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Originally Posted by paul street
I am considering a sway control friction unit
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Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First of all, there is absolutely
no need to use ANY sway control when towing a
properly loaded TrailManor. As discussed earlier in this thread, TMs are inherently very sway resistant (because the axle is well behind the trailer's center of gravity) and as long as you don't put excessive weight well behind the rear bumper (typically by loading several heavy bicycles back there), sway control is totally unnecessary. In fact, TM has specifically advised members of this board to NOT use a sway control because it will mask poor loading.
Friction type sway controls are the devil's own work. If you adjust them so they're tight enough to dampen sway, they're too tight and cause major binding when you need rapid pivoting at the hitch...like going around sharp corners. If you leave them loose enough to allow proper cornering, they are useless. If they get wet during travel in rain, the friction is reduced and they become less effective.
DO NOT USE A FRICTION SWAY CONTROL!!!!!!
If you absolutely feel that you
must have some kind of sway control, at least get one that uses a cam-action...or a trapezoidal force (like the Hensley Hitch) instead of friction to resist (not just dampen) sway. The advantage of cam action is that it produces a countering force which tends to recenter the trailer behind the TV whenever the trailer moves off the TV/s centerline.
I used to tow my 2720SL with a very short wheelbase Jeep Cherokee (103 inch WB). I never experienced the slightest amount of sway with that TV/trailer combo....even while meeting semi-trucks on 2-lane roads in 50 mph crosswinds. The reason is I always made sure I had the TM properly loaded with minimal weight behind the axle...my hitch weight was around 520 lbs.
Therefore, all you need to tow a 2720SL is a plain (
without sway control) but heavy duty WDH (weight distributing hitch)...get one with at least 750 lb spring bars. I have the swing away tongue option on my '02 2720SL and find that Reese WDH bar mounts work just fine...there's no conflict with the swing away hardware. And IMO, a WDH is
mandatory for towing a 2720SL if the TV is
any half-ton truck/SUV or smaller...and it's a good idea even if the TV is a 3/4 ton truck/SUV.