Sway control or weight distribution???

[J Pennington]

Hello

The wife and myself bought us a popup camper(fleetwood niagara) which is going to weigh in at around 3100lbs+... I have been trying to decide on which to go with...Sway control or weight distribution??? I'm sure the weight distribution will help with the sway but not sure how much....You all seem quit knowledgeable on allot of stuff that I have read on here and would really like to here what you guys would use....



By the way...The wife is on her 2nd st and she has all the local dealers calling her as soon as they get a 07 in.....I don't think there is any stopping her...:wub:She loves her st!!!! How soon will A.R.E. come out with a cap for the 07?????



Jeff

 

[Chris Taylor]

Although they do different things, the weight distribution hitch will help with evening out the distribution of weight between the front and rear tires, and that will help the stability of the ST, and of course, the trailer being pulled behind. However, the antisway will help with what happens when you get passed by a semi....



I have a hitch called the Equilizer that is BOTH a wt. distribution and anti sway hitch. I love it. I pull a 21' hardsided TT weighing in at 3800lb ready for a week of camping. I do know it's back there, and, for hills or against a headwind, OD is not an option, but the ST handles it fine otherwise.

 

[Gerald Pierce]

As a prior owner of a Coleman (fleetwood), I can say they are prone to sway. They locate the axle so far forward to reduce tongue weight so folks can pull a 3100 lb PU with a Dodge Caravan and the like.



One alternative is the Reese mini-350 assembly that combines WD with sway control. It also comes in a 400 lb model, but not sure if it includes sway control. I know several folks tht used them with the Coleman Bayside (very heavy PU) and they made a dramatic difference in how the trailer towed.



I had a friction type sway bar for mine (Mesa) and had no issues, but I was very carefull on how I loaded the storage trunk to keep the tongue weight to about 10-15 pct of total trailer weight. The ST would "squat" a little when connected, but it was not overloading the ST in any way.



You will get a lot of slack concerning sway devices from some folks..... because sway is an indication of improper loading typically, but if the trailer has a design "flaw" where the axle is intentionally moved forward to reduce tongue weight, it becomes required, even though you do everything you can to properly load the trailer.

 

[TrainTrac]

I also use an Equal-i-zer WD/Sway control hitch to pull a 23' hybrid TT. It made a big difference in how the ST tows the trailer.

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

I used a distribution hitch to haul 2 horses behind an F150. The hitch was a tremendous improvement. I did not feel the need for a sway control, but then again a horse trailer is rather short since mine had no front tack room.

 

[biznaga]

I use neither for my Jayco. But it is only about 2700 lby fully loadeed. It pulls like a dream.