Newbie safety questions.

BrettM
BrettM Member Posts: 7
in Trailer & Towing
We will be a proud owners of a T@B S in the not too distant future. As a younger man I lost control of a trailer with a blowout and rolled it. My wife and I recently made the decision to tow a trailer again as tent camping doesn't quite do it for us anymore. Given the the wonderful advice and expertise on this forum I seek some help. I will be towing my T@B with a V6 Chev Colorado and am absolutely not sure if we should include both WD and anti-sway. Having spent a lot of time reading the forum none of the pictures have given me any clue as to what others are doing. In my minds eye I would include anti-sway no question, but given the weight of the T@B S (not Outback), and my TV, is WD something we should think about?

For what it's worth this is a fantastic forum!!
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Comments

  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    There are very few Tab owners who elect to use anti-sway or weight distribution hitches.  Not unusual to have dealers offer these as options as they stand to profit.  People who report sway typically admit that excess speed has been a factor.  Neither are required for these trailers if you are using the appropriate tow vehicle and hitch system.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • Ratkity
    Ratkity Member Posts: 3,770
    A chevy V6 Colorado? You have 7000 lbs of towing capability if you have the tow package and the 3.6L V6 and a 700 lb tongue weight allowance. You could tow two T@Bs :) (not really suggesting you do that). 

    I have the cousin of your Colorado, the GMC Canyon. I could hardly tell the T@B was there. My toy hauler is another story! With a 5400 lb loaded toy hauler I *need* a weight distribution and sway combo. With the T@B or T@G, you don't need a wd hitch at all, especially with the tow vehicle you mentioned. To be honest, I'm not sure a weight distribution setup would fit on the tongue bars of the T@B. If a friction sway bar would make you feel better, by all means, get one - the dealer would be happy to charge you $300-400 to add a tiny ball to your hitch and the friction bar. Just don't back up with the friction bar on... it'll pretzel if you jack knife while backing up! I have another for a nominal fee if you do that.

    I lost a trailer once by the stupid hitch pin sneaking out of the receiver and the chains failed. It was at 20 mph and no one was injured (except I felt like I had a small heart attack), and the trailer was fine except for the wiring - it rolled to a stop up a curb between a mailbox and a tree. I can understand the fear of all of this happening again.

    I hate to beat a dead horse, but ya gotta get back on it! (mixing metaphors is my especiality!). What I mean is not to let that fear control you. You can do this! 
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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  • jason330i
    jason330i Member Posts: 72

    Here is my setup. As you can see, I've got a lot of stuff going on at the front of my Tab. For your tow vehicle, I doubt you would need any weight distribution. How about one of those friction sway bars? Although you would have to disable it when backing up.

    2017 T@b 320 S

    2017 Kia Sorento SXL AWD

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  • BrettM
    BrettM Member Posts: 7
    Thank you both very much. As you can imagine I don't ever want to experience what happened to us those years ago again. I expected to hear your comments but needed to be sure. It goes without saying that there are a list of things I need to check prior to any trip, and I am well aware of those.....much appreciated!!!!


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  • 2Cougs
    2Cougs Member Posts: 932
    We copied Jason's set up (thanks @jason330i) and have had no problem.  True test will be the next few weeks on a 2,000 mile adventure down the Oregon coast...  We'll report back after that.
    2016 T@B CS-S silver with white trim and WSU themed
    Pulled by a silver 2017 Chevy Silverado
    Leaves on T@bventures from Spokane, WA


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  • BrettM
    BrettM Member Posts: 7
    Exactly what I would like to do for our T@B Jason, might add a larger tub in time. Please add a link for the bike rack if you can.....thanks again.
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  • jason330i
    jason330i Member Posts: 72
    BrettM said:
    Exactly what I would like to do for our T@B Jason, might add a larger tub in time. Please add a link for the bike rack if you can.....thanks again.
    http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/69906#Comment_69906

    2017 T@b 320 S

    2017 Kia Sorento SXL AWD

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  • BrettM
    BrettM Member Posts: 7
    Thank you very much.
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