RE: [VACList] sway bar (brands)

[Kevin D Allen <overlander64@xxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings David!
 
I am not absolutely certain what you are calling "stabilizer or sway
bars".  Could it be that you are looking at the spring bars that attach
to the hitch head mounted in the truck's receiver and then attach by
linked chains to a point on each side of the trailer's "A" frame hitch?
If these are the devices to which you are referring, you may have a
balance problem that could be an accident waiting to happen in an
accident situation.  To have a well-balanced, safe towing rig it is
critical that the ball height be properly adjusted (probably between
18.5" and 19" ) to the specifications in the owner's manual.  Properly
adjusted spring bars will help to smooth the towing performance of the
setup and insure that there is adequate weight on the front wheels of
the tow vehicle to insure safe steering.  Depending upon the set-up,
spring bars may or may not have any function in sway control.  If it is
a Reese hitch set-up, it only has sway control capabilities if Dual Cam
Sway Control has been added (two swing arms that are mounted on either
side of the "A" frame hitch and have saddles into which the spring bars
are inserted and there are "U" shaped brackets with the snap-up chains
for adjustment.  If the hitch height isn't correct, it can cause changes
in the distribution of the tongue weight, trailer weight, and can
overload an axle and its tires/wheels.  The spring bars should
realistically be in place whenever the trailer is towed IMHO  - - When I
tow my Overlander, I always utilize the Reese Dual Cam Sway Control and
Spring bars with my K2500 Suburban and it has a 10,000 pound trailer
towing capacity.
 
If you are referring to flat steel bars that are in two parts that slide
together and can either mounted as a single unit on one side of the
hitch or in pairs (one set) on either side of the hitch - - these are
referred to as friction sway controls.  They are used by many, and I
have one on my '78 Argosy.  The mounting geometry on these can be
critical in allowing sufficient angle for turns - - the ball-mount on
the receiver of my Suburban had to be modified for the proper geometry
with my Minuet.  These sway controls, unlike the Reese Dual Cam Sway
control, should be disconnected before backing into a parking place or
whenever a very sharp angle turn is necessary - - the one hassle that I
hate with my Argosy is having to remove the sway control before I can
back it into my driveway.  Friction type sway controls also should be
adjusted more loosely when traveling upon slippery surfaces - - rain,
snow, etc.  I don't have a great deal of confidence in my friction sway
control, but it is something of a "safety-blanket" for when the Argosy
is towed behind my Cadillac.
 
Kevin D. Allen
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban
1978 Argosy Minuet
1975 Cadillac Convertible (towcar in-training)
WBCCI/VAC #6359