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01-19-2025, 05:56 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Excel Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 7,220
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Backing with antisway bars attached
Do you remove your anti-sway bars before backing your TT? What about tight backup turns?
Any difference with weight distribution hitch?
I have read where you can cause damage if backing up with the bars attached.
__________________
Fred & Denise (RVM157) New Mexico
2007 Excel Classic 30RSO & soon ORV 19MKS
2007 RAM 3500 Diesel 6Spd Auto, SWD, 4x4, CC&LB
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01-19-2025, 06:01 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Excel Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 7,220
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B & W Continium weight distribution hitch
I've been looking at B & W's Continium weight distribution hitch. Wonder what experiences readers have had with this hitch?
__________________
Fred & Denise (RVM157) New Mexico
2007 Excel Classic 30RSO & soon ORV 19MKS
2007 RAM 3500 Diesel 6Spd Auto, SWD, 4x4, CC&LB
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01-19-2025, 06:14 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2024
Posts: 185
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You have to look at your particular rig and see if you could jackknife it enough to jam up the anti sway bar. Mine won't jam but I do loosen it when backing into a campsite to reduce noise. Most WDH these days seem to permit backing but you can verify in the description.
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01-19-2025, 06:17 PM
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#4
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Community Moderator
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Central, Arkansas
Posts: 12,213
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I have never and I have never seen anyone mess with the anti sway bars before backing into a campsite. Doesn't make it right or wrong just the way I have done and seen it done.
__________________
2004 Beaver Monterey Laguna IV
Cummins ISC 350HP Allison 3000 6 speed
2022 Tesla Model Y LR
2022 Chevy Equinox Premier 6 speed FWD Stehl dolly
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01-19-2025, 06:25 PM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,442
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my w/d/h is the old chain type and i have a simple adjustible sway bar. i never unhook them . Jay D.
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01-19-2025, 06:31 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: Louisville
Posts: 682
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I had a Husky chain-type WDH with the additional sway bar. If my back ups were fairly straight I didn't remove it. The bar on that should be long enough for tight turns.
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01-19-2025, 07:10 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 821
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Typically, I remove the anti-sway bar prior to backing up but not the WDH bars (chain style). When going over a decent dip, like backing into my driveway, I always take off the WDH.
The risk on the say bar is jack knifing the trailer/TV enough to run out of stroke on the antisway. To me it is easier to remove it than worry about it.
__________________
Tom
2017 RAM 1500 4x4 5.7 HEMI
2015 PCW ECON 18RBS
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01-19-2025, 07:59 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Iowa
Posts: 609
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Turning and backing up I don't remove my bars but backing up and pulling out of my driveway I do. The initial steep angle of the driveway can put too much strain on the frame when the TV is flat but the trailer is uphill ( or vice versa). Also true over rough terrain.
__________________
2019 Outdoors RV Creekside 21RD Titanium
2023 Ford F-150 Platinum 3.5L EcoBoost
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01-21-2025, 10:49 PM
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#9
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Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1
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Have been backing my 27' trailer into some tight places. In the 8 yrs doing so I've never had to disconnect my WDH until parked. Never had an issue.
Husky Centerline 1200lb bars,no chains.
Happy trailering !
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01-22-2025, 09:59 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,928
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The only friction bars that are recommended to be removed are the small ones that have the lever for tightening and the little ball cups on the ends.
Standard friction bar WDH that have the L bracket don't need to be removed. The only time you should removed the bars is when going on rougher off road sections where you get a lot of step angles between the truck and TT.
When I hitch up for a trip my trucks in the street and my TT's in the driveway in a deep V situation. I wait to pull out in the street off to the side before I crank up the WDH bars.
IMO the Continuum is a waste of money. With your TT you should have a well balanced TT in that the axles are fairly rearward. Fresh tank is over the axles. If you're towing with a 3/4 ton or 1 ton then a simple friction bar WDH would be fine. Most trailers tow fine on their own without a WDH. Adding one is mainly for situations where conditions are bad like high winds or evasive manuvoures.
As well as returning some weight back to the front of the truck if needed.
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01-22-2025, 10:09 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2024
Location: Rogue River OR
Posts: 519
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It depends on the specific system...
We use an Andersen WDH that provides anti sway capability too. It doesn't need to be disconnected or loosened to backup even at extreme angles. And we often take advantage of our small trailer and single high lift axle to jack knife it into tight spots. We also created a calculator for the Andersen WDH to reduce the need for frequent visits to the scales:
https://www.borstengineeringconstruction.com/Andersen_WDH_Calculator.html
Gayle & Bob
"Los Gatos Casita"
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01-22-2025, 10:21 AM
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#12
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Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: South West Florida
Posts: 51
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Never removed the friction sway bar UNTIL the day I bent one backing into a site, $$ wasted. Always kept the Weight Distributing Hitch connected until parked. Once towed a 16 ft trailer without a WDH and we left it on it's side on Rt 95 in VA after being passed by two big rig trucks. Saw a 30+ trailer in the same position on I-75 in Florida a few years ago. Guy thought his truck towed it fine didn't need a WDH. He learned the hard way - it did!
So, disconnect the friction add on sway control and always use a WDH.
__________________
2019 Winnebago Forza 38F
2018 GMC Acadia
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01-22-2025, 10:28 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Kelowna, B.C. Canada
Posts: 3,768
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tpaul
Turning and backing up I don't remove my bars but backing up and pulling out of my driveway I do. The initial steep angle of the driveway can put too much strain on the frame when the TV is flat but the trailer is uphill ( or vice versa). Also true over rough terrain.
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Yep; this.  Any time there is a big angle difference between the attitude of the truck and trailer (like going up/down a steep driveway or offroad) you should remove the WD bars or you risk damage to the A frame.
Dave
__________________
2022 Outdoors RV 25RDS, 2022 F350 dually, 6.7PSD, 10 spd, 3.55's
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01-22-2025, 11:08 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2024
Location: Rogue River OR
Posts: 519
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Pelletier
Yep; this.  Any time there is a big angle difference between the attitude of the truck and trailer (like going up/down a steep driveway or offroad) you should remove the WD bars or you risk damage to the A frame.
Dave
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This is true, but the magnitude of this effect increases as the distance between the tow vehicle rear axle and the trailer axle increases. So short trailers don't see nearly as much risk as long trailers. And if the WDH uses chains like the Andersen WDH instead of using bars, the WDH essentially self-loosens whenever the tow vehicle is going downhill and trailer is still cresting and going uphill. Or in other words, traversing a valley may be problematic whereas traversing a hill is not for the Andersen WDH. And some tow vehicles and trailers are not designed to use WDHs at all.
Of course the even more problematic issue when dealing with unlevel terrain is ground clearance...and this is an issue no matter if you use a WDH or not...and again, this becomes more of an issue as distance between the tow vehicle rear axle and the trailer axle increases.
Gayle & Bob
"Los Gatos Casita"
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