Anti Sway Hitch or Rear anti sway bar ??
06-18-2019, 08:37 PM
#11
Unless over 500 pounds tongue weight, I doubt a WDH will do very much more than the sway bar will. Would need very light bars or you would never get the tension right in order for the sway control to function correctly. If under 550 pounds TW, that single sway bar should work just fine, and they are cheap too, so if it doesn't work, you're not out very much, unlike a good WDH like Equilizer or Blueox.
I towed my current travel trailer with a Husky round bar and single sway control bar like that for over 4000 miles up and over the Ike Gauntlet, across many miles of strong cross winds in Utah, and it worked great. Didn't do jack for the 2016 I had though, but that was the truck, not even the Blue Ox would 100% tame it. The tongue weight at the time was 750 pounds, and I have 800 pound bars. They work well, but are noisy.
I towed my current travel trailer with a Husky round bar and single sway control bar like that for over 4000 miles up and over the Ike Gauntlet, across many miles of strong cross winds in Utah, and it worked great. Didn't do jack for the 2016 I had though, but that was the truck, not even the Blue Ox would 100% tame it. The tongue weight at the time was 750 pounds, and I have 800 pound bars. They work well, but are noisy.
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LEBScrew13 (06-19-2019)
06-18-2019, 10:35 PM
#12
Senior Member
1) The axles on your trailer are so far back that I doubt you need physical trailer sway control. The truck should handle any potential sway without issue if you load weight properly.
2) A Hellwig will improve your driving experience, trailer or not. It will help with a trailer that is pushing the truck a but, but only if you first...
3) You didn't mention what tires you are running other than size. If you are running p-metric or C duty tires, you might consider getting 8 or 10 ply tires. Tires that wallowing under load will make for a less than desirable driving experience. Due to the weight you say you are running, proper tires and a rear sway bar should make for a stable ride in all but the windiest of conditions. In the eastern Midwest, that would be any condition except for stormfronts and the occasional hurricane that makes it well inland. If you're out on the plains or further, you may need a physical sway hitch regardless.
2) A Hellwig will improve your driving experience, trailer or not. It will help with a trailer that is pushing the truck a but, but only if you first...
3) You didn't mention what tires you are running other than size. If you are running p-metric or C duty tires, you might consider getting 8 or 10 ply tires. Tires that wallowing under load will make for a less than desirable driving experience. Due to the weight you say you are running, proper tires and a rear sway bar should make for a stable ride in all but the windiest of conditions. In the eastern Midwest, that would be any condition except for stormfronts and the occasional hurricane that makes it well inland. If you're out on the plains or further, you may need a physical sway hitch regardless.
06-19-2019, 11:23 AM
#13
Senior Member
Thread Starter
1) The axles on your trailer are so far back that I doubt you need physical trailer sway control. The truck should handle any potential sway without issue if you load weight properly.
2) A Hellwig will improve your driving experience, trailer or not. It will help with a trailer that is pushing the truck a but, but only if you first...
3) You didn't mention what tires you are running other than size. If you are running p-metric or C duty tires, you might consider getting 8 or 10 ply tires. Tires that wallowing under load will make for a less than desirable driving experience. Due to the weight you say you are running, proper tires and a rear sway bar should make for a stable ride in all but the windiest of conditions. In the eastern Midwest, that would be any condition except for stormfronts and the occasional hurricane that makes it well inland. If you're out on the plains or further, you may need a physical sway hitch regardless.
2) A Hellwig will improve your driving experience, trailer or not. It will help with a trailer that is pushing the truck a but, but only if you first...
3) You didn't mention what tires you are running other than size. If you are running p-metric or C duty tires, you might consider getting 8 or 10 ply tires. Tires that wallowing under load will make for a less than desirable driving experience. Due to the weight you say you are running, proper tires and a rear sway bar should make for a stable ride in all but the windiest of conditions. In the eastern Midwest, that would be any condition except for stormfronts and the occasional hurricane that makes it well inland. If you're out on the plains or further, you may need a physical sway hitch regardless.
example of the crap i bring the trailer through haha:
06-19-2019, 11:34 AM
#14
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Any WD hitch that uses sway bars for sway control is a cheap hitch. Probably okay for weight distribution but inadequate for sway control under extreme conditions. I would not want my grandkids to tow with a cheap WD hitch. Instead I would want them to tow with a quality hitch that has excellent built in sway control. Such as an Equal-I-Zer or Blue Ox SwayPro. As for the old man, I go to the other extreme, towing my TT with a ProPride kitch (if you've ever experienced uncontrollable trailer sway, you'll pay a lot to be sure it never happens again).
But installing any WD hitch on a V-nose trailer presents some challenges. Here's a link to an Equal-I-Zer page that tells how overcome the too-short tongue on a V-nose trailer: https://www.equalizerhitch.com/manua...allation-guide
Sizing your WD hitch:
You want the spring bars rated for at least the max trailer tongue weight (TW) you will ever have. Equal-I-Zer makes one with 600 pounds TW. That's a max trailer weight of about 4,600 pounds. But if your max trailer might be up to 5,000 pounds, then you need more than 600 pounds TW rating, but not near the 1,000 pounds TW rating of the next size of Equal-I-Zer hitch. Blue Ox to the recsue. They make one with 750 pounds TW rating. That's a max trailer weight of about 5,750 pounds.
Ignore the gross trailer weight rating of the hitch. That's based on only 10% TW, and your properly-loaded trailer will have more than 10% TW.
https://www.equalizerhitch.com/store...ontrol-hitch-1
https://www.blueoxtowbars.com/categories/Blue_Ox_Sway_Pro_8000_lb_Hitches,1354
Ignore the MSRP prices in the links to the manufacturer. Check the discoynt price from eTrailer.com and Amazon.com before you buy one of those hitches.
But installing any WD hitch on a V-nose trailer presents some challenges. Here's a link to an Equal-I-Zer page that tells how overcome the too-short tongue on a V-nose trailer: https://www.equalizerhitch.com/manua...allation-guide
Sizing your WD hitch:
You want the spring bars rated for at least the max trailer tongue weight (TW) you will ever have. Equal-I-Zer makes one with 600 pounds TW. That's a max trailer weight of about 4,600 pounds. But if your max trailer might be up to 5,000 pounds, then you need more than 600 pounds TW rating, but not near the 1,000 pounds TW rating of the next size of Equal-I-Zer hitch. Blue Ox to the recsue. They make one with 750 pounds TW rating. That's a max trailer weight of about 5,750 pounds.
Ignore the gross trailer weight rating of the hitch. That's based on only 10% TW, and your properly-loaded trailer will have more than 10% TW.
https://www.equalizerhitch.com/store...ontrol-hitch-1
https://www.blueoxtowbars.com/categories/Blue_Ox_Sway_Pro_8000_lb_Hitches,1354
Ignore the MSRP prices in the links to the manufacturer. Check the discoynt price from eTrailer.com and Amazon.com before you buy one of those hitches.
06-19-2019, 11:55 AM
#15
My friction sway neither limits turns nor causes a problem backing up. When backing, my trucks bumper would hit the trailer before if fully collapsed the friction bar..
Last edited by 77Ranger460; 06-19-2019 at 11:59 AM.
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LEBScrew13 (06-20-2019)
06-19-2019, 02:21 PM
#16
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Good to know, I have a lot to learn on these but everyone here has had great info. Any concerns with turns and goofy angles? I guess will find out and give it a try... for the cost it seems to cheap enough to see what it helps with
06-19-2019, 03:51 PM
#17
I have two different trucks that I pull the same trailer with. Each has it's own shank. One is very short. Neither come anywhere near collapsing the sway bar all the way or pulling it apart when turned lock to lock going forward. Like I said earlier, even backing the truck would hit the trailer before the sway control collapsed all the way. I have never had an angle bother the sway control, even when going through a dip deep enough for the rear of the trailer to drag.
06-19-2019, 06:26 PM
#18
Grumpy Old Man
The purpose of the WD hitch is to make highway towing at highway speed more comfortable and reduce the stress of towing. That's when you need the good sway control capability. When you arrive at the off-road site, then remove the spring bars (or friction sway control bars of a chap hitch) and put them in the bed of the truck. You don't need sway control while poking along off road. But when you get back on the superslab to head home, that's when you want a good WD hitch with excellent sway control.
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LEBScrew13 (06-20-2019)
06-19-2019, 08:12 PM
#19
Senior Member
06-19-2019, 08:51 PM
#20
If all the OP wants/ needs is a sway control, any of the 50 buck friction units will work with what he already tows with. They come with a metal tab to weld on his existing ball mount.
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LEBScrew13 (06-20-2019)