Do I need a sway bar?

[skynyed]

I have a 23 Ram 1500 Laramie e-torque that came with a hitch but no trailering packages. I installed the Mopar brake controller and had the dealer program it.
Recently purchased a used camper. 22ft long, Specs say uvw 3490lbs, 460 tongue weight. With roughly 200 lbs of gear lets say 4k total and maybe 550 tw.
Nearest scales are 50 miles away so I haven't been there yet.
It looks like the previous owner had installed a friction sway bar as there are 8- 1/2 inch holes with rivet nuts drilled into the frame that match the mounting bracket for a sway bar. Unfortunately it seems he goofed as the mounting ball will be at 23 inches or 25 1/4 instead of the 24 inches that's called for.
I've read conflicting info about sway bars and the trailer sway damping that's standard on the Ram.
So I'm just looking for some thoughts, experiences,etc.
Back in the 80s-90s I worked for a gutter company using F350s to tow a 26 ft enclosed trailer. Straight hitch, trailer brakes that didn't always work and probably close to 10k in weight with all the tools needed. Don't recall too many white knuckle days.

 

[Davidbt]

A weight distribution hitch and with sway control couldn't hurt, only help. Especially if it's a single axle.

 

[skynyed]

It is a single axle and I do have a Reese wd hitch, just not the rods and hardware that's needed.
I really need to get out on a deserted highway sometime soon and see if a sway bar is even needed.
Living in the city its easier said then done.
I miss Covid. I worked through that and traffic was great!!
This camping thing is turning out like owning a boat.
Just a hole in the water you throw your money into.

 

[silver billet]

A lot of us are running the hellwig sway bar (on the truck itself), I put mine on the stiffest setting.

 

[HSKR R/T]

A lot of us are running the hellwig sway bar (on the truck itself), I put mine on the stiffest setting.

They are talking about trailer anti-sway bars that attach to hitch.

 

[yrralguthrie]

No you do not need a sway bar for that trailer. The internet makes it easy for propaganda to be sprayed around everywhere. Buying and using extra equipment because it might help and one has said it's just another way wasting money. It's kind of like someone with no medical issues saying well I'm going to stay home cuz I might need to go to the bathroom even though I just went.

 

[silver billet]

No you do not need a sway bar for that trailer. The internet makes it easy for propaganda to be sprayed around everywhere. Buying and using extra equipment because it might help and one has said it's just another way wasting money. It's kind of like someone with no medical issues saying well I'm going to stay home cuz I might need to go to the bathroom even though I just went.

"Need" is the wrong word. You don't need a half ton for that trailer, a mid size would pull it. Equipment can be used to enhance towing experience, nothing wrong with looking for a more stable tow.

 

[Davidbt]

"Need" is the wrong word. You don't need a half ton for that trailer, a mid size would pull it. Equipment can be used to enhance towing experience, nothing wrong with looking for a more stable tow.

That's exactly what I was trying to say.

 

[Davidbt]

It is a single axle and I do have a Reese wd hitch, just not the rods and hardware that's needed.
I really need to get out on a deserted highway sometime soon and see if a sway bar is even needed.
Living in the city its easier said then done.
I miss Covid. I worked through that and traffic was great!!
This camping thing is turning out like owning a boat.
Just a hole in the water you throw your money into.

The wife and I feel the same way.

 

[yrralguthrie]

Well I'll be more specific. A sway bar for a half ton pickup pulling a
20 foot trailer won't make any difference in feel or stability. Close to physically impossible. Just an off quoted idea to sell more products. I one half ton pickup is made to tow that sort of load why would it need additional equipment.

 

[skynyed]

Thanks for everyone's input.
Bottom line is I've spent way too much time reading the propaganda and watching the horror videos.

In the old days camping was just taking the Jeep to some remote place, Pitching a tent,carrying the cooler full of beer down to the water Turning a rock over looking for nightcrawlers and fishing till dark.

That turned into driving the car to a campground. Renting a cabin . Wheeling the cooler full of beers down to the water and fishing with store bought worms.

Now its buying a $20k camper. Adding another $2500. or more for a backup camera, tpms for the trailer tires, foldable ladder , portable grill, even tho there's a gas grill inside. Numerous hoses ,water pressure regulator surge protector and 30 amp extension cord. New mattress, pots and pans.
The list just never ends...
And I'm still gonna roll my cooler full of beer down to the water and fish with some store bought worms.........

 

[silver billet]

Well I'll be more specific. A sway bar for a half ton pickup pulling a
20 foot trailer won't make any difference in feel or stability. Close to physically impossible. Just an off quoted idea to sell more products.

You're welcome to your opinion, but as somebody who has done the hellwig sway bar upgrade I'm going to tell you you're wrong. It makes a difference unloaded, and it makes a difference loaded. I haven't done a trailer swaybar, but my WDH does have anti sway built in (Anderson no sway). All of these things make a difference physically, whether one appreciates them or not is up to the individual.

I've noticed a significant difference in WDH's as well. Husky centerline = "functional", the Anderson No Sway is "much better". Some don't care about hitch performance, some do. But that difference IS there.

I one half ton pickup is made to tow that sort of load why would it need additional equipment.

Again there is that word "need". Nobody said "need" but you.

 

[yrralguthrie]

What word should I have used instead of need. Covet?

 

[silver billet]

What word should I have used instead of need. Covet?

Need implies "binary". You either need something, or you don't. You need something like water to survive, you don't need a TV to survive.

Sway bars are enhancements. One can benefit from it, without having to "need" it. We are all different, with different comfort levels, different skills, different trailers, different towing scenarios.

One person with 40 years of towing experience, towing his little trailer from house to campground at a max of 50 mph and 30 min drive, might not desire any additional equipment.

A newer guy to towing his first trailer multiple times a year on the freeway with heavy winds and lots of traffic, might decide to improve his truck.

Lots of guys on here are running suspension helpers too. I'm in the process of upgrading my coils. It's not needed, I've towed with this truck for 6 years now. But I'm more than certain I will notice and appreciate the difference judging by feedback from other members on this forum.

 

[yrralguthrie]

Lol. I'll be more clear. In the condition specified in the original post a sway bars will not change the feel or capabilities of the truck or driving the truck. In those conditions the most likely cause for the use of sway bars is somebody or some thing convinced someone to spend money on them. Even with your definition of need as either yes or no there's no need for them. I'm not talking about whether somebody wants them, I'm saying there is no physical need for them. I will admit your logic is pretty unique.

 

[silver billet]

Lol. I'll be more clear. In the condition specified in the original post a sway bars will not change the feel or capabilities of the truck or driving the truck. In those conditions the most likely cause for the use of sway bars is somebody or some thing convinced someone to spend money on them. Even with your definition of need as either yes or no there's no need for them. I'm not talking about whether somebody wants them, I'm saying there is no physical need for them. I will admit your logic is pretty unique.

I think it's clear you're incapable of following the logic. It's also clear you have not experimented with any of this but you're going to leave your opinion anyway, and that's fine.

I made my point, I'm moving on.

 

[yrralguthrie]

I've pulled trailers for 30 years and I do know what I am talking about. Get a move on. Lol

 

[silver billet]

I've pulled trailers for 30 years

That's great! So you probably benefit from this kind of thing much less than someone who is new.

and I do know what I am talking about.

Hard disagree.

 

[John Kloehr]

A quick look shows you have 12K trailer capacity. Big footnotes to review, but a good base number.

Assuming class IV hitch, 11K limit for a bumper pull with 10% on the tongue (1,100 pounds max for that class).

A 20' trailer at 4K weight really should not need anything else. If there is a bit of sway which you can not pull out of with a bit of throttle (and there is still manual application of the trailer brakes to straighten out right now), increase tongue weight to 15% (move a couple hundred pounds of stuff from the back to the front of the trailer). Use the right drop for the ball so the trailer is level. Set the brake controller so you have almost no push or pull when stopping, probably will not even need a boost setting. Enjoy.

I start looking at sway control for heavier trailers (near truck limits), especially if the trailer is long compared to the tow vehicle. My lady has a Ford Ranger and an RV very close to its limits (about half what the RAM can handle). Also the RV is very long compared to that little truck. With sway control, it does very well in winds and down hill stretches.

As one gets near capacity limits, weight distribution does help with sway though I generally find the primary reason for WD is the tongue weight makes the steering very light and the entire rig can start porpoising.The distribution bars move some of the force back on to the front axle. Five hundred pounds on the tongue should not cause light steering or porpoising (unless the tongue with is out of reasonable ranges) and 4K of trailer should not be able to push the truck around much.

 

[Marine6212]

Here is a Ram towing the space shuttle