Are Sway Bars Necessary?
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Are Sway Bars Necessary?
I have an `88 F 150 I6 4spd. manual borg-warner and 3.55 rear end.
I bought a 19 foot Prowler Travel Trailer , weighing in at about 3500 pounds.I am using a class 3 - 4 hitch , reese.
Towing it in a cross wind , it seemed to throw the steering off a bit , and you could feel the trailer moving ,side to side at speeds of 45-50 mph.
Do I need sway bars and equalizer bars , either or?
Thanx to all who reply!
Peter
I bought a 19 foot Prowler Travel Trailer , weighing in at about 3500 pounds.I am using a class 3 - 4 hitch , reese.
Towing it in a cross wind , it seemed to throw the steering off a bit , and you could feel the trailer moving ,side to side at speeds of 45-50 mph.
Do I need sway bars and equalizer bars , either or?
Thanx to all who reply!
Peter
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 14,947
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From: Topsfield, MA
Are Sway Bars Necessary?
Neither are nessesary, are you sure you have the trailer balanced correctly?
Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Sunroof, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds
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Check out my Gallery for a look-see.
Then theres:
99' Mustang GT 4.6L
88' F-250 Superduty 4x4 351/c6
95' Mercury Cougar 4.6L V-8
80' E-350 300/6 with a
3 spd column shifter. Top speed is 65mph, Go Baby Go!
Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Sunroof, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds
.Check out my Gallery for a look-see.
Then theres:
99' Mustang GT 4.6L
88' F-250 Superduty 4x4 351/c6
95' Mercury Cougar 4.6L V-8
80' E-350 300/6 with a
3 spd column shifter. Top speed is 65mph, Go Baby Go!
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,217
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From: Yelm Washington usa
Are Sway Bars Necessary?
How strong were the cross winds? If you are pulling something that is shaped like a brick you will find it is affected by a much slower speed of cross wind than your truck.
dj
dj
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,968
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From: So Cal
Are Sway Bars Necessary?
Assuming the weight you have is correct and that it is a "wet" weight, ie all your junk in it and tanks full... The equalizer bars may be overkill. If your trailer is balanced and the tires are properly inflated and if it still sways, I would use a sway bar.
Shorter trailers seem to have more trouble with sway in my experience. They also appear to have nasty problem with fish tailing at higher speeds. My old 23 footer used to wag the dog and could get real squirrelly above 65mph. Yes I know, don't drive that fast. Hard to do when going downhill in a 65mph zone with a bunch of trucks on your tail, plus I am habitual 5mph over type guy anyway. Still, the shorter trailer without sway bars was dangeous in my experience.
My 30 foot 8,000# dry trailer hardly needs sway bars, but they do appear to smooth the ride. An equalizer is a good idea at this weight range.
Really it comes down to how smooth your ride is. A smoother ride is usually safer and far less tiring. Note that most sway bars recommend not being used in slippery conditions. You won't need 2 bars with that short a trailer. Most sway bars are also adjustable.
I have towed 12 foot trailers, 8 footers overloaded, 23 foot travel trailer and a 30 foot travel trailer. The smoothest and easiest ride is my 30 footer with sway bars and equalizers. The nastiest was the 23 footer withour sway or equalizers. Could be coincidence but I do know I prefer running with sway bars on my 30footer even though it deosn't have a real sway problem. Just makes for a smoother ride.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
Shorter trailers seem to have more trouble with sway in my experience. They also appear to have nasty problem with fish tailing at higher speeds. My old 23 footer used to wag the dog and could get real squirrelly above 65mph. Yes I know, don't drive that fast. Hard to do when going downhill in a 65mph zone with a bunch of trucks on your tail, plus I am habitual 5mph over type guy anyway. Still, the shorter trailer without sway bars was dangeous in my experience.
My 30 foot 8,000# dry trailer hardly needs sway bars, but they do appear to smooth the ride. An equalizer is a good idea at this weight range.
Really it comes down to how smooth your ride is. A smoother ride is usually safer and far less tiring. Note that most sway bars recommend not being used in slippery conditions. You won't need 2 bars with that short a trailer. Most sway bars are also adjustable.
I have towed 12 foot trailers, 8 footers overloaded, 23 foot travel trailer and a 30 foot travel trailer. The smoothest and easiest ride is my 30 footer with sway bars and equalizers. The nastiest was the 23 footer withour sway or equalizers. Could be coincidence but I do know I prefer running with sway bars on my 30footer even though it deosn't have a real sway problem. Just makes for a smoother ride.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
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