dpbain1

Is Ford's optional anti-sway system effective when towing long trailers? My trailer is 34 ft. long weighing roughly 7,000 pounds. I have a 2016 F-150 with the 3.5 engine.

smokeywren

I would not rely on the electronic sway control system to be my only sway control. I think of it as my backup system. If the sway control system built into my weight-distributing (WD) hitch does its job, then the electronic sway control system will never activate. With 80,000 mostly towing miles on my 2012 F-150, I've never noticed the electronic sway control system doing anything. But I tow my TT with a ProPride hitch, and my cargo trailer with a Reese Strait-line hitch, and those are both very good sway-control hitches. With a cheap WD hitch with lesser built-in mechanical sway control, the story might be different. If the mechanical sway control built into a WD hitch doesn't do it's job, and allows some sway, then the electronic system should squak


If you're dragging a 34' TT with an F-150, you are past the max trailer length for safe towing by an F-150. So be sure you tow it with a very good WD hitch with very good built-in sway control. Don't rely on the electronic sway control to be your only sway control.

johndeerefarmer

I have had my fifth wheel swaying so much I had to put on the brakes and the anti-sway never did anything. Same thing with hauling cattle. They will get to moving around so much the trailer would be wagging it's tail like a do and the system never checked in. Don't depend upon it for anything. Get a good Equalizer or ProPride hitch

old_programmer

I look at the truck's sway control as an emergency measure of last resort. It kicks in after you are having problems. A good quality WDH with sway control is designed to prevent the sway from ever starting.

Beachums

Where did you get that information?

Is this an opinion based on experience?

I have yet to see any guideline anywhere that dictates any threshold of safety based on length of trailer.

Although I do agree, the longer the trailer vs the wheelbase of any given tow vehicle on a bumper pull is something to note. I also understand the dynamics of the wind as a liability to a stable towing platform.
However, a statement as binary as "A 34' TT is unsafe for an F150" may not be entirely accurate.... unless you have read some reference material that I haven't.

I am not trying to dispute what you are saying, I sincerely want to gain your insight as to why you feel this way.

VigII

I've had Ford's anti-sway work and it worked well. ('09 4.6 3V sc, OEM brake controller) I tow a 6x10 10k dump trailer and in this single instance when it kicked in, I was carrying a boiler and CI radiators from PA to NC on interstates. I was concerned with how the cargo was loaded and thought it might be bit tail heavy. Everything was leveled out and my WDH was set up correctly. When I came upon blacktop that had sunken tire tracks and the trailer didn't quite match the track (width), it would start wagging. The system kicked on during the second wag to the left and straightened the pair out immediately. It's only triggered twice nd only on that trip.

Steve Osborne

gotta sub to this...

ccjh97

Back when I had my 13 Ecoboost we where returning from a camping weekend family all sleeping in truck and pulling our 28 ft tt home. We came under a over pass with cruise set at 65 and got hit by strong straight line wind out of nowhere that shifted the truck and trailer combo hard. Cruise control shut off and truck maintained straight line no wagging, hit resume on cruise and that was it. Nobody even woke up or knew anything. I never hit a single pedal and whole event last 1 second. Truck trailer set with weight distribution hitch set perfect.

dpbain1

Thanks all of you who responded! A sway bar is relatively inexpensive and cheap insurance in a manner of speaking, so I've decided to go ahead and install one. I'd rather have a device that recognizes a sway when it begins, rather than wait until the sway really presents a problem!

mike243

Most of the hitch makers recommend 2 if over 24' ,I have 2 on my 28' and have had no problems