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10-26-2015, 11:38 AM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 18
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sway bar help
Folks,
We have a Cruiser RV v-front tt and I've been told that a second sway stabilizer will help a great deal with the port and starboard shifts we experience in moderate winds. Any thoughts and experiences will be greatly appreciated.
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10-26-2015, 12:04 PM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: HillBilly country, Smokey Mtns
Posts: 4,171
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You don't say what brand of WD hitch you have, but if your "sway stabilizer" looks like this:
then you have a cheap hitch that is never going to perform as good as the better WD hitches, such Reese Strait-Line, Equal-I-Zer or Blue Ox.
Adding a second sway bar and tightening it up good might help, but it's still a cheap hitch. You'd be a lot happier with the results if you throw away that cheap hitch and replace it with one of the ones mentioned above.
__________________
Grumpy ole man with over 60 years towing experience. Now my heaviest trailer is a 7'x16' 5,000-pound flatbed utility trailer, my tow vehicle is a 2019 F-150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCab with Max Tow (1,904 pounds payload capacity).
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10-26-2015, 12:21 PM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 18
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Thanks for the reply and advice. It's a Husky round bar hitch that certainly seemed adequate for a 20' tt, dual axle, 6500lb unit. The sway control you pictured is exactly the model I have. What I have not done however, is tighten the lever/nut to the stops as is sometime suggested.
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10-26-2015, 01:06 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: HillBilly country, Smokey Mtns
Posts: 4,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Squeaky007
It's a Husky round bar hitch ...
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Husky makes cheap hitches and one decent hitch. The decent hitch is the Husky CenterLine. Until recently, the CenterLine ranked right up there with the Reese Strait-Line and the Blue Ox SwayPro, but the new CenterLine model available now is a cheaper version that hasn't yet proven to be as good as the old CenterLine. Here's the sales pitch for the current CenterLine:
http://www.huskytow.com/wp-includes/...-A_HITCH_1.pdf
The good WD hitches have built-in sway control without using friction-based sway bars.
Quote:
...seemed adequate for a 20' tt, dual axle, 6500lb unit.
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Live and learn. My WD hitch is a $2,540 (delivered price) ProPride.
http://www.propridehitch.com/product...ol-Hitch-.html
It does the job for my 19.5' TT, tandem axle, with 5,600-pound GVWR but loaded to less than 5,000 pounds. The ProPride replaced a Strait-Line that was perfectly adequate under 99 percent of conditions, but I wanted that other one percent just in case. The Strait-Line now connects to my 7,000-pound cargo trailer. It's too much trouble to move the ProPride from one trailer to another, so I leave in on the TT.
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10-26-2015, 01:30 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 412
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As the others have said, don't waist any more money on the cheap hitch. Get a WDH with built in sway control and the difference will be night and day. I had very good results with the Equalizer hitch on my last TT @ 9000lbs.
__________________
2022 Entegra Vision XL 36C
2015 Gateway 3650BH (sold)
2005 F250 CC 4x4
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10-26-2015, 03:20 PM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 18
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Thanks gentlemen,
I now know what to ask for for the next dozen Christmases or so.
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10-26-2015, 03:32 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Boise, Idaho
Posts: 715
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You don't necessary need that $,$$$ built in sway hitch for a 19' TT. I've pulled the same 40,000 mi with no issues. Make sure you balance your load and have 15% tongue weight.
A lot depends on your TV which is?
__________________
2016 Thor Tuscany 34ST XTE, Freightliner XCR, ISB 360hp/800tq. Allison 3000, Koni FSD shocks, Roadmaster 1.75" front sway bar, Safe-T-Plus, DYI air bag flow control valves.
2015 Jeep Willy's Wheeler Wrangler Unlimited Toad, Ready-Brute-Elite tow system.
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10-26-2015, 03:50 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,580
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You should be fine with what you have. Sway is usually caused by hitch weight being too low.
Better tires with higher pressure can help. Without knowing anything about what you have, this is a general statement.
The sway control handle is to be tight and the bolt is the adjustment. Try tightening the bolt 1/4 turn at a time till you observe less sway in the mirror when giving the steering wheel a quick correction. Yes, you can overdue the tightening.
Folks like to spend your money but often it just isn't necessary to throw dollars at an adjustment issue.
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10-27-2015, 09:44 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Austin,TX
Posts: 464
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I don't think adding a second friction sway bar will provide the results you want. You don't have to spend $2500.00 though. Good WDHs mentioned above (Equilizer, Blue Ox) that have built in sway PREVENTION will do a much better job than friction sway CONTROL. They won't be quite as good as the ProPride, but dollar for dollar on a budget it is absolutely the way to go. They are leaps and bounds better than the 300.00 friction style hitches.
The design of the friction-free hitches aim to prevent sway from starting. Friction bars simply try to reduce the effects of sway already in motion.
For 500-600.00 you can order a quality WDH from etrailer.com (or similar, I love etrailer).
__________________
2018 Primetime Crusader 319RKT
2013 RAM 2500 4X4 Laramie CrewCab, 6'4'' bed, 3.42 RAR, 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel, Payload 2547, Max tow 17,480, PullRite Superglide
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10-27-2015, 02:13 PM
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#10
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: HillBilly country, Smokey Mtns
Posts: 4,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokeyWren
Husky makes cheap hitches and one decent hitch. The decent hitch is the Husky CenterLine. Until recently, the CenterLine ranked right up there with the Reese Strait-Line and the Blue Ox SwayPro, but the new CenterLine model available now is a cheaper version that hasn't yet proven to be as good as the old CenterLine.
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The new Husky is called the Centerline TS.. I wouldn't buy one of those yet. But there are some of the old Centerlines still available. Like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Husky-31390-Ce...58QRRPJG2Y7DE5
Note the older model is model number 31390. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. The head (including shank) is $606.16. The spring bars cost an additional $91.03. And a good ball is $17.49, for a total of $714.68.
Equal-I-Zer is a bit less expensive:
http://www.amazon.com/Equal-i-zer-90...ual-i-zer+1200
My Reese Strait-Line with adjustable shank is about the same price range:
66084 Reese Strait Line Trunnion Bar Hitch | eBay
Note that lots of sellers advertise the Reese Strait-Line without a shank. But you must have the adjustable shank and that will cost you around $125. So if you see an online price less than $600, pay attention.
Blue Ox SwayPro.
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...x/BXW1000.html
If your trailer grosses 6,500 pounds, it could have tongue weight of up to 875 pounds. So get a hitch with max tongue weight of 1,000 or 1,200 pounds. The Strait-Line is available with 800 and 1,200 pound spring bars, but not 1,000. So get the 1,200 pound spring bars if you order a Strait-Line. I think the other brands are available with 1,000-pound spring bars.
My ProPride has 1,400 pound spring bars, but it is adjustable to use only the tension required to handle my 650-pound tongue weight. So don't get spring bars with max weight capacity less than your max tongue weight, but too heavy (within reason) is not a problem.
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11-06-2015, 03:51 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Waynesville Georgia
Posts: 1,307
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We just replaced our old entry level WDH with the same type of sway control bar you have. Went out on a limb and bought the new Husky Centerline TS hitch ( no dought a knockoff of the Equalizer ), so far very happy, big improvement in sway control, and no chains to mess with !
http://www.amazon.com/Husky-32218-Ce...husky+ts+hitch
Plus with Amazon 6 month free payment plan, even we could afford it !!
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11-09-2015, 04:47 PM
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#12
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 18
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Thank you profusely for all the advice. Being a newbie to tt towing it was silly to neglect to mention the tow vehicle we have. It's a Lincoln Navigator with normal tow pkg and air ride, 2008 model. I have T series tires inflated to 40psi of a 44psi max. We have between 850 and 950 lbs on the tongue (seems to vary a lot with the trip and the load) but the sway only appears in windy conditions and I suspected the v nose design almost insures some sway as the wind pressure moves from one side of the nose to the other. I remember holding my hand out the window of our 59 kingswood wagon on the way to Yellowstone and experiencing the difficulty of keeping the wind force equal and my hand level. Thanks again to all, I am now only dense instead of totally ignorant.
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11-10-2015, 11:29 AM
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#13
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: HillBilly country, Smokey Mtns
Posts: 4,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Squeaky007
It's a Lincoln Navigator with normal tow pkg and air ride, 2008 model.
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GVWR is probably 9,200 pounds. That's plenty for a small family with luggage, but often inadequate for a TT plus the family and stuff. Next TT trip, weigh the wet and loaded rig on a CAT scale at a truck stop. It will cost around $10. Add the weights on the front and rear axles of the Navigator to get GVW. Then compare the GVW to the GVWR of the Navigator. I'll bet you're overloaded over the GVWR of the Nav.
If you are overloaded, then minimize the weight in both the truck and the trailer. Haul only the tools required to change a trailer tire in a muddy ditch. Empty holding tanks and minimize fresh water - just enough to flush the pottie while on the road. No heavy cookware or dishes. No canned goods or other heavy food items until you park the trailer at the RV park. Use a tongue weight scale to determine your wet and loaded tongue weight. Your goal is 12 to 13% of gross trailer weight. The CAT scale will not give you gross trailer weight, so add trailer axle weight plus tongue weight to get gross trailer weight.
Quote:
I have T series tires inflated to 40psi of a 44psi max.
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Pump up the rear tires to 44 PSI cold. 40 PSI in the front tires should be adequate.
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11-11-2015, 07:28 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: NC
Posts: 578
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port and starboard??? What are you talking about a boat or airplane???? Right and left fits RV's.
__________________
Wandering1
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