Are these units just not worth it then:
Curt Round Bar Weight Distribution Hitch & Sway Control 612314570027 | eBay

Or, from Etrailer:
http://www.etrailer.com/p-PS49903.html

 

With a 30' TT you will want dual friction sway control. I didn't need sway control towing with my F250 or F350, but on my X it is must for our 31' TT. On this last trip (4500 mi) we took I experienced a lot. This was my first experience with the X. I had winds from every direction. While the crosswinds weren't scary, they were tiring. 8 hours of constant focus really wears a driver out. I installed a single friction sway control during our trip. While it did make an improvement I still had to constantly pay close attention to which way the TT was guiding the X. I will be installing another friction sway control on the WD hitch before we take another trip like that. I also figured out that I did not have my WD hitch setup correctly. eTrailers has a great video on how to do it "right", so make sure that you check that out prior to buying your WD hitch. If we end up towing our TT around a lot then I think that I will invest in a 4 point sway control as I believe that the shorter wheel base of the X really hinders the over all control while towing, especially with a 30'+ TT.

The other thought is that my TT weighed in at only 6,000 lbs (ultra lite) while the X was at 8,600 lbs (did not detach). The weight of my TT with being 31' long makes it a very big sail. If I had a heavier TT then I believe that I wouldn't have been effected by the 25+mph crosswinds as much.

 

New bigger wheels and tires with a higher load rating made a night and day difference with the sway of my TT behind the X.

After weighing your TT I would check the tires load rating. The tires on my TT were damn near maxed out when loaded. From my experience when you load a tire to near its load limit it will handle like poop.

 

My opinion...and my opinion only...

I'd go with the Equal-I-zer brand hitch...

Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System w/ 4-Point Sway Control - 10,000 lbs GTW, 1,000 lbs TW Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution EQ90-00-1000

Sure it costs a few hundred more...but in the long run you will be much happier and safer...I'm not a fan of the friction bars...sorry...

Look at it this way...you've got how much tied up in your truck and trailer already?...go with the right tool for the job...a 30' trailer is nothing to mess with and can easily get the upper hand under the wrong conditions...just my $0.02 with your money...but if you notice...I sprung $3,000 on my hitch...so I believe what I say...and backed it up with my wallet...my piece of mind and safety on the road is paramount to me...the Equal-I-zer is worth the extra little bit...

Good luck,
Joe.

 

Knowing when to say when is very important. Cross winds can kill. If you or the family is scared then pull over and camp for a while.

An RV crash to remember - YouTube

 

Sway control devices are meant to help the driver recover from induced sway, like a sudden crosswind, passing truck, evasive maneuver, etc. There is no substitute for a properly designed/loaded trailer.
Personally, I have a Husky Center Line system. I'm happy with it so far, but don't have a lot of miles with it. The Husky seems pretty well designed, but if I did it again I would look at the Reese DC. The Husky hasn't really taken off in popularity, and the DC has been around forever, meaning the chances of finding help while travelling, if needed, are much better.

I think friction type bars are a waste of time.

 

being new to camping and TT pulling hobby myself, I have a question for you Joe that I think will be of benifit to the OP as well.

Which is more important, a good hitch setup or a properly set up tow vehicle?

I am asking this as I have a 30 ft toyhauler and I have spent considerable time and effort improving the suspension of my Excursion (checking and replacing what OEM parts are needed) as well as upgrading shocks, rear swaybar, heavier rated leaf springs, good brake controller, etc.
I have the Curt setup that the OP provided the links (as it came with my used toyhauler) and I have been very happy with it so far after I went through getting it adjusted properly (the RV dealership just slapped it on and gave me a 1 min demo). I have run it without the sway controller and I didnt feel much if any difference in low wind situations or when being passed by big rigs.
I have towed a couple of times in moderate wind (15-25mph) and stability has never felt like a concern to me. I was traveling closer to 55 mph due to conditions. (strong rain, poor visibility, fear of standing water on the roadway)

I guess I am asking my question because there are alot of newer Excursion owners and these trucks are 7 years old or older and I can't help but wonder how much stability issues those towing face are from worn vehicles and not from the type of hitch.

I would be the first one in line to upgrade my hitch if I thought I needed one, honestly I dont feel like I do.

 

Found the answer in other post

 

Check the axle tags' load rating. My last trailer had dual 3,500 lb axles underneath a trailer with a gross load weight rating of 9,000+. Needless to say, I blew out the axle wheel bearings. Three times, before I figured it out. Manufacturer did not stand behind their engineering mistake. Lesson learned.

 

I have pondered this question for a little bit over dinner...

Keep in mind that I have towed 10's of thousands of miles with my Ex through nearly 40 states over the 7 years I have owned her...that doesn't make me anything more than someone that has towed 10's of thousands of miles and am completely confident in how good an Excursion CAN tow a heavy load through all kinds of terrain and weather...that's all...there is NO REASON someone should have a bad towing experience with an Excursion...NONE...

My answer is all THREE are equally important and here's my reasoning. (BTW...I know you only listed 2 items...I'll add my third)

1) If your tow vehicle is not in good mechanical working order and in need of maintenance items like ball joints, tie rods, steering box, alignment, worn or improperly inflated tires and the like...all the tweaking on your hitch and trailer weights and balance will certainly be for naught. And to be honest...it could be downright unsafe to use a vehicle in a poor mechanical state and in need of repairs.

2) If your WD hitch is not properly adjusted to RETURN your tow vehicle front axle weight to pre-hitched condition...you have upset the natural balance of your tow vehicle and lightened the front steer axle...doing this will make your steering much less responsive having too little weight on the front axle...we've all seen someone going down the road with their headlights searching for aliens...well that is an improperly set up WD hitch (or complete LACK of WD hitch!). Also it is critical to have the proper rated spring bars for your tongue weight. too light of bars will not effectively transfer weight. Too heavy of bars may cause a much stiffer ride than necessary.

3) If your TRAILER is not balanced properly to present at least 10% of the LOADED trailer weight as tongue weight...this could pose a stability issue...

Item #1 should be addressed FIRST before attempting to set up your trailer and WD hitch...not having a sound mechanical condition is unsafe IMO...so get your front end checked out...I too suspect that many that have "handling" issues while towing have not addressed the mechanical issues they have on their TV...I also suspect that many handling issues are from inflating tires to 80PSI on the Ex...in my experiments...I have found that 80PSI makes the Ex drive like it is on ice...

Items #2 and 3 should be addressed at a CAT scale with your trailer AND TV loaded with people and gear as you would for a towing trip...setting up your WD hitch with an empty trailer or empty truck is well...almost pointless...

You will need three weights to effectively get your rig and WD set up properly...it is that easy and painless...REALLY!

1) Your Ex alone unhitched...this gives you your BASELINE axle weights.

2) Your Ex hitched to your trailer but NO WD engaged...this gives you your tongue weight and how much you have unloaded your FRONT axle

3) Your Ex hitched to your trailer with WD engaged...this gives you where you sit with your overall weights and balance. (BTW...you may need to iterate this weight a couple of times as you adjust the WD or shift load in your TT to adjust for tongue weight).

Here's some numbers:

1) Front = 3400#, Rear = 4200#'s (Total = 7600#'s)

2) Front = 3100#'s, Rear = 5500#'s (notice you have UNLOADED your FRONT by 300#'s), BOTH TT axles = 7800#'s (Total = 16,400#'s)

3) Front = 3200#'s, Rear = 5300#'s, BOTH TT axles = 7900#'s (Total = 16,400#'s)

Notice that in this #3 you are NOT done yet...the front axle is still 200#'s LIGHT...so tighten up the WD bar by either 1) Take another couple of links OUT OF TENSION or 2) Tilt the receiver head down toward the ground. once you make your tweak...go back across the scale.

3') Front = 3375#'s, Rear = 5025#'s, BOTH TT axles = 8000#'s (Total = 16,400#'s)

Now for the tongue weight calculation (remember I'm making up numbers here for a mathematical example).

Rear from #2 = 5500#'s BUT that includes 300#'s from the FRONT axle

Rear from #1 = 4200#'s

Tongue weight = 5500 - 300 - 4200 = 1000#'s

Check the percentage of tongue weight = 1000 / (16,400 - 7600) = ~11%

If you can shift "some" weight forward in your trailer...ideally you want to try and accomplish a 12-13% tongue weight to allow for some small loading variations throughout your trip and STILL remain above 10%. Once you shift the weight around...run across the scale one more time to verify the final figures...

Okay...I know I probably complicated your question...but if you are going to tow heavy...IMO...your TV must be in good mechanical working order AND your WD and weights and balance of your trailer must also be set properly...and only a CAT scale can get your weights and balance correct!

Hope this helps and doesn't confuse more than it helps...if there are any questions...let me know.

Joe.

 

I have towed my 30' trailer (8640lbs) thousands of miles with the Equil-i-zer system and it is the best WD system I have used.
I added air bags to my EX to level it out and it has worked nicely.
It is a good point that having your vehicle in good repair is very important for a low stress experience.

 

Well said! Safe towing depends on the entire system. It just doesn't work to try bandaiding a deficient component in one area by doing something else in another.

Steve

 

Awesome! I will be going on a 7 state 2000 mile camping trip soon and I will use the calculations you provided to verify my setup at the local CAT scales a couple days before the start of the trip.
I followed the "measurement technique" that I read on RV.net for setting up my weight distribution hitch and it made a huge improvement over the RV dealer setup. Then I changed tow vehicles and reset it up using that method.

Out of curiosity, are you still using the stock Excursion springs? Mine came with V/B's so I dont have any experience with stock springs but I felt a nice improvement with the increase in rear swaybar size from 22mm to 30mm. I only see about a 1.25" drop with my approx 950lb tongue weight, so I dont think I need a RAS.

I'm interested to know the accuracy of the measurement technique vs using a weight station as I have some upcoming trips without toys in the toy hauler and I prefer to set up the hitch on a level parking lot by my house vs heading out to the scales.

Again, thanks for the input! My family of 6 appriciate your experience.

 

I have an Equalizer and like it well enough. (1200 lb bars with 950 or so tongue wt) Very simple to set up initially and hook up regularly, no prying bars and chains. Price/performance is good. Seems to work fine, but ideally a proper setup and a working hitch never lets you know it's doing the job. It can be a bit noisy at times. I don't have a huge amount of miles in with this setup, but have great confidence my summer trip out west will be no problems.

I have stock springs on mine along with a sway bar and RAS. I have no complaints about the handling, the RAS really works well loaded or not. To me the handling help is where the RAS really shines.

I think the measurement system will get you close and possibly right on. I still feel better running over the scales to verify. At least then I know exactly what I am hauling weight wise.

 

OBS 97 never had an intercooler.