Trailer Sway, any thoughts?

[755inNY]

<font color="blue"> Looked to me as though both pictures were the same. Is there a suttle difference I can't see? </font>

John,

In one picture the front of the trailer bed is raised to bring the rear end to the ground for loading. In the other picture the front of the trailer bed has been lowered, raising the rear end of the bed off the ground as well as the front of the truck.

Jeff

 

[Joe1]

One final thought on trailer sway from me. Back in 1967 or 1968, Eazy Lift hitch company ran a promotional add in which they used two Olds Tornado (Front Wheel Drive had just come out on those) to tow trailers (One Tandem Travel Trailer and One Ski Boat on a Tandem Axle Trailer) using their equalier hitches and dual sway controls from LA to the Colorado River and back.

No big deal, except that they had removed the rear wheels from the Tornado's, wired up the Axle so it wouldn't drag and used the hitch and sway control to handle everything. That was a pretty graphic demonstration of the stability of their hitches and sway control.

They obviously do help control sway. They should not be necessary on your rig if the hitch weight and tire pressure are in spec.

Joe

 

[Bird]

Joe, I remember the ads with the Old Toronado, but when they took the back wheels off, there was no sway at all because it became the same as a one piece unit; i.e., did not bend on the ball; just kept car and trailer in a straight line. Of course, I've used both Reese and Eaz-Lift hitches, but on both rigs, I used the Eaz-Lift adjustable friction type sway control and you could actually tighten it too tight if you were driving on slick roads.

 

[Joe1]

I've towed a 22 1/2 ' Silver Streak Travel Trailer with a 1970 Bonneville with just the spring bars and no sway control in 40 MPH cross winds without really feeling it. That car was softly sprung, but the hitch did a marvelous job handling the load

Joe

 

[Bird]

Joe, my parents pulled a 21' Nomad travel trailer for 4 years; lived in it full time; south Texas in the Winter and Alaska in the summer. The first couple of years they were pulling it with a '66 Buick sedan and the last couple of years with a '69 Olds 98 (both cars had the 455 engines). I pulled an 18' Horizon (by NuWay) with a '70 Olds 88 with a 350 engine awhile, then with a '72 Chrysler Town & Country wagon with the 440 engine. Before the 18' Nomad, I had pulled a 24' Holiday Vacationer with a '71 3/4 ton Chev. with the 350 engine. But we always used the Eaz-Lift sway control. I don't know how many times I visited with other RVers who had brand new rigs and found the reason they had a new one was because they wrecked their previous one, and I think in every case they were not using a sway control and said their dealer didn't tell them about it when they bought their first trailer. But I'll guarantee they all had a sway control on the second rig.

Incidentally, my Dad had a cousin who had a Silver Streak. Too bad they quit making them because they were fine trailers.

 

[Joe1]

We got by without the sway control because the trailer was particularly stable, built like a brick outhouse and the rounded edges helped with wind drag. He bought his 1963 in 1970 for $3,000.00 had it reanodized, painted the interior with factory pain and replaced the curtains. My mother sold in in 1978 after he passed away for $3,000.00. Not a bad investment.