2016 T@B - Do we need special equipment to prevent sway?

2TaBexplorers

Everywhere I look I get different guidance:-(  Does anyone have problems with sway with this unit?  If so - any recommendations?  

Tampakayaker

2TaBexplorers said:

Everywhere I look I get different guidance:-(  Does anyone have problems with sway with this unit?  If so - any recommendations?  

Drove ours back from Atlanta to Tampa and 2 trips 2 Disney.  No issues towing/sway.  Towing with a Ram1500.   2016 T@B 320 MAX S

CrabTab

Coming home from the dealer with a new T@B we used my lifted Ford F350 and didn't have enough drop on the hitch. That combination created quite a bit of sway.

Since then we have over 10K miles towing with the spouse's Chevy Colorado and proper ride height, we've had no problems with sway.

Sharon_is_SAM

@2TaBexplorers - what TV do you have?

MuttonChops

Most folks do not require any Sway Control extra equipment.
Tow vehicle (size, weight, features), tongue weight, driving speed all impact sway or lack of.  General guidance is to tow a bit and see how your tow vehicle and T@B combination handles under your driving style.

Having a tow vehicle correctly sized to the trailer and managing traler tongue weight should be enough on the T@B 320 models.

Many newer vehicles that are intended for towing also include built-in Trailer Sway Control.  In those vehicles the computer uses the vehicle stability system to apply brakes and/or change engine RPM to help bring a swaying trailer under control. - - - the same things an alert driver would do - - -

2TaBexplorers

Sharon_is_SAM said:

@2TaBexplorers - what TV do you have?

Don't have one yet, the vehicle we thought could do it...cannot:-(  Looking probably at an F150, Ranger or Ridgeline?  Some form of truck.

MuttonChops

2TaBexplorers said:

  . . . Looking probably at an F150, Ranger or Ridgeline?  Some form of truck.

F150 available with built-in brake controller, trailer sway control, trailer blind spot

Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon  available with built-in brake controller, trailer sway control

Ranger & Ridgeline . . . must use some type of aftermarket brake controller

All are good options, comes down to buyer likes/dislikes by brand & model.

Sharon_is_SAM

Dealers always try to sell a WDH or sway control.  As others have said, especially with our light trailers, the correctly sized TV does not require anything additional - except a hitch tightener to stop the hitch squeaks.

rh5555

@2TaBexplorers , you might want to look at this thread:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/132463

When selecting a TV, the Ford Ranger needs additional sway control according to @JCALD.  My theory is that the ratio of the TV wheelbase to the tow-hitch-to-rear-axle distance should be at least 3:1 to make sway issues undetectable.  The Ford Ranger has a ratio of 2.6:1.

JCALD

A simple sway bar is advisable on the Ranger, but it cost less than $75.  The Ranger handles the load really well with plenty of torque.  The 10 speed transmission also works very well.

webers3

Don't get swayed into sway control   Over 10k miles on our 2017 320S towing with Jeep Cherokee, most of the time don't even know the trailer is back there.

falcon1970

I agree with most others here.  Tow for awhile before you decide you need sway control.  After spending money on a sway control system I realized I didn't need it at all.

ChrisFix

falcon1970 said:

I agree with most others here.  Tow for awhile before you decide you need sway control.  After spending money on a sway control system I realized I didn't need it at all.

@falcon1970
That was my philosophy as well when I recently picked up my T@B 400...and I have towed 1,000 miles now and find there is zero issue with sway with no add on sway control of any kind.
But like many have said already, it really comes down to the overall tow vehicle / trailer combo.

JCALD

ChrisFix said:

falcon1970 said:

I agree with most others here.  Tow for awhile before you decide you need sway control.  After spending money on a sway control system I realized I didn't need it at all.

@falcon1970
That was my philosophy as well when I recently picked up my T@B 400...and I have towed 1,000 miles now and find there is zero issue with sway with no add on sway control of any kind.
But like many have said already, it really comes down to the overall tow vehicle / trailer combo.

And....how much cross wind you are dealing with.  Drive a couple of hundred miles with 25 mph constant and 40 mph gusts coming in at about 60 degrees.   The 400 flat sides can and will move the rear of your tow vehicle.

falcon1970

True.  Gusty winds and semi's passing would be the worst situation.  In that case slow way down and the sway will lessen greatly.  Still, I have found even with high winds and gusty conditions the TABs recover quickly--unless you try to steer to correct the sway.  If you do that you will always be one-half cycle behind.  The best correction is to let your foot off the gas and slow down.  Don't hit the brakes to stop a sway.  Again, you will be behind the action.

Slackers

We have a 320 and 'a 19 Ranger (w/ tow package).  We have limited towing experience with the combo (and towing in general), but on our maiden voyage the combo had no problem with sway from passing trucks.  We spent the first portion with sway control off.  Perhaps the experience may have been different had we been traveling across Minnesota in late summer.  As with all things posted here "your mileage may vary."

ChrisFix

JCALD said:

ChrisFix said:

falcon1970 said:

I agree with most others here.  Tow for awhile before you decide you need sway control.  After spending money on a sway control system I realized I didn't need it at all.

@falcon1970
That was my philosophy as well when I recently picked up my T@B 400...and I have towed 1,000 miles now and find there is zero issue with sway with no add on sway control of any kind.
But like many have said already, it really comes down to the overall tow vehicle / trailer combo.

And....how much cross wind you are dealing with.  Drive a couple of hundred miles with 25 mph constant and 40 mph gusts coming in at about 60 degrees.   The 400 flat sides can and will move the rear of your tow vehicle.

Well that's a bit too specific a situation for me to say yes or no...but I've driven at least 700 highway miles at 65 to 75 MPH with all types of semis passing and I've had no issue with any type of sway at all - as in none.
If I run into your specific geometry of wind, I'll let you know, but for now, I'm happy with running without any add-on sway control. The Honda Ridgeline is a good match with the 400, and the trailer feels very well balanced in my experience so far.

AirBoss

Keep it under 65mph. Have at least 50% buffer between T@B max weight and TV max tow capacity and tongue weight, with proper hitch...you're golden. 

Sway bars are not necessary if your TV, hitch, and T@B are properly configured. Don't over-think this. 

2TaBexplorers

JCALD said:

ChrisFix said:

falcon1970 said:

I agree with most others here.  Tow for awhile before you decide you need sway control.  After spending money on a sway control system I realized I didn't need it at all.

@falcon1970
That was my philosophy as well when I recently picked up my T@B 400...and I have towed 1,000 miles now and find there is zero issue with sway with no add on sway control of any kind.
But like many have said already, it really comes down to the overall tow vehicle / trailer combo.

And....how much cross wind you are dealing with.  Drive a couple of hundred miles with 25 mph constant and 40 mph gusts coming in at about 60 degrees.   The 400 flat sides can and will move the rear of your tow vehicle.

Tampakayaker said:

2TaBexplorers said:

Everywhere I look I get different guidance:-(  Does anyone have problems with sway with this unit?  If so - any recommendations?  

Drove ours back from Atlanta to Tampa and 2 trips 2 Disney.  No issues towing/sway.  Towing with a Ram1500.   2016 T@B 320 MAX S

MuttonChops said:

Most folks do not require any Sway Control extra equipment.
Tow vehicle (size, weight, features), tongue weight, driving speed all impact sway or lack of.  General guidance is to tow a bit and see how your tow vehicle and T@B combination handles under your driving style.

Having a tow vehicle correctly sized to the trailer and managing traler tongue weight should be enough on the T@B 320 models.

Many newer vehicles that are intended for towing also include built-in Trailer Sway Control.  In those vehicles the computer uses the vehicle stability system to apply brakes and/or change engine RPM to help bring a swaying trailer under control. - - - the same things an alert driver would do - - -

MuttonChops said:

Most folks do not require any Sway Control extra equipment.
Tow vehicle (size, weight, features), tongue weight, driving speed all impact sway or lack of.  General guidance is to tow a bit and see how your tow vehicle and T@B combination handles under your driving style.

Having a tow vehicle correctly sized to the trailer and managing traler tongue weight should be enough on the T@B 320 models.

Many newer vehicles that are intended for towing also include built-in Trailer Sway Control.  In those vehicles the computer uses the vehicle stability system to apply brakes and/or change engine RPM to help bring a swaying trailer under control. - - - the same things an alert driver would do - - -

2TaBexplorers

Great insight and experience!  We just bought a F-150 4x4 to tow our little 2016 tab MaxS (I think akin to the 320S now?  Our kitchen is in the inside and we have a wet bath.  My husband will have to word the "ratios"..sends my head spinning...LOL.  I just see "bigger truck, relatively small trailer (but light can just make things worse) and weight distribution with wheel base sometimes in the equation:-)  So in a nutshell, we have the truck and it appears to have "sway control" as an option.  We hook it to our trailer.  Could anyone provide me with some item placement that I can wrap my little head around, please?  ie:  nothing past the shower area back and kayaks in the truck bed etc?  I think my goal is to get the most weight possible over the tongue and in front of the trucks rear axle..is that right?  Thank you all:-)

MuttonChops

2TaBexplorers said:

. . . think my goal is to get the most weight possible over the tongue and

. . . in front of the trucks rear axle..is that right?

Slight adjustment for trailer.
   Most of weight should be over the axle or balanced around (fore/aft) of axle.

For tongue weight North America rules-of-thumb are 10-15% of trailer weight, believe being a little heavy on tongue is better provided it is within TV capacity (not an issue with F-150).

Yes, for TV keep weight (heavy stuff) forward of rear axle as much as possible.  Remember you have 230-370 pounds (typical) of tongue weight hanging off the back of the truck

Load up for camping and visit a Truck Stop CAT Scale, many of the newer scales are small enough to allow you to get a weight measurement for each axle.  A helpful data point.  CAT Scale web-site has how-to information.

Here's an Example using my Rig.
Hand written numbers are how much below gross rating each axle is.

Trailpixie

I've found that two things are critical: tongue weight and how fast you want to go. 

• when my tongue weight is too light, the camper tends to wiggle more and need sway control.
• If I want to go over 55mph, sway control helps. If there is a big sidewind, then sway control helps. 

I use a friction sway bar. It is simple and inexpensive and offers peace of mind for me. I can comfortably keep with traffic on major highways like Interstate 95 on the east coast where going below 65mph is dangerous. My Cherokee has the towing package and I can reasonably get to 70mph on straight roads when the winds are calm. (My fuel economy is horrible at that speed.)

It all comes down to speed. If you are willing to go slower, you can get away with almost any arrangement. As you go faster, the trailer starts to sway and everything gets more dangerous.

marc

2TaBexplorers

Thanks, Marc.  Could you tell me the name of the sway bar you have?
Also..how to you recommend increasing the tongue weight?  We really don't bring a lot of stuff along to create more weight so what might we add to get the job done?  Have considered mounting the spare somehow/somewhere on the tongue to increase the weight?