Do you need/recommend sway bars for t@b 320s

HappyCamper2024

Hey y'all, we are picking up our 320s in a couple of weeks. We have a hitch receiver with a 7 pin. We are discussing whether we need sway bars. Driving an 18 y.o. Tacoma. Any thoughts on this?

AnOldUR

tabiphile

The Taco should be fine towing that without one. That said, the Gen 2 Tacos are known to squat in the rear. You did not mention the condition or mileage of your truck.
If you have not already done it, you might want to upgrade the shocks and possibly consider air lift to sort out the squat. 
You will also want to make sure that your truck has a transmission cooler if it is set up with an automatic, as many of the Gen 2 6's are. 

HappyCamper2024

I've never towed anything but an open trailer so not sure what you mean by squat. Can someone explain? First RV.

The truck has manual transmission. It's got some miles on it, for sure.  It's got a lift on it, we just got new shocks which replaced the old shocks which had a lifting plate above the shocks, now we just have shocks that have us at the same height, which is pretty tall, I'm short and I need to grab the handle to lift myself up to get in.

I measured to the center of the receiver hitch and its 16". The bottom of the t@b tongue was at 21.5" as it was sitting at the dealer. I was thinking about trying to find a hitch that raises it up a couple of inches.  

Sounds like I should look into some sway bars. 

lkc001

My first Tab trailer was a 320S---I tow with a Nissan Frontier, SV 4x4 with tow package and standard shocks.   I always towed with a full fresh water tank because I felt it towed much better with the extra weight up front (less bouncy).   I also had trailer tires at 5 lbs less than the max.  I never had any issues with any kind of sway from passing trucks or otherwise--never had a need for weight distribution or sway hitch.   

My truck also did not have any squat once the trailer was hitched up.  If you feel your Tacoma is squatting (i.e.  more than @ 1" to 2") you might consider air bags over a WDH or sway bar).   Air bags are much less of a hassle than WDH and the trailer shop I go to for all my after market stuff recommends air bags over WDH on smaller trailers like the 320S and 400, even though they sell and install both.

To measure squat, (how much the back of your truck squats with the trailer hooked up)  measure the distance from ground to underside of wheel wells all the way around, parked level without trailer.  Then measure all the way around with trailer hooked up.  You should be within 1 1/2 to 2" of same measurements and especially do not want front end higher.  You are shooting for level.   

Cherokee

With too 6V AGM batteries our loaded tongue weight is about 297lb in our 320S Boondock - after a little over a year of ownership, I installed Old Man Emu springs and shocks raising the back up 1" higher then the front - but it sets level when towing. We've NEVER needed a sway bar hitch attachment. Just be careful not to place more then 30# on the back rack if your T@B comes with one

HappyCamper2024

Thanks for the tips.

MarkAl

Depends, I'm a holdout but had 2 episodes with our 2001 Cherokee where I needed to use the controller's manual brake to stop oscillations. But both cases were with 1/2 full water tanks. From then on I only towed with full or empty tanks without problems. Our current Grand Cherokee is heavier and tows with much less tail wagging the dog. With a lighter weight TV I'd now recommend it for the quick swerve because somebody tried to share your lane situations.

HappyCamper2024

Is the Cherokee the tow vehicle or the thing being towed?

Binghi

Tow vehicle (or TV) refers to the vehicle that tows your trailer.

MarkAl

@HappyCamper2024 the Cherokee(s) are the tow vehicle, in all cases it's towing a 320.

TourDeForth

I’ve been debating this, I tow my 320s Boondock with a 2013 Toyota Tacoma TRD. It can tow up to 6500 lbs but the manual recommends a sway bar above 2000 pounds. From the manual:  * If the gross trailer weight is over 2000 lb., a sway control device with sufficient capacity is required.

I have a REDARC electric brake controller with a simple easy to use anti-sway feature. However, I don’t want to find out I really needed a sway bar, before I installed one lol. The one main thought that’s driving me to install a sway bar is this:

if I were to have an accident due to a swaying event, would my insurance company look at my manuals tow limitations and the weight of the 320s and determine that I was negligent?

Horigan

That was my very concern with my Highlander with the same manual wording.  I think you would be liable.  We got a WDH for our 400 that include sway control.  It looks like with that controller you need to press a button to activate sway control in a sway event.  Not sure an insurance company would deem that as equivalent...

Trailpixie

I've been using a friction sway bar and love it. I used it when I towed my 320 with a forester, cherokee, and now my Grand Cherokee, It makes the vehicle ride like it is on rails. Wind doesn't have nearly the same effect on the vehicle when using the sway bar. I honestly feel safer with it on. On one or two occasions I have left it off with my latest Grand Cherokee because I thought its much higher tow rating and weight would make it unnecessary, but I still like using it. The only downside is that it can be annoyingly loud when driving around gas stations or in local streets. Despite that, I wouldn't do without it. 

subfreq111

I would say you definitely don't need a weight distributing hitch on a Tacoma. Me sitting on your tailgate would be more tongue weight than a 320s. I don't use one and have no issues with sway or tongue weight. 

TourDeForth

Because of the warning in my 2013 Toyota Tacoma manual about using a Sway control device for towing above 2,000 pounds, I settled on a HarborFreight sway bar kit. It was $30. (Less with a coupon.) Drilling holes and mounting the plate to my Tab 320s frame was easy, I did it myself. I hired a local welder to attach the sway bar plate to my receiver hitch, $40. The friction sway bar is a quick install, and easy to remove for backing up and tight maneuvering. Overall, I’m happy with how it turned out and the peace of mind it provides.

Cherokee

Several videos on you-tube demonstrate how weight distribution affects trailer stability. Indeed, when I added two 2 gal fuel containers and one 3 gal water container to the rear rack of my 320 Booondock, using a 3,300lb '99 Jeep XJ as a TV, I crossed a depression on I-5 just north of LA. This sent the T@B violently oscillating from side to side. I counter-seared and eased off the throttle. At around 50mph, the trailer began tracking strait. I pulled over, removed the water container and I've never experienced sway again. Since then, I've upgraded to a heavier TV weighing about 5,250bs fully loaded - it is true that the weight ratio of TV/trailer effects trailer stability. However, unlike, people pulling much heavier trailers, I do not require an anti-sway hitch attachment. I've pulled my T@B across this country several times and down many dirt roads and moderate 4x4 trails without another incident.    

Cherokee

lkc001 said:

My first Tab trailer was a 320S---I tow with a Nissan Frontier, SV 4x4 with tow package and standard shocks.   I always towed with a full fresh water tank because I felt it towed much better with the extra weight up front (less bouncy).   I also had trailer tires at 5 lbs less than the max.  I never had any issues with any kind of sway from passing trucks or otherwise--never had a need for weight distribution or sway hitch.   

My truck also did not have any squat once the trailer was hitched up.  If you feel your Tacoma is squatting (i.e.  more than @ 1" to 2") you might consider air bags over a WDH or sway bar).   Air bags are much less of a hassle than WDH and the trailer shop I go to for all my after market stuff recommends air bags over WDH on smaller trailers like the 320S and 400, even though they sell and install both.

To measure squat, (how much the back of your truck squats with the trailer hooked up)  measure the distance from ground to underside of wheel wells all the way around, parked level without trailer.  Then measure all the way around with trailer hooked up.  You should be within 1 1/2 to 2" of same measurements and especially do not want front end higher.  You are shooting for level.   

I lifted the back of my Truck 1" higher then the front to compensate for my 297lb tongue weight. Old Man Emu shocks are highly recommended for towing. I use their "moderate" spring pack - but they have a "heavy load" spring pack that would serve you well with your heavier trailer. Their spring steel is simply the finest available. Their shocks will provide a good ride while out-lasting their rivals   

TourDeForth

Yeah, I’m very careful about tongue weight. I have a hanging scale, the last thing I do before hooking up is check the weight on the ball. I shift things around in the trailer to adjust it, if that doesn’t do it, I move things to my tow vehicle and try not exceed its capacity limit. Which is really easy to exceed on a light truck like a Tacoma (I should lose some weight lol!)

Cherokee

TourDeForth said:

Yeah, I’m very careful about tongue weight. I have a hanging scale, the last thing I do before hooking up is check the weight on the ball. I shift things around in the trailer to adjust it, if that doesn’t do it, I move things to my tow vehicle and try not exceed its capacity limit. Which is really easy to exceed on a light truck like a Tacoma (I should lose some weight lol!)

Loose Weight?!

I don't have any luck with that ether