Does the head on your fiver hitch pivot side to side? The only way I can see feeling a difference in sway bars when pulling a fiver is if the hitch head was locked in place and couldn't pivot side to side. Driving that way would be a disconcerting way to travel because even a dually could not keep that size trailer from rocking/leaning side to side. A locked fiver hitch head would make the truck rock side to side even on straight road. The trailer would transmit every dip in the road to the truck.

A truck sway bar can only control sway of the truck. A fiver hitch is supposed to pivot so the camper will have no affect on body lean of the truck. If you feel body lean in your truck and the hitch pivots (like most do) then you've got to slow down because that's too fast on a curve for a tall/heavy trailer.

 

My hitch head is fully articulated and I have pulled heavy 5'rs with no sway bar, with the factory bars that came on my'03 and with the Roadmaster bars I put on. Each step was an improvement. A heavy 5'r does affect the side loading of the rear suspension in crosswind situations even with an articulated hitch, I find it much more comfortable. Plus when empty it's about as close to sports car handling you can achieve with something this big.

 

I know every truck/trailer combo handles a little differently so perhaps that's the difference in feel here. Pulling our 10K fiver or a goose neck loaded to 10K with our '65 or our '02 (both are 3/4 tons) feels stable. The '65 has no sway bar front or rear while the '02 has both front and rear. But then I have never felt the need for a air ride hitch either since neither truck "chucks" with the trailer. Some guys feel the air ride hitches are a necessity...perhaps due to the difference in trailer design or balance.

As a caution to the OP, I'll emphasize if the new superduty feels body lean or unstable while towing then its best to slow down. Fivers are usually much heavier, taller, and their suspension is not as stable as the typical truck. I expect the fiver to get into trouble before the truck.

 

^^^ Totally agree with this. The my 2012 fully deleted will just keep accelerating. I set the right foot cruise control to 65 when towing. Drives like a dream.

 

Fifth wheels apply the load low in the bed of the truck, kind of like hauling a load of sand. A rear anti-sway bar will do very little to improve cornering unless you're hauling a top heavy load like a slide-in camper. A rear anti-sway bar (especially a big one) WILL reduce axle articulation, which reduces your off road abilities to a certain degree. The suspension becomes very rigid, side to side. This may not matter to many people, but I actually use my 350 off road. Usually hunting after I've dropped the 5th at camp. I actually took my factory rear bar off.

 

After towing with my F250, I also see no need for a sway bar, and I take mine off road for hunting during deer season as well. So I've made up my mind -- no sway bar for me.

Thanks to all who participated. You saved me time and money!