Channel Mounts and Adjustable Ball Mounts.Original Equipment Replacement Connectors.X5 5th Wheel to Gooseneck Adapter Plates.OEM Puck System 5th Wheel Legs and Silders.Class 5 Commercial Duty Trailer Hitches.Or, large springs, or a friction surface where the equalizing bar bears on the hanger (aka snap up bracket) on the trailer or other applications.Cams mounted on the end of the equalizing bars.It does this until an additional external force, like turning a corner, causes it to disengage. With these systems, the trailer is designed to stay in line with the tow vehicle. A weight distributing hitch with incorporated sway control, uses some type of added resistance to keep the trailer in line with the tow vehicle. This allows the tow vehicle to handle as it should.Įqualizing the weight does nothing to keep the tow vehicle and trailer in a straight line with one another. By doing so, the back of the tow vehicle is not overloaded. Even worse, a lack of travel trailer sway knowledge can mask a potentially dangerous problem, such as inadequate tongue weight.ĭraw-Tite Friction Sway Control Weight distributing hitch with incorporated sway control.Īs noted above, a standard weight distributing hitch is designed to equalize the tongue weight of the trailer between the two axles of the tow vehicle and the axle(s) of the towed trailer. Sway control band-aids result in the travel trailer owner purchasing something they may not have needed. This is because during my years of being in the RV business, I often saw sway control devices employed as a band-aid instead of determining the root cause of the sway. I purposely listed the causes of trailer sway and methods to reduce or eliminate sway before mentioning sway control devices. But a standard weight distributing hitch contains no mechanism to reduce side-to-side motion of the trailer, the same way a sway control device does.A standard weight distributing hitch helps control sway by properly distributing the load between the tow vehicle and trailer.This is why equalizing bars are often called by the misnomer “ sway bars.” Unfortunately that is not how they work. Many times, standard weight distributing hitches, (aka an equalizing hitch) are thought to be sway controls. The term sway control is often misunderstood among travel trailer owners. What is The Best Travel Trailer Sway Control Gear to Avoid RV Wrecks? This weight at the rear of the trailer can definitely lighten the tongue weight on a smaller travel trailer. Black and graywater tanks can affect tongue weight, too.įor example, if you have a rear bath travel trailer with a 40-gallon black and a 40-gallon grey tank, the combined weight when they are both full can exceed 640 pounds. This can be accomplished by storing heavy items like canned goods at the opposite end of the trailer from the tank. When you do travel with a nearly full water tank, consider counter balancing the weight of the water. Your front tires may not have enough weight on them to properly steer. The results are steering and handling problems. This is because too much weight on the back of the tow vehicle can lighten the front end. Is the water tank in the front of your trailer? In that case, the added weight of the full water tank might impact the handling of the tow vehicle.Or is the water tank located in the back of your trailer, say under a bed? If yes, be certain the weight of the water is not reducing the tongue weight below acceptable levels.Is the water tank located over the axles? You don’t have much to worry about, provided you haven’t exceeded the GVWR of your trailer.This weight can significantly impact the handling of your trailer. Since water weighs over 8 pounds per gallon, a full 50-gallon water tank weighs in excess of 400 pounds. Counter balance freshwater tank weightĭo you travel with the fresh water tank full or nearly full? If so, then consider its location. To make sure the tongue weight of your trailer remains around 15% of the total weight, consider the following when loading the trailer for a trip. Improper weight distribution can be a major cause of sway. Now that you know the causes of travel trailer sway, let’s review how to manage it under each of those situations. Use care when passing or driving in wind.
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