Sway Bar for Ram 1500

[Otispuggle]

Would a better rear sway bar on a Ram 1500 improve towing? My truck has a hemi and is rated to pull 11,000 lbs and has a 1800 lb cargo rating. It has plenty of power to pull the trailer but it is not as stable as I would like it to be. The trailer feels like it rocks side to side and sways. The GMC Sierra I used to have was much more stable but lacked the power the Ram has.

My trailer weighs about 6000 lbs and hitch weight is about 600. I use an equalizer wd hitch that was set up by the dealer. I installed airbags. I tried Timbrens and did not like them, too stiff. When the hitch was set up the airbag pressure was 20 lbs. I tried increasing the pressure and that made the stability worse. It was so bad that I had to stop and let air out.

Would a better sway bar help with stability?

[Capacitor]

Your tongue weight is on the low side at 10%. I would bring that up by adding water to the fresh water tank or shifting things forward and see if that helps first.

[TXiceman]

Are these actual weights or the brochure weights you are providing?

The rear suspension on the 1500 truck is coil springs which are not as stable for towing as are leaf springs. This is why I went with an F150 and the leaf springs.

What are you calling a sway bar? Is it the weight distributing bar or an anti-roll bar on the truck?

You need to have the trailer loaded with about 12% of the of the actual trailer weight on the tongue,

Ken

[Skip426]

Originally Posted by Capacitor

Your tongue weight is on the low side at 10%. I would bring that up by adding water to the fresh water tank or shifting things forward and see if that helps first.

Also running across the scales, loaded for travel, to CONFIRM tongue weight , and get the tire pressure on the rear axle correct .

What year is the truck and brand, size and load rating, of the tires??

[runamuck]

everybody's setup is different but my travel trailer is 6000# and 28'. the tongue wt. is 560#-570 when I tow and it tows fine. I cruise at 68-69 and get 8.5-10 mpg with this rig. I have a ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 ccsb with the 5.7 and 3.92 gears. sounds like you have a lot more cargo cap. than I do. mine is just 1324# so I have to pack light. I changed out the oem sway bar for the Helwig and I run a few more # in the rear tires when towing. I also added air bags in the back and run 25# when towing to stiffen things up a little. we have towed from ft. worth to colorado and to south dakota and to Big Bend and various places in oklahoma and arkansas with good results.

[bneukam]

Agree, look at Hellwig Sway Bars. You will immediately notice the difference when removing the stock.

Another great option is the TuffTruck 1211 rear coil springs.

Personally I don’t like airbags just because it can throw off the weight distribution.

I have the Fox 2.0 coil overs on the front, and TuffTruck coils, with Fox 2.0 shocks on the rear.

Truck handles our 800 lb trailer tongue weight with ease. Great ride towing or not. Still using P rated tires, and no need to upgrade.

Proper tongue weight, and restoration of the front ride height with a properly adjusted WDH are also important factors.

[CharlesinGA]

The OPs problem may be as simple as having the wrong tires or not properly inflated. Few 1500 trucks have LT tires on them, many have P tires or some LTX or other pseudo truck tire that isn't. The coil suspension is an issue on the RAMs and if the track bar has worn ends or loose brackets, etc, it cannot do its job.

Aside from that, move weight forward in the trailer. If the water tank is forward, fill it, make sure our propane tanks are topped off. Check the tire pressure on the trailer.

How old is the trailer and does it have leaf spring suspension? Leaf spring suspensions come from the factory with plastic bushings that don't last very long. In addition, the shackles are usually the thin ones, and allow the trailer to do a lot of side to side swaying simply from a loose suspension. Mine towed better after I rebuilt the suspension with bronze bushings and half inch thick shackles and longer, greaseable bolts. It stopped the side to side movement I was experiencing. I also moved heavy stuff forward and all combined to make a very smooth towing trailer even at 70 mph (which I don't make a habit of, but would catch myself creeping up in speed on a smooth road (no cruise control).

Charles

[Otispuggle]

Thanks for the information.
My trailer is a 2023 Jayco 25RB. My last trailer, a 2019 Jayco Whitehawk was worse to tow with my Ram, however, when I towed it with a GMC Sierra it was very stable. I do not think there is anything wrong with the trailer. I think the problem are the Ram coil springs. I will try your suggestions and hopefully they will improve towing.

[mistercee]

Originally Posted by Otispuggle

Would a better rear sway bar on a Ram 1500 improve towing? My truck has a hemi and is rated to pull 11,000 lbs and has a 1800 lb cargo rating. It has plenty of power to pull the trailer but it is not as stable as I would like it to be. The trailer feels like it rocks side to side and sways. The GMC Sierra I used to have was much more stable but lacked the power the Ram has.

My trailer weighs about 6000 lbs and hitch weight is about 600. I use an equalizer wd hitch that was set up by the dealer. I installed airbags. I tried Timbrens and did not like them, too stiff. When the hitch was set up the airbag pressure was 20 lbs. I tried increasing the pressure and that made the stability worse. It was so bad that I had to stop and let air out.

Would a better sway bar help with stability?

I would double-check the setup done by the dealer. They rarely follow the recommended procedures when doing the installation. Here is the Equal-i-Zer manual for you to reference. A poorly setup hitch will add to your troubles.

I would also look to ensure the hitch is properly sized for your trailer. Using the online Equal-i-Zer hitch sizing tool, when entering your trailer's numbers, it recommends the 1000/10K model.

[JIMNLIN]

Are you using OEM tires/wheels on the 1500 Ram ?

For towing duties and P tires they should be pumped to the max sidewall psi.
Also tread types such as a MT (mud terrain) or a large lug/void All Terrain can cause tread roll (squirming) and create trailer sway issues.

As other mention the dealer may have the wrong setup for your Rams coil spring suspension needs.

A sway bar won't fix a wrong tire type/psi/size issue.