sway bar

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Hcamper

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2019
Posts
52
Reaction score
11
Location
Iowa
Ram Year
2013
Engine
Hemi 5.7
How do I know when the sway bar is tight enough? 35 foot Rockwood.
 

2003F350

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Posts
1,224
Reaction score
1,129
Location
Michigan
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.7 CTD
Honestly - experimentation. Set it, take it out for a drive on the expressway, see how it handles, adjust from there.

That said, the information you gave isn't nearly enough to even try to help you. How much does the camper weigh? What is its weight distribution like? What are you pulling it with?

I've had travel trailers that I could pull behind one truck with the sway bar off, and another truck needed it on and only half-tight.

When I bought my current camper, I had the camper dealer set up the hitch because they could do it inside on a nice level surface - I had no way to do it at home. They had the sway bar cranked about as tight as it would go. It popped and banged and made all kinds of noise. When we took it out camping the first time, I tried backing it off quite a bit - one turn past when the sway bar wouldn't 'bounce' up and down (I figured a 2500, light trailer, shouldn't be a problem). Turns out that wasn't nearly enough. I ended up cranking it back down as hard as the dealer had it to stop sway. I hate how it pops and bangs in the corners, but that's just the way it has to be.
 

oldguy2

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2018
Posts
111
Reaction score
44
Location
NH
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
If you are driving around a lot of curves/corners at slow speeds back off the sway control until you get on the highway at high speeds again. Only takes a couple seconds.
 

2003F350

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Posts
1,224
Reaction score
1,129
Location
Michigan
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.7 CTD
If you are driving around a lot of curves/corners at slow speeds back off the sway control until you get on the highway at high speeds again. Only takes a couple seconds.

When you are driving with holiday traffic, this is not advisable. You'll be on the side of a road with a lot of people who don't care about you, and you'll have to get up to speed in that traffic.

It's safer and easier to just tighten it at the beginning and leave it. A little popping isn't going to hurt anything.
 

2003F350

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Posts
1,224
Reaction score
1,129
Location
Michigan
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.7 CTD
Are we talking about the truck sway bar or a weight distributing hitch?

I've been talking about a sway control bar that is usually found as part of a WD hitch, though it can be used without a WD hitch. I assumed that was what OP was talking about, because he referenced a travel trailer.

If it is the truck sway bar, then we've all been talking about the wrong thing.
 

oldguy2

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2018
Posts
111
Reaction score
44
Location
NH
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7
I tighten the bar before getting on the highway. You can do it from the side away from traffic. You don't have to do it in a heavy traffic area.
 
OP
OP
Hcamper

Hcamper

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2019
Posts
52
Reaction score
11
Location
Iowa
Ram Year
2013
Engine
Hemi 5.7
? Was how does a guy know how tight to put it
 

novelmike

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Posts
788
Reaction score
319
Location
Central California
Ram Year
2012
Engine
5.7
What kind of weight distributing hitch do you have?

I think the proper way is to take your truck to a scale and measure your axles no trailer, with trailer, then with the WDH on.
You do this to see how much weight comes off the steer tires when you have the trailer on the hitch. Then you want to put the WDH on to get that weight back on your steer tires.

You could also take measurements of your fender heights empty then put the trailer on and attach your WDH. You want your front fender heights to be the same or slightly lower than with no trailer attached. That means you’re taking some of the rear axle weight and putting it onto the front axle. Which is exactly what the WDH should be doing.

Hope that makes sense!!
 
OP
OP
Hcamper

Hcamper

Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2019
Posts
52
Reaction score
11
Location
Iowa
Ram Year
2013
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I am talking sway bar not wdh.
 

novelmike

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Posts
788
Reaction score
319
Location
Central California
Ram Year
2012
Engine
5.7
I am talking sway bar not wdh.

Yes, the post I wrote was about the “sway bar” that attaches to the WDH. What kind of WDH do you have?

What kind of weight distributing hitch do you have?

I think the proper way is to take your truck to a scale and measure your axles no trailer, with trailer, then with the WDH on.
You do this to see how much weight comes off the steer tires when you have the trailer on the hitch. Then you want to put the WDH on to get that weight back on your steer tires.

You could also take measurements of your fender heights empty then put the trailer on and attach your WDH. You want your front fender heights to be the same or slightly lower than with no trailer attached. That means you’re taking some of the rear axle weight and putting it onto the front axle. Which is exactly what the WDH should be doing.

Hope that makes sense!!
 

2003F350

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Posts
1,224
Reaction score
1,129
Location
Michigan
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.7 CTD
novelmike, you are referring to the WDH setup itself. And while you're correct in how that is set up, if OP isn't using the WDH/anti-sway combo (similar to Reese's STEADI-FLEX or Strait-Line setups, which I have never been a fan of - your weight distribution and sway control should never be dependent on one another), your description on how to set it up does him no good.

In retrospect, I assumed he had a normal friction bar sway control, and therefore my description could possibly have done him little good. His description does sound more like a friction bar, but without pictures we're both guessing.

Hey OP, can you attach some pics of your setup?
 
Top