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Old 05-17-2022, 09:22 AM   #1
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blue ox sway bar

my tow vehicle is a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 pulling a 16ft Caravel.
Do I need to add a anti sway bar to my hitch or will the truck pull well without it? Len
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Old 05-17-2022, 09:30 AM   #2
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Welcome Aboard...👍

Just me....I pulled a single axle Safari for a year W/O sway control, (one then two friction bars), I would NOT tow a single axle without at least friction control.

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Old 05-17-2022, 10:01 AM   #3
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I agree. Your 1500 will easily handle a 16 footer, but sway can happen with any bumper-pull trailer. I think sway control is a good idea. I use the Blue Ox Sway Pro for my GMC 1500 with my 23 footer, and it works very well.
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Old 05-17-2022, 10:09 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LennieF View Post
my tow vehicle is a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 pulling a 16ft Caravel.
Do I need to add a anti sway bar to my hitch or will the truck pull well without it? Len
Just to be clear, the BlueOx SwayPro is a weight distribution hitch (WDH) with anti-sway built into the design, so no additional sway bar is needed on top of that system. The "bars" in the SwayPro are required both for the weight distribution and to manage sway.

As others have mentioned, sway control is always useful, even a small trailer can sway out of control and overtake any size truck. You can get a simple hitch that has a second smaller ball connection point to the side which allows for adding a simple sway bar (or two). But having had one of those on our small 2300-lb trailer, I'd say it's harder to get connected than the BlueOx SwayPro. And with many half ton trucks, the hitch has a lower limit without a WDH (for our F-150, the tow limit is 5000-lbs and the tongue limit is 500-lbs without a WDH), so you may need that anyway for a 16-footer since I think the tongue is generally pretty heavy on the smaller trailers.
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Old 05-17-2022, 01:42 PM   #5
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^^^^^

Yes...but to provide that control it needs at least 750 or more pounds of TW.

The lighter the TW the less effective, no?

Bob
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Old 05-17-2022, 01:57 PM   #6
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blue ox sway bar

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Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS View Post
Yes...but to provide that control it needs at least 750 or more pounds of TW.
BlueOx has bars from 350–2000 lbs of tongue weight. You just need to get the appropriate bars for your rig. Each rating is up to that amount, so on our old 3500-lb trailer we used the 550-lb bars. For our new FC23 we got 1000-lb bars.

Source: https://www.blueox.com/swaypro-weigh...ibuting-hitch/
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Old 05-18-2022, 12:09 PM   #7
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How does a SwayPro control sway?

Quote:
Originally Posted by LennieF View Post
my tow vehicle is a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 pulling a 16ft Caravel.
Do I need to add a anti sway bar to my hitch or will the truck pull well without it? Len
This is not a rhetorical question. I checked their site, studied their impressive 3D image of the hitch which you can view from any angle, and I can't figure out how sway is controlled from the WD bars which are chain linked to the frame. They indicate there is a "caster" in the hitch head that centers the trailer, is that the sway control mechanism?

Except for the Hensley/ProPride design, sway is controlled through friction and I don't see a point of friction. Blue Ox also has the Track Pro with the bars resting on L brackets similar to the Equalizer which generates sway control friction, but there is no such thing with the Sway Pro.

I now have a chain linked WD bars hitch (EazLift) similar to a Blue Ox, but Can Am RV added two friction plates for sway control which you can adjust.
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Old 05-18-2022, 12:16 PM   #8
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The Blue Ox Sway Pro uses flexible spring bars rather than rigid bars like many friction systems. Here’s an excerpt from their website:

How Does SwayPro Prevent Trailer Sway?

Tension
SwayPro works by using tension on the spring bars to keep them taut. The attached brackets ensure that the pressure from the spring bars keeps the trailer in alignment with the towing vehicle. SwayPro has interchangeable spring bars so you can use it with a variety of setups. Blue Ox uses a high-quality steel in the spring bar design to ensure safety and durability.

Weight Distribution
Weight distribution is a key part of preventing trailer sway. When the weight is uneven, the chance of trailer sway starting is much higher/ SwayPro is geometrically optimized and computer designed for the highest quality weight distribution and sway prevention without any additional adjustments. The design features self-locking spring bars that flex for optimal weight distribution and clearance.

Built-in Control
SwayPro’s sway control is built into the head: if you’re pulling your trailer in an environment that would create sway, one of the sway bars becomes more loaded than the other, which keeps the trailer in line and centered with the towing vehicle.

SwayPro is Safer Than Friction Sway Control Bars
Friction sway control devices aren’t designed to bring the trailer back to center behind the tow vehicle; they simply slow down the sway. Friction devices can stop working in wet weather conditions like rain or snow. SwayPro’s built-in sway prevention works in any weather. You will enjoy a quieter and smoother ride with SwayPro versus a noisy friction sway control device.

User-Friendly Design
SwayPro is one of the most user-friendly systems on the market. Created with the user in mind, it allows for quick and easy hook-up. There are no additional pins or clips thanks to those self-locking spring bars that lock into place with a simple 90 degree rotation. As a bonus, there is no need to disconnect before backing up like other similar devices.
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Old 05-18-2022, 12:23 PM   #9
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From a purely anecdotal perspective, my experience has been great so far with the Blue Ox. Our first trailer was 2300-lb and all we had was one of the friction sway bars. We had a few sway experiences with that trailer. Switching to a 3500-lb trailer with BlueOx, never experienced a sway situation since. I’ve gotten the 1000-lb bars, and we’ll see how it all works with the FC23CBB.
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Old 05-18-2022, 09:08 PM   #10
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My anecdotal experience: 35,000+ miles towing our Safari 25 with a Blue Ox Sway Pro, I've never experienced any sway.
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Old 05-18-2022, 10:44 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermes View Post
This is not a rhetorical question. I checked their site, studied their impressive 3D image of the hitch which you can view from any angle, and I can't figure out how sway is controlled from the WD bars which are chain linked to the frame. They indicate there is a "caster" in the hitch head that centers the trailer, is that the sway control mechanism?

Except for the Hensley/ProPride design, sway is controlled through friction and I don't see a point of friction. Blue Ox also has the Track Pro with the bars resting on L brackets similar to the Equalizer which generates sway control friction, but there is no such thing with the Sway Pro.

I now have a chain linked WD bars hitch (EazLift) similar to a Blue Ox, but Can Am RV added two friction plates for sway control which you can adjust.
If the full description Dennis shared from the Blue Ox site didn't really make it clear, the way the hitch is set up is that the minimum force applied by the spring bars is when the trailer is straight behind the tow vehicle. As the trailer moves to the left or the right, unless the chains stretch they have to apply more force to the spring bars to allow the movement. So, the spring bars resist the trailer moving out of line with the tow vehicle by applying force back in the direction of straight-line alignment. PROBABLY better than the friction-only systems (whether friction bars or Equal-I-Zer style) but I haven't done any mathematic analysis on how much the difference is.

I am more satisfied overall with a Blue Ox than I was with an Eaz-lift plus a sway bar. I have never attempted to induce sway and haven't had it happen accidentally, so my anecdotal offering is that "it seems to work for me."
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Old 05-19-2022, 07:04 AM   #12
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So the obvious question is: How does the sway pro control sway when other WD hitches with bars that also attach to the trailer tongue with chains do not?

It seems that the sway pro has a lot of downward angle on the bars built in. This will result in forces that resist side-to-side turning of the trailer on the ball. Apparently enough to prevent sway.
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Old 05-19-2022, 11:42 AM   #13
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We have the Blue Ox Sway Pro for our 2020 F150 Ecoboost and a 2018 25 ft Flying Cloud FBT. It works really well. Just a hint of movement (no problem) when a big semi truck and trailer pass at 60 mph. Another Blue Ox user showed us the use of a breaker bar and the correct socket (1-inch, I think) for attaching the chains. The breaker bar and socket (with the flex between bar and socket) work so much better than the flat steel bar with a hex hole provide by Blue Ox. I no longer bash my knuckles on the frame.
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Old 05-19-2022, 12:32 PM   #14
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2021 GMC 1500 Denali pulling a 2022 25’ RBT. Been using the Blue Ox and just upgraded to 1,500 bars due to recent upgrades that put more weight on the tongue. Just pulled Denver to Dallas with high wind warnings most of the way. No problems or concerns at all.
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Old 05-19-2022, 01:03 PM   #15
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We have the Blue Ox Sway Pro for our 2020 F150 Ecoboost and a 2018 25 ft Flying Cloud FBT. It works really well. Just a hint of movement (no problem) when a big semi truck and trailer pass at 60 mph. Another Blue Ox user showed us the use of a breaker bar and the correct socket (1-inch, I think) for attaching the chains. The breaker bar and socket (with the flex between bar and socket) work so much better than the flat steel bar with a hex hole provide by Blue Ox. I no longer bash my knuckles on the frame.
I’ve got a big bar like that too, almost like a tire iron. It works much better than the flat wrench. Obviously releasing tension on the spring bars using the tongue jack makes a huge difference too.
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Old 05-19-2022, 01:22 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LennieF View Post
my tow vehicle is a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 pulling a 16ft Caravel.
Do I need to add a anti sway bar to my hitch or will the truck pull well without it? Len
You don’t need a Blue Ox or any other type WD hitch. A plain ball hitch with A friction anti-sway is all you need. (Which is what I’ve used for the last decade on my 22’ Safari, single axle.)
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Old 05-19-2022, 01:29 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ATaber View Post
Another Blue Ox user showed us the use of a breaker bar and the correct socket (1-inch, I think) for attaching the chains. The breaker bar and socket (with the flex between bar and socket) work so much better than the flat steel bar with a hex hole provide by Blue Ox. I no longer bash my knuckles on the frame.

Yeah, we bought the “premium” wrench that BlueOx sells (we probably could have saved money going your route, a note for the future). We originally only got it so we’d have a backup in case we lost the wrench (I actually had two wrenches to start and lost one, which spurred the purchase). It’s so much easier than their flat wrench.
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Old 05-19-2022, 01:40 PM   #18
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blue ox sway bar

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Originally Posted by Boxite View Post
You don’t need a Blue Ox or any other type WD hitch. A plain ball hitch with A friction anti-sway is all you need. (Which is what I’ve used for the last decade on my 22’ Safari, single axle.)

When we had a 15-foot, 2300-lb, 7.5 foot tall trailer, that’s what we did. There are a few drawbacks to that setup:
  • Precipitation can impact the sway control on that style friction bar
  • You can’t back with the sway bar attached without risking damaging the bar or worse
  • With that setup, we experienced far more sway than when we upgraded to a heavier trailer and got the BlueOx, so be prepared for that.

Not that it’s not still totally reasonable solution for that trailer, tow vehicle combo. I don’t feel personally experienced or knowledgeable enough to comment on that. But for me, the benefits we’ve gotten from the BlueOx are well worth it.
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Old 05-23-2022, 09:07 AM   #19
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Towing 27FBT with SwayPro and 1000 lb bars, F150 Max Tow.
Sway absent. Very impresssed and pleased. Easy setup. With this setup, definitely use the socket bar. Definitely de-tension the bars with the tongue jack when installing/removing.
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Old 05-24-2022, 04:38 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LennieF View Post
my tow vehicle is a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 pulling a 16ft Caravel.
Do I need to add a anti sway bar to my hitch ? Len
Yes, you do. Never tow any high profile trailer without it in this configuration. A fastway e2 has both sway and weight distribution. Any 1500 series/size truck needs both.

The weight distribution can be a debatable thing here as these trailers are not nearly as heavy as the 20 and up lengths But 3500LB is not a 'light ' trailer. If a trailer makes your rear suspension squat, you need weight distribution and or new rear struts.
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