When do you need sway control?

[seh750]

So I'm picking up a new enclosed motorcycle trailer soon and one little wrinkle is I'm picking it up several states away.

The manual with my 06 Sport V8 says to use sway control for trailers over 2000 pounds. Mine, empty, will be just under that, around 1800.

Will I be ok hauling it home without sway control? Or am I going to regret it? It'd be easier if I could get it first and deal with that stuff once I get it home. I know I'll be needing sway when it's loaded.

I'm debating between using a friction style sway control and maybe putting air bags in the rear shocks although the tongue weight won't be much, even loaded (<200 empty, probably around 300 loaded). Or maybe getting an Equal-i-zer hitch setup, but not sure that will fit my trailer's frame (send them a message to see if they know). Any thoughts on which is easier to deal with and/or would tow better?

I submit myself to the wisdom of the board. Thanks!

 

[racedirt1]

If you are going to be towing it a lot I would get sway control. If it is just for a 1 time tow then you would be o.k. w/o sway control, just keep your speed down.

With that weight I think a Equali-z-er is overkill, just pick up a friction sway controller off e-bay for cheap. I use one to tow my 3,200 lb. camper it it works great, getting major sway at highway speed is not only scary but also very dangerous.

 

[seh750]

If you are going to be towing it a lot I would get sway control. If it is just for a 1 time tow then you would be o.k. w/o sway control, just keep your speed down.

I will definitely be getting a sway control, since loaded the trailer will be around 2500-3500 pounds (depending on number of bikes and assorted crap).

So I'm only wondering about the first tow. And when I say "several states" I mean it's going to take several days to get it home. Want to be safe on that first journey but don't particular want to hook up the sway control in a parking lot the first time. Would rather do that in the comfort of my garage with all the appropriate tools around, etc.

So you tow your 3200 pound camper with just a friction sway control? I realize the Equalizer is probably overkill but it has sway control built in and doesn't require drilling holes in the frame of the trailer. The e2 hitch by the same people looks promising as well.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Barefoot]

Make sure you load the trailer such that there is plenty of tongue weight.

10% is the rule of thumb, more is better.

 

[juneau92]

Make sure you load the trailer such that there is plenty of tongue weight.

10% is the rule of thumb, more is better.

Correct, but not more than 15%. Many say 13% is ideal.

 

[racedirt1]

I agree, a properly loaded trailer should not need any sway control. My problem is I have the side slide-out, so I have a lot more weight on the driver's side.

 

[GYoter]

I tow my snowmobile trailer(around 3500#) all the time 2-3 hour drives thru the mountains, windy roads and blowing wind. I have never even thought about sway control. Never been an issue. Just tow it as is and see, if you feel you need it you can add it.

 

[SportRunner]

I would have to agree with everyone, I don't think you'd need sway control, I've towed many trailers loaded down to 4,000lbs and have not needed it, just stay the speed limits and you'll be fine....

 

[LV4R]

The one time you are going to need it is when your trailer is flipped over and you are facing the wrong way on the highway. Of course people are saying they havent needed it but it only takes one time to wish you did have it. Prevention is the best cure.

 

[charlier180]

The one time you are going to need it is when your trailer is flipped over and you are facing the wrong way on the highway. Of course people are saying they havent needed it but it only takes one time to wish you did have it. Prevention is the best cure.

Judging by the number of swaying trailers I see being towed on the road there are more than a few people who think they do not need sway control
but they are simply fooling themselves.

When I purchased my car trailer I had the dealer install a weight distributing hitch and dual cam sway control.
Over the years any number of towing situations have proven time and again that sway control is worth the extra cost.

 

[seh750]

The one time you are going to need it is when your trailer is flipped over and you are facing the wrong way on the highway. Of course people are saying they havent needed it but it only takes one time to wish you did have it. Prevention is the best cure.

Friend of mine did that on I-5 southbound near Boeing field in Seattle a few years back. Was pulling a big travel trailer behind his Expedition and it flipped the trailer and the truck and blocked all traffic...at 5pm on a Friday. The travel trailer was toast, but the insurance company fixed his Ford!

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I found a bolt-on (no drilling required) sway control setup for not much money from EaZ Lift, think I'm going to bring that along in case I have any feeling that it might be handy.

 

[Koz]

You will not need sway control. Get your trailer, load it up and take it for a spin before laying out any money.

Koz

 

[sbbamafan]

There is no way you need sway control for something that light. My V6 tows my 4500# boat and trailer like it is hardly even there. Just get your trailer set up correctly with regard to tongue weight and you will be fine.

 

[charlier180]

You will not need sway control. Get your trailer, load it up and take it for a spin before laying out any money.

Koz

Make sure when you take that spin you tow your trailer over a bridge that crosses a valley and there 30-40 mph cross winds.
Next drive on a highway that has very heavy truck traffic that passes you when are towing.
Lastly find yourself a stretch of highway that is being rebuild on a windy, rainy night and hit a BIG puddle at 40-50 mph.
When you hit that puddle and the trailer starts hydroplaning then you will say to yourself OH S**T, why didn't I just go ahead and spend $200 on sway control?

BTW, I find it interesting that some people will spend 10X the cost of sway control on mods for their 4Runner yet be unwilling to spend a dime on safety. I guess some people do not realize the real potental for MUCH MORE SERIOUS damage to occur when a trailer and tow vehicle are involved in an accident. Instead of damaging just one other vehicle a tow vehicle and trailer can easily damage multiple vehicles. An accident like that coupled with inadequate vehicle insurance coverage (ie carrying the state minimum) can spell financial disaster for the tow vehicle owner.

 

[Koz]

I stand behind my opinion, you will not need sway control with your set-up even under the condition mentioned by charlier180. Get a good brake controller and you will be fine.

Koz

 

[racedirt1]

It is a cheap way to provide safety, why not get it? I was towing my camper down a highway on-ramp and when I got to the bottom to merge in to traffic there were semi's flying by me and I got MAJOR sway. Of course I had the wife and kids with me and I was very scared, sure I tapped the brake controller but then I am slowing down while traffic was flying up behind me. Ever since then I use a friction sway controller and I fell much safer. I don't see how somebody can say for sure that you will or wont need it, have they towed your trailer with your vehicle in your environment?

Just remember it's not just you on the road, it will be safer for you and everybody else on the road around you.

 

[SportRunner]

Lastly find yourself a stretch of highway that is being rebuild on a windy, rainy night and hit a BIG puddle at 40-50 mph.
When you hit that puddle and the trailer starts hydroplaning then you will say to yourself OH S**T, why didn't I just go ahead and spend $200 on sway control?

Man, if your trailer starts hydroplaning I don't think it will matter....ouch, I have a Reese Straight-Line on mine but once again I have a 20ft Toy Hauler that when loaded can weigh close to 7000lbs but to each their own...you can't put a price on safety!!

On a side note like charlier180 says there are a lot of variables....weather, distributing the weight evenly, other drivers on the road....everything.

 

[charlier180]

Man, if your trailer starts hydroplaning I don't think it will matter....ouch,

Actually a few years ago it happened to me in a construction area on the PA Turnpike near Philadelphia on a rainy Sunday night.
In my opinion, sway control did make a difference in helping to control my rig.
The wider tires on the 4Runner did not seem to lose their grip as much as the more narrow tires on the trailer did.

I have a Reese Straight-Line on mine but once again I have a 20ft Toy Hauler that when loaded can weigh close to 7000lbs but to each their own...you can't put a price on safety!!

I also have a 20ft Toy Hauler. When loaded mine weighs about 5,500 lbs. I agree you cannot put a price on safety.

On a side note like charlier180 says there are a lot of variables....weather, distributing the weight evenly, other drivers on the road....everything.

Every, single condition I mention in my previous posts in this thread are situations that I, myself have encountered when towing my trailer with my 4Runner.
One I forgot was a 25-30 mph tail wind. That was a weird "pushing" sensation traveling through the mountains of Pennsylvania.
There was also a time early on when I did not have my sway control adjusted properly.
That was a white knuckler for a few miles on the highway when being passed by tractor trailers.
I stopped, adjusted the swap control and realized just how much sway control makes a difference for me with my trailer and 4Runner.

 

[SportRunner]

Yup, same with me, I've had 18 wheelers pass me or oncoming and men that hurts a little, I mean you feel it, then with cross winds in the desert, plus once I didn't load properly coming back from the desert and with the sway control, I almost lost her...I had to hit the brakes on the B.C. and get her to straighten up, that puckered me up real quick!! I totally agree with you when you have the sway on its a world of difference....