NO Weight Distribution or Sway Control Needed OTG

[Ray Eklund]

Once you successfully exit the Interstate Highway to a State Highway to a Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management or County unpaved road... pull over.

Disconnect or Remove the Bars operating the Sway Control, once you found the unpaved road that you might be going 40mph, or less. If you are new at Off The Grid Boondocking traveling to a campsite, this is important to remember.

For an Equalizer Hitch with Bars... remove both bars and put them into the back of the tow vehicle. Not needed.

If your Tow Vehicle 'rear end' is low... it is temporary. Apply WD when you are back onto the paved roads. You will now have SC once onto the Interstate. You need a heavier tow vehicle... like I did.

'Sway Control' engaged while on irregular roads WILL put excess stress onto the 'fragile Airstream Frame', as those have said repeatably on Front End Separation and Front End Compression issues.

Even pulling off the highway to a Service Station, the entrance may be steep or causes your trailer to rock, side to side... you may already have the conditions for structural injury to the front of your trailer. Those with the front storage compartment have the most to consider and most likely too late to undo the damage.

You do not need Sway Control at 5mph or 35mph on dirt roads. I discovered that I did not need Sway Control going 70mph on the Interstate with an 'appropriate sized tow vehicle'. I also do not need Weight Distribution with a F350 4x4 Diesel.

No matter... avoid the Sway Control being used on irregular graded roads. Sway Control is functional only when you have Weight Distribution applied for an Undersized Tow Vehicle that is undersized and not appropriate for the Trailer in Tow.

Argue that with yourself. I learned the hard way, as you will as well. I need not be convinced that Sway Control is needed in 4 x 4 and going 10mph. Duhhhh.

Airstream blames the owner for the Front End Compression indents. It is the WD and SC System. Had I known better and not been sold this WD and SC narrative for SAFETY... I would not have a Front End Indent splitting on one side along the front storage compartment of my 27 Front Bed Queen.

Off the Grid Boondockers are the most competent travel trailer owners with knowledge learned from experience. On and Off the paved road. You have to understand Up, Down, Left, Right and Clearance using your imagination to navigate. It has nothing to do with the Ball towing by itself.

Stress to the front of an Airstream is caused by the HITCH being used with Sway Control Bars, not the irregular road... and should be avoided being used Off the Grid at slow speeds. Remove the bars and save yourself some future grief. It is for you to decide. Nobody else cares.

When back onto paved roads... reattach whatever you need for your needs. I tow on the Ball with the F350.

Read the Forum complaints of front end damage... these owners did not understand and will learn, as I had to. The hard way.

[99TJSE]

Amen.


But...now I need to replace the 23 year old leaf springs in the rear of my Suburban. They are significantly and noticeably worn. Chevrolet / GMC is known for this issue, at least to old farts who have driven and worked those two brands of truck for a couple of decades or more.

[Ray Eklund]

Some say having a stiff WD and SC hitch assembly is bad for the trailer.

Some say having stiff Leaf Springs on the Tow Vehicle are not good for the trailer in tow and tough on the WD and SC hitch assembly.

Some say a Stiff WD and SC Hitch, combined with Stiff Leaf Springs on a 3/4 and 1 ton tow vehicles are a bad combination. For trailer, tow vehicle and passenger buttocks in a stiff tow vehicle.

The "Cinderella Complex" or "Goldilocks and the Three Bear Complex".

Some say Not having a stiff WD and SC Hitch attached to the Ball on a 3/4 and 1 ton tow vehicle is dangerous and likely to send the trailer and tow vehicle into a ditch.

I say you do not need a WD or SC Hitch with a 3/4 or 1 ton tow vehicle.

My 2019 Oliver Elite II has Leaf Springs on each axle of the Double Axle System (four sets of Leaf Springs). Towed with a F350 4x4 Diesel. I have heard that the bolts attaching each end of a Leaf Spring and the Bolt Can Fail securing he Leaf Springs. I have been spraying WD40 and Oil onto each bolt. The other option would be to remove the bolt, grease and reinsert with a new bolt, or reuse a worn bolt. I am not sure how the Leaf Spring would react with a bolt being pulled out when the tire is removed and off the ground.

We all have to learn by trial and error. Error in fixing what does not need to be. Or Error in caution that something could go wrong. Or use Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong and at the worst possible time".

Some learn more by Error by Trial. Works for me.

Neanderthal's Law: I have to side with Murphy. He is a friend of mine. I have learned from Murphy. Give me some time and I will have a better idea of what should have been done, but not at the time I needed to know better.

Or reconsider what was done and did not need any attention, by those making claims that because it was done, it was not necessary, anwyways.

[John Ware]

Those hitches have to come with sway control because anyone who has ever properly loaded a lowboy trailer and then moved weight from the front of the trailer to the rear axles will tell you that you now have an invitation to trailer sway.

[Andy543]

Originally Posted by John Ware

Those hitches have to come with sway control because anyone who has ever properly loaded a lowboy trailer and then moved weight from the front of the trailer to the rear axles will tell you that you now have an invitation to trailer sway.

This is absolutely true but it applies mostly to cargo trailers and flatbed trailers. It is very difficult to make any changes to the tongue weight of an Airstream simply by the way you load it. You almost have to rearrange the furniture and appliances to get any meaningful change. The tongue weight is essentially fixed by the position of the axles on the trailer frame. Yes, you should weigh it to see what you have, but you don't have to worry too much about it alter that.

[tjdonahoe]

I do drive way less than 40 on upaved roads. The twisting and rocking is working the rivets. I don’t want any loose ones

[John Ware]

Originally Posted by Andy543

This is absolutely true but it applies mostly to cargo trailers and flatbed trailers. It is very difficult to make any changes to the tongue weight of an Airstream simply by the way you load it. You almost have to rearrange the furniture and appliances to get any meaningful change. The tongue weight is essentially fixed by the position of the axles on the trailer frame. Yes, you should weigh it to see what you have, but you don't have to worry too much about it alter that.

That was my point. Doesn't these wd hitches remove weight from the front of the trailer and move it to the rear? Isn't an AS balanced from the factory? If my TV can't handle the AS tongue weight then it's time to modify the TV or replace it with something that can. I feel that a wd hitch puts a lot of needless stress on the a-frame of the tongue and also contributes to trailer sway. Sure you can slow down to avoid sway but why should I be limited to 55 and under?

[skucera]

Originally Posted by John Ware

That was my point. Doesn't these wd hitches remove weight from the front of the trailer and move it to the rear? Isn't an AS balanced from the factory? If my TV can't handle the AS tongue weight then it's time to modify the TV or replace it with something that can. I feel that a wd hitch puts a lot of needless stress on the a-frame of the tongue and also contributes to trailer sway. Sure you can slow down to avoid sway but why should I be limited to 55 and under?

WD hitches apply forces to both the trailer frame and the truck frame in order to lift the hitch. This force assumes that the frames of both the truck and the trailer are perfectly stiff and won't bend. This is effectively true for the truck's frame, but Ray's point is that the trailer's frame isn't perfectly stiff. Because the trailer's frame relies partially on the stiffness of the twin aluminum shells to add strength, it is a semi-monocoque. This was done to lighten the weight of the trailer's steel frame. This strain on the trailer's skins can result in wrinkling.


From an engineering point of view, Ray's point is a good one. On rough roads, you want as much compliance between truck and trailer as possible. The forces acting on the suspensions are much higher than on smooth roads, so those forces are transmitted into the frames of both truck and trailer at greater intensities. Adding the forces of the WD hitch to the trailer's frame can increase the risk of trouble.


Scott