Sway bar question

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dragrazor

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Would an upgraded sway bar make towing a travel trailer any better or stick with the stock one? I plan on towing a 4k-5k pd(loaded)travel trailer in the future. My towing capacity is 8040 pds so i should be good but just trying to make towing better if possible. Thank you in advance.
 

Wild one

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Would an upgraded sway bar make towing a travel trailer any better or stick with the stock one? I plan on towing a 4k-5k pd(loaded)travel trailer in the future. My towing capacity is 8040 pds so i should be good but just trying to make towing better if possible. Thank you in advance.
Probably wouldn't hurt,but whether it's justiable is up to you.These guys make a heavy duty rear swaybar,that makes the hellwig bar look like a tooth pick. Your truck looks like a 4th Gen Classic body,so any 4th Gen bar from 09 to 22 will fit


 

09SilverRam

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Depending on your tongue weight tuffsprings or similar upgraded springs would probably be more valuable an upgrade.
 

chopperman1

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I'd love to hear from someone who has 1st hand experience with the e-trailer one. Some folks claim it's solid, but it's only 5#'s in shipping weight. A 1 1/8" x 5' solid bar should be in the 20# range.
 

ramffml

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I bought the hellwig and run it on the stiffest setting. Definitely an upgrade over stock, both empty and towing.

The etrailer wild one mentioned looks beefy! Just keep in mind all upgrades will change your unloaded ride quality as well, the stiffer it gets the more the rear wants to hop around and side-skip over railroad tracks and other bumps like that (basically anytime you're turning left/right and hitting bumps at the same time.) If you like the stock ride quality, you may not want the stiffest one out there, and you won't necessarily need it either with the weight you're pulling.
 

Dinky

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I would tow without anything first. Find out if you have sloppy suspension or body roll first. You might not have any issues at all and might not need anything. I would start with airbags in the rear then test out. If you get body roll look at the hellwig adjustable sway bar next. Doing it this way will save your empty ride experience.
 

2003F350

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I agree that you should try without upgrading anything first - a properly set up WDH with sway control might be all you need, especially since you're looking at only 4-5k. IF it still feels squirrelly in the rear, then yes, an upgraded sway bar will likely help - really anything that stiffens the rear suspension will help, including just heavier-duty tires.
 

runamuck

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I put the Helwig on mine and I have it set on the middle setting. it is an improvement when towing and anytime driving curvy roads. I also put airbags and I run 25# when towing. the stiffer bar and airbags just make the rear end less sloppy when I tow our travel trailer..28' 6000#. this is the best handling truck I have ever owned.
 

John Jensen

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Towing your weight I would do the following.
WDH with sway control. I have Equal-I-Zer
E rated tires
Air bags. I have Timber Grove
Sway bar. I have Hellwig
 

62Blazer

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So to tow a small 4-5k trailer, which is half of the rated towing capacity, the OP should go out and spend thousands of dollars upgrading the truck right off the bat? Heck, might as well tell him to go out and buy a 3500 dually Cummins.
Not saying any of the upgrades are "bad" and that it may tow "better".....but if it already tows just fine do you really need better, or is a little better worth the money?
 

White six four

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Some people just like an excuse to spend money on their truck. I know I do. Whether it's justifiable or not that's the question and different for everyone. But yeah I would get a good wd hitch get it setup correctly and tow it. That way you have a baseline to go from. Upgrade from there if need be.
 

justtruckn

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ya ... what he said... i put one on my 1500 just to make it corner better. it didn't seem to change the empty ride much but was like a slot car in the bendy stuff.. i am adding it to my 02 2500 HD im rebuilding along with new springs. she has a trailer on it more times than not. .... money well spent.... JMO
 

16WhiteQC

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Would an upgraded sway bar make towing a travel trailer any better or stick with the stock one? I plan on towing a 4k-5k pd(loaded)travel trailer in the future. My towing capacity is 8040 pds so i should be good but just trying to make towing better if possible. Thank you in advance.
I wouldn't hurt to run the helwig in the middle setting.

Your tires will also play a roll, a good LT (not E rated) tire will also help if you are going to tow alot.

Lastly, depending on your tongue weight you may want to look into upgraded rear springs to address the squat from the stock springs.
 

HighShyGuy

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When I had my 2017 Tundra Crew and pulled a 5500 lb TT, 26ft, the most significant help was 10-ply tires at 70 PSI/
I already had a sway bar, airbags, and a correctly set up WD hitch.
 

tron67j

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Agree with others, first thing is to find out what you have. You need your numbers first to understand what to expect from your rig. Load the trailer, hook it up and weigh individual axles of truck and trailer. Make sure your payload is actually within your specs. This is because if you are over and have too much weight on rear axle you may have an incorrect percentage on your front axle and you may be trying to fight waggle. Too much weight behind your trailer axle is just as bad. Once you have your numbers balanced and in specs, try your sway bar/wdh set up and see how it feels before you go throwing money around. There is no way anyone here can tell you what to expect, it is 100% based on your rig and conditions.
 
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