to sway. When I was passing a guy towing a large 5er I felt a tug as we passed each other (going the same direction). It was a good tug but did not induce any after effect and it was easily controlled.

FWIW I am a big advocate of ABS

atwowheelguy

Mine is a 4x2 EB SCrew SB XLT, no HD Payload, no Max Tow, with GVWR of 7100 and a payload of 1607. Is yours 4x4? Typically 4x4 has a higher GVWR but also weighs more. FX4 trim level has more extras such as heated seats and weighs more than an XLT, and thus has a lower payload. Payload = GVWR - truck weight (with a full fuel tank). I weighed mine at a CAT scale and it weighed 5540. So 7100 GVWR - 5540 GVW = 1560 payload. I had added a spray in bed liner, a fire extinguisher and some jumper cables, so that also reduced the net payload some more down from the 1607 it was when it rolled off the assembly line.

Fuelman2010FX4

Good evening all I have an 2010 F-150 Screw FX4 with the trailer tow package, trans cooler, hitch receiver, trailer brake controller, trans cooler, replaced the 3.73 with 4.88, I am looking at a 8000 pound dry trailer and a 9900, GVWR, max tow with heavy tow says 10,500,with the 3.73. what am I gaining in the Gear change Torque and extra haul? I have been towing a 2005 travel trailer that is an 8,600 pounder. please provide feedback.

BRUTE448

your gaining less stress on the engine no legal way to up payload unless you to it to ford in det. not just the dealer and had them recert. your truck with a new payload not that they would do that any way but 4.88's i hope your turning at least 35" tires with that gearing! other wise you'd be screaming at high way speeds

sunofabeach

I have a 2005 F150 Screw with the 5.4L and 3.73 LSD. my rated towing capacity is 9600lbs. I tow a 34' travel trailer (bumper to ball) with a GVWR of 7600 with no issues. Sure, it downshifts when going up a hill but any gas engine would require that.

I am also using a Reese Straitline hitch with the dual cam sway control and it works awesome.

I was driving a 2 lane highway and a semi truck was going the other way. the wind pressure was enough to rip my bug deflector off my truck but my trailer didn't move at all.