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notrailends
12-26-2003, 04:50 PM
Hi does anyone use sway control
And if so did you install it yourself
or did the dealer do it
I have only towed the trailer about 70 miles or so and
Im not shure if Iwould realy need it,I have asked some
people with the same set up as mine and they dont use it.But I would like to know it any uses sway control at all.

By the way I have a 2619 and im towing with a dodge grand caravan
Thanks for you help

notrailends
12-26-2003, 04:52 PM
Sorry I posted in the wrong spot :'(

G-V_Driver
12-26-2003, 06:57 PM
We recently faced the same dilemma, so I asked the same question. The answers from members of this board varied depending on a number of factors, including the somewhat subjective definition of an "acceptable" amount of sway.

I finally just hooked up the trailer and drove down an access road for several miles where I felt safe making sudden lane changes and swerves, to see if I could induce enough sway to worry about. With the Coleman trailers we owned in the past, the sway was excessive and the sway control was a necessity.

Pulling our Tm 3124 with the same tow vehicle produced no sway and I found no method that would to cause it to sway. We then drove several hundred miles on two-lane roads with gusty 25+ knot cross winds and many semi's, and the TM never budged an inch. My conclusion is that the sway control is not necessary for us.

We tow with a 1/2 ton Suburban, so that might make a difference, but my decision was easy. But, as the weight loss ads are careful to say, "results may vary."

RockyMtnRay
12-26-2003, 08:44 PM
I towed my 2720SL in the Colorado Rockies for two seasons with a very short wheelbase (only 100 inches) Jeep Cherokee. Never ever experienced any sway...even when meeting semis on 2-lane roads with 50 mph crosswinds. Compared to all other travel trailers including Coleman popups, TrailManors have their axle(s) placed substantially more to the rear. That rearward axle placement greatly increases the trailer's inherent resistance to sway (reduced tendancy to pivot around the axle(s).

The rearward axle placement also greatly increases the trailer's tongue weight relative to its total weight (often into the 15% to 18% range). With the relatively light weight of TM trailers, the increased tongue weight is manageable with a strong enough weight distributing hitch. The much, much heavier trailers (e.g. 6000 to 7000 lbs for a 27 to 33 foot trailer) from other manufacturers have to be more balanced over their axles to keep hitch weight down to around 600 to 700 lbs. That central axle location...and the non-folding length...means the trailers from other manufacturers are very prone to sway (they have a high tendancy to pivot around their axles).

There is a caution here though: Loading substantial amounts of weight well behind a TM's axle(s)...like putting 3 or 4 heavy bikes on a carrier sticking well aft of the rear bumper...will move the center of gravity much further aft...or essentially make the TMs axle(s) more centered under the mass of the trailer. The net effect is the trailer's inherent sway resistance is greatly reduced by adding far-aft weight.

notrailends
12-27-2003, 08:10 AM
Thankyou very much for the info ,this trailer was a
trade up from a Colman Niagara. I towed 2000+ miles with it but I used sway control because it did need it
but the van did great towing the pop up.
When I towed the Trailmanor it was like night and day
it towed 10x better than the pop up I picked it up in Dallas,Pa and drove it to Pike county,Pa with no problem
so I guess I can do without the sway control
Thanks again :)