yizit
Milwaukee, WI
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We just purchased a 13' TT. We upgraded from PUP. I would like to know if anyone with the small TT's find it necessary to use a WD/sway control. We've heard that the small TT's are a little more difficult to back up because they turn quickly. The ad's for the Equal-i-zer's show using their product makes backing up easier. Any comments or suggestions welcomed. Our TV is a 2008 Pathfinder V-6 4.0
Jim & Darlene
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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First TT we bought was 17' and we were advised by the dealership to install the WD hitch and anti-sway bar for safety. Together they make a level and secure unit. Better to be safe than sorry. Some may tell you otherwise but even at 13', you wouldn't want it to get out of control and flip you. Backing up? Yes, the longer we got the easier it was. We are now at 32'. In backing up with our anti sway bar, we would always remove that in case we had to make a sharp back turn to get "her" in place. We have a different hitch now that doesn't require removing anything to back it up.
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Verne
Carson City, Nevada
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I have to agree with the use of WD/anti-sway on small TT's. Many will say they are unnecessary, but for the relatively small cost compared to the added safety, for me its a "no brainer". I have pulled our little TT with no special hitch, with a friction sway bar only, and with an Equal-i-zer hitch and there is definitly a difference in the control. With the Equal-i-zer, our TT and TV travel almost like a single unit with virtually no problems with reasonable wind and/or on-coming truck traffic even on two lane, high speed roads.
I figure I'll never need it until that one time when the unexpected happens, but considering who will be riding in the TV at the time . . .
-Verne, Brenda and
Latté, a Welsh Corgi
Carson City, Nevada
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SteveRankin
Sequim, WA
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You didn't say how much the 13' trailer weighs. W/D deals with trailer tongue weight, not length. A 13' trailer behind a Pathfinder may very well benefit from W/D bars, while a 1-ton truck could care less.
As for backing up, I'm not aware of any W/D setup that affects backing. Some friction sway control setups need to be backed off, though.
a 13' trailer will turn very quickly when backing and the only thing that can change that is to make the trailer longer. The good news is that you'll be able to back into tighter places. The bad news is that you'll have more difficulty backing in a straight line. You'll learn that you will need to make steering corrections very quickly.
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kknowlton
Wisconsin Border Country, IL
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Friends of ours, some years ago, went on vacation towing a small trailer (I'm guessing about 14') - no sway control, and no trailer brakes. They were swerving all over the highway due to sway, and when they got to our house (their first planned visit) they asked if they could leave the trailer there for the rest of their vacation (2 weeks or so) while they continued on the trip (making other arrangements).
No matter the size of the full-height trailer, IMO sway control is a good idea (and of course so are trailer brakes!)
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Terryallan
NC
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A light tongue weight, should not need a wdh, unless you are towing with a tiny car. And a trailer should not sway if it is balanced right. So it all depends on your TV, and trailer weight, and trailer balance.
We towed popups for 25 years with out a WDH. Because the TVs were enough to handel them. We also did not use sway control. Because the trailers were balanced right. And in 25 years. We had no problems.
Terry & Shay
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campercajun
Central Texas Hill Country
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I would definitely use WD and sway control on your rig. In some instances, your trailer could easily take control of your T.V., instead of the other way around. You don't want to wait unti you find out WHY you need sway control before you install one.
Both the Reese Strait-Line WD hitch, which includes the Dual-Cam H.P. sway control, and the Equal-I-Zer brand hitches do an excellent job of controlling sway, as well as performing WD duties, too. With both systems, when you hook up your WD bars, you have hooked up your sway control, also.
Most in my family use the Dual-Cam, but a couple of us use the Equal-I-Zer, too. I chose the Dual-Cam, because it has a center detent position (straight behind the tow vehicle) which discouranges any sideways movement of the trailer tongue when driving straight ahead, and adds tension to the WD bars if your trailer tongue moves in any direction except exactly behind. The increased tension on the bars force the trailer back into center. The Equal-I-Zer has no center detent, and depends on the drag of the trailer to re-center the trailer behind the T.V., and the friction of the bars on the L-brackets to discourage sway. You can also adjust for slightly different trailer or tow car loads with the Dual-Cam by simply taking up or letting out an extra link or so on the snap-up chains. To do this with an Equal-I-Zer is a little more involved. It uses no chains.
With the Reese, it is permissible to put a tiny bit of vaseline or similar lubricant on the sway control, to keep it from binding in turns, and making clunking or squeaking noises when turning, either going forward or in reverse. With the Equal-I-Zer, my BIL tells me that he is not supposed to use any lube on the steel WD bars or the steel L-brackets that they slide through on turns. After all, the friction between the bars and the L-brackets IS the sway control. As a result, his Equal-I-Zer sometimes squeals when turning a corner, and also when he backs into a site, unless he disconnects it before doing so, like an ordinary friction sway control. And his wife hates the embarrassing noise.
What makes the clunking or squeaking noise on both the Dual-Cam and the Equal-I-Zer is usually surface-rusted metal sliding (and binding) on other surface-rusted metal. He could probably sand the rust off his bars and L-brackets to help with the noise. I can lightly grease the Dual-Cam, and it doesn't bind, so it makes no noise. Having a microscopic coating of lubricant on it, even after I wipe the lubricant off each time, also keeps my WD bars' "saddles" (in which the "cams" ride when driving straight down the road) from rusting in the first place
I think the video you watched was commercial propaganda. Neither the Equal-I-Zer nor the Dual-Cam will make it any easier to back up your trailer. What it will do is keep you from having to listen to the popping, creaking, squeaking, and snapping noises ordinary friction sway controls make when trying to make sharp turns while turning corners or backing in, if a person has not released the friction on the anti-sway bar or hasn't taken the bar off entirely. If you don't, the noises might make you mistakenly think your trailer frame or hitch is being destroyed. It WILL resist your efforts to turn, and let you know it's resisting by the noises it makes.
Like I said, either the Equal-I-Zer or the Dual-Cam are excellent at preventing sway. Please get one of them, I don't care which, BEFORE you ever have need of it. Really, really bad things can happen if you ever need sway control and you don't have one. Once you get one of these hitches/sway controls, you will never know how many times it's saved not only your T.V. and trailer, but your life as well.
* This post was
edited 08/06/08 03:14pm by campercajun *
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kknowlton
Wisconsin Border Country, IL
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Quote:We towed popups for 25 years with out a WDH. Because the TVs were enough to handel them. We also did not use sway control. Because the trailers were balanced right. Popups are a whole different ball of wax because of their low profile. Wind can create havoc with full-height trailers. We didn't have - or need - a WD hitch or sway control with our PUP either, but we sure have with our trailers!!
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Mike Schriber
San Diego, CA
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Joined: 10/29/2004
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Your question really cannot be answered without knowing the weight of the trailer and a description of the tow vehicle.
Mike
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choffman41
Mokelumne Hill, CA
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I used to pull a 1953 Terry 13' TT with a 1972 Ford Torino. I used a WD hitch because I had one. Don't know how it would have done without it, but it worked well with 3 adults and 3 kids in the car.
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