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Old 04-18-2008, 06:32 PM   #14 (permalink)
Bird
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Corinth, TX, USA
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Default Re: Weight Distributing Hitch Questions and More

Quote:
Originally Posted by john_bud
Bird,

I was always told that sway control is important for enclosed trailers where the wind is a big impact, but an equipment trailer with much less side wind area it isn't a big deal.

Thoughts?

jb
John, it just seems logical to me that a tall, solid sided trailer (or any other vehicle for that matter) is going to catch more wind, so assuming all other factors were equal; i.e., weight, load distribution, type of hitch, weight of towing vehicle, etc., yes, the wind would have more of a sway causing impact on the enclosed trailer, but as Keith said, you can certainly have plenty of sway with an equipment trailer, so to me, yes, it's a big deal. But as with many others, I used a good sway control and weight distributing hitch with my travel trailers, but I didn't have one on my equipment trailers. In my case, I wasn't usually going very far, I wasn't going very fast, I didn't have a heavy load, and I was always very careful about weight distribution. I say always because I scared the dickens out of myself when I was 16 years old, fortunately recovered with no accident and no damage, but I never forgot it.

Of course, I drove vehicles for years with no seat belts, no air bags, no power steering, no power brakes, no anti-lock brakes, etc. I'm not saying a sway control is an absolute necessity, but it sure does add to the safety factor.
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