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07-31-2016, 08:29 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Albany
Posts: 84
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Towing question
Anyone skip the anti-sway and weight distribution bars for short trips? Most of our camping trips are only 2 to 3 hours away. Drove it to the RV shop without them and truck pulls it fine. Just curious......
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07-31-2016, 08:38 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Pembroke, NY
Posts: 181
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No, I never skip them. I would never not use them, even for short trips. It only takes a mile for things to go wrong...
__________________
2001 Ford F-150 4x4 5.4
2012 Prime Time Tracer 2670BHS (sold)
2017 White Hawk 28DSBH (*Special Ordered w/ almost all the options in 10/16. Delivered on 5/19/17)
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07-31-2016, 08:44 PM
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#3
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 9,424
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My TV/TT combination's loaded weights require the use of WDH, I never leave home without the WDH in place.
Bob
__________________
2016 GM 2500HD 6.0L/4.10
2018 Jay Flight 24RBS
2002 GM 2500HD 6.0L/4:10 (retired)
2005 Jayco Eagle 278FBS (retired)
1999 Jayco Eagle 246FB (retired)
Reese HP Dual Cam (Strait-Line)
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07-31-2016, 09:06 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Newburgh
Posts: 6,307
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I always use mine as well. Definitely would not feel comfortable towing anywhere without them
__________________
2022 33RBTS
Progressive Industries EMS - Hardwired
Equalizer 4 Point WDH
2021 Ford F350 7.3
Air Lift Rear Bags w/ On Board Compressor (Pending)
2016 28BHBE - (Traded and Missed already)
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07-31-2016, 09:07 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: State of Confusion
Posts: 5,004
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All depends on what you are towing and what your tow vehicle is. If you have a rear dually 3/4 or 1 ton truck, you probably do not need WDH or sway, if the trailer is light enough. Anything else, I'd hitch up everything.
Murff
(Related to "Murphy's Law" Murphy)
__________________
Murff
2015 White Hawk 20MRB (It's last year)
2017 F150 2.7 Eco Boost 3.73 Gears
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07-31-2016, 09:23 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Lower Alabama (LA)
Posts: 2,010
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While not major, I wouldn't consider a 2-3 hour drive a short distance. Maybe several miles to the sewer dump.
__________________
former 2008 Jayco Eagle 29.5 RLS
former 2014 F250 6.7 4X4, CC LB
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07-31-2016, 10:58 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Orange County
Posts: 644
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I would not skip those. You will likely be overloading your hitch, and if it fails, I can guarantee one thing... You will hate the results.
__________________
2006 Jayco Seneca 34SS
2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Toad
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08-01-2016, 03:04 AM
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#8
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Bryan
Posts: 48
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Never safety is very important. If you cause an accident your liable, it's possible your insurance may not cover you if you didn't take due diligence, read the fine print of your insurance contract. Many times they don't have to cover if you speeding.
I know my 2013 Nissan Frontier I wouldn't the rear drops 3 1/2 inches, my old Jeep liberty crd didn't drop more than a inch (still level) with the camper hitched. So the Nissan requires a WD hitch, the Jeep no, I did still use a friction sway bar on the Jeep. I now use a Reese SC WD hitch.
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08-01-2016, 05:56 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 675
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The only time I have ever not hooked up the bars and sway control is when I move the rv from its storage spot to the driveway, or vice versa, which is about 50 feet away.
__________________
Thanks,
Brian
TV = 2006 F-350 CC DRW 6.0
TT = 2018 Wildwood 31KQBTS
TT = 2007 Jayco Jay Flight 27bh - SOLD
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08-01-2016, 06:54 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 221
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I towed mine a couple hours home from the RV lot when I bought it. I was buying and setting up my hitch myself. It was windy and the trucks passing me caused horrible sway. I tow a heavy livestock trailer with no sway control regularly at work so I know how to handle it, but I'll never tow my RV that way again.
__________________
2012 Eagle Super Lite 266 RKS, 2017 F150 Lariat SuperCrew 3.5L EB
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08-01-2016, 06:58 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Elizabethtown, PA
Posts: 1,560
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I keep my TT in a storage facility about a mile from the campground we always go to. Any time I hook up I always will have the WD bars in use, As far as the sway control I do not connect it due to the short distance and the amount of traffic on the road I travel Plus I can never get it up to any speed 6/10 of a mile is a 45 mph road, single lane in both directions. The last 4/10 of a mile are the entrance to the campground about a lane and a half and normally about 15 mph or less. Any other time that the TV/TT moves it will always have the WD bars and sway bar connected.
__________________
2004 Jay Feather 25E
2001 Ford Expedition 4X4 EB 5.4 3.55 rear
2004 Ford Expedition 4X4 EB 5.4 3.73 rear
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08-01-2016, 07:15 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Campbell Hall
Posts: 2,835
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The only time the WDH bars are not hooked up is when the TT is shuffled about the property. Anything over 100 feet or 10MPH the full kit is used; WDH fully set up and the breakaway lanyard connected!
__________________
TT 2015 19RD "TheJayco"
TV 2003 F-350 "Montblanc" - Housebroken chore truck
Sitting in The Cheap Seats.
And proud of it!
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08-01-2016, 07:44 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: CENTRAL NEW YORK
Posts: 984
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The WDH bars take 10 seconds a side to hook up and another 10 for the friction anti sway so I have never not used them.
__________________
2013 33 RLDS
2004 Chevy Avalanche 2500 8.1
2019 Jeep Cherokee Limited 3.2
2016 CTS 4 2.0T
2001 Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0
2015 Chrysler 200C AWD
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08-01-2016, 08:05 AM
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#14
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: League City
Posts: 7
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I don't have a sway control on our new trailer, but our Nissan Murano squats when towing it. I've thought about getting air shocks for the Nissan, but do I need to get sway control bars (If I am saying that correctly) for our 16' Jayco Swift? This is our first RV. I'm a newbie.
__________________
2013 Jayco Swift SLX 145RB
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08-01-2016, 08:17 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Campbell Hall
Posts: 2,835
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cody&Lisa
I don't have a sway control on our new trailer, but our Nissan Murano squats when towing it. I've thought about getting air shocks for the Nissan, but do I need to get sway control bars (If I am saying that correctly) for our 16' Jayco Swift? This is our first RV. I'm a newbie.
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Downward movement of the back end of the tow vehicle is normal.
However, as the rear goes down, the rear axle acts as a fulcrum and lifts the front end. At some point, the front end lifts 'too much' and you loose the ability to steer the tow vehicle.
A WDH transfers some of the tongue load onto the front end so that the tow vehicle is closer to level and the front tires can fully do their job of guiding the whole rig safely on your journey.
If the steering on truck feels "less effective" or "light" when towing, get yourself a WDH now!
__________________
TT 2015 19RD "TheJayco"
TV 2003 F-350 "Montblanc" - Housebroken chore truck
Sitting in The Cheap Seats.
And proud of it!
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08-01-2016, 09:08 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: South Texas
Posts: 7,198
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The only time I don't hookup the WDH (with integrated sway control) is when I'm at the camp and I need to move the trailer a few inches or feet because we didn't level properly during setup.
Distance is irrelevant IMO when considering the need for proper equipment. So I hook up all the way every time.
__________________
-2018 Greyhawk 29MV
-2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (JLU) (Primary Toad)
-1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ (Secondary Toad)
-2014 Jay Flight 28BHBE & Ram 2500 6.4L CC 4x4 (sold)
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08-01-2016, 09:43 AM
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#17
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Tampa
Posts: 67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tee-bone
Anyone skip the anti-sway and weight distribution bars for short trips? Most of our camping trips are only 2 to 3 hours away. Drove it to the RV shop without them and truck pulls it fine. Just curious......
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There is a vast difference between physically moving the trailer from one place to another and doing so safely. In other words, if nothing ever went wrong, then doing so might be just fine. However, as we all know, things can go wrong and can do so quickly, and that's what your WDH and anti-sway equipment is there for. If you had to make a panic stop, experienced a sudden lateral gust of wind, or had to swerve to avoid something, you likely wouldn't be questioning the need at all.
The ONLY time I would ever go without the WD and sway features of my hitch would be if I had to move spots in a campground. There's never an excuse for doing it right when travelling since the only difference with my Blue Ox is to attach the bars (takes 3 minutes).
__________________
2016 Jay Flight 33RBTS
Blue Ox SwayPro 1500
2006 Silverado 2500, LBZ Duramax, Allison Trans
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08-01-2016, 09:44 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Portland
Posts: 156
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My tongue weight exceeds the hitch capacity unless I use weight distribution, so the only time I go without bars if if I'm just repositioning the trailer. It takes less than a minute to put the bars onto the brackets, what's the upside to skipping it?
__________________
2021 GD Transcend 261BH
2019 F250 SRW SWB CC 6.2
Formerly: 2016 X213 & 2014 F150 CC 3.5EB
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08-01-2016, 09:53 AM
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#19
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Tampa
Posts: 67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cody&Lisa
I don't have a sway control on our new trailer, but our Nissan Murano squats when towing it. I've thought about getting air shocks for the Nissan, but do I need to get sway control bars (If I am saying that correctly) for our 16' Jayco Swift? This is our first RV. I'm a newbie.
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Squatting is a red flag. It likely means that your front is raised up - which means that you might lose steering control under certain conditions. This is a weight distribution issue - meaning that you either don't have a weight distributing hitch or that it is set up incorrectly.
Measure the height of the front and rear wheel wells before hookup. After hookup, they should be (ideally) the same. If the front is raised and the rear is lowered, you have an issue that you should correct. That is a rule of thumb, the purists amongst us will argue that the definitive proof is in weighing the front and rear of the truck before and after hitching. Again, you want them to be as close to the same as possible.
Sway control refers to the ability to keep the trailer running straight behind the tow vehicle when some force (wind, sudden hard steering to avoid an obstacle, etc) gets the trailer out of line in such a manner that it overcorrects, resulting in a left-to-right swinging/swaying motion that gets worse and worse until it results in an accident.
This video demonstrates sway and catastrophic results:
__________________
2016 Jay Flight 33RBTS
Blue Ox SwayPro 1500
2006 Silverado 2500, LBZ Duramax, Allison Trans
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08-01-2016, 10:22 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 9,728
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I always use my WDH, even if I am only going a short distance. Safety first, both mine and other around me. 2-3 hour drive is not a short distance to me. If I was only going to the dump station in camp,, I might consider it, but, again, it only adds a minute to the hook up time, so I would do it.
If I was pulling my htt with a 3/4 ton or larger, I would not worry about a WDH, but I would still have friction sway control.
I just do not understand how people with large enclosed car trailers do not use WHD or friction sway bars. If the load is off, these things can sway badly.
I saw a small U-Haul trailer the other day, my guess poorly loaded, behind a reasonable decent size SUV something like a Honda Pilot, and the little trailer was all over the place. They guy was driving one handed talking on his phone. No way would you see me like that. I questioned if I should have passed him.
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