Friction sway control...worthwhile?

[deeern]

We're pulling a 1992 29' Excella with a 2009 Silverado 1500 4X4 (w/9,600 lbs tow package). We're using a Reese WD hitch set-up w/10k bars. Balanced to the point of 1/2" difference in front bumper height between hitched/unhitched.
Previous rig was a 1988 GMC Jimmy (full size) pulling a 30', 7k lbs SOB, which was balanced as well. Same hitch set-up.
My question is, would a friction sway control bar be beneficial?
We would love to have a ProPride, but...cost prohibitive at the moment.

[GMFL]

Yes a Friction sway bar would be beneficial in my opinion.

[jaybauman]

You will be happy you did.

[Daquenzer]

Originally Posted by deeern

We're pulling a 1992 29' Excella with a 2009 Silverado 1500 4X4 (w/9,600 lbs tow package). We're using a Reese WD hitch set-up w/10k bars. Balanced to the point of 1/2" difference in front bumper height between hitched/unhitched.
Previous rig was a 1988 GMC Jimmy (full size) pulling a 30', 7k lbs SOB, which was balanced as well. Same hitch set-up.
My question is, would a friction sway control bar be beneficial?
We would love to have a ProPride, but...cost prohibitive at the moment.Attachment 336872

Are you using a Reese Dual Cam? I know that has a pretty good sway control. I’ll have to say when I went to the Propride it was worth it with my F150. Save your pennies.. It will make the towing experience so much nicer. But I understand the cost stuff.

[rmkrum]

Keep an eye on the classified section. Used ProPride systems have been known to show up. ProPride also will totally overhaul one and restore to like new condition for a reasonable fee. Just need to get it to them, and they can do it very quickly.

[Lumatic]

I have towed without a friction bar and will never tow again without some kind of sway control/

[waninae39]

wd and sway are a must

for larger As, dual sway can help

turn off sway on backup

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by waninae39

turn off sway on backup

I don't want to highjack this thread. Backing with friction sway control is somewhat controversial. Generally I don't remove the friction bar for backing. There are other threads on this subject so if you want to know more than your memory banks can process do a search.

[blkmagikca]

Reese makes the"Straight Line" which has active sway control using dual cams - see http://www.reeseprod.com/products/we...J72j%7CEHg8znN

I have the original dual cam on my 1987 Excella and it provides excellent sway control. When I acquired this AS & TV in 2011, I had JC set it up for me. JC does sell the Resse dual cam straight line hitch and would set it up for you.

[Bobbo]

Like has been said, if your Reese has Dual Cam sway control built in, you are golden. If your Reese does not, then you need a sway control unit.

[Airstreamer67]

I use two friction control anti-sway bars with excellent results. Been using them for more than 30 years now. Never needed anything else.

I believe the question about backing-up with them refers to the fact that sometimes, folks can get the trailer in a very tight angle that you don't encounter when pulling on the road. An angle that is acute enough can reach the limits of the sway bars' travel and can damage them. So, the advice is to remove them when backing up. That's no problem, because I remove them to set up for camping anyway; a one-minute job.

[out of sight]

A friction sway bar can make you feel more comfortable as it can prevent the trailer from jostling on the hitch when a gust of wind comes by, but it's not necessary if your trailer is properly loaded. If it's improperly loaded with more weight behind the trailer wheels than in front then at a certain speed the trailer will swing back and forth with increasing amplitude which could overcome the ability of the tow vehicle to keep it under control. A friction bar can dampen the oscillations but the root cause is improper loading.

[blkmagikca]

Active sway control (Reese Dual Cam) is where the action not only dampens the motion of of movement, but also exerts a force to bring the TT & TV back in a straight line. Passive sway control (friction type) simply dampens the movement, but does NOT exert force to bring the TT & TV back into a straight line.

My preference is for active sway control.

[rmkrum]

The next step up in sway control is Pivot Point Projection, which prevents sway with a trapezoidal mechanical linkage.

Hensley Manufacturing and ProPride are the only examples. Not cheap, but super effective, IMHO.

[Dan and Liz]

Friction sway control may not be the best there is, but it’s economical and much better than nothing.

[Gene]

We towed a lot of miles with an Equalizer and it was fine. After about 60,000 miles, things needed replacement, but the manufacturer honored the warranty. We are using a quite different system now and while I have it working very well, if I hadn’t already bought the new hitch, I’d go back to Equalizer. Adjusting a hitch properly is very important. Do not trust a dealer. There are too many stories about dealers doing a bad job.

Backing at sharp angles with the Equalizer can cause the trailer wheels to skip sideways. Perhaps it could knock the tire off the bead if you push it. Never had the tire come off, but did make wheels skip until I got better at backing. Doing that is not advisable.

I have read a lot of hitch threads over the years and while some are better and some worse, the driver is pretty important along with good adjustment. I’ve seen some really bad setups too and apparently they keep driving and are either lucky or know how to tow their setup. I like to have a safe set up and take precautions, but a good driver can get through a lot most of the time. As a comparison, I’ve seen really bad electrical work that’s been there for generations and the building hasn’t burned down yet. It amazes me how sloppy stuff survives so long. Do your best and understand how to tow a trailer most of all.

[rmkrum]

I will absolutely agree that some form of sway control, be it a friction bar, an equalizer, dual cam, or whatever is way better than no sway control at all.

Been there, did not enjoy the ride, even though the Airstream was loaded absolutely correctly.

I flat won’t tow my Airstream with my family in the tow vehicle with out sway control.

[pteck]

Hi deeern. Most of the discussion here is conjecture. It would be more useful if you could take a closer in picture of your current hitch setup to help us understand what you're dealing with.

[out of sight]

Originally Posted by Dan and Liz

Friction sway control may not be the best there is, but it’s economical and much better than nothing.

I have friction sway control. The friction is the friction of my tow vehicle's rear tires, which is 1000 times greater than the friction of a $50 friction bar from Amazon. It always pulls the trailer right back into line no matter what the disturbance is.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by out of sight

I have friction sway control. The friction is the friction of my tow vehicle's rear tires, which is 1000 times greater than the friction of a $50 friction bar from Amazon. It always pulls the trailer right back into line no matter what the disturbance is.

Leave aside that your tow vehicle rear tires are not located at the hitch ball, but significantly forward; that rear overhang is something to keep in mind.

How does a rear tire apply a straightening force through a swivel point? As long as you have a hitch ball, you have a swivel. The rear tires can resist a lateral force, but they can't manage sway, they can just try and hang on until they can't any longer.