Ok, after much reading about weight distribution hitches and sway control, I need some advice. I have a 2008, 23 foot Star Stream trailer (tows great btw) with a tongue weight of 640 lbs. My truck has SUPER stiff springs on the back and even with the trailer on the back it does not squat at all. I am wondering, do I get sway control without the WD hitch or just get the complete package? I would like to make a smart decision and I do not mind buying quality products.

Last fall I was towing in a 30 mph cross wind (that was fun) and decided I need something to stop the sway. I have 10 ply tires at 55 psi on the truck and trailer tires were at max psi. The sway was not bad, but a little more than I wanted.

I have an aluminum rapid hitch with a 1500 lb tongue weight rating and a 10,000 tow rating and have a Maxbrake (boy I love that thing!!!!) brake controller.

Any and all info would be appreciated.

 

The problem with a little sway,is that it can become a lot of sway in about 2 seconds flat.

Putting more air in your truck tires will help,stiffer sidewalls (more psi) won't want to wander as much.

Most decent sway control will have some sort of W/D to go with it. The cheezy friction sway bars don't work worth a darn.

If you get a Reese dual-cam or Equalizer brand,you'll get a W/D hitch to go along with a sway control that actually works.

You'll want in the neighborhood of 10% tongue weight. Have you weighed the trailer? I'm thinking that a 23' trailer with 640lbs of tongue weight has at least 10% tongue weight.

 

Thanks for the info, the trailer is 4,150 dry and 6,100 loaded. I will be looking into these products.

Thanks.
John

 

With a trailer that light, I would hook up my WD hitch but not use the tension bars. That way I could still use a sway control shock set up without the weight distribution, which you obviously don't need.

 

My RV weighs about the same as yours (of course it's 30' long). I use the Equal-i-zer 4-way sway control/weight distributing hitch. It works well for me. Either it or the Reese Dual Cam will work great for you. Whichever system you get be sure to follow the instructions on setting it up correctly. Don't rely on a dealer or installer to set it up correctly. They might but you really need to double check their work. If you decide on the Dual Cam there's a big sticky thread over at rv.net dedicated just to the setup of that unit. I would suggest that you go read it.

 

I have the Equalizer. Love it. I run a 20ft 9500lb loaded. Tongue weight is typically 10% or so as someone said. My mount for the Equalizer hitch is rated at 1200lb tongue weight, 12000lb load.

The thing works like a champ. You can immediately tell a difference. I would suggest though that you make sure you get the correct shank. The default setup is a 3" drop. It wasn't enough for me and I had to order the 4". The nose of the trailer was always up even when the truck was level.

Another thing to think about is making sure the trailer is level. Even if your truck isn't sagging, if the trailer isn't level, it will change how the tires pivot when you turn and will change how they wear.

If you go with the Equal-i-zer, follow the instructions with the measuring the wheelwells as it says and you will be good to go. I got mine from RVWholesalers. Good price, extra fast shipping.

Just a suggestion, but the sway control is well worth it, and the added ability to level the trailer is an added benfit. Keep in mind also many other sway controls have the second ball that will need to be mounted each time you hook and unhook. That can get annoying and difficult if you are backed up to the trailer at a sharp angle.

 

Sway control is nice when cruising down the highway, but where it really comes into play is when you have to swerve to avoid something out of the blue. Sway control can be the difference between a controlled stop, and the beginning of a very very bad day. IMHO get the complete package, I did, it is cheap insurance.

 

+1 for the Equal-i-zerŽ