2 sway bars

[Giljmo]

Hello all:

I have a quick question. And for those of you headed out today for a trip, congratulations and have fun.

I have read more than once that if your TT is over 26' then using two sway bars is the recommendation, along with your WDH.

I would love to hear some feed back from those that use two bars. And also some feedback with 28' TT that only use one sway bar. Would also like to hear your pros and cons as to why or why not.

I do have sway that can be nerving at times while pulling my 24RBS, so if one sway bar is good, will two be better.

Please share your thoughts. I am going to get sway bar next week and still undecided on the one or two issue.

Thank you in advance.

Giljmo

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Giljmo

Hello all:

I have a quick question. And for those of you headed out today for a trip, congratulations and have fun.

I have read more than once that if your TT is over 26' then using two sway bars is the recommendation, along with your WDH.

I would love to hear some feed back from those that use two bars. And also some feedback with 28' TT that only use one sway bar. Would also like to hear your pros and cons as to why or why not.

I do have sway that can be nerving at times while pulling my 24RBS, so if one sway bar is good, will two be better.

Please share your thoughts. I am going to get sway bar next week and still undecided on the one or two issue.

Thank you in advance.

Giljmo

With the sway issue, there may be quick questions but there are no quick answers!

You already have sway with your 24RBS that that really concerns you... as well it should! At its worst, sway can cause a total loss of control and KILL someone.

Get the second sway control for your current hitch. It may reduce sway with your 24RBS to a safe level. It's quick and inexpensive to try. But be prepared because the second sway control might not be enough for safe driving.

To be safe, if you haven't already, you will need to research the weights and limits of your tow vehicle, trailer, hitch, and your tires and their inflation.

And this is just the beginning...

[Force]

I run a single friction type sway bar on my 26' hybrid (Husky WDH hitch, nothing fancy there), but I've never had to battle sway in the 3 or 4K miles I have on it. I'd like to think it's because I have everything set up properly including weight distribution, and the trailer is 100% level (probably doesn't hurt that my truck outweighs the trailer plus it has electronic sway control, though that's never had to engage itself <knocks on wood>)

As oldmanAZ states...do your research, visit a scale, and verify your setup and you may find a second sway bar is not (necessarily) the solution.

[bedrck46]

Just to offer my opinion
If one is good two will be better. A lot of having sway can also be prevented by know what to do when the TT starts to sway. If you are experiencing sway when being passed by a big rig then I would do the following Keep as far to the right in your lane as safely possible. I also will press on the gas slightly to increase my speed by 1 to 3 MPH when being passed by the big rigs I wait until their door is about even with my door. This causes a rearward shift in weight and will help reduce sway. If sway does occur and as you slightly increase speed then gently use your brake controller by manually operating the TT brakes Again this will cause a drag on the TV. Most important is not to hit the TV brakes and also important watch your mirrors so you know what is coming from behind you. Again just my opinion and there may be others that agree or disagree. But the above has worked for me.


The above should be practiced when conditions are as perfect as possible That way you will get use to the feel and not panic when the really bad case of sway does occur which is hopefully never.


Also just operating the TT brakes while maintaining speed in the TV can be enough to reduce sway. Just don't over do it.

[Hohenwald48]

I use two. No particular reason as one seemed to work fine. I figured for $35 off Amazon why not add a second. Probably don't need it but it does no harm.

[apr1967]

Originally Posted by Hohenwald48

I use two. No particular reason as one seemed to work fine. I figured for $35 off Amazon why not add a second. Probably don't need it but it does no harm.

They can do harm when you get them too tight. I've had folks over tighten them, and what happens is when you turn the friction bar seems to resist and then break loose and you are now turning more that you expected. Obliviously you haven't experienced this, but I thought it was worth noting.

[Hohenwald48]

Originally Posted by apr1967

They can do harm when you get them too tight. I've had folks over tighten them, and what happens is when you turn the friction bar seems to resist and then break loose and you are now turning more that you expected. Obliviously you haven't experienced this, but I thought it was worth noting.

You can improperly use one and you can improperly use two. There's lots of things you can do wrong but it has nothing to do with using one or two sway bars.

[mohok1]

I tow a 2009 35.5' 32BHDS Jayco J Flight TT. I installed the 2nd S/B after fighting my steering wheel on a trip from Manning, SC to Sarasota, Fla. I tow with a 2008 Chevy Silverado 2500 Diesel. Have been using the 2nd S/B for approx 6 yrs and 12k plus miles with no incidents or difficulty. Wouldn't leave home without it. Works for me. Reduced most of the pull in and push out from Semi-Trucks passing you.

[apr1967]

Originally Posted by Hohenwald48

You can improperly use one and you can improperly use two. There's lots of things you can do wrong but it has nothing to do with using one or two sway bars.

True. I guess my point was it is much easier to apply more force with two than one. More is not always better.

[Hohenwald48]

I guess I thought the whole point of using two was to apply more force than can be applied with only one. Still, I suppose over tightening could cause a problem. I do tighten both of mine about as tight as I can using the handle on the SB. I don't use any kind of cheater bar or wrench though.

Probably towed 25K miles so far with two and no problems yet. I can imagine that over extension in tight turns might cause issues too.

[lukenick1]

Been wondering the same thing.....will 2 feel better.

[Parcany]

I tow our 33RLDS with a Ford Excursion with a WDH and 1 friction sway bar. Going down the road when a 18 wheeler passes me the truck only moves 1/4 inch. Never had any problems with sway. I think that if the truck and trailer are set up properly you will have very little sway if any at all. Been driving with a 35 mph side wind and still no problem.

[tjpolsin]

Time to repack your trailer and maybe reset your WDH if you are starting to experience sway.

put more of your trailer cargo load toward the front of the trailer. If your waste tanks are toward the rear of your trailer, then make sure they are empty prior to driving home.

Make sure your WDH is transferring enough weight back to the front of your TV. (hitched bumper heights should be within 1/2" of unloaded bumper heights.

Tim

[Heady]

It may be worth checking of your weights. There is a post on here of the three pass method for a CAT scale to give you all of the good information. Tongue weight should be 13%ish of overall trailer weight, obviously watch your payload and axel weights and ensure your WDH is returning enough weight to your front axel.

Based on what you find at the scale, you may need to shift some weight around or possibly readjust your WDH or nothing.

At least it would help point you in the right direction.

[Fill The Coolers]

Check out member Need a Vacation he has links on how to set up WDH and measure properly on a CAT Scale. I would also verify that your tires have proper pressure as well. It hasn't been uncommon for a tire to have bad cords inside that will cause it to sway as well.
I tow a 28BHBE and the only time I get some sway is due to 2 reason.... A Tractor trailer FLIES by me closely or I start creeping up into the 70mph area ( I like to stay down around 65 +/-)

[Hohenwald48]

Originally Posted by tjpolsin

Time to repack your trailer and maybe reset your WDH if you are starting to experience sway.

put more of your trailer cargo load toward the front of the trailer. If your waste tanks are toward the rear of your trailer, then make sure they are empty prior to driving home.

Make sure your WDH is transferring enough weight back to the front of your TV. (hitched bumper heights should be within 1/2" of unloaded bumper heights.

Tim

Are you saying that additional tongue weight will solve all sway issues? Is insufficient tongue weight the only cause of sway if your WDH is adjusted so your front axle weighs the same hitched as it does unhitched?

[LiftedAWDAstro]

I don't think he is saying additional tongue weight will solve ALL sway issues. He is just saying insufficient tongue weight can cause sway issues.

For instance...my previous truck a 2003 Ram 2500 4x4 quad cab SB with the Hemi should easily have towed our 2007 Jayco Jay Feather 232 EXP which probably weighed around 5000# total. We had bad sway a few times but luckily the truck weighed a lot more so it handled it fine. We tried moving weight around adjusting the WDH and friction bar but it never changed. Ended up being the ball joints in the front axle of the truck! Had a full rebuild and it was perfect...for 20k miles and then did it again!

[rgchak]

My tow rig is a '91 Ford Bronco 105" wheelbase and I tow a '15 Whitehawk 27DSRL using the Pro Pride hitch. Put on 4K miles last summer without any sway, not once, not in any weather condition.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Giljmo

snip..... I have read more than once that if your TT is over 26' then using two sway bars is the recommendation, along with your WDH........snip

Welcome to JOF

The recommendation to utilize (2) friction sway control bars when a TT exceeds a specified length originated from the sway bar OEM's, and is noted in their product documentation.

I would guess the theory behind the recommendation was that a longer TT during a sway event will create conditions that exceeds the design threshold of a single sway control bar......., makes sense when one views the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wMkK_DVzjo

Bob

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Heady

snip.......There is a post on here of the three pass method for a CAT scale to give you all of the good information.......snip

Here it is: http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...v-tt-3871.html

Bob