Towing off road

[MichaelO]

I've been told when towing a trailer off paved roads, especially rough roads, to remove the sway bar and lift control bars. I've just done this taking the word of people who have done this for a while. I'm just wondering why this is done. When I do go camping most of the time its on private property. That requires driving over 5 miles over unmaintained dirt roads to get there. I rely on some solar and generator use to keep the two 6 volt batteries up. When I need more water I have to fire up the generator to run the pump to get water out of the well.

How many of you ever leave paved roads and how often when you go camping.

[MichaelO]

Some times the wildlife, like bears, can cause trouble.
Other times it can be wonderful to see.

[JimD]

My brother towed a flat bed trailer with his off-road jeep on it for probably 35 years. He had the hitch bars installed plus some side sway thing. I'm not real familiar with it all but he never disconnected anything. We drove across washboard bumpy roads as well as sand, dirt, etc. Never any problems.

[Screwby]

Maybe if it were true “off-roading” where things needed to articulate and move separately it could be an issue. I could see the weight distribution bars causing stress and damage when the tow vehicle tries to flex and articulate one way and the trailer needs to go the opposite direction. In that scenario most normal RVs wouldn’t survive long anyways with their low ground clearance and basic suspension.. We tow over dirt/gravel rutted washboard roads from time to time boondocking. I see no need to take off your sway and distribution when traveling over normal rough country roads and backwoods access. If your “off-roading” in more extreme conditions I agree they’d be counterproductive.

[gladecreekwy]

We drive 25 -40 miles of gravel road every time we camp. Never removed anything and never an issue. I agree with a previous comment only for real “off roading” but not dirt.

[NVGun40]

What you remove depends a lot on the road and distance.

Like the OP, I boondock a lot. It is not uncommon for me to take my rigs on some questionable roads. I leave my WDH hooked up, but I do remove my anti sway bar. I know whether forward and especially backwards, sway bars don't handle sharp turns very well. When off roading and trying to get my rig into some tight spaces, sometimes requires maneuvering.
When travelling over a maintained dirt road without a lot of sharp maneuvering, I leave everything hooked up.

[MichaelO]

I do pull it on unmaintained dirt roads with a couple sharp turns. My current setup doesn’t have a sway control bar. Sway control is part of the lift bars.

[AmericanBiker]

I have pulled a lifted single axle Keystone 1900RD off road many times. I used air bags and no wdh due to the articulation of the setup. I carried an on board air compressor in order to inflate tires and bags as needed. Carried a generator as well.