sway bars rule of thumb

jgpell14

Hello, I'm new to towing. Should sway bars be unhitched every time you back up? Or is there some rule of thumb as to when to unhitch or not?

Thanks!!

AnOldUR

I can only speak to a friction control sway bar, not a WDH. With my friction control sway bar I sometimes backup with it attached as long as it doesn't require any serious turns. The thing you don't want to do is turn sharp enough to run out the travel of the bar (by jackknifing). If it were to bottom out on either end of its travel you could cause frame damage. Otherwise the bar doesn't perform differently going forwards or backwards.

Denny16

Normally if backing into a turn, you disconnect the friction type sway bars.  They are OK to backup straight.  For any WDH or sway bar preventer, you should check and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Cheers 

[Deleted User]

If you back up with sway bar attached especially if backing up an incline (happened to me with my 320) it bent the plate the 1" ball was attached to on my hitch. I had to get a new hitch. It also can damage the trailer frame because it puts stress on the one side.